Cards have gaps to fill as 2006 arrives
01/01/2006
ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals fans spent much of December taking deep breaths and reminding themselves that they've been here before. The offseason doesn't end when the Winter Meetings come to a close, and few general managers work the second half of the offseason better than Walt Jocketty.
Still, for a team with 205 regular-season wins and three playoff series victories over the past two seasons, it's been a tumultuous offseason in St. Louis. Key contributors from the offense, defense, starting rotation and bullpen have departed.
It started the night the season ended, when Larry Walker announced his retirement after a brilliant career. That was no big surprise, as Walker played in pain for much of the year and had hinted at retirement since before the summer started. Nonetheless, Walker contributed even in a difficult year.
From there, the Cards watched utilitymen John Mabry and Abraham Nunez depart via free agency, as other clubs were willing to guarantee more dollars (Mabry) and years (Nunez) than St. Louis saw fit to do. The Cards bid both a fond farewell, but let them walk with the confidence that their spots could be filled.
As the Winter Meetings drew near, it became evident that the Cards had a bigger fish that they were chasing: former Marlin A.J. Burnett. Manager Tony La Russa and Jocketty traveled to Florida to meet with Burnett, and the Cardinals offered Burnett a four-year deal, but ultimately, the right-hander took an extra year and more money to pitch in Toronto.
That left the Redbirds to turn to Plan B in Dallas. They tended to some small business by signing Gary Bennett to replace Einar Diaz as the backup catcher, and Deivi Cruz to replace Nunez as the utility infielder. They added a potential bullpen arm by drafting Juan Mateo in the Rule 5 Draft.
From there, Jocketty actually shipped off a reliever, but in so doing added a couple of position players. The trade of Ray King to Colorado brought in a likely starting outfielder in Larry Bigbie and another piece for the infield puzzle in Aaron Miles, while clearing some space in the payroll. A possible trade for Javier Vazquez fell through in Dallas.
The signing of Ricardo Rincon filled King's spot, and then Braden Looper was brought on board to bolster the right side of the bullpen. The most intriguing move of the winter was the addition of Sidney Ponson to compete for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, a job previously believed to have been reserved for rookie Anthony Reyes.
Finally, shortly before Christmas, Jocketty addressed the final two holes in his starting lineup. Juan Encarnacion, coming off a career year with the Marlins, signed to play right field. Infielder Junior Spivey, late of the Nationals, signed a deal and is likely to become the starting second baseman.
Offseason report card: The impact acquisition never materialized, but the Cards made a string of mostly canny budget buys, some of which have high payoff potential. Give them a six on a 10 scale: they may still be shopping, but most of the holes have been filled.
Arrivals: 2B Aaron Miles and OF Larry Bigbie (trade); C Gary Bennett, IF Deivi Cruz, LHP Ricardo Rincon, RHPs Braden Looper and Sidney Ponson and OF Juan Encarnacion (free agents); RHP Juan Mateo (Rule 5 Draft)
Departures: RHP Matt Morris, RHP Julian Tavarez, RHP Cal Eldred, LHP Ray King, OF Larry Walker, OF Reggie Sanders, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, UT John Mabry, IF Abraham Nunez, C Einar Diaz
The Road Ahead: It's still not entirely certain who will start at second base, or who will be the fifth starter. And the possibility still remains for a trade, perhaps moving some pitching depth for a power-hitting outfielder. But most of the questions are questions for Spring Training rather than for January. The biggest remaining concern is the bullpen, which has gone from the league's best in 2005 to an open issue entering 2006. The Cards need to add quantity and quality to the relief corps if they expect to enjoy another 100-win season.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals fans spent much of December taking deep breaths and reminding themselves that they've been here before. The offseason doesn't end when the Winter Meetings come to a close, and few general managers work the second half of the offseason better than Walt Jocketty.
Still, for a team with 205 regular-season wins and three playoff series victories over the past two seasons, it's been a tumultuous offseason in St. Louis. Key contributors from the offense, defense, starting rotation and bullpen have departed.
It started the night the season ended, when Larry Walker announced his retirement after a brilliant career. That was no big surprise, as Walker played in pain for much of the year and had hinted at retirement since before the summer started. Nonetheless, Walker contributed even in a difficult year.
From there, the Cards watched utilitymen John Mabry and Abraham Nunez depart via free agency, as other clubs were willing to guarantee more dollars (Mabry) and years (Nunez) than St. Louis saw fit to do. The Cards bid both a fond farewell, but let them walk with the confidence that their spots could be filled.
As the Winter Meetings drew near, it became evident that the Cards had a bigger fish that they were chasing: former Marlin A.J. Burnett. Manager Tony La Russa and Jocketty traveled to Florida to meet with Burnett, and the Cardinals offered Burnett a four-year deal, but ultimately, the right-hander took an extra year and more money to pitch in Toronto.
That left the Redbirds to turn to Plan B in Dallas. They tended to some small business by signing Gary Bennett to replace Einar Diaz as the backup catcher, and Deivi Cruz to replace Nunez as the utility infielder. They added a potential bullpen arm by drafting Juan Mateo in the Rule 5 Draft.
From there, Jocketty actually shipped off a reliever, but in so doing added a couple of position players. The trade of Ray King to Colorado brought in a likely starting outfielder in Larry Bigbie and another piece for the infield puzzle in Aaron Miles, while clearing some space in the payroll. A possible trade for Javier Vazquez fell through in Dallas.
The signing of Ricardo Rincon filled King's spot, and then Braden Looper was brought on board to bolster the right side of the bullpen. The most intriguing move of the winter was the addition of Sidney Ponson to compete for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, a job previously believed to have been reserved for rookie Anthony Reyes.
Finally, shortly before Christmas, Jocketty addressed the final two holes in his starting lineup. Juan Encarnacion, coming off a career year with the Marlins, signed to play right field. Infielder Junior Spivey, late of the Nationals, signed a deal and is likely to become the starting second baseman.
Offseason report card: The impact acquisition never materialized, but the Cards made a string of mostly canny budget buys, some of which have high payoff potential. Give them a six on a 10 scale: they may still be shopping, but most of the holes have been filled.
Arrivals: 2B Aaron Miles and OF Larry Bigbie (trade); C Gary Bennett, IF Deivi Cruz, LHP Ricardo Rincon, RHPs Braden Looper and Sidney Ponson and OF Juan Encarnacion (free agents); RHP Juan Mateo (Rule 5 Draft)
Departures: RHP Matt Morris, RHP Julian Tavarez, RHP Cal Eldred, LHP Ray King, OF Larry Walker, OF Reggie Sanders, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, UT John Mabry, IF Abraham Nunez, C Einar Diaz
The Road Ahead: It's still not entirely certain who will start at second base, or who will be the fifth starter. And the possibility still remains for a trade, perhaps moving some pitching depth for a power-hitting outfielder. But most of the questions are questions for Spring Training rather than for January. The biggest remaining concern is the bullpen, which has gone from the league's best in 2005 to an open issue entering 2006. The Cards need to add quantity and quality to the relief corps if they expect to enjoy another 100-win season.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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