Weather permitting, and Major League Baseball allowing, the 2011 championship season will come to an end in the next day or two. For all the excitement generated by these wild-Card-inals, for all the late season love they have felt in the stands and in the clubhouse, an inevitable truth awaits the final out.
These are the good old days for a number of the contributors to baseball's Octoberfest in St. Louis.
Albert Pujols stands foremost in a crowd with an uncertain future, a shadow that has been discussed at length, a topic that will get more attention in the days ahead. Pujols' pending free agency also is integral to a conversation regarding the rest of the group.
Regardless, when the Cardinals leave Busch Stadium for the final time in 2011, they are sure to be a different team compared to when they take the field for the first time in 2012.
Besides Pujols, the Cardinals will make hard decisions on whether to retain or abstain on pitchers Edwin Jackson, Arthur Rhodes, Octavio Dotel and Kyle McClellan, infielders Rafael Furcal, Nick Punto, Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker, catcher Gerald Laird and outfielder Corey Patterson. If a 25-man roster is the denominator, and Pujols is included, that represents a 44 percent slice of the pie.
The particulars involved vary from player to player. The Cardinals have options to honor contracts on some, such as Furcal, Rhodes and Dotel. They can choose to tender or non-tender arbitration offers to others, such as McClellan and Schumaker. They would have to negotiate new deals with others, such as Jackson, Punto, Theriot, Laird and Patterson.
General manager John Mozeliak said the unexpected Fall Classic collaboration has not altered the big picture.
"When you look at our off-season strategy, it hasn't changed dramatically just due to the postseason success," Mozeliak said. "There's certainly some things that when you look at putting this club together, the big question marks are going to be, will we get Albert Pujols re-signed or not?
"But with that said, our rotation should be intact. You have two young pitchers that might look to compete for a spot, with (Marc) Rzepczynski and Lance Lynn in the rotation. In terms of just dramatically reshaping this club, I think we're pretty fortunate as we look to 2012 that we have a lot of the key components that we can just put into play."
Mozeliak made preemptive strikes to extend veteran pitcher Chris Carpenter and slugging outfielder Lance Berkman before winter arrived. The Cardinals are sure to have Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, David Freese, Allen Craig, Jaime Garcia, Mitchell Boggs and comeback-minded Adam Wainwright aboard. Reliever Jason Motte is first-year arbitration eligible, but his salary scale will not be prohibitive.
To put it another way, when the last out is recorded, Mozeliak won't be headed to the beach.
"It doesn't seem fair, does it?" he said, laughing. "I was sitting there (recently) in my hotel room, staring at my calendar, going, 'Hmm, not a lot of time for other things.' Because there are going to be other duties that are going to take time and that are required for my attention.
"Special as this is, it's going to ultimately be a fleeting moment. And in time it's going to be right back to it, roll up our sleeves and address the things that we have to do for the following year."
The melancholy is not lost on some. They can focus on playing for the moment, concentrate on concluding late-season magic with a World Series windfall. But contrary to what's suggested, players are human and, in some instances, in quiet moments, mixed emotions creep in.
Dotel, who turns 38 in November, is completing his 13th big-league season with his 12th big-league team. Only 29 of his 695 major league games have been spent as a Cardinal but they have been some of the most rewarding games of his career. He'd like a few more.
"I do want to come back," said Dotel, who was 3-3 with two saves and a 3.28 earned-run average for St. Louis. "I love it here; it's great. I feel good that I helped this team to be where we're at now. It makes me proud."
Whether it makes him a Cardinal in 2012 remains to be seen. The club has a $3.5 million option on Dotel, an option they might honor, might try to restructure, might pass on altogether.
"Yeah, it kind of gets you down a little bit when you think about it to yourself," Dotel added. "It's in your mind, 'Will I be here, will I go?' You feel it a little bit because you've been with this club all the way to the World Series and when it ends … who knows."
Dotel then patted his chest for emphasis: "It kind of gets to you a little bit."
Schumaker has been with the organization since it selected him in the fifth round of the 2001 amateur draft. He spent seven seasons trying to establish major leaguer footing, finally sticking with the Cardinals in 2008. An outfielder by trade, he tackled a move to second base in 2009, which has increased his value in terms of versatility.
Schumaker will be 32 by the time next season begins and he is eligible for arbitration. With second baseman Daniel Descalso around, with outfielder Allen Craig in the house, with Punto and Theriot in play, the Cardinals must decide how Schumaker fits and at what cost.
Although Wednesday turned into an unscheduled day off when weather postponed Game 6 at Busch Stadium, Schumaker wouldn't ponder his fate.
"Not right now, not in a World Series," Schumaker said. "My ultimate dream was to get to the major leagues and I couldn't even fathom getting to a World Series. So this is icing on the cake and you're more concerned about trying to win the World Series.
"I think during the regular season you think about that more. There will be emotions (when you think about it), because you don't know what's going to happen."
Regardless of how the World Series concludes, it's been a remarkable baseball season in St. Louis. For at least a few Cardinals, when it's all said and done, it also will be the last.
