Yesterday, St. Louis dealt RHP Matt Duff to Boston for Tony Womack. The Red Sox signed Womack to a minor league deal this off-season to provide possible mid-season infield depth once he recovers from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October of 2003. While position players usually are able to return from the surgery faster than most pitchers because they don't rely on their arms as much, Womack isn't projected to be ready to regularly play the field at least until the end of April.

Duff signed with St. Louis in April of 2002 after bouncing between the independent leagues and a few minor league teams over the first five years of his career. He received a couple of short call-ups in 2002, and the Cardinals kept him on their 40-man over the 2002-03 winter. However, Duff spent all of last season at AAA Memphis in the International League, where he compiled a 33:14 K:BB with 28 H and 4 HR allowed in 34.1 IP for a 2.62 ERA over 32 appearances. St. Louis removed him from their 40-man roster, but the minor league free agent re-signed with the Cardinals. His upside is evident in his strikeout rate, but his sketchy control prevents him from winning a steady job in a major league pen. Boston will stash the 29-year-old at their AAA IL affiliate at Pawtucket, where he will serve as emergency relief depth. I don't expect him to substantially impact the major league team in 2004.