A. Reyes dealt for Cleveland minor leaguer
NEW YORK — By dealing the righthander who just a few years ago was the organization’s top prospect, the Cardinals finally found the change of scenery that Anthony Reyes has been looking for.
The Cardinals traded Reyes from their Triple-A rotation to Cleveland for a minor-league reliever on Saturday. In the deal, the Cardinals received reliever Luis Perdomo, a 24-year-old righthander, and cash.
“Obviously, we were getting to a point where we had to make a decision with Anthony and what his future with us is,” general manager John Mozeliak said after finalizing the deal. “We were looking to add some depth to the minor-league system (in the bullpen) and wanted to do something that would have some implication for next year. We wanted to add depth.”
Reyes, 26, peaked as a Cardinal by winning Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, but never really found traction as a major-league starter. A 15th-round pick out of Southern Cal in 2003, Reyes was a determined fireballer, an approach that served him well at Triple-A but didn’t translate to the major leagues despite his attempts. The Cardinals worked with him on expanding his array of pitches and getting him to embrace a two-seam fastball, though he did so with vary degrees — and velocities — of success.
Reyes went 10-24 in the majors, including a 2-14 turn through the rotation last year.
The righthander began this season in the Cardinals’ bullpen, experiencing some success as a middle reliever. He got his first win of the season and the first save of his career in consecutive appearances in April. The Cardinals returned him to Triple-A in May to rejoin the rotation there and either enhance outside interest in him or pitch his way back to the majors.
In the meantime, the Cardinals elected to have three rookies make spot starts at the major-league level rather than recall Reyes.
The indications were Reyes was a change-of-scenery candidate.
“We were looking at a lot of different things (with Reyes), and as it got closer to (the nonwaiver trade deadline) July 31st, we didn’t think the market was going to shift all that much after it,” Mozeliak said. “We could have gotten into the offseason and looked at what was available, but to maximize his value we thought it was better to do something sooner rather than later.”
Perdomo was 5-1 with a 1.66 ERA in 40 appearances this season, split between the Class A and Class AA levels. Overall, he’s struck out 60 and walked 24 in 54 1/3 innings. He was a Carolina League All-Star as a closer for the Indians’ High-A affiliate. Perdomo was most recently with Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate, where he was 2-0 with a 3.52. Signed in 2003 as an undrafted free agent, Perdomo spent three years at the Cleveland’s academy in the Dominican Republic before making his minor-league debut in 2006.
He throws a fastball in the 90-mph to 94-mph range and has an effective slider. He projects as a setup reliever.
Perdomo has been assigned to Double-A Springfield.
Here are a couple Web sites to check out his statistics and vitals:
More on the trade, the possibility of Chris Carpenter starting next week in Atlanta and other news later tonight on StlToday.com or in Sunday’s Post-Dispatch.
-30-
Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Well I think , obviously, the Indians got the better end of this deal. The Indians are not going to contend in ‘08, and maybe Reyes will have a shot with the big club, and an oppurtunity to show Cleveland what at one point in his career made him a top prospect. I just don’t think that Reyes’s and Dave Duncan’s styles were made for each other. And I can kind of understand that. Reyes had a great fastball that he wanted to strike guys out with, and Papa Dunc wanted him to use his off spedd stuff more and he wanted A-Rey to induce more ground balls. Its tough not to think what we could have gotten or Reyes when he was still a minor leaguer. But thats just how the game goes.
Well, Albert is really struggling at the plate right now. I know that both Ank and Luddy are having great years, but I think more than anything for Albert to get some pitches to drive there needs to be a “big name bat”. Everything Albert is getting to hit is “low and away”. There are only a couple of options availble. The two names that first comes to mind are Matt Holliday and Barry Bonds. The Pirates have shown that they are willing to trade, but I don’t think that they would trade Jason Bay within the division. I’m skeptical about Holliday because his home/road stats are drastically different, and well….Barry Bonds is Barry Bonds.
A rather insignificant move when looking at this year, but is definitely a good sign for the future of St. Louis relief pitching. Reyes wasn’t going anywhere in the Cardinals system, so it’s good to see him get another chance somewhere else.
Good luck to Anthony Reyes. He badly needed a fresh start in a different organization. It’s too bad things didn’t work out for him here, but there are different ways to get batters out. I hope he and Cleveland figure things out for him.
That game one in ‘06 was huge. Easy to look back on that World Series as dominant, since Cards won 4-1, but if game one goes differently, and then Kenny Rogers shuts down the Cards in game two, it’s a very different Series.
if the cards are really looking for a big bat, and have a whole lot of money, it looks like manny ramierez might become available. the upside is as obvious as the downside. is albert ready to babysit?
It’s too bad that the Cardinals couldn’t have also gotten the rights to Brian Barton fully transferred over as part of this trade. That way, when he is finished with his rehab, he could have remained at Triple A, instead of having to be brought back with the big club as a Rule 5 draftee.
No significance for 2008 with this deal. I’m not so sure that Cleveland got the “better deal”– Perdomo appears to be a strikeout late inning type pitcher– but he is 24 and just recently promoted to AA. Extreme needs remain for 2008: Power bat, Starter, Lefty for the pen. A lot to expect from the “wallet trust”– which will probably do nothing. TLR got screwed.
At some point the Card fans should figure out that management does not want to spend money to win. Sore armed pitchers, worn out bull pen, etc.. Also we should take a look at the uncreative way the Cards play ball, sit back and wait for the long ball.
What ever happen to bunting, stolen bases, sacrificing a runner over, hit and run? Also, why do the Cards bring up stating pitchers from the minor leagues and make them a reliever and use relievers as a starting pitcher?
What is wrong with this picture? Perhaps TLR time has come also, maybe this team needs some fresh blood as a manager and leader. Low average players start games, while Miles sits on the bench? Think about some of the line up combinations we’ve had? I think Molinia may be their best trade bait.
The bullpen situation is desperate. So this guy might just get a chance to show what he can do. As for Reyes, he exhausted his chances with the Cards. So it was time to move him.
I agree with John V, not getting Barton’s rights as well is pretty dumb. I frankly think this trade is awful. The bullpen needs help NOW, if you’re going to add depth, get someone we can plug in right not, or don’t do the deal at all. Reyes in the pen is as useful to us as the guy we got. If you’re 24 and just now in AA, and not up with a club that has been terrible this year, you’re probably not very good. IMO Mozeliak just blew all the lucky credibility he had gotten from getting Glaus.
Its good the Cardinals got something for Reyes, and he did have a major impact in the World Series in 2006. Minor league depth is important, especially in the new Mozeliak era. Of all of the other comments I absolutely cannot believe someone would suggest Molina is trade-bait. That person is simply not a Cardinals fan or at least doesn’t pay attention to the club. Molina is one of the core players along with Pujols, Wainwright, and Carpenter (which they only a year ago signed to a 5 year deal). The Cardinals are not going to trade Molina he is too good. It is unfortunate that Reyes couldn’t be part of a bigger deal to acquire a solid reliever because we don’t have that. Also, anybody else wonder why the Cardinals never stick with a 2nd baseman long-term?