Barton Traded to Atlanta

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals’ flurry of recent moves to augment an ailing bullpen led them to make a move from outside of the organization Monday. The Cardinals dealt outfielder Brian Barton, the Rule 5 pick who spent all of last season on the major-league roster, to Atlanta this afternoon for reliever Blaine Boyer.

Boyer, a 27-year-old righthander, was designated for assignment this past weekend to make room on the Braves’ roster for Jo-Jo Reyes. He appeared in a career-high 76 games for the Braves in 2008 while setting career highs for innings pitched with 72.0 and strikeouts (67). He had 14 holds, which are the middle reliever’s equivalent of a save.

Boyer pitched 1 1/3 innings with the Braves this season, losing his only decision, at Philadelphia.

In a release announcing the deal, the Cardinals said Boyer will join the team Tuesday in time for the series opener against the New York Mets. The Cardinals will have to make a corresponding roster move to fit Boyer into the bullpen. Earlier today, pitching coach Dave Duncan told the Post-Dispatch that they are “leaning toward” starting Mitchell Boggs on Saturday.

Barton hit .268 with two home runs and 13 RBIs during his rookie season in 2008. He started this season as a outfielder for the Cardinals’ Class AAA affiliate. He’s hit .107 with a .219 on-base percentage in 10 games with Memphis.

(stltoday.com)