Can anyone talk sense into Cardinal “leadership”? They could get a probable 20 game winner, 200 innings, 200 strikeouts, ERA of 2.XX, for _______. You fill in the blank and I don’t care if it’s Rasmus because yes he will be a good player but he’s not a sure fire elite guy like Jake Peavy ALREADY IS.
Opportunities like this come around as often as Haley’s comet. You better do something to get over the top while you have Pujols- or else.
Barring a complete change of direction, I won’t be paying a visit to the stadium this year.

I think the front office wants to be known as shrewd bargain hunters. That is their number one priority. Their statement that they are going after low hanging fruit tells everything about their philosophy. It demeans any player that signs to be considered as low hanging fruit. Will other players ask Kyle Lohse if he is one of the low hanging fruit? How will he feel about that? Do Albert or Waino consider themselves low hanging fruit? The only people that are well served by such a statement are the bargain hunters that signed them. So while Mo and Dewitt’s reputations are enhanced, they have demoralized the team. The cards number one priority should be to change that attitude and the impression it leaves with players and fans.

I am so tired of hearing about Peavy or any big-dollar pitcher/player. He has been a fine pitcher, no argument, but the economics of this game and country have changed. Teams everywhere are trying to plug holes from within and keep the players they want to keep before hitting free agency and the free spending Yankee$. If Peavy flames out his elbow in May we’d have little available to trade to fill the hole since we’d given a bunch of our best prospects to get him. Was nothing learned in the Mark Mulder trade? Or the JD Drew trade, which worked in our favor? I, for one, am intrigued by a potential future Cardinal outfield of Rasmus, Wallace and Daryl Jones. It’s likely we’re looking at more than a couple All-Star appearances from that trio over their careers for being just a little bit patient now.

I think Firebrand sees a vision that speaks well of baseball saavy. It is also wise to act with patience. I agree Firebrand. I’m sick and tired of all our good players going down with injuries. Get some talented youth in there that can play 150 games so we can have a team we really identify with and that we can keep for awhile.

When did Jake Peavy win 20? Never, that’s when. He had 19 in 2007 but that looks like the anomaly not the norm.The norm is a pitcher with great talent that misses time with injuries and never remains consistent over an entire season - even 2007. His era is at least partially a function of Petco.

Last year at Petco - 5-5 1.74 era (impressive era)
Last year everywhere else - 4-6 4.28 (not so impressive)

Shouldn’t we atleast give Hoffman a look even if not for what he has got left but his ability to bring our closers in waiting along? A little blurb from Hoffman’s career:
“Hoffman proved to have such a live arm that he was taken by the Florida Marlins in the 1992 expansion draft. When Hoffman first came into the league he was a fireballer, throwing in the low to mid 90’s with a tight curveball. Hoffman’s repertoire now includes one of the game’s best changeups, a more modest four-seam fastball in the 84–88 MPH range, a slower cut fastball that moves in towards a left-handed batter, and he even mixes in a slider and a curveball a handful of times a year for good measure. Trevor Hoffman learned the change up, which he actually throws with a palmball grip instead of a circle changeup grip, from teammate Donnie Elliott during the 1994 player’s strike and began using the pitch in 1995 when he did not have his best fastball because he was pitching most of the year with a torn rotator cuff.”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Hoffman)

My point, isn’t the biggest knock on our 2 (Motte and Perez) is that they just throw fast and not much else? Sounds like they could use a teammate willing to pay it forward and show them the way.

I am with john… What message are the Cardinal brain trust sending to the faithful Cardinal Nation? In one interview Mr. DeWitt said the Cardinals will not draw 3+ million this year ummm duh not if they are not going to put a winning product on the field. The Cubs are doing whatever they can to improve their team that won 97 games last year and it is very frustrating watching the Cubbies widen the gap from the rest of the division. I am not sure if the Cards will come ahead of the Pirates this year so that will make us basement dwellers. This wait and see act will have us in the same position with the same discussions this time next year. The Cardinals are too cocky thinking they will draw 2.5 million patrons a year with whatever team they decide to put on the field and expect LaRussa and Duncan to work miracles every year which we as fans are tired of seeing. Whatever happened to the promise the Cardinals made regarding ballpark village when they were approved of the new stadium? We get the allstar game this year and the city will be embarrassed by the hole left by the old Busch. This is pretty pathetic once again the city has been let down by the Cardinal organization. The fans has kept the ownership rich at least show us that you have the willingness to win!

I think the number one priority is someone who can get left-handed hitters out in relief. I don’t count the injured or pitchers who walk every other batter as fitting that description.

I think it is time for us to buy fewer tickets to Cardinal tickets to start with. And maybe even better idea, when you go to games just don’t buy ANY thing to eat or drink. But you watch, if that were to happen or if the city put more pressure on Mr DeWitt on Ball Park Village, probably the Owners would sell the team and get out of town with all that money.