THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Assuming the Cardinals cannot get Matt Holliday re-signed and that Jason Bay stays with Boston, who are some other options out there that you think the Cardinals should pursue to man left field?

JOE STRAUSS
First, it is premature to assume either premise. Holliday’s market may not be as firm as some insist, especially if Bay returns to Boston and the New York Yankees remain on the periphery. But playing along, the leading free agent outfielders remain Bobby Abreu, a Type A who can steal bases but is also a very limited defender who has suffered a significant ebb in power. The Cardinals literally return to where they started if Holliday leaves, becoming a Pujols-centric attack almost forced to put Ryan Ludwick into the cleanup role.

If the club is serious about giving David Freese a chance to win the third base job, its best options become a trade for an outfielder. John Mozeliak acquired Troy Glaus under duress before the ’08 season. It is feasible that the Washington Nationals make Adam Dunn available this winter before he enters the walk year of his deal. Dunn is owed $10 million next season, a relative bargain in comparison to a 6-8 year deal for Holliday or a 4-year splurge on Bay. Bay, however, represents an extremely good fit in St. Louis should talks with the Red Sox stall.

DERRICK GOOLD
One of the reasons the Cardinals’ push for Matt Holliday is so pivotal to their 2010 roster is there is a steep plummet from the class of Holliday and Jason Bay to the other free agents out there this winter. Not one of them is an obvious candidate to hit cleanup behind Albert Pujols like either of those top-shelf left fielders would be. Bobby Abreu or Vlad Guerrero may have the name recognition to do so, but they don’t have that everyday, NL look at this point in their careers.

A name in that second or third tier of free agents that intrigues is Xavier Nady, one year removed from a 97-RBI turn with Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees. He lost 2009 to injury, but had back-to-back 20-homer seasons before that. Nady would be an interesting instant-scratch ticket. Some low-risk options could be found in the secondary market — the players non-tendered by teams. According to reports, the Florida Marlins are likely to non-tender Jeremy Hermida, a lapsed top prospect, and former Brave outfielder Jeff Francoeur could be set free by the New York Mets. Not the big-splash, big bat the Cardinals crave for the middle of the lineup. But if they whiff on Holliday it may be where the Cardinals have to go to supplement the in-house candidates and hope lightning strikes left field.

RICK HUMMEL
Give Allen Craig, one of the top power hitters in Class AAA at Memphis, a glove and work him out in left field all spring. His bat may be good enough but possibly not his defense. Otherwise, sign DeRosa, if his wrist is deemed all right, and make him more or less a full-time outfielder.

JEFF GORDON
I would keep Mark DeRosa and play him in the outfield, if it is determined Skip Schumaker is the long-haul solution at 2B. I’m not sure you can find somebody else with solid 20-homer, 80-RBI potential in free agency. This could also open the door for somebody like Allen Craig to get some OF at bats when De Rosa takes some starts at 3B to spell Freese or 2B when Skip gets a break against lefties.

There isn’t much to deal for, say, a Josh Willingham-type. A guy like Xavier Nady could be interesting to rehab.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: What do you feel should be the Cardinals top priority this offseason?

JOE STRAUSS
Obviously, getting a handle on Matt Holliday’s situation is significant because of what signing him would do to the club’s financial flexibility. Likewise, losing him to free agency frees up significant money to pursue another direction. Holliday is Scott Boras’ leading free agent this winter. Boras typically leaves his top client on the market for an extended period. This tendency does not square with the Cardinals’ desire for a quick resolution. If Holliday reaches the open market, the Cardinals’ task in signing him becomes exponentially more difficult, so much so that Jason Bay’s name now freely floats within the organization. The team’s late-season meltdown against “plus” pitching underscores the need for further improvement.

DERRICK GOOLD
This very public eagerness to work on an extension with Albert Pujols strikes me as a non-traditional strategy, especially with two years remaining on his contract and his leverage likely never better with a second consecutive MVP on the way. It makes sense to do eventually, but why the push to do it now? Unless they want to do something in concert to make sure when they add a new player Pujols is still the highest-paid player . . . hmm. Simply, the priority should be outfitting the lineup around Pujols, Mr. I Want to Stay With a Contender, and to do that with the best bat that fits — the team’s finances, the team’s structure and the team’s approach, all of it. That still is Matt Holliday. Linking his best years to Pujols’ best years is in everyone’s interest.

RICK HUMMEL
The top priority is to explore the prospect of re-signing OF Matt Holliday to a long-term deal. If not, I would offer him arbitration (to make sure of getting two draft picks) and he might even accept that if there isn’t a long-term deal he likes anywhere.

JEFF GORDON
Top priority: Lock-up Albert Pujols for the long haul. Once that is done, the cornerstone is secured and all the other decisions will fall into place. The other matters are minor compared to this one. If he can’t be secured during this offseason, for whatever reason, then the need to re-sign Matt Holliday increases — since this team will need somebody to build a batting order around from 2012 on.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Bringing back the manager and the pitching coach would be at the top of my list. I’m not sure Matt Holliday is worth what the market will bear, so I wouldn’t rate him No. 1. Plus the team has kids like Allen Craig and Jon Jay who may prove worthy of an opportunity to do in 2010 what Colby Rasmus did in 2009. In fact, I’m almost leaning toward letting all the kids battle for the open roster spots early in the year and then dealing for veterans, if necessary, come June or July. I think what the team did this year worked quite well and I’d follow that pattern again just in case guys like Craig, Jay, David Freese, Jaime Garcia, Blake Hawksworth and Mitchell Boggs have breakthroughs. Spend the money to get Albert re-signed and then deal for veterans in-season, if necessary.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Cardinals have many pending free agents, not to mention a clock ticking on Albert Pujols’ current deal. Keeping in mind money will have to be set aside for Albert, how many of the pending free agents do you think this team can realistically re-sign? And how might you prioritize those signings?

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals probably can sign as many of the free agents as they want, but they would have to move salary elsewhere, perhaps a Ryan Ludwick, who will be due another big raise as an arbitration-eligible player. The pecking order:
1. Matt Holliday
2. Joel Pineiro
3. Mark DeRosa
4. Trever Miller
5. Rick Ankiel
6. Jason LaRue
7. Todd Wellemeyer

No chance category: Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene

BERNIE MIKLASZ
If they go “all in” on Matt Holliday, that’ll be it. There won’t be enough money (realistically) to deal with Mark DeRosa or Joel Pineiro, unless the players are willing to stay here at a steep discount. I’m wondering if the Cardinals will regret the contract they gave Kyle Lohse after last season.

DERRICK GOOLD
How many they sign depends mostly on who they sign. The priority has to be re-signing Matt Holliday. The Cardinals gave up a lot to get him, and they did so with the intention of keeping him beyond this season as the long-term heavy to hit behind Albert Pujols. A successful pursuit of Holliday will not only limit who else the Cardinals can go out and sign — or go out and keep — but also how they then approach Pujols about an extension. Holliday will limit the budget for other signings and help set the internal market for Pujols’ next deal. Signing both Holliday and Mark DeRosa isn’t unreasonable, and it may be necessary for the Cardinals to bring back DeRosa as an option at third base and second base. After that, the Cardinals usually move quickly to sign their backup catcher (Jason LaRue has done nothing to change his status) and will need to find a lefty specialist (will Trever Miller return?). The rest, including Joel Pineiro, are on the backburner or not in the conversation either because of the price tag, need or 2009 performance.

JEFF GORDON
Having Julio Lugo for free next season helps the budget. Also, David Freese appears back on track to replace Troy Glaus at third base. That helps as well. I would try to extend Mark DeRosa ASAP for a moderate raise over his current deal. He is a classic Cardinal. Surely he wants to stay, right? If the Cards have DeRosa in hand, preferably before the end of the season, that allows the team to remain patient on the Matt Holliday front. The team will be assured of having a solid offense next year. If Holliday wants to stay, the Cards could give him a nice contract, turn the page on Ankiel and Pineiro and lean on younger starting pitching. If Holliday decides to explore the market and chase the top dollar, then the Cards could spend money on Ankiel, Pineiro and/or other pitching and hitting. This could go a lot of ways, but I would lock in DeRosa early to simplify the equation.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
They should be able to sign the two or three they really need in addition to leaving room for Albert’s contract down the road without too much difficulty. The three I’d recommend focusing on are Matt Holliday, Joel Pineiro and Mark DeRosa, in that order. Holliday is the presence you need behind Albert. Pineiro has become a reliable starter and they have no apparent in-house replacement for him. DeRosa is an incredibly valuable, versatile player with leadership ability and a solid bat. As long as their demands — in terms of dollars and years — aren’t totally out of whack the team should be able to afford them and leave room for Albert’s new deal here in a couple of years. Minus their current obligations on Adam Kennedy, Troy Glaus, Khalil Greene and Todd Wellemeyer, the Cardinals save $27 million and that should give them some wiggle room to work with.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With news of an uncertain timetable for Troy Glaus’ return, it’s now looking like David Freese will man the hot corner for the Cardinals to begin the season. Coming over from the Padres via trade and spending just one year in the Cardinals’ minor league system, many here don’t know much about Freese. What would you tell people to expect to see from Freese at 3B and at the plate as the season gets under way?

JOE STRAUSS
It’s been 30 years since the Cardinals employed a rookie 3B on Opening Day. Freese is there for offensive production, though he is considered at least major-league average defensively. There is little question about Freese’s power. The ball jumps off his bat. With Glaus likely out through May, the more important issue is whether Freese is prone to overexposure. He was a high-strikeout guy at Memphis last season (but improved as the season progressed). How does his left foot hold up? Joe Mather is an option but not a preferred one. There is little ready depth at the position, since TLR holds the strong opinion that Brett Wallace is light years away defensively and Allen Craig is projected as a first baseman/OF. I’m not sure it’s comforting when second base is no longer the biggest question on the infield.

RICK HUMMEL
Freese seems to be moving all right in the field after his Achilles’ tendon injury in January. At the plate, he is best when he uses the whole field and he has good power to right-center-field. Manager Tony La Russa will bat him down in the lineup, either seventh or eighth, at least until he has more at-bats.

DERRICK GOOLD
Scouts I spoke to who watched him blossom in Triple-A Memphis last year universally lauded David Freese’s ability to play third base. He has a consistent and good enough arm, and a feel for the instinctive reactions needed to excel at the position. On the tricky fields of the Grapefruit League, he’s been comfortable and gained the faith of a discerning pitching staff. His play at third is going to be good enough that it allows some latitude if he is slow to adjust offensively.

He’s going to strike out — maybe even a lot (111 last year) — but Freese was able to work with hitting coach Mark Budaska in Memphis to expand how he uses the field. What started as an attempt to have him drive the ball gap to gap also helped unlock latent power. In July, he hit .378, slugged .694 and 16 of his 37 hits in the month were extra bases. Thirteen of his 26 home runs came after July 1. Freese has had back-to-back seasons of 90 RBIs and that nose for driving in runs doesn’t vanish. It could be awhile before he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter in the majors, but he’s going to add RBI depth to the lineup, especially nestled somewhere toward the bottom of the order.

JEFF GORDON
Making the jump from high Class A to Class AAA last season was challenging, but Freese adapted on the fly. Like Ryan Ludwick, he had to become more selective at the plate. He has hit at every level he has played at, but he had a lot to learn about facing more mature pitchers. Once he became more disciplined, the results followed. He is an above-average fielder, which makes him a better long-term option that Joe Mather, Allen Craig or Brett Wallace. He should do OK in the field and contribute some offense from low in the batting order.

GERRY FRALEY
Rather than bloviate, why not ask a major-league scout about David Freese? A scout with a National League East team offered this report on Freese:

“I know he has real power, especially if he can extend his arms. He can get tied up on balls over the inside half. His defense has held him back: decent arm but below-average range. San Diego liked (Kevin) Kouzmanoff and (Chase) Headley better than him and talked about making him a catcher. He’s a guy, just a guy. With all the ground-ball guys on their staff, I’d go for defense over offense.’’

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Defensively, reports indicate that Freese is a very good glove man at the hot corner. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect his defense to be close to what Glaus would provide in a normal season. His glove alone should make him the favorite to get the majority of starts at third while Glaus is on the mend.

Offensively you’d have to expect a bit of a decline from Triple-A to the majors. He has very good power, perhaps in the 20-25 HR range over the course of a full big league season, but his strikeout rate (1 K every 4 AB) at Memphis last year was a bit scary. Granted, Freese was making the jump from High-A to Triple-A but he was an appropriate age (25) for his level in ’08. His minor league numbers are outstanding (.906 career OPS) but it’s important to remember that until ’08 he was always a bit older than most of his competition.

If Freese gets 300 at-bats for the Cardinals this season I’d expect him to hit around .265-.270 with 10 HR, a fair number of RBI and a bunch of strikeouts. If he’s better than that, which is certainly possible, then the Cardinals will have some interesting decisions to make in the near future.