Cardinals’ status is quo _ for now
The Cardinals have made it clear that they won’t be doing any roster-juggling until they are well into spring training, if then. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have an opinion.
Q: Commish, do you see the Cardinals trading Kennedy and Glaus if the team’s not going anywhere next summer?
Paul
A: I think they would explore those possibilities, plus maybe even Ankiel, who also could be a free agent, if team was not really in contention.
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Q: I’m intrigued by the prospect of Mather moving to 2b. We’ve all seen him play the outfield, and his size and agility seem more suited to LF. What do some of you think about his size, and what appears to be somewhat limited mobility, with regard to his ability to handle the rigors of playing a middle infield position?
Bravebird
A: Any use of Mather at second base would be only as a reserve player, if, indeed, he can handle the position at all. But he is a good athlete, even at his size, and it’s worth looking at.
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Q: Commish, give me a good reason that the Redbirds should not take a run @ Orlando Hudson for 2 years @ 8-10 Million and use Kennedy to back up the infield positions (except first). He is a proven #2 hitter and is a slick fielder. No teams are making any serious offers to him. He would be an asset to this organization
Fizzo
A: The reason is that the Cardinals aren’t going to pay $8 million a year for two second basemen. The next significant move they make, if any, will be for pitching.
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Q: I saw, as of a few days ago, that Grudzielanek was available. It’s a shame the Cards didn’t hang onto him. He gave them a solid, if not sensational glove and decent pop in his bat. Is there still any interest in him by the Redbirds or is he just a second stringer these days?. I really do like the idea of Schumaker moving to second if he can pull it off. As an outfielder he was exceptional defensively but a very soft .300 hitter with limited power. However, if he can move to the infield…then his offensive numbers become a huge plus, it opens up an outfield spot for the kids with more pop in their bats and fills a problem at second. I don’t think second base is rocket science and I think he could pick it up pretty easily?
Coachdevine
A: I think Tony La Russa had some interest in Grudzielanek but Grud is 38 and has had back problems in recent years. If Schumaker, who wasn’t very good as an infielder when he was signed, could pull this off, that would be a plus. But there is a reason why he became an outfielder.
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Q: Mr. Hummel, in the early- to mid-’70s, I attended hundreds of games at old Busch. Rarely were those teams contenders, yet they managed to keep it interesting. There was no place I’d rather be than at those games. I’ve lived through championships and cellars. But last season was the first time I felt that the team gave up. Not the players, the front office. When all other contenders got help, the Cards did not address their needs, not even one. Though Felipe Lopez played well, we did not need him as Miles was fine. We needed pitching. With one good reliever, we could have made the playoffs. And if the team was not deep enough to absorb injuries, what makes anyone think we are better prepared this season. We lost the only semi-effective lefty to surgery. As it stands now, this team is one injury away from falling out of contention. I like the Lohse signing and I’m OK with Khalil but as of now, we’re looking at 4A lefties and kids to close. After this rant, which is surely milder than anything Mo has heard lately, my question is why does the front office consistently fail to acquire pitching? Lohse fell into their laps. Everyone else they have sought has declined their offer. Why? Are they lowballing or does the team have a bad rep among pitchers? Most seem to appreciate Dave Duncan when they implement his teaching. Please shed some light on why we constantly struggle. This has been happening for only a few years. Thanks so much.
Roger
A: I agree that the Cardinals weren’t able to help their bullpen from without last year but there wasn’t that much out there at the time, unless they would have overpaid (in talent) for Fuentes, who was going to be a free agent, and, as it turned out, didn’t want to play here anyway. Lopez actually was a good signing and a more valuable player than Miles because Lopez had some extra-base pop.
I’m sure the Cardinals tried _ and will try _ to make some moves. I don’t worry about last year much now anyway. Let’s see what they do this time. And let’s not forget that Wellemeyer was a pitcher they obtained in 2007, so they actually have acquired a rotation member (Pineiro also in 2007) in each of the last two seasons.
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Q: With Tony La Russa getting closer and closer to retirement each year, I always ponder who the next manager should be and I’ve come to think that Jose Oquendo would be the best candidate for this. For one, Pujols has always expressed his preference to play for Tony. Obviously that can’t happen if he retires. So who better than somone Albert is familiar with as a third base coach and infield instructor? Second, Jose has applied for other managerial jobs in the past and has managed in the World Baseball Classic so it’s not like it would be his first rodeo either. What do you think? Thanks for your time.
Jake
A: Oquendo would be an outstanding candidate and I would feel comfortable with him. I don’t know if the front office would think it would need to bring in a veteran manager for such an established franchise.
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Q: With the Cards signing all these relievers to one-year contracts and Khalil and Adam Kennedy becoming free agents after 09, won’t the team have to adress the same issues again next offseason? Thanks for your time.
Jake
A: Yes. It seems second base always is an issue here.
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(24 votes, average: 3.92 out of 5)
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I know that Tyler Johnson is hurt & may not be ready to pitch till May or June. He did a GOOD job for us in 07.Why have the Cardinails not resigned lefthander Tyler Johnson to a minor league contract??
Commish i AGREE the Cardinals ARE closer to the Cubs than the Pirates!!! Molina,Pujols,Kennedy,Greene,Glaus,Ludwick,Ankiel,Schumaker,Mather,Rasmus is a REALLY GOOD hitting & fielding team. Wainwright,Lohse,& Wellemyer are 3 good starters & IF, IF Carpenter can pitch we will be that much better. I have no problem with Perez as closer. YES we WOULD be BETTER with ANY one of these PLAYERS in the line up Hudson at 2nd, Sheets in the rotation & eather Ramirez,Abreu or Dunn in the outfield. BUT for some reason that is NOT going to happen even though the price for SHEETS & HUDSON have come way down.
Why did we NOT resign lefthander Ron Villone?? Did he not hold lefthanded batters to about a 200 avj?? His high ERA came when he did mop up work to save the bullpen for the team. I THINK he is better than any of the 3 lefthanders we signed!!!
We needed/wanted one more BIG IMPACT bat at the start of the off season to protect Pujols. While I think K.Greene was a VERRY GOOD pick up as a hitter & fielder he was not that BIG IMPACT bat. With Glaus now out till at least May dont we now need 2 big impact bats or do you think one of the rookie 3rd baseman can take up the slack?
After looking at the free agent pitchers left on the free agent market , there is not much left that could help the Cardinals. Sheets,Wolf,&Looper are the BEST left that WOULD help the Cards. Livan Hernandez,Pedro Martinez,Odalis Perez,Chris Benson & Chuck James are the BEST of the rest. Martinez,Benson,& James were all hurt last year. I think any of them could be a useful # 4 or 5 starter in 09. Hernandez or Martinez being the best picks.
Bullpen help Ron Villone,Chad Cordero,Will Ohman,Denny Reyes, & Tyler Johnson is it !!!! Cordero and Johnson were hurt. Villone,Ohman & Reyes are lefthanders but for some we did not try to sign them. I still think the Cardinals should TRADE for lefthander B.J.RYAN to set up and help close!!!!!
Do you think the Cardinals are looking at any of these pitchers? Who do you think the Cardinals should try to get as a # 4 or 5 starter?? Who for the bullpen?? THANK YOU!!!! Bryan
Commish,
I liked Aaron Miles, as a lot of Cardinal fans did. I understand he wanted to start and the Cards couldn’t guarantee that position for him. I’m also not opposed to seeing what some of the younger guys can do in other positions this spring…but will the Cards miss the veteran bench presence Miles provided? What about Rich Aurilia? He may not be able to start at SS or 2B anymore, but he can certainly fill in most positions ably and could be a solid bat off the bench. Is he asking for more than the Cards would be willing to pay for such a role?
Hey sir!
We missed out big time last year by not being aggressive and signing Alexei Ramirez from Cuba who would have been a nice low-cost high impact pick up to fill our SS/MI role for a few years. Do you know if we have any interest with the recent duo that “defected” from Cuba Marti (SP) and Gomez (OF). Both are pretty good looking players and Marti has starting and closing experience and looked very good in the last WBC!
I know we don’t have a lot of money and that Cuban players can sometimes be gambles, but i think if we could get lower priced deals we could end up with some pretty impressive players that fill needs for us.
I can think of two other reasons that Orlando Hudson is not the answer to our second base prayers.
1. He’s a Type A free agent and would cost the Cardinals their first pick in the June draft.
2. He suffered a dislocated wrist that ended his season in August. There’s a real possibility he will lose significant bat speed. I’ll be surprised if he puts up numbers in 2009 that are close to his career average.
Commish …. Why not take a flyer on Manny R. We could likely get him for ALL of 2009 for a pawltry $30 to $35 Mil and AP likes him. He could play third until Glaus is gets back and since he’s so great, we could ditch Ankiel for cash and Manny could play left and center at the same time. If we really want to keep Ankiel, fine, move Manny to 2ed. At least we’d have a bit more pop there than we do now. Your thoughts on Manny the Man?
Commish,
What is the fascination with the one year contract for left-handed relievers this club? It seems like that’s all they ever offer and then they have to start this process all over again next season. I would argue that now is an excellent time to offer a two to three year deal because the price for relief pitching (and just about everything else) has gone down. Buy low and lock in at low prices for a few years. What happens if/when the economy comes around next year and suddenly the going rate for relief help is much much higher? What am I missing?
Thanks,
Steve
Dear Mr. Hummel,
I’d just like to build on a question asked today by Roger. He asked about the Cardinals’ failure to acquire adequate pitching depth. As you said, it’s true that they acquired 2 pitchers in 2007–Wellemeyer and Pineiro. If I remember correctly, both were picked up off waivers so it’s not like they went out and successfully recruited FA pitchers. More important, imo, is the point about the failure to get bullpen help last year at the deadline. I think the central issue here was that they left spring training last year KNOWING that they needed LH bullpen help. The same is true for this year as they go into spring training. So why do they even wait for the trading deadline? There are plenty of reasonably priced pitchers out there that seemingly fit the Cardinals profile, but the club has shown no interest in them. Most of us realize that they can’t spend like the Yankees (and don’t even want them to); what’s confusing is that they aren’t even going for the inexpensive guys this year, even though there are glaring holes that even a baseball neophyte could identify. Has their philosophy changed from targeting value in the free agent market to counting almost exclusively on their farm system? This seems to be in keeping with their newly aggressive policy of moving prospects through the system quickly. If this is a change in philosophy, why don’t they just say so? Thank you very much for your insight.
Lynda
P.S. feel free to edit my question–it got a little longer than I intended.
The Cardinals are a bunch of cheapskates.They know that 3 million-plus fans will come even if the team from Father Dempseys Charaties played them.They done shafted everyone to get the new stadium.Where is the long promised Ballpark Village!HAHA!!!!The Cardinals motto is like the old Steve Miller Band song-”TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!!!”