Ever since the days of Fernando Vina in the early part of this decade, the Cardinals seem to have a different starting second baseman every year. Adam Kennedy is here for his third time in the barrel although he has lost the job for varying reasons in each off the two preceding seasons. But, given that he isn’t likely to be back next year, you have some ideas on what the Cardinals should do.

Q: Commish, thanks for your time. Although the internet and talk radio are a free forum for the vile and ignorant, we can ignore the fools and still talk Cardinal baseball in January. The fact that Cardinals fans have been having these type of discussions well before blogs is part of the reason we are known as some of the best fans in baseball. Thank you for adding your Hall of Fame insight to discussions/arguments that many of us have been having for decades.
Recently I heard someone mention the possibility of Wallace at third and Freese at second. I realize that Glaus should be back relatively quickly and Kennedy won’t/shoudn’t give up his job, but what are your thoughts about that combination? If you throw in Schumaker and Rasmus then Motte, Perez and McClellan that would certainly be a home-grown inexpensive lineup. Do you think that team would compete with the Cubs or the Pirates?

Jim

A: Thank you, Jim. Nobody in the organization really seems to think that Freese would be a second baseman, although I would expect him to play some first base when/if he goes down to Memphis. Mather, on the other hand, will get some time at second this spring, as will Schumaker. The team of which you spoke has a much better chance of competing with the Cubs than the Pirates. The Cardinals may not be all that close to the Cubs, but the Pirates are on a completely different page.

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Q: Hello Commish! I have a question about our third basemen. If Freese wins the 3B job out of spring and has a hot April, is there any chance they would move him to LF to keep him in the lineup and make him the LF of the future, allowing for Brett Wallace to take the 3B job in 2010? That, to me, would be a good move for the future of the franchise and keep the lineup stacked.

And about Allen Craig, would the Cardinals be willing to try him at 2B during spring training? He’s blocked in a lot of places and he was drafted as a shortstop. If he could make the move, it would be great for the organization. Of course, if he doesn’t look comfortable, then call it case closed and move him back to 3B. Are they willing to try that for the good of the organization and give him a shot so he can make the 2010 lineup as our starting 2B? Thanks for the time and effort you always put in. See you soon at the Quincy Exchange Club!
Joel

A: Thanks, Joel. I don’t think the Cardinals will be moving any infielders to the outfield. The process likely will be from the other direction as they try to find a second baseman for the future. I haven’t heard Craig’s name mentioned as a second-base candidate but I wouldn’t rule out much because there seems no way Kennedy will be back here next year.

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Q: With Albert Pujols only having two years left on his current contract, does the Cardinals organization have to show a commitment to winning to possibly keep him? I feel that Albert will sign a contract for less money to stay in St. Louis but that the organization will need to show a commitment to excellence. Now, what is the organization doing overall to show this? They have made four moves this offseason to make us more competitive. However, the closer role is the one that needs the most attention. Nothing has been made. With this offseason, I really feel that we lost Albert Pujols. What do you think?

Matt

A: Pujols says, so far, that he will wait until his contract is up (option year in 2011) to see what he wants to do for the future, but I’m sure he’s looking with interest as to how good the club will be. Despite the relative lack of activity this winter, I don’t think any of us knows the answer to that yet, but, yes, Pujols will be paying attention.

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Q: Commish, thanks for all your insight. We don’t get much Cards news out here in Salt Lake, so it’s always nice to have somewhere to turn for reliable information. My question is this, with all the recent talk and voting about top prospects in the organization, two guys that I thought had great years and seem to show promise were Jermaine Curtis and Samuel Freeman. I know they were just drafted, but Curtis was a high pick who helped lead Batavia to success, and Freeman is one of the few high points in lefty relief in our organization. Have you heard anything about either of these guys? Also, I know Curtis is buried in our third base depth. Any chance he projects as a potential second baseman where we are really thin? Thanks as always!

Jeremy

A: Jeremy, thank you. I know Curtis had a good offensive year (..305 at Batavia) and Freeman had a terrific strikeout-walk ratio (34-12 in 24 1/3 innings) at Johnson City but let’s see how they do with full-season teams this year before drawing too many conclusions. Again, second base is a wide-open spot in the Cardinals’ organization and all candidates are welcome. As for lefthanded relief, Freeman could have a rapid rise if he is as good as his stats were last year.

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Q: Dear Mr. Hummel, I enjoy your insights during the lean offseason and am reasonably supportive of Mo’s patient approach. However, I have one criticism of the Cardinals’ player development plan. There has been a middle-infield problem for many years which has been addressed in every draft. Why, I would like to know, has there been so little effort in the lower minors to trade from position strength for position need? Other MLB clubs, like the Rangers, have a reputation of persistence in going after players who were targeted in the draft but missed out on. That is one reason why their farm system is number one now.
Kind regards,

Les

A: Les, thank you, and I really don’t know why the Cardnals haven’t engaged in more minor-league trading to augment their middle infield. But there’s no question that their approach toward second base in 2010 and beyond is one of their most significant tasks this year.

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Q: Commish: your gut feeling, will the Cards be signing any “real” lefty relief help (e.g. Ohman, Beimel, etc.)? Thanks!
Bob

A: The Cardinals won’t sign any lefthanded reliever who wants more than one year and the two of which you spoke still are hoping to get multi-year deals somewhere. The club seems happy with its lefthanded relief, although I don’t exactly know why.

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Q: Mr. HOF, have you heard any rumblings about us being interested in Ty Wiggington? He seems a nice choice to fill out our team if we can get him for cheap on a one-year contract. He can play third in case we need a more veteran presence there, and can also play 2b (even if it isn’t his best position). He crushes lefthanded starters, which would be nice to have on this team either from the bench or as a spot starter. Maybe one year at $4.5 million, plus an option for a second year and some incentives?

Steele

A: I like Wigginton but he probably isn’t smooth enough defensively to play every day as a second baseman and Glaus isn’t going to be out that long at third. On a team with a higher payroll, Wigginton would be a good investment as a backup but the Cardinals aren’t going to spend $5 million on a backup. If he came at $2 million, now that’s something else.

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Q: I know money guarantees nothing but it does cover up for bad decisions and adds depth. With that being said, how do the Cards survive the growing disparity between their payroll and that of the Cubs? Before long, it could be approaching $30-40 million. That is tough to overcome, even if it is the Cubs. With the rest of the Central getting even cheaper, it appears that without massive injuries in Chicago, we are giving them the Central. That leaves us battling Philly, NY, Atlanta and the one team of youngsters that seems to come out of the blue every year for the wild-card. Still beats being a Pirate fan but we have stayed fairly dormant the last several years on payroll and the big cities keep growing. Isn’t it finally time for salary caps?

Gibson

A: It may well be time for a salary cap, but the players’ association, the most powerful of its kind in professional spots, would have to be bludgeoned into it. The Cubs have more money at their disposal now because of their television contracts. But, with a new owner possibly on board in Chicago and the economy receding, don’t be surprised if the Cubs aren’t spending a lot of money after this year, either.

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Q: Mr. Hall of Famer, I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t heard any rumbling about BJ Ryan. If we could go back to the beginning for this offseason, say Thanksgiving, and you were the GM of the Cardinals and you had $24 million to spend, who would have been your targets?
2) We’re into February now, how would you grade the Cardinals offseason so far?
3) I assume the Cardinals have to be targeting a few players; have you heard anything of late?
4) What odds would you place on the Cardinals signing a player of significance before the beginning of the season?
5) Do you think Joe Buck was out of line with his recent comments? And do you agree or disagree with his sentiments?
I apologize for the lengthy list of questions. I haven’t had much time to focus on Cardinal baseball, and all of these questions just started to spill out of my head.

Brian

A: No problem, Brian. I would give the Cardinals a ‘C’ for the offseason so far, keeping in mind that they beat everyone out of the gate by re-signing Lohse to a four-year deal the day after last season ended. As for additions, the club will wait to see how Carpenter, Duncan and Ankiel, among others, do in the early portions of spring training. Rest assured they will make some move before April 6, either through trade, free agency or picking up a player who will be released (and there will be many of those) because of salary considerations. Joe Buck is a season ticketholder and he has a right to vent, too.

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Q: Thanks for your expert insight and availability. My concerns with the 2009 Cardinals still come down to the bullpen. The 2008 team had a pretty decent lineup and starting rotation. The Glaus injury is not a huge surprise as he usually seems to have a couple DL stints every year. With the depth at 3B and the addition of Greene, it appears that the lineup should be at least as good as last years team. Assuming there is a decent replacement for Looper (Wolf?, McClellan?, Carpenter?), the starting rotation should also be solid.
Do you think the young bullpen pitchers are capable of improving that area of the team? And/or do you foresee any other activity to improve the bullpen in 2009? I just cannot understand why Mo would essentially neglect this facet of the team when it was undeniably the reason they fell out of contention last year.

Jim

A: Thank, you, Jim. In fairness, Mo did add three new lefthanders (quality unknown) to the bullpen and shed the three who were here last year. All those saves last year weren’t blown in the ninth inning, but there still is the issue of the Cardinals perhaps needing a veteran with closer’s experience rather than throwing Perez and/or Motte out there. La Russa/Duncan would rather see a veteran. Mo thinks the kids can do the job. We’ll see who wins that one.