Ryan Ludwick so “optimistic”, he’s skipping flight
JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick, on the eve of a scheduled arbitration with the club for his 2009 salary, said he’s “optimistic” a deal will be finalized sometime today and that he won’t need to race to catch his flight this afternoon for Arizona.
Ludwick said he spoke with his agent and was told that he should attend the informal workouts this morning at Roger Dean Stadium and that he didn’t need to travel to Phoenix.
“From what he said, they’re really close,” Ludwick said. “Just kind of sit and wait. From what I understand, things can be hammered out by later today, later tonight or tomorrow morning.”
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak described negotiations between the two parties as “close.” But he added that he has a bag packed for the trip to Phoenix for the hearing. Assistant general manager John Abbamondi has also arrived in Jupiter, Fla. He had remained in Arizona to prep for Ludwick’s hearing after last week’s scheduled hearing for Rick Ankiel. Ankiel and the Cardinals agreed on a midpoint deal three hours before they were to walk into the three-judge panel and state their cases.
The Cardinals submitted a salary offer of $2.8 million; Ludwick countered with $4.25 million.
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(12 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Anything between 2.8 million and 4.25 million will be a bargain of a price for Ludwick. Here’s hoping the two sides can work something out, and avoid a flight to Phoenix.
Thanks for the updates! Keep up the good work, DG.
3.5 and call it a day.
What Jay said; win-win.
Ludwick is good but losing 12-10 all season still sucks. What’s the deal with the bullpen? Nothing is being done to fix the major league record blown saves issue from last year other than letting one problem (Izzy) go… If we would have blown half of the saves last year then we would have won the central division… its nice to have the offense but it doesn’t matter when you serve up mash potatoes to the league and lose 12-10!
Izzy WAS the problem! He’s gone, we’ve got new, lefty relief, so you can’t say they haven’t done anything.
Did you want them to go throw a MASSIVE and unnecessary amount of money at somebody like K-rod?
Don’t you just love how Mo tries to be such a bad A**, saying he has a bag packed as if to threaten Ludwick. I wish they would go and then have Ludwick get his $4.8M and shove up Mo’s butt!
Sorry Smiller,
I did not interpret Mo’s statement as bad a$$. He said they were close. Over react much?
Let’s see, he hit .299, 37 hr and 113 rbi’s …so your John Mo and you reward this guy with a threat of salary arbitration on a reasonable salary increase for being one of the most productive hitters in the NL? I guess MightyMo would still have him battling for a starting job with Dunc. Insane and ungrateful.
Compare Ludwick’s stats with Manny Rameriz’s. Then compare their salaries and attitudes.
mo, or should i say puppet boy, just pay the man and consider yourself lucky you got him at that price. obviously we don’t know what kind of year he will have, but at least do something to help the club, because you’re hitting about.050 right now, with that great closer, power bat and that biggest of all debacles, letting miles go and have no second baseman.