THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Now that the Cardinals have signed John Smoltz, what are your expectations for the rest of this season for the 8-time All Star and former Cy Young winner?

JOE STRAUSS
I believe what the Cardinals project will indeed play out: Smoltz will make 2-3 starts, at least, before migrating to the bullpen in a set-up role for Ryan Franklin. How he handles lefthanded hitters as a starter will likely dictate how much he is trusted against them in relief. By September, the Cardinals plan to add a third LH to the bullpen. If Smoltz is vulnerable to lefts, he and Trever Miller could form a formidable match-up tandem. It would be unwise to expect too much from Sunday’s start given that Smoltz has not appeared since Aug. 6. This is a low-risk/potentially high-reward move. Whatever Smoltz gives them should be considered a bonus. It is illustrative that GM John Mozeliak says the club has ended its search for additional bullpen help. If Smoltz becomes a serviceable six-inning starter, it is more than the Cardinals have received from the No. 5 slot all season.

RICK HUMMEL
Expectations should be modest, inasmuch as Smoltz didn’t help Boston much and if the Red Sox thought Smoltz had something significant left, they would have kept him. The Red Sox got him to pitch in postseason play, where he is 15-4. That being said, Smoltz may be more comfortable in the National League and might be able to give the Cardinals something of a Jeff Weaver-like transfusion. He ultimately will wind up in the bullpen for October play.

DERRICK GOOLD
It’s hard to reconcile Smoltz’s recent performance with the righthander we thought we knew. He struggled with Boston and in his last start he did not pitch well enough to be a starter with most major-league teams, let alone contending major-league teams. That said, Smoltz is a world-class competitor — and his internal drive is contagious. He’ll merge easily into the vibrant culture of the Cardinals’ clubhouse. Less clear is how his role will develop on the field. Lost in the big ERA and struggles he had as a starter was how effective his slider remained against righthanded hitters. At the least, he’ll be an asset out of the bullpen against righthanded hitters, and that’s truly what the Cardinals need. Any innings he gives them as a starter beyond his two-start tryout in the role is a bonus. He’ll be a presence, to be sure. It remains to be seen if he’ll be a factor.

GERRY FRALEY
The Cardinals are fooling themselves if they expect to get even a minor contribution from Smoltz. He has been dumped this season by two teams that know pitching: Atlanta and Boston. It’s hard to believe either club would have given up on Smoltz had he shown even a glimmer of possibilities.

Smoltz no longer has the arm strength to throw an effective split-finger fastball, which he needs to neutralize left-handed hitters. In Smoltz’s brief time with Boston this season, left-handed hitters batted .440 with a .788 slugging percentage against him.

Smoltz has had a superb career, is the epitome of professionalism and is a certain Hall of Famer. Right now, he looks like another Hall of Famer who did not know when it was over. Steve Carlton pitched ineffectively with five teams in his last three seasons before stopping.

JEFF GORDON
Well, he will help. He will work to become a Pedro Martinez-like starter for this team, working into the fifth or sixth inning. That’ll be a stretch, but it will be more fun watching him try than watching Mitchell Boggs walk hitters and Todd Wellemeyer allow homers. His better role would be the eighth inning, where he could set up Ryan Franklin, move Kyle McClellan toward middle relief and keep Jason Motte out of harm’s way. If Smoltz struggles for a few weeks and Jaime Garcia continues his comeback course at Memphis, maybe the Cards could go that direction. But giving him a chance to start and prove skeptics wrong makes much sense.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I expect Smoltz to struggle a bit in his initial workings as a starter, assuming that’s how it all goes, but to settle into a setup role as the playoffs get closer. Even if Smoltz wants to be a starter, a mistake in my opinion, the team certainly recognizes how unlikely it is that he would crack the postseason rotation. Give him a few starts to get some work in and see what happens while preparing for what makes the most sense, Smoltz working in the 7th and 8th innings primarily facing righthanded hitters. He could be devastating in that role.

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.