It understandable that everyone is excited about Taveras, but as good as Adams has been, and with Taveras missing so much time because of his ankle, I'm not sure that I wouldn't at least start Taveras at AAA, and play Adams at 1B and Craig in RF.

If anyone is keeping track, Ty Wigginton's last hit was on June 7.

Impressive inning from Rosenthal.

He only got 2 hits to show for it, but I'll take it as a good sign that Holliday hit 4 balls hard tonight. 

forsberg_us wrote:

Attaboy Mujica. You're back to masking tape status. 

Yeah, but it's the reinforced masking tape. The kind you have to cut with scissors.

 

forsberg_us wrote:

It understandable that everyone is excited about Taveras, but as good as Adams has been, and with Taveras missing so much time because of his ankle, I'm not sure that I wouldn't at least start Taveras at AAA, and play Adams at 1B and Craig in RF.

minus sayings about carts and horses, birds and bushes and eggs hatching here is the question the cards are facing.

Pick a 3rd baseman and second baseman

Wong 2b
Carp 2b 3b
Freese 3b

Pick a cf, rf, lf and 1b

Adams 1b
Craig 1b lf rf
Holliday lf
Tavarez rf lf cf

If tavarez is the real deal here is my opinion.  Carp stays.  He can play 2 positions well and could likely play the corner outfield positions if needed.  You cant get rid of him after this season.  I also think freese is a very good player.  Being cheap i could make a case in trading him And keeping wong.  The team is more stable keeping freese imo.  Id lean that way.  I dont think he would break the bank to buy out his last arbitration year and an option for the following year.  that would make him a card through 2015.  He is classic home town discount type guy.  Id trade wong and id do it now for a starter who is under contract for more then just 2013.

As for the outfield i delay a decision untill i saw how tavarez adjusted to mlb pitching.  I agree with fors in giving him more time in the minors and starting 2014 with craig in the outfield.  At some point i think you have to make a decision between the single position guys, holliday and adams.  Tavarez isnt staying in center forever.  I wouldnt rule out trading holliday in a year either.  

forsberg_us wrote:

The one thing the Cardinals need to watch is becoming too left-handed. Carpenter, Wong, Taveras and Adams are all left handed. For at least the next 3 years, they have Craig, Holliday and Molina under contract from the RH side.

They don't hit lefties well now. If they decide to go that route, they need to stock the bench with RH hitters.

A right handed batter named ty wiggington is under contract for 2014.  Problem solved.

Seriously tho, the cardinals are going to be left handed no matter what.  My approach reduces that by trading a left handed bat, wong and keep a right handed bat, freese.  

i dont see the team trading tavarez no matter what.  mo thinks he can play centerfield for awhile.  That makes the log lam of hitters a non issue at first.  Adams 1b, craig rf, tavarez cf, holliday lf.  When taverez has to change positions i wouldnt rule out trading holliday.  alot has to fall in place over the next 2 to 3 years.  Adams, craig and taverez have to play at mlb levels.  hollidays contract isnt that bad and he is clearly in a decline.  His ops has declined the last 4 years.
 

I think the biggest obstacle to trying to trade Holliday is his no-trade clause. He seems to genuinely like St. Louis, and Boras is his agent. Any effort to move him is going to include a "what's in it for me" component.

"A right handed batter named ty wiggington is under contract for 2014.  Problem solved."

Ok, I walked into that one.

Seriously though, I think the Taveras in CF is an example of trying of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I haven't seen him play, but by all accounts he's a corner outfielder (and a raw corne outfielder at this point). An outfield of Holliday, Taveras and Craig could be historically bad defensively.