Rolen has new team, new outlook

MIAMI -- Scott Rolen walked into the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse, stopped by manager Tony La Russa's office for a brief, friendly chat and then was greeted warmly by his new teammates.

Traded by Philadelphia a day earlier following eight difficult months, Rolen was in the starting lineup for St. Louis on Tuesday night against the Florida Marlins. It was exactly where the Cardinals want the All-Star third baseman for years to come.

Rolen wouldn't mind it, either.

"This is the best situation for me right now. This is the situation that I wanted to be in and this is the best of all worlds for me," said Rolen, who made his first All-Star team this season.

St. Louis and Rolen's agents have not talked about an extension, but Rolen sounded like he's prefer to remain.

"It would be great for me and I hope it would be great for the Cardinals," he said, "but that's not something that we're going to talk about right now."

Rolen had been the subject of trade rumors since rejecting a 10-year contract extension last November that could've been worth up to $140 million. He signed an $8.6 million, one-year deal in January, but made it clear he wanted to become a free agent after this season.

"If we don't sign him, it would be a setback," Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said. "But that was something we were willing to risk. We feel confident at some point we'll sit down with his people and try to hammer something out."

It might not come until after the season, though. Rolen said he doesn't want contract talks to interfere with his performance this season.

Rolen, the NL Rookie of the Year in 1997, averaged 26 homers and 95 RBIs in his first five seasons.

But his last two years were marred by chaos and controversy. He feuded with Phillies manager Larry Bowa and became a main target for criticism by fans. The low point came when an anonymous teammate allegedly called Rolen a clubhouse "cancer" in June.

He badly wanted out.

"It's a relief, there's no doubt," Rolen said. "That's not throwing stones at the Philadelphia Phillies or pointing fingers. It was a situation that got ugly. It didn't have to be the Philadelphia Phillies or Larry Bowa vs. Scott Rolen. ... The situation came to a point where everybody needed to turn the page. That's the best way to put it.

"There's a new chapter in my life and for me and my family. This is great."

He batted in the No. 5 spot against the Marlins, joining a powerful lineup that already featured Jim Edmonds, Albert Pujols, J.D. Drew and Tino Martinez. The trade gives Rolen a chance to win a championship -- moving from the last-place Phillies to the first-place Cardinals.

"That's a pretty good jump," said Rolen, who was hitting .259 with 17 homers and 66 RBIs. "Toward the end there, we were trying to win 18 games every day we went out. That doesn't work too well. Now we don't have to win 18 games. I just made up a lot of ground overnight. From last place to first place, I'm in an unbelievable situation right now."