One thing is for sure. Cardinal GM, John Mozeliak, is not afraid to make changes on a team that made it to the World Series.
In a 2-day span, he pulled off a 4-player trade and signed a free-agent. And in doing so, did NOT give up any of the young pitching the rest of the league covets.
Lets start with Friday. The Cardinals knowing that fan favorite, David Freese, was arbitration eligible, was going to make at least 5.3 million, and was coming off a sub-par season, dealt the 3rd baseman, along with forgotten reliever, Fernando Salas, to the Angels for CF Peter Bourjos and minor league outfielder, Randal Grichuk.
By making this trade, the Cardinals can now move Matt Carpenter from 2B to his normal 3B spot. Kolten Wong then will be given the 2B job.
In the outfield, Bourjos will at least share CF with Jon Jay, if not take the job over entirely. The other player the Cardinals received, Grichuk, will begin the season in AAA.
What does this deal do for St. Louis? They get better defensively. Both Freese and Jay had down years in the field. Carpenter and Bourjos will be improvements at those positions, as will Wong at 2B.
This will also vastly improve team speed. Both Bourjos and Wong have the capabilities to steal 20-plus bases next season. A part of the game the Cards were 2nd to last in all of MLB.
The Cards also save 3-4 million by eliminating Freese's salary and also get 2 players that are younger.
Part 2 of the Cardinals busy weekend involves signing free-agent SS Jhonny Peralta of the Tigers.
Since the season ended, it was known that St. Louis was going to look to upgrade at SS. Peter Kozma was barely able to hit his weight. The team looked at making a trade to acquire a SS, but found out real quick that no matter who they looked at, the price was going to be one of the teams young pitchers.
Unwilling to do that, Mozeliak decided to sign Peralta to a 4-yr, 52 million dollar deal. Last season Peralta hit 11 HR's...55 RBI...and batted .303.
The signing gives the team something it hasn't had in a while, a shortstop that can hit.
There are a few thoughts to what the Cardinal starting lineup might be in 2014. Here's how I see it.
CF - Bourjos
3B - Carpenter
LF - Holliday
1B - Adams
RF - Craig
C - Molina
SS - Peralta
2B - Wong
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
What to do with Chris Carpenter.
For years, Cardinal fans were fortunate enough to watch Chris Carpenter throw inning after inning, batter after batter, game after game, with the ferocity we haven't seen since the days of Bob Gibson.
We watched more times than I can remember, Carp bailing the Cardinals out of a losing streak.
And who else would you rather have pitching in a playoff game?
But now, with his playing days likely over, what's next for Carpenter?
My hope, most of all, is that he remains in the organization in some capacity. He has so much to offer even without throwing a pitch.
We saw the influence he had on Adam Wainwright when he first came up...and still to this day. With all the young pitching St. Louis has, I think the Cardinals would be wise to offer him a job with the club.
I could see Carpenter as a roving pitching instructor throughout the organization. The help he could give pitchers would be enormous. In fact, his competitive nature is such that you have to think that position players would stand up and listen to most anything Carp would say.
C'mon St. Louis, don't let this guy get away. The benefits he has to offer are too good to pass on.
Just a few words on the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying story.
Obviously Incognito has a history of being a royal pain-in-the-ass. He said things to Martin, in person and via text, that should have NEVER been said.
What is bothering me is I'm hearing more and more than Martin should have been tougher...especially since no physical violence was used.
Those who read this, please understand, there is mental bullying, and verbal bullying, as well as the physical type.
It's the latter two that Martin had been going through. After weeks and months of Incognito's tormenting, Jonathan Martin had had enough.
Good for him for finally coming forward. I hope he gets the help he needs to get over this. I hope as a society, we're smart enough to put an end to this kind of torment.
We watched more times than I can remember, Carp bailing the Cardinals out of a losing streak.
And who else would you rather have pitching in a playoff game?
But now, with his playing days likely over, what's next for Carpenter?
My hope, most of all, is that he remains in the organization in some capacity. He has so much to offer even without throwing a pitch.
We saw the influence he had on Adam Wainwright when he first came up...and still to this day. With all the young pitching St. Louis has, I think the Cardinals would be wise to offer him a job with the club.
I could see Carpenter as a roving pitching instructor throughout the organization. The help he could give pitchers would be enormous. In fact, his competitive nature is such that you have to think that position players would stand up and listen to most anything Carp would say.
C'mon St. Louis, don't let this guy get away. The benefits he has to offer are too good to pass on.
Just a few words on the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin bullying story.
Obviously Incognito has a history of being a royal pain-in-the-ass. He said things to Martin, in person and via text, that should have NEVER been said.
What is bothering me is I'm hearing more and more than Martin should have been tougher...especially since no physical violence was used.
Those who read this, please understand, there is mental bullying, and verbal bullying, as well as the physical type.
It's the latter two that Martin had been going through. After weeks and months of Incognito's tormenting, Jonathan Martin had had enough.
Good for him for finally coming forward. I hope he gets the help he needs to get over this. I hope as a society, we're smart enough to put an end to this kind of torment.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals do's and don'ts this off season
After yet another World Series appearance, the St. Louis Cardinals go into this off season with a few things that need to be done to assure continued success.
Don't get me wrong, it's not as though a complete overhaul is needed, just a few tweaks could make this team stronger.
I've broken it down to do's and don'ts.
DO's:
1) Make a decision whether or not Oscar Taveras can play CF at the major league level.
2) Decide if David Freese is going to remain the Cardinal third baseman. Decide if Kolten Wong is ready to take over 2nd base.
3) Straighten out the anemic bench situation.
4) Solve the issue at shortstop.
Alright...lets take this one at a time. The Taveras issue. In my opinion, the team needs to find out real quick if Taveras is able to play CF. If so, great, then the organization can tell Beltran thanks for a productive 2 seasons, and good luck as a DH in the American league. Allen Craig then can be the everyday RF with Matt Adams taking over 1B.
Next...actually, 2 of the next 3 issues are intertwined. If the team feels Wong is ready to play 2nd on an everyday basis, then you plug him in, move Matt Carpenter to 3rd, and package Freese with a pitcher, and get a SS. Finally, the bench situation. C'mon, the "hitters" off the bench were some of the worst guys I've seen in uniform in years. Go out, and find a player or two that actually has the capability to DRIVE the ball. Stephen Drew of the Red Sox comes to mind.
DON'TS:
1) Give in and sign Carlos Beltran to any deal longer than 1 year.
2) Even consider trading one of the team's power arms and a prospect to the Cubs for Starlin Castro.
3) Play Yadier Molina so many games in a row!
If there is any doubt about Taveras being able to handle CF, look at signing Jacoby Ellsbury and put Taveras in RF. The time has come for Taveras to play everyday. Besides, having a leadoff hitter with base-stealing ability like Ellsbury wouldn't be all that bad, now would it?
Concerning Molina, either play Cruz more, or find a backup that the team feels comfortable with. We saw what happened last season when Molina plays game after game after game...you get the drift.
This team has so much going for it. Great young arms, the best catcher in baseball, a newly discovered star in Matt Capenter, a future one in Oscar Taveras, and a minor league system second to none. Oh, and 47 million dollars coming off the books for 2014. Good times are around to stay Cardinal fans.
DO's:
1) Make a decision whether or not Oscar Taveras can play CF at the major league level.
2) Decide if David Freese is going to remain the Cardinal third baseman. Decide if Kolten Wong is ready to take over 2nd base.
3) Straighten out the anemic bench situation.
4) Solve the issue at shortstop.
Alright...lets take this one at a time. The Taveras issue. In my opinion, the team needs to find out real quick if Taveras is able to play CF. If so, great, then the organization can tell Beltran thanks for a productive 2 seasons, and good luck as a DH in the American league. Allen Craig then can be the everyday RF with Matt Adams taking over 1B.
Next...actually, 2 of the next 3 issues are intertwined. If the team feels Wong is ready to play 2nd on an everyday basis, then you plug him in, move Matt Carpenter to 3rd, and package Freese with a pitcher, and get a SS. Finally, the bench situation. C'mon, the "hitters" off the bench were some of the worst guys I've seen in uniform in years. Go out, and find a player or two that actually has the capability to DRIVE the ball. Stephen Drew of the Red Sox comes to mind.
DON'TS:
1) Give in and sign Carlos Beltran to any deal longer than 1 year.
2) Even consider trading one of the team's power arms and a prospect to the Cubs for Starlin Castro.
3) Play Yadier Molina so many games in a row!
If there is any doubt about Taveras being able to handle CF, look at signing Jacoby Ellsbury and put Taveras in RF. The time has come for Taveras to play everyday. Besides, having a leadoff hitter with base-stealing ability like Ellsbury wouldn't be all that bad, now would it?
Concerning Molina, either play Cruz more, or find a backup that the team feels comfortable with. We saw what happened last season when Molina plays game after game after game...you get the drift.
This team has so much going for it. Great young arms, the best catcher in baseball, a newly discovered star in Matt Capenter, a future one in Oscar Taveras, and a minor league system second to none. Oh, and 47 million dollars coming off the books for 2014. Good times are around to stay Cardinal fans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)