Cardinals' Hot Stove
Politics is one thing, baseball is another. On the whole, if given the choice between a Republican victory in 2004 and a Cardinals World Series win... well, OK, I'd still choose W winning, but it would be close (at least a lot closer than the World Series turned out to be).
Here's my quick views on the Cardinals' off-season moves:
1. Mark Mulder. The Mulder deal was a "win now" trade. Mulder is a left-handed starter who is only 27, but he seemed to fade down the stretch last year, and he's not a power pitcher. Nevertheless, he's probably good for 15-17 wins, and putting a left-hander in the rotation may make the other starters improve as well. In terms of 2005, the trade is essentially Mulder for the untendered Woody Williams, which is an improvement. In terms of 2006 and later, it is a trade of one good starter, Danny Haren (he'll be a solid guy for the A's, probably even next year), and one potentially very good catcher, Daric Barton, for one good starter, Mulder, which is a loser deal for the Cardinals long term. But when you were in the World Series last year, you have to go for it next year and forget about 2010 or so, when Barton might be an All Star.
2. David Eckstein. Letting Edgar Renteria go is a sad day for the Cardinals, because he was a winner and a leader. I think the Cardinals will miss him a lot in the clubhouse and at short, where he had a lot (I mean a lot) more range than Eckstein. Eckstein will give you a little spark maybe, but he won't hit like Renteria and he won't field like Renteria. But the reality is that Eckstein at $3.5 million may give you more wins per dollars than Renteria at $10 million, and having Eckstein play short will enable you to pay someone else (Mulder?).
3. Letting Go. The Cardinals let go Mike Matheny and Tony Womack walked to the Yankees before we could make an offer. Matheny will be missed in the clubhouse, but not in the field, because Yadier Molina is big-league ready as a catcher and probably will give us a little (but only a little) more offense. Womack is "just a guy," as they say in football... there are probably half a dozen free agents we could get for less money that would do either as well or almost as well. The real problem as I see it is that we didn't cut the cord on Reggie Sanders, who is a liability in the outfield and was terrible in the post-season at the plate. A no pop, bad field, over the hill left-fielder is a bad fit for a team trying to win the championship. I'd rather see the Cardinals give a youngster a shot, or else go out and sign someone else, nearly anyone else. I don't know why I have this antipathy toward Sanders, because from all I've heard he's a good guy and a good teammate. But I just think he's a guy who has always "looked" like a baseball player, he just isn't as good as he looks.
Probably more to come, as the Cards still need to sign a second baseman. Robbie Alomar?
Here's my quick views on the Cardinals' off-season moves:
1. Mark Mulder. The Mulder deal was a "win now" trade. Mulder is a left-handed starter who is only 27, but he seemed to fade down the stretch last year, and he's not a power pitcher. Nevertheless, he's probably good for 15-17 wins, and putting a left-hander in the rotation may make the other starters improve as well. In terms of 2005, the trade is essentially Mulder for the untendered Woody Williams, which is an improvement. In terms of 2006 and later, it is a trade of one good starter, Danny Haren (he'll be a solid guy for the A's, probably even next year), and one potentially very good catcher, Daric Barton, for one good starter, Mulder, which is a loser deal for the Cardinals long term. But when you were in the World Series last year, you have to go for it next year and forget about 2010 or so, when Barton might be an All Star.
2. David Eckstein. Letting Edgar Renteria go is a sad day for the Cardinals, because he was a winner and a leader. I think the Cardinals will miss him a lot in the clubhouse and at short, where he had a lot (I mean a lot) more range than Eckstein. Eckstein will give you a little spark maybe, but he won't hit like Renteria and he won't field like Renteria. But the reality is that Eckstein at $3.5 million may give you more wins per dollars than Renteria at $10 million, and having Eckstein play short will enable you to pay someone else (Mulder?).
3. Letting Go. The Cardinals let go Mike Matheny and Tony Womack walked to the Yankees before we could make an offer. Matheny will be missed in the clubhouse, but not in the field, because Yadier Molina is big-league ready as a catcher and probably will give us a little (but only a little) more offense. Womack is "just a guy," as they say in football... there are probably half a dozen free agents we could get for less money that would do either as well or almost as well. The real problem as I see it is that we didn't cut the cord on Reggie Sanders, who is a liability in the outfield and was terrible in the post-season at the plate. A no pop, bad field, over the hill left-fielder is a bad fit for a team trying to win the championship. I'd rather see the Cardinals give a youngster a shot, or else go out and sign someone else, nearly anyone else. I don't know why I have this antipathy toward Sanders, because from all I've heard he's a good guy and a good teammate. But I just think he's a guy who has always "looked" like a baseball player, he just isn't as good as he looks.
Probably more to come, as the Cards still need to sign a second baseman. Robbie Alomar?
posted by PDB at 6:37 AM
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