The 2010 Cardinals season is dying a slow, painful death during this 10-game trip through Pittsburgh, Washington and Houston.
The campaign is perishing on the road against bad teams, in front of small and largely apathetic crowds.
But there’s always next year, right?
To that end, the Cardinals organization should use the remaining weeks of this lost season to prepare for 2011. Many, many questions must be answered between now and spring training – so the team ought to start the process:
Should Tony La Russa return as manager? Late in his career, he has viewed his tenure here as a season-to-season deal. He decides after each campaign if the team is still responding to him. In recent years, the answer has still been “yes”. But the ’10 Cards are giving him pause for thought by staggering down the stretch. How his players respond during the next few weeks will be illustrative. Will they play with pride, salvage some self-respect and sustain mathematical life? Of will they quit on their manager and give him the unmistakable farewell signal?
Will Albert Pujols commit for the long haul? The Cards generate enough cash to pay Albert very, very well and still maintain a quality team around him. But there IS a limit to what makes financial sense in St. Louis. Will he want absolute top dollar? Will he settle for a contract that respects his place in baseball history while allowing the franchise to function well? And does he believe he can still win here? The franchise needs to get these questions answered ASAP.
Can this team be fixed with standard offseason upgrades? On paper the Cards have a nice nucleus around Pujols. They have Matt Holliday in heart of the batting order, Yadier Molina behind the plate and Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia heading the pitching rotation. On paper, the team would seem to need relatively minor adjustments. On the field, however, the team has quit playing to its potential. This isn’t fantasy baseball, this is real life. If these guys can’t play good baseball together . . .
Must management hit the restart button? If this team’s bad finish becomes a full-scale implosion, the management team must consider reconstruction. If the clubhouse devolves into a dysfunctional disaster, then GM John Mozeliak must take more drastic action. Imagine what Pujols could fetch in a trade with a year left on his contract.
Will Colby Rasmus become a cornerstone player? He has suffered the usual growing pains during his first two big league seasons. At worst he will be a solid defensive center fielder for the long haul and a solid offensive player. At best he will become a perennial all-star, like Molina and Holliday. Which will it be? Rasmus can’t answer that question during the next few weeks, but he can drop some strong hints. The Cards need to assess his potential before making their big offseason decisions.
Which veterans are keepers? Jake Westbrook looks like a very good fit for the rotation. Re-signing him to work at the No. 4 starter would give the Cards a terrific pitching foundation to build upon. He would protect the team against the endless Kyle Lohse Struggle. On the other hand, Felipe Lopez is failing to make his case. He has disappointed at the plate. The Cards will need protection at third base next year, given David Freese’s chronic ankle/foot injuries, and Lopez can’t help them there either.
Do the Cards have their next closer already on hand? Ryan Franklin’s late-season failure forces the team to ponder options for 2011. Could Jason Motte be that guy? He made some progress this year as the set-up guy, but let’s see what he has coming back from the disabled list. Mitchell Boggs offers some long-term potential, but he needs better command. Fernando Salas and Eduardo Sanchez have fared well in the minors, but what is their big-league potential? And will hard-throwing Francisco Samuel ever locate the strike zone?
Which young position players are worth building around? Shortstop Brendan Ryan remains iffy, given his horrific first half. He needs to solidify his standing with a strong finish. Freese is questionable because of his injury history. Jon Jay proved himself with his torrid summer; he should be good for 400 to 450 solid at bats next season in the outfield. The Cards know what veterans like Randy Winn and Aaron Miles can do. The team should give Allen Craig, Tyler Greene, Nick Stavinoha and Bryan Anderson good looks in September to see what they could offer next season and beyond.
Must the Cards bump their payroll to $110 million next season? The team came in under budget this season . . . and then drifted out of the playoff race. This frustrating season could put a big dent in 2011 ticket sales if the team doesn’t take significant strides to improve. Unless the younger Cards show a LOT during the next few weeks, Bill DeWitt and Co. will have to raise the spending bar one notch to get this franchise back in contention.
The overall picture isn’t so gloomy. The Cards have the best player in baseball under control for one more year. That is a huge asset. Carpenter, Wainwright and Garcia are huge assets, too. La Russa has led teams out of worse funks during his Hall of Fame career. The farm system is churning out more quality and quantity. The durable Cards fan base gives the front office the ability to invest in talent.
It took Cincinnati years to become competitive again. Houston faces a similar challenge. The Cards turnaround could be swift and dramatic if the right offseason moves are made.
