According to Matthew Leach and ESPN, Chris Carpenter has just been signed to an extension through 2011.
The breakdown will look something like this:
2007 - 7M
2008 - 9M (option)
2009 -2011 -Â 49M.
Essentially, this is just a 3 year extension worth 49 M to him. Either way, I think this is a steal, because with contracts going bonkers like they are now, ya gotta figure that Glendon Rusch will be able to get 12-14M per year by 2009.
Say Hello to your newest members of the Cardinals…. and Gary Bennett again.
Sounds like we paid 4M for Wells, a one year deal.
A 3y/10M deal for Kennedy.
Bennett is making 900K for one year.
Marrero is making an undisclosed amount as of now - my guess is that it will be comparable to Bennett’s contract.
A few signings that needed to be made, but nothing that will propel this team to new heights. We’ve still got some money to play with, so I’m sure there’s a couple more deals in the wings. For now, good start!
<< What a shirt - if you can't read it, it says Smooch Your Pooch, hence the lips.
Anyway, now that the parade has finished, I feel it's time to start looking towards next year and our quest to repeat. The first question that I pose to whoever is reading this thing is this: Who do you think will be in our 5 man starting rotation in April?
Here's a couple things to think about when you're making your picks...
1. Where will you find Adam Wainwright? Are we going to put him in the rotation, or will he remain our closer until (and possibly even after) Izzy gets healthy. Maybe Izzy will be healthy in April, who knows.
2. How much of a pay raise did Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver earn with their performances in the postseason, and will we be able to afford both of them?
3. Who is on the FA market that we would be interested in?
All that being said, my rotation goes a little something like this:
1. Carpenter
2. Weaver
3. Mulder
4. Reyes
5. Wainwright
I think that we will re-sign Mulder and Weaver, mainly because it really sounds like both of them want to be here (A home town discount perhaps?) I have Weaver in the #2 slot because I think his stuff is coming around, and at this point, I believe it is better than any of the other 3.
I think Suppan may have priced himself out of our range with his performance in the postseason. I wish him all the best with whoever he pitches for next year, and I do hope it's us. Realistically, I don't think it will happen.
I think Izzy may be healthy come April, and that will give Wainwright a chance to be in the rotation. I have him in the five slot because I think he will be far less effective initially in a starter's role than he was as a setup/closer.
Well, whaddya think? I went with the conservative approach in my picks, but it's an approach that I hope comes to fruition, because I would love to see this rotation next year.
I’m no major leaguer (or minor leaguer for that matter) but if I am told what pitch is coming before it was thrown to me, I bet I could hit the ball every once in awhile. Imagine what major league hitters could do if they knew what was coming every time - they’d hit the ball all over the ballpark.
1. Hitters will be off balance more often, because they don’t know what’s coming, thus hopefully reducing the amount of missiles that fly into the gaps and over the wall.
2. He won’t be in as much trouble (if he can do any kind of locating) which means he won’t feel the need to throw his sinker 102 MPH, thus elevating it into most hitters’ happy zone, compounding the problem.
Establishing a pitch is OK, but I think that it is a bit extreme in Marquis’ case. His sinker is not good enough to overpower or fool hitters if they know it’s coming.
Sure, you’re gonna have bad days every once in awhile, but when it’s more notable that you have a good day as opposed to a bad day, it might be time to change something.
Cardnilly has written a letter to our newest callup - and I feel the need to follow suit, but I’m writing to a different player.
Dear Jim,
You’ve been a great centerfielder for us for a number of years now - but there’s always been something about you that I didn’t like. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until today, but now I know what it is. It seems to me that you like earning gold gloves - you’re pretty good at it too. However, I also think that sometimes you may want an oscar. Other times, I feel like you’d rather be somewhere else.
As for the oscar: I very rarely see someone spin out of the way of a high fastball that splits the plate in two, not to mention the fact that you run about half way back to the dugout for added measure. Are the dramatics really necessary Jim? I know you make all these over the shoulder plays, and that’s the way you “roll”, but why can’t you just sprint to the spot, camp under it, and make the catch look a little easier?
As for being somewhere else: I was watching the game tonight against the Astros, and there was a single to center field. Willy Taveras was on first, and he made it to third without a throw from you. The play was in front of you Jim - if you had come up firing, you would’ve had Taveras by 15 feet at third, and we would’ve been out of a tough jam. If you get a chance, talk to David Eckstein about why he’s backing up the throw from the catcher back to the pitcher with a runner on 3rd. Maybe he’ll tell you it’s because the little things matter. Reach up into the sky and pluck your head out from those clouds it so loves to hang out in, and play the game 100%, all the time. I hate to say this Jim, but your days are numbered, make them count.
I know I’m nitpicking Jim, but when you expect sound fundamental baseball out of your team and you don’t get it, problems arise in the Cardinal fandom. Go out there tomorrow and help us break a losing streak in any way you can - we appreciate the little things.
Sincerely,
The Cards Deck
Welcome to St. Louis Junior - your arrival and performance have upset more than a few people in Cardinal Nation. Whether it bet kicking the ball around the infield or sending a little extra wind through the palm trees beyond the wall in the outfield, you’ve found a way to sneak your way into our minds.
Even though you’ve been a real ass to us this spring, I feel like you can still be an asset to this team. Here’s why:
1. You’ve been good in the past - Remember 2002? You hit over .300 (ok, barely, .301), and you even showed a little pop at the dish, hitting 16 big flys and knocking in 78 runs. You crossed the dish 101 times and even reached double digits in stolen bases - 11 to be exact.
2. Defense - While your defense has never been anything to write home about (you fielded at a .977 clip in your big 2002 campaign), you really have only had 3 full years of major league experience (457 games over a 5 year span). I think your defense will only get better, I mean, it has to, because you were really bad in spring training.
3. You’re now playing for a winner - You’ve got a fantastic set of coaches that will work with you and make you a better ballplayer. As long as you don’t give up, Mitchell Page, Jose Oquendo et al will make you as good as you can be at this point in your career.
***EDIT***
After a comment I received from a friend of mine, I felt I needed to include another point that falls into this category. If you know what’s coming Junior, shouldn’t you be ready to hit it? You’re going to see a ton of fastballs in this lineup, because A) you’ll be batting second, and who wants to put a runner on in front of Mr. Pujols, or B) you’ll be batting at the bottom of the order, and pitchers really like to go after the so-called “weaker” part of the order.
4. You’re motivated - at least I hope you are. You played bad enough this spring to lose a starting job to a triple A player in Aaron Miles. If that isn’t a kick in the ass, I don’t know what you need to get yourself motivated.
5. Spring means sh*& - The only reason Albert Pujols hit over .300 this spring is because he got nasty against the Mets and hit 3 HR’s. Your atrocious batting average in spring doesn’t mean anything now, it’s thrown out the window. Everyone has the same average on opening day, so don’t worry about it.
*****
Jake mentioned something about the 2B position this year being like the C position in the past, specifically, Mike Matheny. LaRussa could’ve cared less if Matheny hit under .200, because he knew he was invaluable behind the plate. This year, we have a C that can hit (and play a mean backstop), so we have a position we can kind of afford to sandbag at. As long as our 2b’s make the plays they are supposed to, offensively, they aren’t vital to the team’s success. I think Spivey does have the potential to be a good hitter AND a good enough defensive player to get the job done. Are you ready to prove me right Junior?
Hi Juan, nice contract. You better perform well, because I think you may be the crown jewel of our mediocrity in this offseason (which isn’t saying much).
* A while back I posed a question about Juan Pierre and his value (or lack thereof) to a major league baseball team. The other writer, Jake, and I have been feuding over his worth. I think he’s an asset, Jake thinks he’s an overpaid liability. I put the poll in to the blog to see what the rest of you Cardinal (or baseball) fans thought about Juan Pierre. After a week and a day, here’s the results.
If you were a manager of a MLB team, would you like Juan Pierre as your lead-off hitter?
| Yes | # | % | ||||
 |
20 | |||||
| No | ||||||
 |
10 | |||||
| Maybe | ||||||
 |
7 | |||||
| 37 |
This is what all of you decided. The numbers didn’t lean towards yes as much as I thought they would, but I still think this goes to show that speed can still play a part in today’s game. While it may not be the most valued asset out there, I think there’s still reason to pay Juan Pierre 5m a year. Juan Encarnacion can put up some decent power numbers, but I don’t know who I’d rather have on my team, him or Pierre.
Anyway, thanks for your votes. While this blog is still devoted to the Cardinals, I think that I’m going to broaden the spectrum of this blog and cover newsworthy baseball happenings and baseball musings in general. All the blogs in my blogroll will keep you Cardinal fans more than updated on what’s happening with the Cardinals, so check them out and have a Merry Christmas!
Joe
Jake wrote an article a couple weeks ago on the issue of trading Jim Edmonds. I think he’s right, and has some good arguments to back up why trading Jim Edmonds in ‘06 is a bad idea, but what happens when the St Louis Cardinals’ 2006 season is over?
Some say picking up his option of $10M for ‘07 is a good idea. Based on what Edmonds has accomplished in the past, one must realize that Edmonds is no spring chicken anymore. Edmonds will be 36 at the end of the 2006 season, and he’s starting to show signs of aging. His numbers in ‘05 dramatically fell off from those of ‘04; notably, his average dropped 38 points, he hit 13 less home runs, and drove in 38 fewer than he did in ‘04. Possibly the most alarming drop-off is his OPS, which dropped over 140 points. If his ‘06 numbers drop off anywhere close to what they did in ‘05, I believe that 10 million dollars can be and should be more wisely spent.
Proponents of picking up his option also say: who cares about his offense, what he does defensively is more than enough value to warrant keeping him on the club. True, he’s a master of the leather, but I believe that as each year goes by, his range is going to decrease just as other aging ballplayers’ range tends to do. This will result in him getting to fewer balls that a younger and faster ballplayer might be able to get to, meaning that the spectacular catches that Edmonds makes might be catches that a younger, faster outfielder makes on the run. Sure, the younger outfielder might not be able to make a catch that involves diving straight back and catching the ball over his shoulder, but at this point in his career, that would probably be a ball that Edmonds has to play off the wall.
I think that if Edmonds doesn’t perform well in 2006 for the Cardinals, we should at least look into other options. Even though 10 million dollars doesn’t go a long ways in today’s game, investing in a more youthful centerfielder that could blossom into a great player might be worth the risk of letting an aging veteran go. I love Jim Edmonds, and as you can see, he’s getting some good publicity in my blog header, but if his age is indeed catching up with him, it might not be a bad idea to part ways.
-Joe
As I’m writing this, I see that Braden Looper has been signed by the Cardinals for 3 years, 13.5 milion, 3.5 of which will be paid in 2006. We’ve essentially replaced Ray King and Julian Tavarez with Ricardo Rincon and Braden Looper. Time will tell how this exchange works out.
If you choose to read this lengthy article, feel free to leave a comment or vote in the poll on the right side of the screen.
I’ve been discussing (actually, more like arguing) with Jake the past couple days on the value of Juan Pierre. If you read my article on speed, you can probably already guess where I stand on this one. Although I do think he’s a good player, I don’t think he will lead the Cubs to a World Series title, because, let’s be honest here, they’ll find a way to screw it up.
No two ways about it, Juan Pierre had a rough season in 2005. Is there anything that can explain it? Maybe, maybe not. He said that a calf injury that lingered throughout the season didn’t hamper his performance, but who knows if he’s a guy that refuses to make excuses or not. Can one bad year completely change your view on whether Pierre is a good player or not? Has he ever been a good player? Some would say that he is overvalued and has never produced enough to be a strong player on any ballclub, but his past production shows that he has been a legitimate leadoff man.
Let’s compare Pierre’s career numbers with some other leadoff hitters, and I’ve chosen four statistics that most apply to Pierre, and I think lead-off men in general: avg/obp/runs scored (last 5 years)/sb (last 5 years). I think a case could be made that runs scored will depend on who’s behind you in the lineup, but if you never get on base, you aren’t going to score any runs. I’ll also put their salaries next to their stats.
Juan Pierre .305/.355/494/260 $3,700,000
Rafael Furcal .284/.348/467/149 $5,600,000
David Eckstein .282/.351/430/93 $2,333,333
Ichiro .332/.377/561/190 $12,529,000
Johnny Damon .290/.353/567/125 $8,250,000
First off, I must say that I think David Eckstein is a HUGE BARGAIN, at least he was in 2005. Second, Juan Pierre has the second highest career average and OBP out of these five well known lead-off hitters, the most stolen bases by far, and an average number of runs scored. Is Pierre worth what Ichiro is making? Obviously not. Is he worth what Damon is making? I don’t think so, because Damon’s power numbers far outweigh Pierre’s. Does Pierre deserve to make as much as Rafael Furcal? Well, not with Furcal’s new contract, but I think he does deserve to make close to the money Furcal did in ‘05. All four of the categories I laid out are weighted in Pierre’s favor, and while his power numbers don’t compare to Furcal’s, you can’t argue the fact that he’s been a better average, on base, and speed guy over the course of his career.
If we judge last year’s performance of Juan Pierre as the only indication of his ability, I think we’re being closed-minded. If that were the case, Oliver Perez has no value to any team anymore, even though he’s only 24 and had one of the best 2004’s of any pitcher in either league. He went 7-5 in ‘05, but had an ERA approaching 6. This must mean he’s washed up now and should pursue another choice of career, right?
What I want to know is, where do you all stand on this issue? Assume you’re the manager of a team; would you enjoy having Juan Pierre at the top of your lineup?
Lastly, I just want to make it clear that I will find a way to hate Pierre with a passion now that he’s a member of the Cubs, but I do respect the way he plays baseball.
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