The Cardinals have acquired 34-year old 1B/2B/3B/OF Mark DeRosa from the Cleveland Indians for 23-year old righty reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa played in 71 games for the Tribe this season and he was 75 for 278 (.270 avg, .799 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 13 homers and 50 RBIs. He has now played in 964 games in his major league career and he is 815 for 2,928 (.278 avg, .722 OPS) with 453 runs scored, 82 homers and 402 RBIs. DeRosa will likely play a lot of 3B for the Cardinals and bat cleanup to protect Albert Pujols in the lineup (like he really needs it!). Perez pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this season and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 4.18 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) in a Cardinals’ uniform and he was 4-4 with 8 saves, a 3.72 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. This was a good trade for the Cardinals as DeRosa will give them a needed bat for a playoff push.

The St. Louis Cardinals are on the hunt for a starting shortstop and they should look to the Cleveland Indians to find their guy. 27-year old righty swinging Jhonny Peralta could come available soon with the Tribe falling out of contention. He has played in 53 games for the Indians so far this season and he is 52 for 202 (.257 avg, .676 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers and 26 RBIs. But, in his prior four seasons with the Indians Peralta averaged 89.3 runs scored, 20.3 homers and 76.8 RBIs so the power is there. With Khalil Greene being a complete bust to this point the Cardinals can’t afford to sit around and wait. The Cardinals should also try to snap up 26-year old righty swinging 2B Josh Barfield from the Tribe. He has played in 9 games for the Indians this season and he is 5 for 12 (.417 avg, .834 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. In Barfield’s rookie season he played in 150 games for the Padres in which he batted .280 (.741 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 13 homers, 58 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Barfield has only hit .243 in 151 games in his American League career. Maybe a return to the N.L. would spark him. The Indians would probably be interested in 26-year old righty reliever Jason Motte and 23-year old righty reliever Chris Perez. The Cardinals would probably part with one of them plus 27-year old righty reliever/starter Brad Thompson for Peralta and Barfield and that would be a trade that could help both teams as the Indians’ pitching staff is in very poor shape.

Chris Duncan is off to a good start this season. He wasn’t projected to be a starter this season for the Cardinals but he’s hitting too good to not be penciled in the lineup. Duncan has played in 28 games this season for the Cardinals and he is 25 for 91 (.275 avg, .875 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers and 19 RBIs. As long as he hits, Duncan will likely hang onto a starting job.

The Cardinals have placed starting CF Rick Ankiel on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder contusion caused by him running into the wall in the outfield. Ankiel has played in 24 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 20 for 81 (.247 avg, .721 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers and 11 RBIs. The player most likely to benefit from Ankiel’s injury is rookie Colby Rasmus. Rasmus has played in 24 games this season for the Cardinals and he is 19 for 74 (.257 avg, .700 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. The Cardinals will miss Ankiel’s power while he is out as Rasmus is not that kind of hitter.

The Cardinals have acquired 27-year old righty reliever Blaine Boyer from the Braves for 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Brian Barton. Boyer pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the Braves this season and he was 0-1 with a 40.50 ERA and a 4.50 WHIP. Boyer has pitched in 129 games (0 starts) in his 5-year major league career and he is 6-9 with 1 save, a 5.46 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Barton played in 82 games last season for the Cardinals and he was 41 for 153 (.268 avg, .746 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Barton got off to a slow start in AAA-ball this year as he played in 10 games in which he was 3 for 28 (.107 avg, .326 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI and 3 stolen bases. This was a good trade for both teams as the Cardinals needed bullpen help and the Braves needed an outfielder.

UPDATE: The Cardinals have lost Blaine Boyer on waivers to the Diamondbacks. Boyer pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this season and he was 0-0 with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.