Mailbag: Any shuffling of the Cards?
11/21/2005
In the immortal words of Monica Geller (Bing), "I am SO good at lightning rounds!"
The mailbag is a little different this week, just for fun. I decided to go with more questions and shorter answers, rather than the usual format of five or six questions and long answers. As for how it will turn out, well, to quote another favorite television show of mine, "Maybe something good, maybe something bad!" And bonus points for anybody who can identify that reference.
As always, if you have a question, use the link below to submit it -- and please be sure to include your first name, last initial and hometown. If you send a regular e-mail, rather than using the form, be certain to use the word "mailbag" in the subject header -- otherwise your mail may be directed to the spam folder, or otherwise ignored in an unbecoming manner.
So with an old Smashing Pumpkins album playing on the iPod and some newly acquired Alterra "Punch in the Face" coffee in my mug, let's get to the questions. (Apologies to Will Carroll for stealing his bit).
Is there any chance the Cardinals will pursue free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett at all? And if they don't, which is doubtful to me anyway, will they trade Jason Marquis? And what do you think our rotation will be after Carp and Mulder? -- Mike B., St. Charles, Mo.
I had been under the impression that the Cardinals were not going to make a run at Burnett, but indications now are that they are quite interested. I'm still not sure they'll be able to make it work financially, but they're at least checking out the situation. If they do sign him, they'll have to trade somebody -- and Marquis' youth and stuff certainly make him an appealing target for other teams. As for the rotation, I expect it will be those two guys, Anthony Reyes, and two of the following three: Jeff Suppan, Marquis and a free agent.
My question centers around Rick Ankiel. Of course everyone would be pleasantly surprised if he makes the team out of Spring Training, but what happens if the Cards feel he needs more time in the Minors? Does he have to pass through waivers again? If so, what are his chances of making it through, given his raw power potential? -- Amar A., St. Louis
Ankiel never ceases to draw interest, and I'm always happy to oblige. Ankiel is still out of Minor League options, so if he does not make the team in Spring Training, he would have to clear waivers in order to be sent to the Minors. I think that would be a dicier proposition this year than last year, thanks to the power he showed in 2005.
I know that Tony La Russa likes Placido Polanco. Is there any interest or chance that the Cardinals will bring him back to play second base? -- Gerold W., Atlanta, Ga.
It sort of went under the radar, but Polanco signed a multi-year deal with Detroit late in the regular season, so he's not a free agent and almost certainly not on the trading block.
Is there a good chance that Mark Worrell might make our team this Spring? With him being one of our best relief prospects, seems to me that he would be the likely candidate to fill in for Julian Tavarez if we don't get him back. Also, is there any chance that by the end of next year, we'll get a glimpse of Haberer in the bullpen? -- Alex H., Tilton, Ill.
Mark Worrell is an interesting pitcher, but it's a BIG jump from the Florida State League to the National League. I will be very surprised if he makes the big club before September. I'd say likewise for Haberer, and in fact I expect his path may be even a little slower because he's a starter. But they're both guys to watch.
I am 11 years old and my favorite player is Albert Pujols! MVP!!!!!! I was wondering if Pujols keeps on pace like this, what age will he be when he hits his 500th home run? -- Dylan A., Canton, Ill.
Let's go off Pujols' last three years, when his power seems to have spiked a little bit. He's averaged 43.33 homers over the past three years, and he's at 201 right now. If he is able to stay in the lineup, which is probably the biggest question, then at this pace he'd get to No. 500 late in his 12th big league season, at which point he would be 32.
For a moment, forget what you think the Cards will do, and forget about salary. Who would you say is your top free agent pick that could help the Cardinals most? Consider not only their performance but also personality as far as fitting in as a Redbird. And second, do you think the Yankees would ever make a move for La Russa if Joe Torre gets the axe? -- Daniel A., Mt. Sidney, Va.
I'm going to narrow this down even further, and say for 2006 alone -- because who knows what the team will look like further down the road? And for 2006, I'd say Brian Giles, hands down. Excellent hitter with an ability to get on base, power, quality defensive player, by all accounts a good teammate. He's the guy. And as for La Russa, the Yankees could try, but I can't imagine him ever wanting to go there.
What do you think about the Cardinals trying to do a sign-and-trade with Matt Morris? His value should be very high and the team might be able to address some needs in the outfield or bullpen. -- Greg C., Quincy, Ill.
Sign-and-trades happen in basketball because of the salary cap -- a team has the advantage in signing its own players, then it can deal them. Those same constraints don't apply in baseball, so there's no reason for a player to do anything but simply sign with the team he wants to go to.
I was reading on stlcardinals.com and saw that the Cardinals signed Prentice Redman. Do you think he might break through and play at an outfield position next year? -- Ty C., Mattoon, Ill.
Redman is one of the more interesting players from the list of Minor League free agents that the Cards signed recently. He's still fairly young, and he had a nice year between Double-A and Triple-A last year. I don't see him as a potential starter, but I wouldn't be shocked if he made the roster. Redman is one of the names singled out when I asked a front office representative who to look out for from those 14 signees.
As a child growing up in California, I became a Cardinals fan because my grandmother was from Missouri. I keep hearing about Rule 5 players and have no clue what that means. Thank you for the opportunity to ask someone wise enough to enlighten me. -- Thomas F., Salem, Ore.
Wise I am not. But I do know a thing or two about the Rule 5 Draft. It's coming up in two weeks, so now is a good time to discuss it again. Here's an excellent rundown by my friend and colleague Jonathan Mayo.
Your last column raised an interesting question when you were discussing Aaron Herr, and that is, what constitutes a Minor League free agent? -- Paul D., Little Rock, Ark.
A Minor League player is eligible for free agency after a certain amount of service time, just as Major League players are. Once a player has amassed six years of professional service time, if he is not added to his organization's Major League 40-man roster and if his contract is over, he is a free agent. That's the process by which the Cardinals signed players such as Randy Flores, Kiko Calero and Mike Mahoney.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
In the immortal words of Monica Geller (Bing), "I am SO good at lightning rounds!"
The mailbag is a little different this week, just for fun. I decided to go with more questions and shorter answers, rather than the usual format of five or six questions and long answers. As for how it will turn out, well, to quote another favorite television show of mine, "Maybe something good, maybe something bad!" And bonus points for anybody who can identify that reference.
As always, if you have a question, use the link below to submit it -- and please be sure to include your first name, last initial and hometown. If you send a regular e-mail, rather than using the form, be certain to use the word "mailbag" in the subject header -- otherwise your mail may be directed to the spam folder, or otherwise ignored in an unbecoming manner.
So with an old Smashing Pumpkins album playing on the iPod and some newly acquired Alterra "Punch in the Face" coffee in my mug, let's get to the questions. (Apologies to Will Carroll for stealing his bit).
Is there any chance the Cardinals will pursue free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett at all? And if they don't, which is doubtful to me anyway, will they trade Jason Marquis? And what do you think our rotation will be after Carp and Mulder? -- Mike B., St. Charles, Mo.
I had been under the impression that the Cardinals were not going to make a run at Burnett, but indications now are that they are quite interested. I'm still not sure they'll be able to make it work financially, but they're at least checking out the situation. If they do sign him, they'll have to trade somebody -- and Marquis' youth and stuff certainly make him an appealing target for other teams. As for the rotation, I expect it will be those two guys, Anthony Reyes, and two of the following three: Jeff Suppan, Marquis and a free agent.
My question centers around Rick Ankiel. Of course everyone would be pleasantly surprised if he makes the team out of Spring Training, but what happens if the Cards feel he needs more time in the Minors? Does he have to pass through waivers again? If so, what are his chances of making it through, given his raw power potential? -- Amar A., St. Louis
Ankiel never ceases to draw interest, and I'm always happy to oblige. Ankiel is still out of Minor League options, so if he does not make the team in Spring Training, he would have to clear waivers in order to be sent to the Minors. I think that would be a dicier proposition this year than last year, thanks to the power he showed in 2005.
I know that Tony La Russa likes Placido Polanco. Is there any interest or chance that the Cardinals will bring him back to play second base? -- Gerold W., Atlanta, Ga.
It sort of went under the radar, but Polanco signed a multi-year deal with Detroit late in the regular season, so he's not a free agent and almost certainly not on the trading block.
Is there a good chance that Mark Worrell might make our team this Spring? With him being one of our best relief prospects, seems to me that he would be the likely candidate to fill in for Julian Tavarez if we don't get him back. Also, is there any chance that by the end of next year, we'll get a glimpse of Haberer in the bullpen? -- Alex H., Tilton, Ill.
Mark Worrell is an interesting pitcher, but it's a BIG jump from the Florida State League to the National League. I will be very surprised if he makes the big club before September. I'd say likewise for Haberer, and in fact I expect his path may be even a little slower because he's a starter. But they're both guys to watch.
I am 11 years old and my favorite player is Albert Pujols! MVP!!!!!! I was wondering if Pujols keeps on pace like this, what age will he be when he hits his 500th home run? -- Dylan A., Canton, Ill.
Let's go off Pujols' last three years, when his power seems to have spiked a little bit. He's averaged 43.33 homers over the past three years, and he's at 201 right now. If he is able to stay in the lineup, which is probably the biggest question, then at this pace he'd get to No. 500 late in his 12th big league season, at which point he would be 32.
For a moment, forget what you think the Cards will do, and forget about salary. Who would you say is your top free agent pick that could help the Cardinals most? Consider not only their performance but also personality as far as fitting in as a Redbird. And second, do you think the Yankees would ever make a move for La Russa if Joe Torre gets the axe? -- Daniel A., Mt. Sidney, Va.
I'm going to narrow this down even further, and say for 2006 alone -- because who knows what the team will look like further down the road? And for 2006, I'd say Brian Giles, hands down. Excellent hitter with an ability to get on base, power, quality defensive player, by all accounts a good teammate. He's the guy. And as for La Russa, the Yankees could try, but I can't imagine him ever wanting to go there.
What do you think about the Cardinals trying to do a sign-and-trade with Matt Morris? His value should be very high and the team might be able to address some needs in the outfield or bullpen. -- Greg C., Quincy, Ill.
Sign-and-trades happen in basketball because of the salary cap -- a team has the advantage in signing its own players, then it can deal them. Those same constraints don't apply in baseball, so there's no reason for a player to do anything but simply sign with the team he wants to go to.
I was reading on stlcardinals.com and saw that the Cardinals signed Prentice Redman. Do you think he might break through and play at an outfield position next year? -- Ty C., Mattoon, Ill.
Redman is one of the more interesting players from the list of Minor League free agents that the Cards signed recently. He's still fairly young, and he had a nice year between Double-A and Triple-A last year. I don't see him as a potential starter, but I wouldn't be shocked if he made the roster. Redman is one of the names singled out when I asked a front office representative who to look out for from those 14 signees.
As a child growing up in California, I became a Cardinals fan because my grandmother was from Missouri. I keep hearing about Rule 5 players and have no clue what that means. Thank you for the opportunity to ask someone wise enough to enlighten me. -- Thomas F., Salem, Ore.
Wise I am not. But I do know a thing or two about the Rule 5 Draft. It's coming up in two weeks, so now is a good time to discuss it again. Here's an excellent rundown by my friend and colleague Jonathan Mayo.
Your last column raised an interesting question when you were discussing Aaron Herr, and that is, what constitutes a Minor League free agent? -- Paul D., Little Rock, Ark.
A Minor League player is eligible for free agency after a certain amount of service time, just as Major League players are. Once a player has amassed six years of professional service time, if he is not added to his organization's Major League 40-man roster and if his contract is over, he is a free agent. That's the process by which the Cardinals signed players such as Randy Flores, Kiko Calero and Mike Mahoney.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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