APIAD wrote:

If I was a major league team I would make sure every contract disallowed players to take part in the WBC.  What can be gained from it?  Baseball is a long enough season as it is.

On the other hand, my guess is that baseball is gradually losing market share to other sports, and if it cannot reverse that slide, then they will be perfecting a product that eventually has no market.

Cardinals re-sign Motte.  2 years, $12M.  $5M this year, $7M in 2014.

So next year they have coming off the books

Beltran- 13
Carp- 12.5
Wainwright-12
Westbrook-8.5 (he is owed 9.5 on a mutual option, club owes 1 million if they decline)
Furcal- 7

That is 53 million.  Of course they could have interest in resigning most of those players.

forsberg_us wrote:

So if the payroll budget is about $115M, and assuming they resolve Freese's contract without arbitration, they have a little bit of money they could offer to sign a backup SS or an extra outfielder.
 

Interesting figures.  Go back 3-4 years and it is hard to believe the progress that has been made.  So can I pat myself on the back yet for correctly predicting that they could and should have a payroll in this range by about now?

APIAD wrote:

So next year they have coming off the books

Beltran- 13
Carp- 12.5
Wainwright-12
Westbrook-8.5 (he is owed 9.5 on a mutual option, club owes 1 million if they decline)
Furcal- 7

That is 53 million.  Of course they could have interest in resigning most of those players.

 
As it stands now, at least three of those guys are goners, and Carp would have to take a substaintial pay cut, unless he somehow channels 2005 this season.
Interesting that Waino has made it be known that he's not imposing a deadline for negotiations. His god might be a little more flexible than Pujols'.

tkihshbt wrote:

APIAD wrote:

So next year they have coming off the books

Beltran- 13
Carp- 12.5
Wainwright-12
Westbrook-8.5 (he is owed 9.5 on a mutual option, club owes 1 million if they decline)
Furcal- 7

That is 53 million.  Of course they could have interest in resigning most of those players.

Carpenter and Furcal will retire and Beltran will probably move on. Westbrook is gone. The big chunk of that money will be eaten by up Wainwright's new contract.
 

There is a story on the post now about Beltran wanting to remain with the Cardinals.  I find it odd because the season hasnt even started.  I agree that Carps years as a number one or two pitcher are likely done.  He will be good to squeeze another year out of his career.  I wonder if he will take the route of others and cling to the last drop of baseball he has or call enough enough.  I wouldnt be suprised if Westbrook is retained either.  8.5 million isnt that much really.  It just depends on how Garcia's health comes along and how the young arms preform. 
 

"8.5 million isnt that much really"



Neither is Westbrook.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"8.5 million isnt that much really"



Neither is Westbrook.

I am not saying he is but they must have thought something of him or they would have done what they did this offseason.  Looking at the projected 2014 rotation I would assume it would be some combination of:
Wainwright
Garcia
Miller
Lynn
Kelly
Rosenthal

If that is the case they might want an inning eater and a guy that has been around the block.  With all the young arms and garcia's injury issues I could see Westbrook being retained.  I think that is why he is on the team now. 
 

The Cardinals avoided arbitration with left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski, Jenifer Langosch ‏of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). It's a $1.1MM deal, the AP reports (via ESPN.com). Rzepczynski, a client of John Boggs & Associates, filed for $1.3MM with the Cardinals countering at $900K. David Freese is now St. Louis' lone unsigned arb eligible player, as MLBTR's Arb Tracker shows.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#ZJuk8K8AGKqwv4Eg.99

Oquendo speaks very highly of Matt Carpenter's progress at 2nd base.  They're apparently serious enough about it that Oquendo is not managing Puerto Rico, at least in part to allow him to stay in camp and work with Carpenter.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/oquendo-says-m-carpenter-ahead-of-schumaker/article_5c52c529-ea9d-5d30-be38-e8b7a0661eee.html

 

Last edited by forsberg_us (2/11/2013 2:00 pm)

APIAD wrote:

carp is the best hitter for the position.  i have my doubts about jis fielding basicly because of skip.  

IMO, the big difference between Skip and M. Carpenter is that at least M. Carpenter is an infielder.  He's used to ground balls. 

I have no idea of the fundamentals of playing infield, but it would seem to me that the biggest issue for M. Carpenter would be the footwork around 2nd base.

forsberg_us wrote:

APIAD wrote:

carp is the best hitter for the position.  i have my doubts about jis fielding basicly because of skip.  

IMO, the big difference between Skip and M. Carpenter is that at least M. Carpenter is an infielder.  He's used to ground balls. 

I have no idea of the fundamentals of playing infield, but it would seem to me that the biggest issue for M. Carpenter would be the footwork around 2nd base.

Turning a double play is a skill that can be refined. I'm more concerned about range. You can't teach someone to be Roberto Alomar.
 

tkihshbt wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

You can't teach someone to be Roberto Alomar. 

That's true. You can't teach someone to transmit HIV. 

See, now that's just an ugly rumor confirmed by every last one of his former wives and girlfriends.