By James Bailey
Who would have figured last December that Mark DeRosa could have such an impact on the standings in the NL Central?
On New Year’s Eve, the Cubs dealt the super utility man, in the final year of his contract, to Cleveland for three pitching prospects. That same day Chicago signed Aaron Miles to fill the utility void. A week later they inked mercurial Milton Bradley to a three-year deal and the club looked stronger on paper.
Too bad they don’t play the games on paper. Minus DeRosa’s bat, flexibility and leadership, the Cubs are 36-37, in fourth place in the division, 3.5 games behind the Brewers. Miles is hitting .203 with four RBIs in 123 at-bats. And Bradley, in between temper tantrums, is batting .232 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 177 at-bats. Instead of leadership he’s brought headaches. Lou Piniella never had to kick DeRosa out of the dugout.
The Indians expected DeRosa to fill a key role on a contender in the AL Central. He did his part, but the rest of the team wasn’t up to the challenge. DeRosa batted .270 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs (11 more than Chicago’s team leader, Derrek Lee) for the last-place Tribe, but with the team seemingly eliminated from the playoff race they looked to maximize his value.
Enter Chicago’s fiercest division rival, the Cardinals, in need of a third-base upgrade and a consistent offensive threat. St. Louis dealt reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later to the Indians and plugged DeRosa into the cleanup slot on Sunday. In his second game he moved up to No. 2. Wherever he hits, he deepens the lineup and his ability to play multiple positions allows the Cards to spell players at several positions without much tradeoff defensively.
That’s what the Cubs thought they were maintaining by signing Miles to replace DeRosa in December. Miles, ironically, did the job for St. Louis last year, batting .317 in 379 at-bats and playing six different positions—seven if you count his one stint on the mound. But Miles hasn’t hit this year, making it difficult to pencil him into the lineup in place of injured starters like Aramis Ramirez and Bradley, when he was out earlier in the year.
DeRosa spent two seasons with the Cubs, winning two division titles. Last year’s Cubs squad led the NL with 97 wins, thanks in no small part to his career-best showing with a .285 average, 21 homers, 103 runs and 87 RBIs. When October rolled around the Cubs were unable to produce and GM Jim Hendry felt the need to shuffle the roster. The team was too righthanded, and that helped make DeRosa expendable.
His leadership, however, batted neither righthanded nor lefthanded. A 12-year veteran who came up with the Braves in 1998, DeRosa was regarded by many teammates and observers as a glue guy in the clubhouse for the Cubs last season. Kerry Wood, who also moved to Cleveland over the winter, was a positive influence as well. Chemistry may not show up in the box score, but a lack of it will be reflected in the standings. Even a veteran club like Chicago needs guys like DeRosa, who was known for subtle things like drawing the media away from beleaguered—and thankful—teammates.
Hendry is still convinced he got good value from the Indians in the December deal. The Cubs received three minor league pitchers who are all faring well this season. Relievers Jeff Stevens and John Gaub are working at Triple-A Iowa, while starter Chris Archer is at low Class A Peoria. Stevens is 0-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 35.2 innings, with 24 hits, 19 walks and 36 strikeouts. Gaub, who spent most of the first half at Double-A Tennessee, is 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA between the two stops. He has allowed 19 hits and 19 walks in 29.1 innings while striking out 40. Archer is 2-2 with a 2.19 ERA. In 53.1 innings he’s allowed 32 hits and 36 walks and struck out 66. That’s come over 14 starts, however, so he’s averaging less than four innings per outing.
Even if all three eventually reach Chicago and contribute, there’s no question this deal was a short-term setback for a team otherwise poised to win now. Many prognosticators this spring picked the Cubs to not only win the Central Division, but take the NL pennant. They’re hardly out of the running, but with a sub-.500 record they haven’t even scratched those lofty expectations.
The Cardinals, a game back of Milwaukee in a closely grouped division, made a tough choice in parting with Perez, who turns 24 on Wednesday. The second-year pitcher had been one of the primary setup men for closer Ryan Franklin, appearing in 29 games and posting a 4.18 ERA for the Cardinals. He logged seven saves as a rookie last year, and the team saw him as its future closer.
This deal for them was not about the future, however. It was about winning now. If DeRosa helps them do it, his former club will certainly be wishing it had made a similar choice last December.
