Matt: Joe,

Is it possible that we're going to make an attempt to sign Brandon Lyon to bridge the gap until Chris Perez or Jason Motte is ready? I don't think Lyon will cost THAT much, plus he has experience and is capable of handling 9th inning duties. I have a bad feeling that we're going to sign a starter or two on the cheap and then attempt to turn one of them into our closer. This has been a pretty disappointing offseason so far. I don't know why Mo is set against signing one of the available closers to a short term deal.

Joe Strauss: It isn't Mo's money. He acts within the boundaries set by ownership. As those boundaries shift, so do his public comments. At this time last year, there was no Rolen-for-Glaus (Jan. 14), Ron Villone (signed Feb. 19) or Kyle Lohse (signed March 14). Calm down. The GM is in a tough spot. Except for the hair-trigger signing of Joel Pineiro, I don't believe Mo' has committed any serious misstep. With limited resources, it is natural for him to proceed cautiously. That's not being a Cardinals apologist. It's just being real. But it's also true that many of the questions being asked by fans are on the minds of many in uniform.

Matt: Joe- where did the money that was apparently offered to Brian Fuentes go? Was he offered the same money as Royce Ring? If the money was there for Fuentes, wouldn't it be reasonable to expect that it might still be there to bolster the rotation with a reliable veteran like Randy Wolf or a guy with a little more upside like Oliver Perez? It is obvious to everyone outside of the organization that counting on Chris Carpenter for more than a handful of appearances is going to set us up for the same cycle we went through last season. The difference is this time we will be missing possibly our most durable starter from last year, Braden Looper.

Joe Strauss: Point well taken. But if the Cards had signed Fuentes, McClellan or Boggs would likely be the fallback for Carpenter whereas there is still flexibility to sign another starter, if necessary. I can't argue with your suggestion that the Cardinals again appear dependent on rehabilitating pitchers making a major contribution. But it's also fair to say an alignment of Wainwright, Lohse, Wellemeyer, Pineiro and a middle-of-the-pack starter gives the Cardinals no worse than the division's third-best rotation. If Carpenter is a factor, they're second only to the Cubs (and perhaps not as far back as most would believe, given latent concerns about Carlos Zambrano).

Terrapin03: Mr. Strauss -
I have two questions for you on this fine Wednesday.
1) As the team stands today and assuming Carp is a non-factor (which should be the team's approach, but apparently isn't) is this team any better than last year's 3rd runner-up in the Central Division?
2) What do you make of Mo's recent comment about giving Mather a look at 2B? Is there anything more to this than simply seeing if Joey Bombs is capable of holding down a super-utilily role, rather than just a 5th OF role?
Thanks!

Joe Strauss: I'd be stunned to see Mather anywhere other than the OF or at a corner infield position. There is a reason Sir Bombs was moved to the outfield. He is athletic but is far better catching fly balls than grounders.

John Sepela: Joe

re your recent Dominican trip
What was the goal of the trip and what else did you learn ( vis-a-vis the Cardinals ) while there?

Thanks
John
Mountain Top PA

Joe Strauss: The trip was canceled. I got only as far as Puerto Rico, where i watched Mizzou hoops and did a piece on Jose Oquendo. Thanks for asking.

therealdealankiel: All-knowing Insider,

Motte and Perez are getting a lot of hype. Can Motte develop the second pitch he needs to? Can Perez harness the control necessary for the 9th? Or is Kinney the WC for the 9th next season. It seems that all three have the "bulldog" mentality that Izzy used to have. It seems we have three viable 9th inning options...what are the chances that they are worse than throwing an Izzy/Franklin platoon out there as we did last May, June and July?

Joe Strauss: I don't believe it would be worse than an injured Izzy and an uncomfortable Franklin. But the Cardinals need it to be significantly better. I believe the "competition" between Motte and Perez one of the most compelling subplots of this spring, barring a move for a closer.