The Cards News Thread

[DravenX]

Free agent Mark Mulder could pick his new team from his three finalists -- the Cardinals, Rangers and Indians -- by the end of the week.
Agent Gregg Clifton still seems to be trying for a better offer by talking up Mulder's recovery from rotator cuff surgery. "We're confident that he is going to have 100 percent recovery," Clifton said. "Mark may be ready to go Opening Day. But, to be fair to everybody, we've said figure on 25 starts in 2007." None of his suitors would be counting on him before June.

Source: RotoWorld

[love_that_reefer]

The Cards need to think about Weaver as it appears Duncan fixed Jeff's mechanics.

[love_that_reefer]

The Cardinals are expected to have a chance to match superior offers from the Rangers and Indians before he makes a decision.
Considering that no new suitors have emerged in weeks, Mulder is really dragging this out. Both the Indians and Rangers have two-year deals on the table guaranteeing him $7 million-$8 million with a chance to more than double that total in incentives. The Cardinals were still at one year and an option. "We've kept the Cardinals in the mix every step of the way and this is kind of stepping up, heating up in the last week," agent Gregg Clifton said late Wednesday evening. "Mark would like to make a decision, but we wanted to wait for the Cardinals. ... From the beginning of the process I promised Walt (Jocketty) he would have a chance to make a final proposal."


Still looking to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder, the Cardinals plan to make contact with free agent Preston Wilson soon.
Wilson said last month that he'd prefer to remain with the Cardinals. If he stays, he'll act as Chris Duncan's platoon partner in left field.

Mulder would be smart to stay in the NL. As for Preston, boy did he suck in the playoffs but he has some pop left in that bat when/if he makes contact.

[love_that_reefer]

While Jim Edmonds' toe surgery was no big deal, he's not expected to be ready to play before mid-March after going shoulder surgery in November.
If only the Cardinals had lost in the NLDS, Edmonds probably would have been healthy for the start of spring training. Edmonds underwent arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 15 to shave the bone and alleviate pain in his right shoulder. "The shoulder is the main issue," team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta said. "The toe was still bothering him and had not settled down, so he was left with two choices — the pain would continue or have this procedure. The timing of (the foot surgery) made sense. His (foot rehab) should jibe with his shoulder rehab, which will take him late into spring training. Ideally (Opening Day) will be the time frame."

The Cardinals are talking with free agent Preston Wilson, probably about a one-year deal.
Wilson hit .243/.300/.486 in 111 at-bats after joining the Cardinals last season and then .200 with two RBI in 35 at-bats in the playoffs. St. Louis could bring him back as a fourth outfielder. Giving him any of Chris Duncan's playing time against righties would be a bad idea.

The Cardinals have improved their offer to Mark Mulder to two guaranteed years, and Mulder is expected to decide on St. Louis, Cleveland or Texas by the end of the day Thursday.
Of the three finalists, the Cardinals had been the only team still at one year and an option. Now that they're with the other teams, they have to be considered the favorites. "It's not about money now because the offers are basically the same," agent Gregg Clifton said. "Mark has to make a baseball decision. There are many different factors he has to consider, and he wants to take his time and think it through."

They should sign Wilson since it looks like it could be another injury riddled season for Edmonds. Plus he can come in defensively late in the game for Duncan. Mulder would be dumb not to stay with the defending champs. He would get his ass kicked in Texas' little ballpark and pitching in the AL Central wouldn't be a picnic either.

[DravenX]

The Cardinals are talking with free agent Preston Wilson, probably about a one-year deal.
Wilson hit .243/.300/.486 in 111 at-bats after joining the Cardinals last season and then .200 with two RBI in 35 at-bats in the playoffs. St. Louis could bring him back as a fourth outfielder. Giving him any of Chris Duncan's playing time against righties would be a bad idea.

While Jim Edmonds' toe surgery was no big deal, he's not expected to be ready to play before mid-March after going shoulder surgery in November.
If only the Cardinals had lost in the NLDS, Edmonds probably would have been healthy for the start of spring training. Edmonds underwent arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 15 to shave the bone and alleviate pain in his right shoulder. "The shoulder is the main issue," team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta said. "The toe was still bothering him and had not settled down, so he was left with two choices — the pain would continue or have this procedure. The timing of (the foot surgery) made sense. His (foot rehab) should jibe with his shoulder rehab, which will take him late into spring training. Ideally (Opening Day) will be the time frame."

A source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz that Mark Mulder has decided to re-sign with the Cardinals.
ESPN is confirming that he'll stay in St. Louis on a two-year deal. We're not very optimistic about Mulder regaining top-of-the-rotation status, especially during 2007. It's going to take more than just a healthier shoulder to get him back to where he used to be. Maybe he'll be worth his salary come 2008, but it'd be a surprise if he won more than six or seven games for the Cardinals this year.

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, Mark Mulder will be guaranteed $13 million by the Cardinals over the next two years.
Gammons also reports that if he makes 30 starts in 2007 and 2008, incentives can make the deal worth three years and $45 million. However, there's almost no way he's starting 30 games this season. He's hoping to return in May or June, but both the Indians and Rangers seemed to be thinking July.

Cardinals re-signed outfielder Rick Ankiel to a minor league contract.
There was little doubt this was coming. The Cardinals non-tendered Ankiel last month, but they still had more interest in having him around than any other team did. He'll be assigned to Double- or Triple-A to begin the year.

Cardinals signed infielder-outfielder Jolbert Cabrera to a minor league contract.
Cabrera hit .250/.315/.398 last season in his second year in Japan. He is a career .258/.305/.362 hitter in 1,291 at-bats over seven major league seasons. The Cardinals will appreciate his versatility, but he still figures to be a long shot to win a job.

Cardinals signed RHP Ryan Franklin, who had been with the Reds, to a one-year, $1 million contract.
He can earn up to $2 million if he makes 29 starts this season. Franklin had a 4.54 ERA in 77 1/3 innings as a middle reliever for the Phillies and Reds last season. He's the type of pitcher that Dave Duncan tends to have quite a bit of luck with, but we still don't see him functioning as anything more than a fifth starter. "Ryan's a durable pitcher who can help us in a number of ways," GM Walt Jocketty said. "We'll bring him to camp and see where he is best suited to help our staff."

Cardinals re-signed LHP Mark Mulder to a two-year, $13 million contract with an option for 2009.
That's quite a guarantee for a pitcher coming back from major shoulder surgery. Mulder gets $5 million this year and $6.5 million in 2008, and the Cardinals have an $11 million option for 2009 with a $1.5 million buyout. Should he meet all the incentives in the contract, he could receive $45 million through 2009. He can earn $6,525,000 in bonuses this year based on starts, getting the full amount with 35, and any of those bonuses earned would be added to his 2008 salary. He can earn $3.75 million in performance bonuses in 2008, and his 2009 option could increase to an amount matching his 2008 salary. Mulder is probably looking at a June or July return from a torn rotator cuff.

The Cardinals have not spoken with free agent Jeff Weaver's representatives about the right-hander in a couple weeks.
The Mark Mulder signing would seem to eliminate what chance there was of the Cardinals meeting Weaver's asking price. They still could be interested if he's willing to take a discount to stay in St. Louis.

Cardinals agreed to terms with LHP Randy Flores on a two-year, $1.8 million contract.
It's often a necessary evil to go a year too long with free agents. Flores, though, was only a super-two player and isn't going to be eligible for free agency until after 2010. Why sign him for two years? Because GM Walt Jocketty thinks he's due for some good luck after the last two lefty relievers he gave multiyear deals to were busts (Ray King and Ricardo Rincon)? There's just so little upside to these contracts, and at least half the time, the team regrets it a few months later. Flores wasn't even any good last year, finishing with a 5.62 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. We're quite sure he wasn't going to break the bank before an arbitration panel.

Free agent Jorge Sosa, who was non-tendered by the Cardinals last month, is reportedly close to joining the Mets.
He'd be a decent pickup. The Mets could really use an innings-eater for their rotation, and Sosa doesn't qualify there. Still, he could be a decent fifth starter or a quality reliever. The 29-year-old finished last year with a 5.42 ERA in 118 innings.

Source: RotoWorld

I hope the Braves kill the ball when or if they face Sosa next season.

[wolverine0712]

All that's left is bringing back Weaver. If he will sign a 2 year deal (which is on the table, but he wants 3 yrs), he will be a nice piece of the puzzle. I'd also be willing to give that Cote kid a chance. He's playing in Central America and doing very well.

[brewersfan19]

That would be a nice signing. St Louis is still going to be a force to be reckoned with. LaRussa will keep them hanging around!

[Dr.Funk]

Sources told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that the Cardinals have fallen out of the running for Jeff Weaver.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/b...ves/110831.asp

[brewersfan19]

Loosing Weaver is a MAJOR blow in the 2007 season for the Cardinals. They need to re-focus and go to plan B or C.

[love_that_reefer]

Outfielder Preston Wilson agreed Monday to a $1 million, one-year contract with the Cardinals after helping St. Louis win its first World Series title in 24 years.

The 32-year-old, who can make an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses, hit .243 with eight homers and 17 RBIs in 32 games with the Cardinals after signing as a free agent in August. Wilson, who started the season with Houston, had a combined 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

In his first postseason appearance, Wilson was the Cardinals' primary left fielder and appeared in 13 games -- including all five games in the World Series. He batted .200 in 35 at-bats with two RBIs in the postseason, and had the go-ahead double in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series.

Wilson figures to give the Cardinals outfield depth at all three spots and provides insurance behind Chris Duncan, who hit 22 homers in about a half-season as a rookie. Wilson and the left-handed hitting Duncan platooned much of the time.

Wilson's best season was in 2003, when he had 36 homers and 141 RBIs for the Colorado Rockies.

I don't expect Wilson to put up good numbers as a platoon guy since he seems to be a guy who needs to be in there everyday to be successful. But I do like him as a fourth OFer to backup Edmonds and Encarnacion and to come in late in the ballgame to replace Duncan for defensive purposes. Duncan better have worked his ass offf this winter if he wants a future in St. Louis. It's going to be a long time before he plays first.

[brewersfan19]

couldn't have said it better myself, reefer!!! I second is thought.

[DravenX]

On the strength of the left-hander's strong winter in Mexico, the Cardinals are mentioning Troy Cate as a candidate for one of their rotation vacancies.
Cate, 26, is almost certainly a future reliever if he's anything at all. He had a 1.27 ERA and a 78/19 K/BB ratio in 56 2/3 innings as a reliever in the minors last year, but more than two-thirds of his innings came as one of the oldest players in the Florida State League. He's not much of a sleeper for fantasy purposes.

Source: RotoWorld

[brewersfan19]

What is up with the Cardinals? You think they would open the wallet a bit after winning the W.S. last year. This is either going to be a team that struggles or a team that only the Cardinals knew what they really have. Maybe that is their plan this year, not having other teams expect much from them and BLAME, Cardinals make the playoffs! WHo knows, long year and that is why they play the games!

[love_that_reefer]

The Cards opened the wallets a little bit with the Carpenter deal. They didn't do anything to help the rotation but you have to give the Cards some credit. They didn't overpay for guys like Suppan and Weaver.

[brewersfan19]

Come on now, reef. Leave my Brewers alone. at least they are trying to better their team and I personally like the Suppan deal. He was the best pitcher the Cards had in the 2nd half last year, even better than Carpenter! Plus, he is not a #1, he is a #3. And he is better than Lilly and Meche.