Selling high on DeRosa?

LAS VEGAS -- It's not often that you get a chance to sell high, really high, on a player in a trade. The Cubs have been on the other end of the high-low spectrum enough, with guys like Sammy Sosa, Kyle Farnsworth and Corey Patterson. Now, though, reports out of Philadelphia say the Phillies may be targeting Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa as insurance to Chase Utley: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20081209_Phillies_eye_trade_for_Cu... It seems DeRosa would be part of a big three- or even four-team trade that could eventually land them Padres pitcher Jake Peavy. The Cubs no doubt need a third team to get involved if they're going to land Peavy because Padres GM Kevin Towers wants more prospects than the Cubs can give him. Some people around here are saying the Orioles could get involved as a fourth team, but others are saying no. That aside, DeRosa has great value. He'll make a reasonable $5.5 million in 2009 in the final year of one of the best three-year deals Cubs GM Jim Hendry has ever made. He's also coming off two solid years with the Cubs. He put up a .376 OBP with career bests in homers (21) and RBI (87) this year. DeRosa, a Jersey native, would figure to be a hit in Philly. He's a great talker, and he played quarterback for the University of Pennsylvania. Time is ticking on Hendry to make the "progress" Towers wants to see made toward getting this deal done. We should know more later today.