St. Louis Cardinals seal the deal on Lance Berkman
Major League Baseball is hitting its peak in the off season period and much of the credit should go to the winter meetings which began on Monday. The 30 teams in the American League and the National League are looking to bridge their resources to pick up
the right free players in the agency. One of the top seed batters has already moved out of the market and it’s a matter of time before clubs and ball stars see eye to eye on wage demands and play time.
However, before the signs of the winter meetings opened up, one important player made the transition back to the National League and he’s apparently one of the top sluggers in the Major League. Lance Berkman joined the New York Yankees last season during
the trade window and he was surely one of the headlines of the summer. He moved to New York from the Houston Astros and now he’s back in the same league.
Big Puma, as he’s known, is now a St. Louis Cardinals player and he made the move from the free agency on an $8 million contract. General Manager, John Mozeliak spoke of the deal and started off by saying that the team never made the right deal in the trade
deadline, prior to the off season. The 34 year old however is believed to play a major role at the club and his inclusion in the side will ease the pressure on the hitters.
John went on to say, "He's a winning player, and he brings tremendous leadership and respect to the clubhouse. I think he has a great appreciation for the sport of baseball and the history of it. He looks at the St. Louis Cardinals as a premier place to
play. It's always nice to have people who have great admiration for the history of the organization."
Matt Holliday is going to make room for the left fielder and Berkman will be given the duty to play in every game that will come after April.
Mozeliak went on to explain the newly found alliance. He said, "This took two parties (to complete). I think he had greater opportunities out there, financially, and I think he felt that this was just a place he wanted to play. Based on his desire to be
here, that's when we started to realize we had a chance to get this deal done."
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