Cards seek small pieces to puzzle
11/09/2005
The core is in place for the defending National League Central champions. Now the Cardinals need to sort out, well, pretty much everything else.
A year ago, St. Louis needed to fill holes in the starting rotation, at shortstop and at the top of the batting order. The front office's slick work in both the free agent and trade markets helped assemble a second straight 100-win team.
This time around the task is a little different. The starting rotation is all but set. Ditto for the leadoff spot and the heart of the order. The tasks at hand are somewhat more at the periphery, but that's not to say they aren't important.
St. Louis needs to complete its bullpen. The Cards need to find a pair of corner outfielders. Getting a handle on second base is pretty critical too. But the atmosphere is a little different, after the '04-'05 offseason featured two main headlines.
"I don't think it's quite as clear as last year," assistant general manager John Mozeliak said from Indian Wells, Calif., where the team's brain trust is attending general managers' meetings.
The Redbirds have a little money to work with, but not a lot -- thanks to significant raises for Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter and likely Jason Marquis, among others. So while it would be nice to bring back as much of the 2005 team as possible, it won't be easy.
"I think there will be some changes," general manager Walt Jocketty said recently. "I'm not sure how many or how big a change we'll make. This is a pretty good club. You can't change it too much. But we do have some free agents and some other things we have to address."
So the Cardinals go through the GM meetings with eyes open, and they expect to be plenty busy through November, into December's Winter Meetings and beyond. The pieces are interlocking, making everything more complicated.
If they can land a premier free agent like Brian Giles -- and Giles may end up out of their price range -- that affects what they can do at second base and in the bullpen. If they meet what may be increased prices to keep Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek around, the relief corps might have to be rebuilt on a budget.
"I think we've identified what we're trying to accomplish," Mozeliak said Monday. "Where we are today is trying to send out feelers and get a sense for the Major League free agent market as well as get a temperature of what all clubs are trying to do."
Free agents are one option for the Cards, but so is the trade market. Among the reported potential trade targets are Cincinnati's Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, and the Angels may be in the market to make a deal as well.
Whatever they do for an outfielder, the Cards would like to add a potent bat. Rather than a tablesetting type, they're hoping to replace the retiring Larry Walker with a thumper, someone who can drive in runs.
"I'd say you're looking for a middle-of-the-lineup type hitter if you could get one," Mozeliak said.
On the pitching side, plenty of bullpen openings exist. Julian Tavarez and Cal Eldred are free agents, Ray King may be traded and Al Reyes will miss most of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. The league's best bullpen corps needs to be revamped dramatically.
The starting rotation, however, is mostly intact. The Cardinals have picked up their 2006 option on Jeff Suppan, and they have control over Jason Marquis, who is eligible for free agency. Matt Morris may depart as a free agent, which would open a spot for top prospect Anthony Reyes.
The right-hander from Southern Cal pitched impressively in a brief look in 2005 and will be given a very real chance to crack the big league rotation in 2006.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
The core is in place for the defending National League Central champions. Now the Cardinals need to sort out, well, pretty much everything else.
A year ago, St. Louis needed to fill holes in the starting rotation, at shortstop and at the top of the batting order. The front office's slick work in both the free agent and trade markets helped assemble a second straight 100-win team.
This time around the task is a little different. The starting rotation is all but set. Ditto for the leadoff spot and the heart of the order. The tasks at hand are somewhat more at the periphery, but that's not to say they aren't important.
St. Louis needs to complete its bullpen. The Cards need to find a pair of corner outfielders. Getting a handle on second base is pretty critical too. But the atmosphere is a little different, after the '04-'05 offseason featured two main headlines.
"I don't think it's quite as clear as last year," assistant general manager John Mozeliak said from Indian Wells, Calif., where the team's brain trust is attending general managers' meetings.
The Redbirds have a little money to work with, but not a lot -- thanks to significant raises for Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter and likely Jason Marquis, among others. So while it would be nice to bring back as much of the 2005 team as possible, it won't be easy.
"I think there will be some changes," general manager Walt Jocketty said recently. "I'm not sure how many or how big a change we'll make. This is a pretty good club. You can't change it too much. But we do have some free agents and some other things we have to address."
So the Cardinals go through the GM meetings with eyes open, and they expect to be plenty busy through November, into December's Winter Meetings and beyond. The pieces are interlocking, making everything more complicated.
If they can land a premier free agent like Brian Giles -- and Giles may end up out of their price range -- that affects what they can do at second base and in the bullpen. If they meet what may be increased prices to keep Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek around, the relief corps might have to be rebuilt on a budget.
"I think we've identified what we're trying to accomplish," Mozeliak said Monday. "Where we are today is trying to send out feelers and get a sense for the Major League free agent market as well as get a temperature of what all clubs are trying to do."
Free agents are one option for the Cards, but so is the trade market. Among the reported potential trade targets are Cincinnati's Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, and the Angels may be in the market to make a deal as well.
Whatever they do for an outfielder, the Cards would like to add a potent bat. Rather than a tablesetting type, they're hoping to replace the retiring Larry Walker with a thumper, someone who can drive in runs.
"I'd say you're looking for a middle-of-the-lineup type hitter if you could get one," Mozeliak said.
On the pitching side, plenty of bullpen openings exist. Julian Tavarez and Cal Eldred are free agents, Ray King may be traded and Al Reyes will miss most of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. The league's best bullpen corps needs to be revamped dramatically.
The starting rotation, however, is mostly intact. The Cardinals have picked up their 2006 option on Jeff Suppan, and they have control over Jason Marquis, who is eligible for free agency. Matt Morris may depart as a free agent, which would open a spot for top prospect Anthony Reyes.
The right-hander from Southern Cal pitched impressively in a brief look in 2005 and will be given a very real chance to crack the big league rotation in 2006.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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