Rosenthal will be the closer by Memorial Day.
Though I wouldn't bet money on any of my predictions. As anyone who has seen my 2013 NCAA tournament bracket would attest.

Only if Motte goes under the knife. 

They just paid Motte to be the closer for 2 seasons. If he can pitch, the job is his. 

Rosenthal looked really nasty yesterday. Albeit against a bunch of scrubs that aren't even going to get a whiff of a 100-loss team.
Wigginton looked awful yesterday. I don't know how much they're planning on playng him at third base, but he's almost a stationary object there. And his at bats were really bad.

tkihshbt wrote:

Don't worry his job is safe because he noticed something the pitcher was doing in a game a couple weeks ago.

I'd be more comfortable with him as the asst. pitching cosch anyway.
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

Rosenthal looked really nasty yesterday. Albeit against a bunch of scrubs that aren't even going to get a whiff of a 100-loss team.
Wigginton looked awful yesterday. I don't know how much they're planning on playng him at third base, but he's almost a stationary object there. And his at bats were really bad.

i cant pretend to give a shit about the wigginton signing.  Itis hard to het excited about the 23rd, 24th or 25th guy on the roster.  Where ever he fails in line there.  Still i dont see how he fits usefully on this roster with card, descalso and kozma doing what they have done this spring.

APIAD wrote:

If he cant play 3rd or 2nd what the fuck is he good for?

I think they got him to be a pinch hitter, to be frank.

Moz "encouraged" by Freese's MRI:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/17226323-d836-51a9-980a-5f547826acea.html

Which means, of course, he won't play until the AS break. 

Could very well be.  I hope beltrans toe doesnt slow him up that much.  

Freese hurt his back diving into the stands, didnt he?  It is spring training.  Dont do that shit.

who is better at third?  Descalso or carp?

 "I hope beltrans toe doesnt slow him up that much."

I have a feeling Beltran's toe is going to be an issue for a long time.   

APIAD wrote:

Max wrote:

APIAD wrote:

If he cant play 3rd or 2nd what the fuck is he good for?

I think they got him to be a pinch hitter, to be frank.

well news flash to mo...this isnt al and the cards cant afford to carry a shitty version of matt stairs

I have dim memories of this, mostly because I was surprised they would sign the guy who decked Molina.  My recollection at the time was that they worried about the bench not having a bat that had some power.  Didn't Wigginton have something like 22 HR last year?  I also kind of remember that we were talking about the bench having a weakness, in that there was not a lot of power there.  So, there you, go some dusty memories from 4-5 months ago.

APIAD wrote:

At the time of the wigginton signing i didnt mind it.  He basicly replaced skip on the roster.  The way this spring has umfolded he seems useless.  Number one is that he is not hitting.  It is spring training and that could change.  Secondly everyone else is hitting.  At the time of the signing we didnt know carp, descalso and adams would all be doing great in there current rolls.  Also wigginton is a downgrade defensively in comparison to everyone else on the roster.  It is gojng to be hard for him to hit well enough to justify downgrading at sencond or third defensively.  As a pinch hitter id take adams over him. 

Wigginton was supposed to keep people from saying "Shane Robinson is the Cardinals' best right-handed hitter off the bench." I'm not sure that's changed. Unless they plan to use Wainwright more as a pinch-hitter this year.
 

Yeah, that wa the theory Max, but the theory was flawed from the beginning. Wigginton hit .230 with 13 HR last year in a very hitter-friendly park. And I think it was Tk who pointed out that Wigginton hit something like .150 against left handed pitching, which is what he's most likely to face as a Cardinal. Then to make matters worse, they signed him for 2 years. 

I don't have a problem with the basic idea of wanting someone better than Shane Robinson, but it's yet to be determined if they did. Based on spring results, they didn't. And, as AP has pointed out, they probably signed a player without a serviceable position.