QUESTION: Given that the Cardinals lost in the hunt for Roy Oswalt, what pitcher out there do you think they should be targeting before this weekend’s trade deadline?
BERNIE MIKLASZ
Just for kicks, I’m going to propose a name that hasn’t come up in relation to the Cardinals: Edwin Jackson. The dude has abundant talent. He throws hard. He gets a lot of swings and misses. But his approach needs to be modified a bit, and there’s a fellow named Dave Duncan who specializes in that. Jackson’s ground-ball rate is up this season, but it should be higher. Duncan can help him.
Jackson’s ERA is 5.01, which is not impressive. But consider this: away from pitcher-hostile Chase Field, where the hitters bomb away, Jackson’s ERA is a reasonable 4.25. If the Diamondbacks are doing a fire sale, the Cardinals should explore the idea of landing Jackson and giving him the pitching coach he’s always needed. Jackson has one year remaining on his deal, with a 2011 contract of $8.25 million. That basically fits right into the Brad Penny salary slot.
RICK HUMMEL
Cleveland’s Jake Westbrook seems to be the type of pitcher who’d help and shouldn’t cost too much in the way of young talent. The Cardinals and Cleveland have made a couple of transactions in the last year and perhaps could hook up again.
The Cardinals don’t need a No. 1 starter – they have two already, with Jaime Garcia possibly on the way. But even with the potential return of Kyle Lohse, they could use another starter more reliable than Jeff Suppan and Blake Hawksworth.
JEFF GORDON
My guy is Brett Myers, a former power arm who has learned how to pitch for the Astros. He is a classic No. 4 or No. 5 guy, a veteran capable of getting deep into every game. He looks like a pitcher Dave Duncan could do some great things with. Since Myers has the ability to opt for free agency after this season, Houston ought to deal him while it can get something back.
LARRY BOROWSKY (Founder of Viva El Birdos and editor of “Maple Street Press Cardinals Annual”)
Cleveland’s Jake Westbrook is the obvious choice. First and foremost, he’d be cheap to acquire – Westbrook is a pending free agent, and the Indians get no draft-pick compensation if he walks, so the Cards wouldn’t have to offer more than a fringe prospect or two to pry him away. The Indians will be happy simply to have Westbrook’s salary (about $2.2 million per month) off the books.
Beyond that, Westbrook is performing capably this year in his return from Tommy John surgery. His velocity, strikeout rate, walk rate, and groundball rate have all returned to pre-injury levels; he’s averaging six innings a start; and he’s the type of pitcher Dave Duncan has worked very well with before, i.e. an over-30 veteran who throws a sinker.
