83 wins will not get it done this season...
The Redbirds starting pitching was the reason they held on to win the division and then on to win the Series...
Looking at their starting rotation right now:
1. Carpenter
2. Kip Wells
3. Reyes
4. Wainwright
5. Franklin/Looper/Narveson/Hawkesworth
On paper not good...and big drop-off from last years rotation. I think the loss of Suppan to the Brewers was huge...Mulder could pitch at the end of June...but he will be on a PC for a month. Hard to say what Mulder will be like, some scouts say he has entered a decline and will not revert back to his A's form.
The closer is also a huge issue IMO...
When Isringhausen is healthy...so what? He still is very shaky, and his hip problem is the leg that takes all the weight...so who's to say that he can hold up for 162.
The Cardinals have no choice however because of his contract...one of the worst moves Jocketty ever made was in extending him to this albatross of a deal. So his return hurts their pen as they lose their best reliever in Wainwright to the rotation.
If Isringhausen is not ready to close on March 31st...Kinney could be the guy until he is.
I think the Cardinals have alot of questions this season with their rotation, closer and OF. Edmonds is another year older and still injury prone. Encarnacion is mediocre and very capable of butchering balls in RF. Duncan is a mess defensively...Taguchi and Wilson are also in the mix.
I think the Central is a three-way race. Brewers, Cubs and Cards.
Cubs have the lineup and if Prior is 100% healthy like all reports have him at...that is one hell of a 5th starter.
Plus Prior is motivated big-time. The Cubs slapped him in the face with a salary cut...I think he wants to prove himself so he can get that big long-term contract.
Brewers have the rotation provided Sheets can stay healthy. I think the Brewers will turn the corner this year...many prognosticators had them as the surprise pick last season...I think they were a year off.
Cannot wait...very soon pitchers and catchers report.
The Redbirds starting pitching was the reason they held on to win the division and then on to win the Series...
Looking at their starting rotation right now:
1. Carpenter
2. Kip Wells
3. Reyes
4. Wainwright
5. Franklin/Looper/Narveson/Hawkesworth
On paper not good...and big drop-off from last years rotation. I think the loss of Suppan to the Brewers was huge...Mulder could pitch at the end of June...but he will be on a PC for a month. Hard to say what Mulder will be like, some scouts say he has entered a decline and will not revert back to his A's form.
The closer is also a huge issue IMO...
When Isringhausen is healthy...so what? He still is very shaky, and his hip problem is the leg that takes all the weight...so who's to say that he can hold up for 162.
The Cardinals have no choice however because of his contract...one of the worst moves Jocketty ever made was in extending him to this albatross of a deal. So his return hurts their pen as they lose their best reliever in Wainwright to the rotation.
If Isringhausen is not ready to close on March 31st...Kinney could be the guy until he is.
I think the Cardinals have alot of questions this season with their rotation, closer and OF. Edmonds is another year older and still injury prone. Encarnacion is mediocre and very capable of butchering balls in RF. Duncan is a mess defensively...Taguchi and Wilson are also in the mix.
I think the Central is a three-way race. Brewers, Cubs and Cards.
Cubs have the lineup and if Prior is 100% healthy like all reports have him at...that is one hell of a 5th starter.
Plus Prior is motivated big-time. The Cubs slapped him in the face with a salary cut...I think he wants to prove himself so he can get that big long-term contract.
Brewers have the rotation provided Sheets can stay healthy. I think the Brewers will turn the corner this year...many prognosticators had them as the surprise pick last season...I think they were a year off.
Cannot wait...very soon pitchers and catchers report.
Good question. I don't think their rotation is as bad as many may think but you never know with these young guys. Carpenter obvious #1 pitcher, Wainwright will be the #2 and will do just fine, #3 Reyes if he gains confidence from Game 1 WS performance will be fine, #4 Wells does not excite me but read article where Carpenter says this guy will be much better than advertised, #5 will likely be Brad Thompson who I don't think will be great but think has shown enough savvy to get 5 innings+ with yeoman like work until Mulder gets back. The guy that intrigues me is Hawkesworth who is our #1 prospect. This guy may get a shot and has ace type stuff or Narveson who being lh could bring some balance to rotation. Bullpen will be fine with addition of Russ Springer and Ricardo Rincon back and may be one of the deepest in baseball as long as Izzy returns to pre 06 form. Tyler Johnson, Randy Flores, Matt Kinney, and Looper give this unit a lot of depth now with big time success in post season which is definite plus. Lineup will be just fine. Bench will be just as good. So to answer your question it comes down to young guys in the rotation though if they falter I am sure Walt won't hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade to get someone in here or maybe in spring training for Jon Lieber for example. Cubs.Stros,Pirates, and Reds have same rotation questions. Brewers have the best rotation in the division now on paper no doubt about it. Cubs problem is going to be defensively. Still very weak up the middle and outfield defensively as they are looking at of of Soriano,Floyd, and Jacque Jones which may be one of the worst in baseball history regarding defense. Also, Barrett weak behind the plate as well and DeRosa never been starter. Going against Cards is their history of failure after winning World Series so big test for Larussa to keep them focused but fact is no one has even given them a chance to repeat which is a rallying cry for the team. Believe it will be a 3 team race maybe 4 if Houston does something with pitching with Cards a slight favorite over Milwaukee (very well could be their year), Cubs, followed by Astros,Reds, and Pirates in that order but will say even Pittsburgh will not and should not be taken lightly.
Interesting note about DeWitt...
He continues to follow-suit...
He allowed Grudzielanek to leave STL, and all it would have cost him was 1 million dollars to retain his services...thus the musical chairs exhibition that they called 2B last year...
Then this season...DeWitt allowed Suppan to walk...do not blame him for not matching the 4 year deal...but he was on record stating that he was going to bring Suppan back...when it came time to pay...DeWitt closed his checkbook...
Suppan talked to Strauss and told him that the Cardinals were not showing any interest and their offer of 6million/yr was kind of an insult.
Then Weaver...
Which reminded me of Grudzielanek...the difference was 3million to keep him...DeWitt refused.
No problem...that's his right as owner. But when you are rolling in cash the way the Cardinals are...that was alarming...the new stadium...all the revenues from KTRS...KSDK just dumped a bunch of cash in his pocket to buy out KPLR...XM money...etc...pretty disgusting.
Weaver went on record stating that he waited for the Cardinals...and that he wanted to stay. The Cardinals did not want to pay him...nor any other FA...even though TLR and Duncan lobbied hard for Weaver. At the winter warm-up that was all the talk...that Weaver was the last piece they needed for the rotation...then DeWitt refuses to match the one year deal...which was his salary from the previous season...:ughhh: Like him or hate him...Scott Boras talked about this...he blamed the Cardinals and said that this should have been worked out...and in the end it came down to the fact that they did not want to spend any money...
Too bad Eckstein is in his walk year...might be his last season with the Birds-on-the-bat.
Spending $$$$ does not mean a WS Championship...
But when you are the defending champs...and you let 3/5ths of your rotation walk...and do not even make reasonable attempts to keep any of your players...well it does not look good. DeWitt has the money...he just wants to keep it.
He continues to follow-suit...
He allowed Grudzielanek to leave STL, and all it would have cost him was 1 million dollars to retain his services...thus the musical chairs exhibition that they called 2B last year...
Then this season...DeWitt allowed Suppan to walk...do not blame him for not matching the 4 year deal...but he was on record stating that he was going to bring Suppan back...when it came time to pay...DeWitt closed his checkbook...
Suppan talked to Strauss and told him that the Cardinals were not showing any interest and their offer of 6million/yr was kind of an insult.
Then Weaver...
Which reminded me of Grudzielanek...the difference was 3million to keep him...DeWitt refused.
No problem...that's his right as owner. But when you are rolling in cash the way the Cardinals are...that was alarming...the new stadium...all the revenues from KTRS...KSDK just dumped a bunch of cash in his pocket to buy out KPLR...XM money...etc...pretty disgusting.
Weaver went on record stating that he waited for the Cardinals...and that he wanted to stay. The Cardinals did not want to pay him...nor any other FA...even though TLR and Duncan lobbied hard for Weaver. At the winter warm-up that was all the talk...that Weaver was the last piece they needed for the rotation...then DeWitt refuses to match the one year deal...which was his salary from the previous season...:ughhh: Like him or hate him...Scott Boras talked about this...he blamed the Cardinals and said that this should have been worked out...and in the end it came down to the fact that they did not want to spend any money...
Too bad Eckstein is in his walk year...might be his last season with the Birds-on-the-bat.
Spending $$$$ does not mean a WS Championship...
But when you are the defending champs...and you let 3/5ths of your rotation walk...and do not even make reasonable attempts to keep any of your players...well it does not look good. DeWitt has the money...he just wants to keep it.
Cards imo do not make playoffs this year. Fact is that stadium cost a ton more than anticipated and they want to build up shops,restaurants, etc around ballpark before reupping on payroll. That's the facts. They will stay competitive but not go out of their way for awhile to go over the top and may do nothing now that we have championship for them to hold their heads up about.
DeWitt will sell the Cardinals by 2010...
They get the All-Star game in '09...Ballpark Village should be finished by then...
He does not want to be the owner when Pujols' deal nears its end...in 2011 I believe...does not want to be remembered as the owner that let him leave town...but he is going to cash out on this club...the deal he got from Anheuser Busch was sick...all those garages (which he sold BTW)...he has almost doubled his investment...the time is nearing...
I would not say that the stadium cost more than expected...he had to put more of his cash in...but he went cheap on many aspects of Busch III...
1. Pressbox is a joke...baseball writers made that point during the Series. Because he went cheap...he had to fix it this winter.
2. The way he chizzled away from honoring the retired Cardinals...only to finally cave in to the public bashing him and then sticking them up on the OF walls. Still pretty cheap move...compared to what it was.
3. He used pre-fab brick...from what I was told...that is the cheapest way to go.
But after he sold the urinals, towels, toilet paper, pencil sharpeners...from the former stadium...well that offset some of that cost. Then you add in the sponsor $$$$$ he gets from the station he owns in KTRS...and now the KSDK $$$$$. He is loaded at the gills. All of the new party suites are virtually sold in the new park...and the cash is flowing in...
It is a good time to be in the ownership group...they have made cash hand over fist. Too bad they did not spend much on keeping their FA players.
They get the All-Star game in '09...Ballpark Village should be finished by then...
He does not want to be the owner when Pujols' deal nears its end...in 2011 I believe...does not want to be remembered as the owner that let him leave town...but he is going to cash out on this club...the deal he got from Anheuser Busch was sick...all those garages (which he sold BTW)...he has almost doubled his investment...the time is nearing...
I would not say that the stadium cost more than expected...he had to put more of his cash in...but he went cheap on many aspects of Busch III...
1. Pressbox is a joke...baseball writers made that point during the Series. Because he went cheap...he had to fix it this winter.
2. The way he chizzled away from honoring the retired Cardinals...only to finally cave in to the public bashing him and then sticking them up on the OF walls. Still pretty cheap move...compared to what it was.
3. He used pre-fab brick...from what I was told...that is the cheapest way to go.
But after he sold the urinals, towels, toilet paper, pencil sharpeners...from the former stadium...well that offset some of that cost. Then you add in the sponsor $$$$$ he gets from the station he owns in KTRS...and now the KSDK $$$$$. He is loaded at the gills. All of the new party suites are virtually sold in the new park...and the cash is flowing in...
It is a good time to be in the ownership group...they have made cash hand over fist. Too bad they did not spend much on keeping their FA players.
