Who gets the ninth inning _ or hits ninth?
While the Cardinals chase that Carpenter-insurance starting pitching, they seem to be wrestling with how much to invest in the rest of the bullpen. Do they bring in a full-blown closer or just somebody who can tutor Motte/Perez? Some reader thoughts on that issue and whether Kennedy and Ankiel should be parts of the 2009 club?
Q: Dear Mr. Hummel,
How serious do you think Mo is about picking up a FA closer or trading for one? If he doesn’t find a closer, what do you think Plan B is–sign Izzy to an incentive-laden deal as a bridge to Perez/Motte or let Perez and Motte compete for the closer role in spring training?
How likely do you think it is that the Cards will decide to negotiate a deal to bring Springer back? Is that door shut, in your opinion, or is there a possibility that he could still be in the mix? Ditto for Looper–are the Cards still considering him as a FA option or have they closed the door on him with a view toward looking elsewhere?
Thank you for sharing your insight.
Lynda
A: Lynda, I think doors are open on all the Cardinals free agents of which you spoke, notably Izzy, who would have a low guaranteed base with many incentives (appearances). Springer may draw more interest from other clubs and is the least likely of the three to be back. Looper may not get what he might be looking for and still could be out there a month or so from now. As far as the closer thing goes, I see Mo trying to trade for one with some closer experience rather than expending money and years on a free agent.
I do think there will be a veteran brought in to more or less guide Perez and Motte _ at least for a while.
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Q: Dear Mr. Hummel,
I’m so pleased that you have kept up this daily blog–I look forward to reading it every day. Thank you for giving us fans some of your time every day.
A couple of questions. First, you mentioned in one of your answers above that Miles would get “a nice contract” for next year. Do you have inside information to that effect? Will he be non-tendered first, as they did last year? If so, do you believe there is any danger of him going to another team?
Second, I recall that there were a couple of attempts to bring about detente with TLR and Rolen, which, as we all know, failed miserably. Do you believe that it will really be possible for Kennedy to extricate himself from Tony’s doghouse? It doesn’t seem like Kennedy is as hostile toward Tony as Rolen was, so that should help, but I’m just wondering what you believe Tony’s attitude toward Kennedy is. I can see how it might be hard to play Kennedy every day if Miles hits over .300 again next year.
Thank you very much.
Lynda (part two)
A: Thank you very much. I don’t think the Cardinals will let Miles get to the point where he would be a free agent and will tender him a contract this month. Will Kennedy and La Russa kiss and make up? Possibly. All I think Kennedy is asking for is a chance to win the regular job and with Lopez not likely to be here, the job could be his lose. Now, if Miles hits over .300 again and Kennedy flounders, then all bets are off, but I think this is the best approach, i.e., keeping both, and freeing up more money for pitching.
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Q: Since the Redsox are in need of a young catcher. What is the possibility of moving Anderson for Buchholz or Masterson?
Randy
A: I don’t think an unproven Anderson is nearly enough to get Masterson or probably Buchholz either.
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Q:Commish, I continue to regard Rick Ankiel as a blue-chip, marquee player. I understand that given he has only one year left on his contract and Boras’ track record, this may be the time to trade him. But shouldn’t our expectations be higher than players like Kelly Johnson? Do you think he could land us Scott Kazmir plus a prospect?
RMC
A: I don’t think the Cardinals could get Kazmir for Ankiel even up. Not too worried about Boras aspect. Cardinals actually have done pretty well with his clients. I would hate to see Ankiel traded before we can see what he’s going to be. He may not have reached his potential yet.
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Q:Mo says shorter deals rather than longer. What about Randy Johnson or Jamie Moyer?
Tom
A: I’m OK with both although not sure what dollars would be.
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Q: Since Mozeliak seems to be content with Adam Kennedy as the starting 2B next year, opting to save money at the position instead of spending more on high-priced free agents like Orlando Hudson, what does that mean for the lineup? Where do you think Kennedy would hit? Ninth, where we put our lightest-hitting position player last year? Does that mean if Rasmus makes the team that he hits leadoff? I would think he’d be much better off as the ideal #2 hitter with power and speed (plus a lefty). What do La Russa and the front office think about Kennedy leading off? In 2008, in lead-off at-bats, Kennedy hit .295 (23-78) and had a OBP of .412 or higher from June-October. He at least seems like a lead-off candidate that could move the power hitters (especially Ludwick and Ankiel) into more RBI situations. What are your thoughts?
Once again, thank you for your input. This is a great forum and your insight is much appreciated!
Peter
A: Thanks, Peter. Yes, I think Kennedy would hit ninth although could move to first, if necessary. Rasmus probably would hit first if he makes team. La Russa likes that power (Ludwick, Ankiel) in second spot.
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Q: Will someone answer me this: why are we so excited about Khalil Greene, a career .248 hitter who had one productive power season?
A: A fair question. But I would differ on “one productive power season.” He hit 15 in each of the three seasons before 2007 when he had 27, while playing all his home games in a much bigger ball park.
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(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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Commish,
How much trade value does Rick Ankiel actually have? If I was a team looking to deal for Ankiel, I would very concerned about his past injury history. You couple this with the fact that he is a free agent in 2010, and I question his true trade value. Really how attractive to a team is Rick Ankiel? Especially when you consider that there is no guarantee that you could re-sign him, and he could possibly test free agency in 2010. Your thoughts?
Commish,
Thank you so much for spending some of your time everyday answering questions from Cardinal fans. You’re knowledge and intellect is invaluable to a sports nut like myself.
1-What’s your opinion on the free agent market? Do you share the same opinion that once the “primo” free agents sign, the dominoes will fall and the market will return to business as usual?
2-If you were in Mo’s shoes, would you react quickly to a slow market and try to swoop in and sign a quality arm, who might be panicking to the snails pace of the market? Or do you think the Cards normal slow-play of the market will be as effective this year or even more so?
3-Brian Fuentes-Do baseball insiders view him as a shut-down closer? Or is he viewed as a closer who might have a short shelf life?
Once again, I can’t thank you enough for your time.
I don’t see why we would give up Ankiel. I realize that Rasmus is a strong candidate to start next year and that we have Ludwick, duncan, skip, and mather, but why force a trade. We could keep all of these guys and have a terrific outfield. Trading one away for a closer seems like a bad decision seeing what closers are going for on the market. With Fuentes and Cordero available and also the potential emergence of Perez and motte or Izzy’s return, it just seems like there are much better options. If you were to trade for a starter, I could see sacrificing a ludwick or an ankiel (preferably skip if it came to these three), but only if you could get a guy of Peavy’s or Halladay’s caliber. Obviously we would have to throw in some strong prospects (anderson, todd, wallace, etc.), but if there is enough money available, why not make this rotation as strong as possible and keep the cubs from becoming seemingly invinceable? I realize that mo says he doesn’t want to burden the club with anymore hefty longterm pitching contracts, but unless he wants to be watching the cubs runaway with the central, shouldn’t he rethink this stance?
Commish:
Everyone talks about Anderson being a great prospect. Do you really see that. I dont see where he would bring that much
Also, do you think the Cardinals want to run the risk that Ankiel will fizzle out like he did with pitching? I would not be willing to assume Rick Ankiel is the real thing and am willing to part with him to feel a real need. I would respect your view.
Thanks Rick
Commish,
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and for keeping us updated on the Cards. I was wondering whether the Cards have looked at free-agent, John Parrish. He was with Toronto last year and put up a 4 ERA, while providing left handed relief. He’s young, perhaps wouldn’t cost much, and may develop into a starter?