tim: How much of a push will the Cards make for Jose Guillen? I think he would be a perfect fit for the Cards?

Jeff Gordon: He WOULD be perfect, but it appears his first choice is to stay in Seattle if he can get a multi-year deal with the Mariners. He actually became a team leader there -- instead of a detriment -- and M's rave about him. Guillen says he considers Seattle his second home now, so I'm guessing that the M's will do everything possible to keep him off the market.

tim: Who would you rather have, Garland or Willis? Who will be easier to get?

Jeff Gordon: You would want Willis, of course, because he would seem to have lots of miles left on the odometer.If Florida moves Miguel Cabrera to the Yankees for outstanding young pitching (Phil Hughes!), then the Marlins may shop Willis for offensive help. It could certainly happen -- and that could be a fit for the Cards.

Jayman: Thanks for taking my question

My question has to do with two minor league cardinal players 1. Ive been mystified as to why Mark Worrel was not brought to the Majors since he had good numbers in the minors 67 innings he had 66 strike outs to 25 base on balls and he only 24 years old. 2. Joe Mather what kind of prospect to you think he is...do you think he will make to the majors or is he kind of a Ozzie Conseco type of player?

Jeff Gordon: Neither player are considered elite prospects, despite their organizational rise. Worrell posted good numbers at the Class A, AA and AAA levels in consecutive years to move into positionl. Trouble is, Springfield reliever Chris Perez has been considered the better prospect because of the quality of his stuff.

Mather's turnaround was more sudden, like what happened with Terry Evans. His power dipped upon his promotion to Memphis, so he still has a lot to prove.

Andy Doehring: Gordo,

Wondering why there has been no talk about the Cardinals looking at Kerry Wood as a free agent aquisition. He is 31 and pitched well out of the bullpen for the Cubs last year. He is a good option to be a starter again even if not a No. 1 he could be pretty good 2 or 3. If starting doesn't work the Cards could put him back in the bullpen. What do you thinnk?

Jeff Gordon: He IS better suited for the bullpen after all he's been through -- and the Cards are loaded there. Josh Kinney's return from elbow surgery creates an overload of late-inning right-handers. Earlier, we mentioned Perez's potential there.

john: Hi Jeff,

i have been following the cardinal's GM search closely...and ultimately i am pleased that Mo' has gotten the job, despite not being the 'top' candidate.

so that brings me to my question. how much does the cardinals hamstrung budget (my guesstimate is we'll be lucky to see a $100 million payroll for 2008) play into the decision process? there might only be about $15-$20 million to play with, given all the commitments already on the books. i believe this, more than anything else, was the reason the cards didn't get the guy from the Indians organization. i can hardly believe that a potential GM candidate who is highly regarded would seriously consider this job when places like LA, Chicago, both NYC teams & Boston all seem far more attractive in terms of minor leaguers, payroll flexibility & payroll commitment from ownership. I don't consider the Cardinal's GM position as a 'top 5' job. top 10 perhaps....

how can anyone say that the cardinal's GM job is enticing...? our farm system is at least 3-4 years away from producing solid prospects (never guaranteed), and there was little, if anything, a new GM could implement with Luhnow firmly in place as player development czar. Also, despite Dewitt's professed commitment to the minor leagues, he refuses to take chances on draftees like Rick Porcello. You won't get too many impact players for your minor league system paying slot money in the baseball draft.

other than TLR, whom i believe to be the best manager in the biz, the cardinals are in poor shape. our ownership seems reluctant to allow for a 'big splash' free agent signing and also has a mandate to keep our unproven prospects in the organization, thus barring any 'impact' trade.

i read the reports of how Chris Antonelli bowed out after the Indians ownership clarified their internal promotion chart. But I believe CA probably realized the no-win situation here and decided not to start his first GM position hamstrung by an ownership group that micro-manages and refuses to play the market.

also, with Mark Cuban potentially buying the Cubs (and pushing their payroll into the stratosphere) the future looks pretty dismal here in cardinal town.

i guess you could say that the cardinals were damn lucky to have Mo' available to promote from within. Mo seems smart and very capable. I just hope that Dewitt & Co. step up the plate and give him the proper resources to fix & improve the Cards.

I refuse to blame our GM for any problems the Cardinal will have next year or in the future. So long as Dewitt is running the show...I feel any dismal seasons ahead need to be blamed directly & squarely towards the ownership box. They've had their chances....

Why can't Mark Cuban buy the Cardinals instead?? We're closer to texas!! Besides Dewitt & Co. can finally get at that 500% return on equity they've been salivating over... YOU KNOW THEY ARE.....i don't think Dewitt has a real passion for winning, and this off-season will prove it once and for all.

I think anything less than $115 million spent on the major league roster in 2008 will be a slap in the face to dedicated cardinal fan$ everwhere. You don't own a major league baseball team to make money...no...you gotta play to win...and that means taking chances and putting your money where your mouth is if you the owner of a team. Otherwise, why bother?

Jeff Gordon: DeWitt says he will "stretch" his budget for the right player, so we'll see. I'm guessing the Cards will have a $110 million payroll by the end of the year, but that will include high-priced players that can't help at all (poor Juan Encarnacion) and players that will only play a partial role (Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder). In the near term, the Cards will just have to do what they can with a few trade chips and enough FA money for a mid-level signing or two.

Given the over-priced nature of free agency, I can't insist that the Cards spend money just to spend money.

Long-term, this is still an attractive job. The Cards will promote several players by 2009 and start cycling out older players. Luhnow has done a nice job reviving player development here, so the GM can concentrate on the major league club. The GM here will get nice annual budget and not have to worry about the sort of cutbacks we've seen in Atlanta.

These owners get ripped, but they locked in a MVP, a Cy Young Award winner, a couple of perennial Gold Glove/All-Stars and an elite closer -- to the point where those generous long-term commitments became a drag on the operation.

The owners have kept the team nucleus together, which is why the team had so much sustained success. But, yes, DeWitt and Co. will be on the spot going forward because there will be work to do. At some point, their commitment to winning will be tested.

At some point, a nice opportunity will arise -- something that will cost money. Let's see what happens when it does.