Current Contract:
Signed an eight-year, $90 million contract on September 27, 2002.

2003: $7,000,000
2004: $8,000,000
2005: $11,000,000
2006: $11,000,000
2007: $12,000,000
2008: $12,000,000
2009: $12,000,000
2010: $12,000,000

*Rolen received a $5 million signing bonus and a full no-trade clause as part of the deal. $10 million will be deferred ($2M/year from 2003 to 2007). He will also recieve $50,000 each time that he is selected to the All-Star game and wins a gold glove.

Agent: Levinson brothers, ACES

Became a Cardinal:
Acquired from Philadelphia Phillies with minor league pitcher Doug Nickle in exchange for infielder Placido Polanco and pitchers Bud Smith and Mike Timlin, July 29, 2002.

2006 Season:
Rolen roared through the first four months of the season, but began battling discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder towards the end of the season. He hit just .227 with a .299 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage in September, but still finished the season hitting .296/.369/.518 with 22 home runs and 95 RBI. He led the team with 48 doubles. Selected to his fifth All-Star game, Rolen also won his seventh career Gold Glove Award.

Career Notes:
A second round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993, Rolen brokie into the Majors in 1996 and won National League Rookie of the Year in 1997. On July 29 2002, the Phillies sent Rolen, along with Doug Nickle, to the Cardinals for Plácido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith. Later that year, the Cardinals gave him an eight-year, $90 million contract extension.

Rolen's 2004 season was probably his best season to date. For much of the season, he led the National League in RBIs, often ranked among the league leaders in most offensive statistics, and had the highest vote total of any player for the All-Star Game. Despite being injured for the last stretch of the season, he finished the year with a career-high .314 batting average, 34 home runs, and 124 RBIs. He finished fourth in the National League MVP voting.

A shoulder injury limited Rolen to just 56 games in 2005. He underwent surgery to his left shoulder on May 13, after a collision at first base with LA's Hee Seop Choi. In his return from the disabled list, Rolen hit just .207 with no home runs in 25 games before going on the DL again on July 22. He underwent season-ending surgery to repair labrum in the shoulder on July 25.

A five-time All-Star, Rolen is a career .285/.375/.515 hitter with 253 home runs. He is a seven-time Gold Glove Award winner.

Photo: MLB Photos