No Miles, No Fuentes. . . no help?
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa lamented the loss of Aaron Miles and even Brian Fuentes, whom the Cardinals actually never had. Some of you seem to agree, especially in the case of Miles. Now, what happens? You have questions. We’ll try to have some answers.
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Q: Commish, I have been thinking for weeks about why Tony seemed so adamant to acquire a hard-throwing lefty out of the pen. Then it came to me. I remembered the “Nasty Boys.” I heard on the new MLB network Barry Larkin speaking about that bullpen of the 1990 Reds. Larkin said , “We knew every day that we were playing a six-inning game. If we had the lead after six, it was over.” Perez, Motte and Fuentes would have also been pretty nasty. This brings me to the question, what is happening with Tyler Johnson? If he could be almost what he was he could be that third piece of nasty. Thanks, Mr. Hummel.
Roger
A: Tyler Johnson still is on the 40-man roster but is recovering from elbow surgery of last spring. He probably won’t be ready until some time early in the season. But I wouldn’t reject him down the line if he can throw as he did in 2006.
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Thanks again for your insight,
Andy
A: If they could get the likes of Randy Wolf or Oliver Perez for a two-year contract, they would be interested in that. But the starting pitching market, while still relatively deep, won’t shake out more until Derek Lowe, who is the at the top of the list, decides what to do with his offer from the Mets.
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Q: Rick - Fuentes signs with LAA for $17.5 for two years and a club option for a third. Miles goes to ChiCubs for just a bit more than the Cards would give him. Lopez is let go and signs for a reasonable amount out west. What’s the real deal here? Is Mo outright lying to us or is he just incompetent?
Kevin
A: Here’s how I see this. Fuentes didn’t want to play here if the Angels made him an offer, so there wasn’t much John Mozeliak could do about that. No question Miles would be a valuable re-sign and he will be missed, but the Cardinals refuse to pay their backups starter-type money. Now, should Miles not be considered a backup? That is another question. His bat says he is a regular. His defense is modest at best but he has shown himself to be a winning player. If Lopez had agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals before exploring other options, the Cardinals still would have him. Timing was everything here. By the time Lopez signed for one year, the Cardinals, who apparently hadn’t heard that kind of talk from his agent before, were too late.
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Q: Hi Commish, Happy New Year. Is there any news on Jamie Garcia and how he is recovering from surgery? I thought, considering he was hurt, that he had some gutty performances during his callup. And do you think the signing of Miles by the Cubs causes us to look at bringing Barden up? He played well at AAA last year and could cover all the infield positions too. What do you think of him as a player?
Dennis
A: Garcia had elbow surgery and likely will be out till the last part of the 2009 season. Barden hasn’t been given much of a sniff in his call-ups the last two years but he showed himself to be both an accomplished hitter and defensive player at Class AAA Memphis and for the Olympic team. If he doesn’t get a chance this spring, this means the Cardinals never really have liked him.
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Q: The very best of the New Year, Mr. Commish: I am really sore that the Cubs signed Aaron Miles and Fuentes went to the Angels. One expected, the other a complete surprise. I have watched my beloved Redbirds skimp on second basemen for years. Time for that to end. I like and am comfortable with Adam Kennedy, and I think he’ll have a great year, but be injured. Does that now open a spot for Brendan Ryan and get him out of Tony’s doghouse?
Secondly, I’m happy that Fuentes went away. He’s not the kind of guy I’d want on the Birds. I know that Mo and Dunc will be creative finding a guy to close, but they had better do it soon. If we wait to June, we’ll be watching everyone else win. So what do you think about a closer, disregarding the two rookies? Last, since we’re not trading for a regular second baseman, who do you think would make a equal or better replacement for Mr. Miles? It is so disconcerting seeing so may Cardinals needs just six weeks before spring training.
All the best,
Thom
A: Thanks, Thom. I’m not that concerned yet because I foresee much more player movement among teams this spring than in most other seasons. Yes, Brendan Ryan has another chance to play himself back into favor. If he does, he well could be Mr. Miles’ replacement. The next closer? I must admit I don’t know who that is.
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(12 votes, average: 3.58 out of 5)
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Mr. Commish. Some thoughts have been rolling around in my head over the latest losses for the Cards. Even though the Cards do not like to give starter money to backups, hence the departure of Miles, what about sucking up that notion, moving Kennedy into a super sub (if he can handle the roll, it would set him up nice for the future because he won’t be a starter after his showing in STL) and sign O. Hudson to take over 2nd. It doesn’t give us a power bat like Tony would like, but it gives us consistency both on defense and offense. He could be a legit 2 hole hitter and possible lead off depending on Shumacker. The other idea is signing Trevor Hoffman for a year or two to lead the bullpen and give Motte and Perez some wonderful guidance and teaching. Your thoughts?
Your answer to Roger about Tyler Johnson was incorrect. Johnson was nontendered and is therefore a free agent. He could re-sign with the Cardinals, presumably for less than would be required if tendered, or go the way of Aaron Miles. It would be nice if the small savings resulting from these severances were used to enhance the roster, but so far there has been no evidence of that.
Miles “has shown himself to be a winning player?” What does that even mean? It sounds like an excuse for a slightly below average player that was a fan favorite. When you start throwing out adjectives like “winner” and “gritty” you are starting to get sentimental. Miles would not gain us enough wins to justify that kind of salary. Honestly this signing helps us more than the Cubs. He is a backup, and if you look at the numbers, they will back that.
Hi Commish, I’ve seen early where the Cardinals may not be able to afford to sign Looper, but haven’t heard a word about him since. I would just as soon have him back than to sign Randy Wolf or Oliver Perez. Looper has progressed nicely since moving from the bullpen and now could very well be the innings eater the Cardinals need. Would Looper cost more than Wolf or Perez?
Hi Rick,
In reading your answers to the previous questions, I’d like to know what the Cardinals’ offers were to Fuentes and Miles. How much more would they have had to offer to get/keep them? I don’t blame the GM for the loss of these two; I blame ownership.
Now, on to two areas where I do question Mo’s skills. How much of Kennedy’s salary would we have had to eat? I can’t believe that there isn’t some team out there that would have taken him if we agreed to assume a portion of that salary. Secondly, did anyone ask Lopez’ agent what it would take to sign him to a 1 year deal?
I have been a Red Bird fan since I moved here in 1967. I’ve seen some years where the team didn’t make moves that the fans would have liked to see them make. But this combination of ownership & GM scares me.
Denny
Commish, hope you are enjoying a happy new year; I appreciate your answering our questions. Have you heard anything about whether (and how) Jason Isringhausen is progressing in his rehab program? Does he still want to pitch, and are any teams interested in him? I would love to see him back with an incentive contract with the Cardinals but I don’t think it is in his best interest as long as La Russa is around. His return would, however, meet alot of needs: low cost, 1-year bridge and mentor the 2 heirs apparent. The last thing I want to see this year is Franklin on the mound again in the 9th inning!
I have been following Cardinals baseball since 1957 when my parents moved to Paducah, Ky. I can still remember the day that Mr Augie Busch decided not pay to keep ” Lefty ” and traded him for Rick Wise with nothing to boot.
Is this the start of more of that ” stinkin thinkin? ”
By the way, Wise didn’t last more than one season with the Cardinals.
John M
Dear Mo VIA THE COMMISH:
2008 Cardinals
Record when Leading after 7 innings– 73-14
Record when Leading after 8 innings– 75-6
Blown Saves by Bullpen– 31 (MLB Rank? 1)
Cardinals 2008 W-L Record– 86-76
Give us 20-31 more wins by signing a bonafide closer and where would we finish? (HINT: The Cubs won the division with 97 wins)
This isn’t rocket science. If you can’t figure out what we need to do, call Walt in Cincy maybe he can give you some ideas.
If the Cardinals fail to sign a closer it is a clear indication that they are content to allow 3 million fans to suffer through another season of mediocrity. STAND BY TO ORGANIZE AN ALL-OUT PROTEST BY NON-ATTENDANCE IF THEY DON’T CARE WHY SHOULD WE?
Come on Red Birds, spend some money! It’s always the same story,,,watch as other teams DO spend money and improve their pitching. Once again, the season will start, and we will have done Nothing! Don’t try to tell us fans we can’t afford “Big Money Players.” This IS the same organization that had the the likes of Mark McGuire, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpentar ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!! Just don’t sit there and finish third or fourth in our division.
I would love to see Trevor Hoffman here for two years and Oliver Perez for 3 or 4 do to young age. I think both of these guys would fall in the Cards budget. Then wait for season to start to tinker with the O.