Cleveland, OH -- (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians shipped utility player Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for relief pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later on Saturday.

DeRosa was in his first season with Cleveland after being acquired from the Cubs and was hitting .270 with 13 homers and 50 runs batted in.

"We felt that this deal provided us with an excellent opportunity to improve our team, especially from an offensive standpoint," said Cardinals general manger John Mozeliak. "We feel our team has the pitching to contend, and if we can get the offense to produce at a more consistent level, then our overall performance should benefit."

DeRosa, 34, is one of the most versatile players in the majors, having played more than 100 career games at third base, shortstop, second base and outfield. This season he has played 42 games at third, 16 in left field, nine in right field and seven at first base.

Last season with the Cubs, DeRosa posted career-highs in both homers (21) and RBI (87).

Perez, 24, was drafted by the Cardinals in the supplemental first round in 2006. So far this season, he is 1-1 with a 4.37 earned run average and one save in 29 games.