Tribe acquires DeRosa; Cubs get scrappy Miles

The Indians have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Chicago Cubs for four minor leaguers. I like DeRosa a lot. He's a versatile hard-working player, and an all-around great athlete - you've probably heard the stories about him playing QB at Penn. Alan Schwarz of the NY Times writes this about DeRosa:

"DeRosa, 33, is the major leagues’ only former all-Ivy League quarterback and the only player with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Yet he remains less white-collar Wharton than blue-collar Jersey. He is a thinking-man’s player not thinking too much, a late bloomer who has graduated from reserve to utility man to an everyday, versatile player."

I expect DeRosa to play 2B for the Tribe, moving Asdrubal Cabrera to short and Jhonny Peralta to third. Paul Hoynes of the Plain-Dealer, however, reports that DeRosa is expected to play third.

DeRosa is also a blogger.

Read more on this deal at The DiaTribe.


Aaron Miles, another versatile scrappy player, also has a new home. Miles was not re-signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and instead inked a two-year deal with the Cubs. Miles is a switch-hitter and primarily a middle-infielder, however, he also added third base and all three outfield positions to his repertoire. Also, get this... Miles has been known to pitch on occasion. Miles stands a David Eckstein-esque 5'8" and weighs about 170.