And the Tony La Genius / Scott Rolen Divorce is nearly official. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Gold :

The Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays are close to finalizing a swap of third basemen that would bring Troy Glaus to St. Louis and send the disenchanted Scott Rolen north of the border. Industry sources confirmed the conversations, which were first reported Saturday on Fox Sports.com.

Reached at his office, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said he was at the ballpark “working through this weekend and I’m working on a lot of different things.”


The Cardinals explored trading Rolen to several clubs, most notably Milwaukee, during the Winter Meetings in December. A deal could not be completed and Mozeliak left the meetings site believe Rolen would be a member of the 2008 Cardinals. Rolen (above, left) has been disgruntled with the organization since a shoulder injury in 2005, and his frustration peaked in 2006 when Tony La Russa (above, right) did not start him for a game in the National League Championship Series.

Rolen was limited to 112 games last season before requiring a third surgery in three seasons on his left shoulder. The Cardinals have said they expect him to be ready for spring training, and Rolen said the most recent surgery is to restore a flexibility he lacked in 2007. His difficulty with the shoulder contributed to sagging power numbers, which included eight home runs.

Glaus, 31, is a two-time 40-homer hitter and has five season of at least 30 home runs. He has been bothered by a foot injury that limited him to 115 games last season, though he still hit 20 home runs and drove in 62 RBIs.

It has been reported and confirmed that physicals for both players would be a pivotal part of completing any deal.