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TORONTO — With a little financial assistance from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Toronto Blue Jays have landed third baseman Scott Rolen in a trade the club believes will strengthen an already solid infield.
In a swap of hard-hitting third basemen, the Jays had to give up Troy Glaus to the Cardinals to get Rolen, who has been beset by injures the past couple of seasons.
The deal is contingent on both players passing physicals, which are expected to be carried out today.
Before the Jays would agree on the deal, the Cardinals had to agree to pay a $4-million (all figures U.S.) bonus that is due Rolen by the end of his contract, which runs through 2010, according to a Jays insider.
Rolen, 32, is slated to earn roughly $33-million over the final three years of his contract while Glaus is due to make $12.8-million in the 2008 season with an option for another $11.25-million the following year.
Glaus, 31, had to commit to the option year with the Cardinals as part of the deal and both players had to waive no-trade clauses in order for the trade to go forward.
Offensively, Rolen and Glaus are very similar.
While Glaus has a little more power – five times during his 10-year major-league career the 31-year-old has stroked at least 30 home runs in a season – but Rolen is no lightweight with the bat.
Rolen, 32, hit 34 home runs as recently as 2004, when he helped the Cardinals win the National League pennant. They lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Rolen's career batting average is better than Glaus's (.283 to .254), along with his on-base percentage (.372 to .358) and slugging percentage (.507 to .500).
While the Jays believe they will not lose much offence with the departure of Glaus, they think the addition of Rolen will be a huge improvement defensively.
While the lumbering Glaus was often a statue on defence, Rolen is a seven-time Gold Glove winner as the NL's top fielding third baseman – most recently in 2006.
Only Brooks Robinson, who earned 16 Gold Gloves during his career, and Mike Schmidt, with 10, have won the award more often at third base than Rolen, who is entering his 13th season.
“He's a seven-time Gold Glove and a five-time all-star,” a Jays source said. “We're getting better defensively and a guy who hits with a better average.”
Rolen has struggled with shoulder issues the past two years, and his 2007 season ended in September when he had surgery on his left shoulder. He is 6 foot 4 and 240 pounds and throws right-handed.
Rolen's injury problems – he's had three surgeries over the past three years – had created a rift between the player and manager Tony La Russa to the point where Rolen's representatives informed the Cardinals he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause.
The Jays and Cardinals have been discussing a possible deal since the winter meetings in Nashville in early December.
Last season, Rolen batted .265 in 112 games with eight home runs and 58 runs batted-in.
Like Rolen, Glaus is also coming off an injury, as he underwent season-ending foot surgery in September. In 115 games, Glaus batted .262 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs.
Glaus's name also surfaced in a published report claiming he received multiple shipments of performance-enhancing steroids through an allegedly illegal internet distribution network in 2003 and 2004 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Glaus never spoke publicly about the claim and was later cleared after an investigation by Major League Baseball, which cited a lack of evidence.
