According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals designated first baseman Josh Phelps for assignment today and claimed lefty reliever Charlie Manning off waivers from the Nationals.
Phelps, 30, has been with seven organizations. Things looked promising when he came up in 2002 and snagged some ROY votes with .924 OPS in a half-season. He hit 31 home runs in Triple A this year, but it was his fourth extended stint at the level.
Manning, 29, is also a minor league veteran. The Cards are his fourth organization; he debuted as a 29 year-old rookie with the Nationals this year. He did a pretty good job against lefties. With Ron Villone eligible for free agency, the Cards figured to add a few lefty relievers.
