"Any thoughts as to who it may be (Florida???)"

Maybe. Wild guesses - Washington? Cincinnati, if he wants to play left?

Hey, I forgot in all this J.D. Drew is a free agent. Think Moz would consider bringing back the Mickey Mantle of his generation?

You were in the right state AP.

The 5th team is apparently Cleveland.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cleveland-enters-bidding-for-beltran/article_d74d0942-2cb2-11e1-8aa9-001a4bcf6878.html

artie_fufkin wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

You were in the right state AP.

The 5th team is apparently Cleveland.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cleveland-enters-bidding-for-beltran/article_d74d0942-2cb2-11e1-8aa9-001a4bcf6878.html

So do you think your thinking that AP's thinking about Beltran's thinking was well-thought out?

If you quit acting so stupidly, the rest of us wouldn't seem so smart.   (grin)

I think that the thought involved to make the thought process really go forward and be more than a collection of "pre-thought" motivated thoughtfulness, it will likely require some more thought. Let's think it over and come back this line of thought in the future.

What do you guys think? The thought has merit, but that's really just my personal thought on the matter.

Last edited by alz (12/22/2011 4:44 pm)

The more I think about this the less I like it.  I really think it is a poor options.  Tieing the money up for 3 years would be really bad.  Two years might be okay.  I find alot of options more or just as appealing.

1. Jonny Damon- no health issues, likely settle for a 1 year deal
2. JD drew- he fell off a cliff last year but previously he was steady. 
3.Fukudome - not a great option but it would be cheaper
4. Ludwick
5.Cody Ross
6.Carlos Pena- move Berkman back to rf
7.Derrek Lee - same as above
8.Prince Fielder-  I dont believe the market is going to fall to 2 or 3 years but if it did

I think the FO is heavy on Beltran because they feel like they need big name signing since tehy lost out on Pujols.

Excellent! My faith in Mo has been restored for the time being. Depending on what the Brewers do, this team should have a very, very good chance of winning the division next year.

Furcal
Craig*
Berkman
Holliday
Beltran
Freese
Molina
Schumaker, DD, Greene
Pitcher

3 switch hitters

forsberg_us wrote:

I don't trust the Cardinals medical staff when it comes to its diagnoses.(just kidding--I hope).

Wainwright does not need Tommy John surgery.
--Cards Medical staff, October 2010.

(I met to post this the last time you raised this issue).

forsberg_us wrote:

Beltran will not be in a platoon role AP.  Beltran plays as often as his health allows.  Craig and Jay are the ones who lose ABs.  I'm OK with that mostly because I don't trust the Cardinals medical staff when it comes to its diagnoses.  Based on past experience, Craig may not play until 2013. (just kidding--I hope).

I mostly agree with that post.  However if Craig does come back healthy and hits like he has shown he can I believe he should force Beltran to lose at bats.  With the opinion that Beltran isnt an everyday CFer he shouldnt push Jay to the bench on an everyday bases.  If the previous statements are true how does Beltran get everyday playing time?  That doesnt even address Beltrans injury risk.

APRTW wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Beltran will not be in a platoon role AP.  Beltran plays as often as his health allows.  Craig and Jay are the ones who lose ABs.  I'm OK with that mostly because I don't trust the Cardinals medical staff when it comes to its diagnoses.  Based on past experience, Craig may not play until 2013. (just kidding--I hope).

I mostly agree with that post.  However if Craig does come back healthy and hits like he has shown he can I believe he should force Beltran to lose at bats.  With the opinion that Beltran isnt an everyday CFer he shouldnt push Jay to the bench on an everyday bases.  If the previous statements are true how does Beltran get everyday playing time?  That doesnt even address Beltrans injury risk.

It isn't an answer you're going to like, but I think the answer is that Beltan is an established, All-Star caliber player who had the 11th highest OPS+ among all major leaguer outfielders last season and Craig is a 27 year old who hasn't had more than 200 ABs in a season.

I think we said some of the same things last season about Berkman.

The practical reality is that with Holliday making $17M, Beltran making $13M and Berkman making $12M, Craig ($500K) isn't forcing any of those guys to the bench (assuming they stay healthy).  That doesn't mean he won't get some at-bats, but he's more likely to get 300 ABs than he is 500 ABs.

Last edited by forsberg_us (12/22/2011 11:46 pm)

forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Beltran will not be in a platoon role AP.  Beltran plays as often as his health allows.  Craig and Jay are the ones who lose ABs.  I'm OK with that mostly because I don't trust the Cardinals medical staff when it comes to its diagnoses.  Based on past experience, Craig may not play until 2013. (just kidding--I hope).

I mostly agree with that post.  However if Craig does come back healthy and hits like he has shown he can I believe he should force Beltran to lose at bats.  With the opinion that Beltran isnt an everyday CFer he shouldnt push Jay to the bench on an everyday bases.  If the previous statements are true how does Beltran get everyday playing time?  That doesnt even address Beltrans injury risk.

It isn't an answer you're going to like, but I think the answer is that Beltan is an established, All-Star caliber player who had the 11th highest OPS+ among all major leaguer outfielders last season and Craig is a 27 year old who hasn't had more than 200 ABs in a season.

I think we said some of the same things last season about Berkman.

The practical reality is that with Holliday making $17M, Beltran making $13M and Berkman making $12M, Craig ($500K) isn't forcing any of those guys to the bench (assuming they stay healthy).  That doesn't mean he won't get some at-bats, but he's more likely to get 300 ABs than he is 500 ABs.

If Beltran can play CF and push Jay to the bench then I think this move made the Cardinals better.  If the lineup is not able to fit Beltran and Craig in the lineup at the same time I think this move is a draw...  Good for 2 months if Craig comes back and after that a waste of money.

APRTW wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

APRTW wrote:

I mostly agree with that post.  However if Craig does come back healthy and hits like he has shown he can I believe he should force Beltran to lose at bats.  With the opinion that Beltran isnt an everyday CFer he shouldnt push Jay to the bench on an everyday bases.  If the previous statements are true how does Beltran get everyday playing time?  That doesnt even address Beltrans injury risk.

It isn't an answer you're going to like, but I think the answer is that Beltan is an established, All-Star caliber player who had the 11th highest OPS+ among all major leaguer outfielders last season and Craig is a 27 year old who hasn't had more than 200 ABs in a season.

I think we said some of the same things last season about Berkman.

The practical reality is that with Holliday making $17M, Beltran making $13M and Berkman making $12M, Craig ($500K) isn't forcing any of those guys to the bench (assuming they stay healthy).  That doesn't mean he won't get some at-bats, but he's more likely to get 300 ABs than he is 500 ABs.

If Beltran can play CF and push Jay to the bench then I think this move made the Cardinals better.  If the lineup is not able to fit Beltran and Craig in the lineup at the same time I think this move is a draw...  Good for 2 months if Craig comes back and after that a waste of money.

Even if Beltran is a better player than Craig?