Dan M: Gordo,

If the sun could possibly shine, and he should fall into the Cards lap with the 13th pick, will they draft, or as in the past, be eating Crow?

Dan M

Jeff Gordon: Many scouts regard Crow as the top pitcher in the draft . . . and some self-proclaimed experts also fret about the mechanics of his delivery. Will he be injury-prone as a pro? But Crow is about to cash in. As Cards general manager John Mozeliak told the P-D, the club will consider paying a premium to sign the right player or players in this draft. Passing on an elite prospect (like Rick Porcello in '07) makes no sense for team trying to build a strong, self-renewing talent base. I'd rather see the Cards invest in prospects than overspend later for middle-run free agents.

Lynda: Gordo, have there been any Izzy sitings from Florida? How did his mound session go last Friday? Has Carp gotten back on track after his "hiccup"? Will we ever see Mulder or Clement? Hope you had a great M-Day!

Jeff Gordon: It's still early to assess all these guys. With June almost upon us, fans should focus on the players already here and the prospects on the cusp at Memphis. Anything the Cards get from Mulder, Carpenter, Isringhausen, Clement, Kinney, et al this season will be a bonus.

To me, Izzy is the fascinating case. Franklin has done well in his stead and Perez is the best relief prospect the Cards have produced in a LONG time.

Micahel Kent: Jeff ...

Now that he's with the "big club," is Chris Perez here to stay, even if Izzy returns to his old self? What's your gut feeling? Will one of the short relievers become a trade chip?

Thanks.

Jeff Gordon: Perez would have to literally go wild to lose his spot now. He has knockout stuff and he seems impervious to the pressure. As for potential trades, we've been talking about those all season -- and yet injuries and slumps (Pineiro, Izzy of late) keep the Cards from getting to that point. Will they ever have a surplus? Or will players keep suffering setbacks?

Who knows, maybe this team will get all the way to September without having a surplus to deal from.

In the near term, Parisi would return to Memphis if Izzy made a comeback. In that scenario, McClellan would have to become more of an inning-eater.

Wes: Are the Cardinals going to do anything about 2nd base?

I just don't really get why Kennedy is on the team. He only plays half the time now. In fact, Miles/Ryan have now been playing more often, and Kennedy only has 20 more at-bats than Miles. Miles should be a bench player - not a starter.

And when Kennedy does play, he's not very good... hitting .245 on the season.

I want to get a better 2nd baseman that plays everyday. We're paying Kennedy this money to be a platoon player?

Gordo, do you think the Cards might try to acqire a better 2nd baseman if one becomes available?

Jeff Gordon: The team's overall production at the position has been OK. You would like to get either power or speed out of that position, which is why Ryan could keep getting ABs there if Izturis plays OK at shortstop.

Kennedy is a victim in this, because he got into a pretty good hitting groove only to lose ABs to the platoon situation. Had he been able to run out that hot streak, his numbers would be fine.

Hypothetically, if another team lost their 2B for the season, perhaps the Cards could move Adam, start Izturis and Ryan, give Miles lots of ABs backing them up and promote Mather to back up 1B, 3B and the OF and add more power off the bench. The infield crowd/lack of bench power is one of the issues Mozeliak will have to monitor,

Wes: Chris Duncan once again proves that he's awful in left field.

Are the Cardinals really going to keep this guy or do you see him being dealt?

Jeff Gordon: The more he plays, the better he will hit and field. The better he hits and fields, the greater has value to the Cards -- and potentially other teams. But getting him that playing time will continue to be tough, given the strong play of Ludwick, Ankiel and Schumaker.

This is an interesting situation for The Skipper. Duncan just can't catch a break right now, but he has been a productive hitter for this team while healthy. This team needs more power, not less, to go the distance.

Fans keep demanding that Mozeliak trade him, but to what team? For which player?