When Texas designated RHP Esteban Yan for assignment, I was certain he would ultimately pass through waivers and become a free agent due to his $1.5M salary. However, St. Louis traded OF-R Rick Asadoorian to the Rangers for Yan and an estimated $700,000 in cash.

Boston drafted Asadoorian out of high school with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 1999 draft. He spent a season with their Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate and a season with A Augusta in the South Atlantic League before the Red Sox traded him with Dustin Brisson and Luis Garcia to St. Louis for Dustin Hermanson during the 2001 off-season. The Cardinals placed him with A Peoria in the Midwest League for the 2002 season, only advancing him to A+ Palm Beach in the Florida State League this year. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .192 with a .262 OBP and .254 SLG on 25 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, and 1 HR with a 10:35 BB:K and 3/4 SB% in 130 AB.

The 22-year-old's A ball performance was much more positive, indicating a promising walk rate with minimal speed and power skills, though his contact rate needed improvement. He should adjust to A+ with time, and his age allows him to move a little slower through the system. Nevertheless, his struggles in the low minors suggest he may never be ready for AAA let alone the majors. Consequently, the Cardinals didn't lose much in this trade.

I was quite surprised to see Yan designated for assignment. He was pitching solidly for the Rangers, though the worst defense in the league and an unfriendly home park hurt his ERA. While with Texas, Yan compiled a 25:7 K:BB with 31 H and 5 HR allowed over 23.1 IP for a 6.94 ERA over 15 appearances. The Rangers don't have an abundance of pitchers waiting to take the 27-year-old's place, and Texas was unlikely to have anything to show for their money after making the move.

St. Louis recognized his value and decided to offer the Rangers a keepsake to make sure the Cardinals didn't have to compete for Yan's services on the free agent market, if Texas would cover most of his remaining salary. Yan likely will slide into the St. Louis bullpen in a setup role. However, he's not expected to have a major role in closing games for the Cardinals, even if RHP Jason Isringhausen isn't able to return within the projected two weeks. RHP Cal Eldred and LHP Jeff Fassero are currently covering save opportunities for St. Louis. Meanwhile, Isringhausen's recovery has progressed at a steady rate, and he's headed for a rehab assignment this week.

In order to make room for Yan on the 25 and 40-man rosters, the Cardinals respectively demoted RHP Gabe Molina and designated LHP Les Walrond for assignment. St. Louis had called up Molina on May 23rd, while moving to a 12-man pitching staff and demoting OF-L Kerry Robinson. As the newest addition to the staff, Molina was the logical choice for demotion. Molina had also performed poorly in his last outing, and he still needs to work on his control at AAA. He may see another short stint in the majors this year, but I'll be surprised if he spends much time on the big league roster in 2003. Robinson hasn't impressed the Cardinals, so he'll likely only be in the majors when needed.

Unfortunately, they lost Walrond on waivers to the Royals. St. Louis drafted Walrond out of the University of Kansas with their 13th round pick in the 1998 draft. He moved steadily through their system, spending most of last season as a starter for AAA Memphis in the Pacific Coast League. However, he struggled with his control as a starter, so the Cardinals moved the 26-year-old to relief this year. Before the Cardinals lost him on waivers, he compiled a 14:7 K:BB with 12 H allowed in 17.1 IP for a 1.04 ERA over 10 appearances, including one start. He'd also made a few appearances at AA.

While Walrond may eventually pitch effectively in the majors, the Cardinals have several other left-handed relievers on the 40-man, and all of those pitchers were above Walrond on the promotion list. Meanwhile, Kansas City had only one southpaw reliever on their 40-man before claiming Walrond. Walrond will provide them with some left-handed depth and could be called to the majors if LHP Rick DeHart is injured or ineffective.

Acquiring Yan helps solidify the Cardinal bullpen, but injuries continue to hold the team down. After overcoming the hand injury earlier in the season, 2B-L Fernando Vina could now miss three months because of a torn right hamstring. St. Louis placed Vina on the disabled list on May 26th. He'd left the Cardinals' game the night before in the fifth inning after grabbing his hamstring while running to first base on a grounder.

Vina underwent surgery to repair the tendon, which should allow him to return faster than if he had attempted to rehab the injury. Nevertheless, he is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks, and he could be out significantly longer. UT-R Miguel Cairo will cover second base in his absence with IF-S Wilson Delgado helping occasionally, though neither player deserves to start.

OF-R So Taguchi replaced Vina on the roster. He's made progress with his walk rate at AAA, which should allow him to hold a bench job in the majors, but he's still not in a position to offer much offensively. However, Taguchi has the ability to play a little second base, and the Cardinals wanted that flexibility, since with Cairo starting, Delgado and CR-R Eduardo Perez are their only infielders off the bench. Regrettably, the Cardinals purse strings remain tied, so I don't envision them making any trades that might increase the payroll even to give the team the boost they may need to win the division.