Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Official STL Cardinals Thread!, 2009 NL Central Champs!!

[MVPujols]

I do agree houkk. Greene is solid with the glove. I think he was at a -4 this year on the +/- though. It was a down year for him in every aspect. But, he is only one season removed from a 27 HR 90+ RBI effort. The Cardinals are banking that last year was a fluke or the result of poor mechanics at the plate which can be fixed. Also, I think playing for that woeful Padres team last year might have a little to do with it. This is a prime example of the low-risk/high-reward deals that this organization thrives on. Very solid trade IMO.

[stlbaseball15]

Ive never thought that much of Greene, but I am certainly happy over the end of the Cesar Izturis era.

[houkk]

Ive never thought that much of Greene, but I am certainly happy over the end of the Cesar Izturis era.

Blissfully, a very short era.

[MVPujols]

Izturis was a +17 defender last season, there is tremendous value in that. He also hit .263 which, while not spectacular, is acceptable. I was not opposed to them bringing Izturis back as long as the $ saved would go to the bullpen or SP. I suspect Greene will hit around .260 or so also, but will probably chip in 10-20 HR's and 70-90 RBI's (Izturis had 1 HR 24 RBI's). As previously stated, Greene was a -4 defender this year. Assuming the 21 play difference lead to Izturis saving some runs that Greene "allowed" to score, you can subtract from Greene's overall value and add to Izturis'. The real key to this will be if Greene can improve his defense and get back to where he should be at the plate. If he improves significantly in both areas, there is no doubt he is a tremendous upgrade over Izturis.

[houkk]

Izturis wasn't horrible at the plate last year by any stretch of the imagination. He put up numbers you were probably expecting. He was there primarily for his defense, and any offense he supplied was a plus.

That being said, the main problem with Izturis was that he wasn't David Eckstein. The scrappy way Eckstein played ignited the top of the Cardinals batting order and set the table for the big run producers. It's very hard to be the guy who has to replace that.

[MVPujols]

The winter meetings started today in Las Vegas. I will try to keep the rumors to a minimum as most turn up false. This morning Ken Rosethal reported that the Cardinals are interested in A.J. Burnett.

Rosenthal article


This contradicts what John Mozeliak told the St.Louis Post Dispatch when he said the Cardinals would not be in on any of the "big" free agents.


Post Dispatch article


This is intriguing as Rosenthal has many sources in the game and tends to only report things that have significant merit (He was the first to break the Rolen/Glaus trade last winter). I have to believe they will not shell out the $ necessary to sign Burnett.

[houkk]

Another rumor floating around the winter meetings is the Red Sox are interested in trading the contract of slugging outfielder, Babe Ruth, to any team interested in financing the Broadway run of "No No Nannette." Rumor mill has it the Yankees are very interested.

Don't you love rumors and gossip at the winter meetings?

Fact is, someone with the Cardinals more than likely told Rosenthal about the interest in Burnett, or he wouldn't have reported it. Reporters and columnists have jobs to do to, and they use their connections to make headlines and sell newspapers. Anything can happen at the winter meetings, and often does...and doesn't. They do need another quality arm in that rotation. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[MVPujols]

Yes the rumor mill runs at full steam this time a year It makes for good reading while at work but it's always better to be a skeptical observer than an active participant in the madness.

[houkk]

Those rumors during the winter meetings often don't turn into deals (or signings) for a variety of reasons:

1.) The teams just couldn't reach an agreement to match value for value.
2.) The free agent is testing the gauge of interest of the interested teams.
3.) The interest suggested by the source is not as high as was reported.
4.) Reliability of the source of the rumor.

I miss the days of the winter meetings when they were held in Hawaii every year back in the '70's. Every night there would be some rumor about possible Astros dealings on the tube, and we were subjected to seeing Astros GM, Tal Smith, wearing a Hawaiian shirt every night on the news. Now that was hilarious!

[MVPujols]

Haven't updated this in awhile simply because there wasn't anything to talk about. The Cardinals have been silent since the Kahlil Greene trade. There were two Cardinal related signings today though:

Cubs sign Aaron Miles


and

Angels sign Brian Fuentes


Miles had been the super utility guy for the Cardinals the past few seasons and Fuentes was thought to be the player most coveted by the Cardinals this offseason. I honestly have no idea what direction the team is taking on this offseason, but I believe it's quite possible they don't due much more than settle a few arbitration cases. Pujols is going to be due a hefty extension at some point in the near future and I think they might wisely be stashing away some $. More to come I'm sure...

[stlbaseball15]

I saw Carpenter pitch very well a couple days ago. Very promising. If he is healthy, it changes the whole outlook on the team for this year.

[MVPujols]

I saw Carpenter pitch very well a couple days ago. Very promising. If he is healthy, it changes the whole outlook on the team for this year.

I have neglected this thread and it saddens me. School is rough SOOOO much going on in the world of the Redbirds. Skip being transplanted to 2B (Mozeliak came out today and said it is a done deal, he will be their 2B), Carpenter looking fantastic in ST as stlbaseball15 said ( You are correct also when he is healthy and his usual self, they are a different team. Really, really excited about this but remaining optimistic), and finally the last big piece I see is Jason Motte looking like he could be the answer at closer for STL!! I will try to be better with this, but I'm usually working on limited time.

[stlbaseball15]

Motte is looking purty sexy mmhhmmmm

[MVPujols]

Motte is looking purty sexy mmhhmmmm

He took his ST era below 1 today. If that ain't sexy I don't know what is

[stlbaseball15]

Hmm. An opening series split with Pittsburgh. Hmmm

[stlbaseball15]

I think you should just make this the Cardinals thread, instead of offseason.

[stlbaseball15]

First place!

Motte needs to get over the jitters if they're going to stay, though.

[stlbaseball15]

Pujols just took oswalt to big mac land for four.

[stlbaseball15]

Another one! This one a three run shot for 7 RBI for the day

[MVPujols]

I'm back.


Bullpen:

Overworked and Overexposed. Plain and simple. You can't rely on 4-5 innings from your bullpen every other day. Lefty specialists (i.e. Trevor Miller) should never be left in to face elite right handed hitters (i.e. Aramis Ramirez). Also, when you have to rely on 3-4 different pitchers each game, you are bound to run into a guy that just doesn't have his stuff that day. A horrible combination when mixed with a 1 or 2 run lead. There are also no defined roles in the bullpen. This seems like it shouldn't be an issue, but it certainly appears that it is.

Bottom line: The starters have to go deeper into the game. Raise the pitch count and if they complain, tell them to be more efficent. I also think it would be very wise to pick up another starter and convert someone to a long-relief role. It appears to me that this team needs 2 guys out in the pen that can regularly pitch 3-4 innings if need be. Might I suggest Pedro Martinez?

Must say, I am really excited about this offense though. If the team can weather the bullpen storm, I think the NL Central is going to be up for grabs. The team can't let these victories slip away like this though. It is frustrating.