Cardinals fans are besides themselves today.
Not only has their team stormed back into the National League Central lead, but general manager John Mozeliak is trying to work a blockbuster deal for Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt or Dan Haren, the former Cardinal currently toiling for Arizona.
If the Cards add one of those two pitchers to their starting pitching rotation, how could they NOT win the National League Central? Both Oswalt and Haren are potential No. 1 pitchers, but both would be No. 4 starters here.
Statistics alone cannot measure their potential value to the Cards. How do you quantify team swagger?
Here is how others assess the trade marketplace.
Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle: “The Astros surely don't want to trade Roy Oswalt to a division rival, and it seems unlikely that the Cardinals could fit Oswalt's salary into their 2011 budget. But Shelby Miller is a good enough prospect that he surely is causing the Astros to take a deep breath and consider him a very attractive option. He'd have to be part of a larger package, especially since he's probably at least three years from being ready to pitch in the big leagues. (Houston GM Ed) Wade almost certainly would ask for one or two major league-ready prospects.”
Rob Neyer, ESPN.com: “Can the Cardinals afford Oswalt's $16 million salary next season and spend whatever it takes to keep Albert Pujols? I don't know. I do know that a rotation including Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and Roy Oswalt -- is going to win a lot of games, almost regardless of who's playing first base. If management is pessimistic about locking up Pujols after this season, spending $18 million on Oswalt next year -- his $16 million salary, plus a $2 million buyout -- might be fairly easy to justify. Exercising that 2012 option might even be justifiable, because if you're not going to score a ton of runs you've got to save them. Plus, they might as well make a big World Series push now, while they still have their first baseman.”
Steve Phillips, FanHouse: “Money is an issue for the Cardinals because Albert Pujols is signed only through 2011 (including an option). He is expected to fetch a deal worth upwards of $30 million a year. The Cardinals also have to afford Adam Wainwright, who has club options through 2013. Matt Holliday is already signed for $17 million a year through 2016.”
Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports: “The sense among needy GMs (those who have inquired on Oswalt and Haren) is that Houston will cover a portion of Oswalt’s salary if a package of players (at least one major league-ready player along with multiple prospects) is adequate and that Arizona is regrouping after firing GM Josh Byrnes but still willing to move Haren as part of an organizational freshening. The no-trade clauses – Oswalt’s is comprehensive, Haren’s covers 12 teams – make deals stickier, but not impossible. The expectation Oswalt will insist his $16 million option for 2012 be exercised as a condition of a trade, for example, has yet to play out in some negotiations, though it reportedly cooled talks with the Phillies. GM Ed Wade is well into negotiations with the Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers and Twins, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the New York Yankees, who hang around these things for reasons of industriousness and sport, become involved, too.”
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering if Jeff Suppan and Blake Hawksworth can answer the challenge this weekend:
Why does the NCAA even pay attention to the "internal investigations" that member schools hold when trouble arises?
Should the NCAA quit pretending to police college sports and just let the boosters work their magic?
Who knew the long-ago departure of the Winnipeg Jets could drive a man over the edge?
Is Ryan Ludwick one of baseball's most overlooked talents?
How come Randy McMichael never scored a TD like this for the Rams?
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Mark Kreidler, ESPN.com: “Brett Favre hasn't made ‘Tha Decision’ yet, although I'm sure that, at some point, he most likely will begin the process of considering whether to ponder doing so. We'll be the first to know. Terrell Owens doesn't have a team. According to his trustworthy agent, he has so many, many franchises considering him that it may take a while before T.O. is able to sift through all the opportunities awaiting him. Two fabulous front-line divas, each searching for a final sendoff, or at least a contract. One quarterback. One receiver. Am I the only one who sees the glorious possibilities here? Sure, it'll take some doing. No award-winning theatrical presentation ever goes off without a hitch. But if the Minnesota Vikings play their hand just right, they could wind up with the greatest stage show of 2010.”
David Whitley, FanHouse: “When it comes to football, Nick Saban sees things better than just about anyone. So how can he be so blind when it comes to seeing Nick Saban? With colleges feeling besieged by crooked agents, Saban got up at SEC media days and provided the go-to quote. ‘The agents that do this – and I hate to say this, but how are they any better than a pimp?’ They're not, and putting them out of business is a worthy cause. I'm just not convinced the Heidi Fleiss of football is the right person to lead any noble charge. Saban has made a career out of pimping himself out, but the hypocrisy is totally lost on him. He should donate his brain to science so psychiatrists could study this acute lack of conscience.”
Ray Ratto, CBSSports.com: “The USC house-cleaning was another Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound, designed solely and only to mollify those SC alums/donors who wanted someone to pay for their embarrassment. Mike Garrett, Reggie Bush, Pete Carroll, Tim Floyd, O.J. Mayo -- they all served both coming and going. They generated money, and they were tossed on the pile of burning oil rags when the ways they generated that money proved embarrassing. But agents still are the coin of the realm in college sports, as are athletic directors trying to make that one big score before moving on to their next big score, and coaches who do the same thing only at an even faster rate. It's the cost of doing business, and USC will not be that cautionary tale that solves the problem.”
Norman Chad, syndicated columnist: “In early America, we had the Wild Wild West; now we have the Wild Wild Web. Anything goes. Bloggers and commentators treat fiction as fact and engage in character assassination, under the veil of anonymity. There's no accountability: These people get in your face while wearing a mask. The biggest danger, of course, is the threat to the free flow of information, which is a pillar of our free land. With newspapers suffering, we're told that a generation of ‘citizen journalists’ will fill the void. Really? We don't have ‘citizen lawyers’ or ‘citizen surgeons.’ Heck, you wouldn't even leave your car with a "citizen auto mechanic," would you? So think about it — if you don't want someone touching your muffler without automotive experience, why would you want someone touching news reporting without journalistic experience?”
MEGAPHONE
“Nothing’s as exciting as what happened last November. Now, I have a different perspective on things.”
Alex Rodriguez, on baseball milestones, after hitting his 599th homer.
ELSEWHERE ON STLTODAY.COM
The Blues re-signed David Perron. Now they must develop him into a big-time scorer.
