Mark DeRosa traded to Cardinals
Unlike most Chicago Cubs fans, I haven't chugged gallons of the Mark DeRosa kool-aid.
The way people reacted when and since Cubs general manager Jim Hendry dealt the utilityman to Cleveland during the offseason would make you think he'd traded away Ernie Banks. I valued DeRosa's contributions to the 2008 Cubs, but reasoned that Hendry was right in attempting to shake his team up after two straight three-and-done postseason showings. Even now, I don't miss DeRosa as much as I am beyond fed up at watching the guy who essentially replaced him, Milton Bradley, play baseball.
So I'm not despondant as some Cubs fans probably are about DeRosa being traded by the Indians Saturday to the Cubs' biggest rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. It'll be a bit weird seeing DeRosa in Cardinal red, I'll admit. But he spent two years in Chicago, not a decade. He already got enough standing ovations last weekend at Wrigley Field to last a lifetime, or at least the rest of his career. I've somehow adjusted to the realization that this career .278 hitter is no longer with our team, and advise Cubs fans to do the same.
What upsets me about DeRosa going to the Cardinals is that their addition of a valuable player increases their playoff chances, and consequently diminishes those of the treading-water Cubs. Like I said, DeRosa's not a hall of famer, but his ability to play multiple positions and drive in runs will prove valuable to St. Louis, which has struggled with injuries and the fact that most of its position players not named Albert Pujols really aren't that good. DeRosa has 50 RBI already after driving 87 in for the Cubs last year, and while he'll be hard-pressed to maintain that pace, he'll contribute.
To be honest, I'm not sure it matters all that much. I'm quickly losing confidence in the Cubs' ability to stay in the race, even in a division as mediocre as the NL Central. I'll have more on them in Tuesday's Imperceptive Insight sports column.
