MajorMike
12-14-2006, 10:10 AM
Looks like Izzy is going to be ready for he start of the season, so Wainwright is going to move into the rotation. Could have predicted that with the signing of Springer last week.
At this time, the rotation is:
Carpenter
Reyes
Wells
Wainwright
They are talking with the Dodgers right now about a trade for Penny. Seems LA has spent lots of money and would like to unload a contract or 2. The Dodgers actually came to the Cards with the offer.
There is speculation that Mulder is going to stay, altho he has been fielding some offers. The 3 teams 'in the running' were Texas, DBacks and Cards. Texas may not have a spot to keep for him and the DBacks don't like to make incentive conracts. He would not be ready until around July, which the Cards are prepared to wait for him. He is getting married this weekend, and the word is he wants a deal before he goes on his honeymoon.
Weaver has been getting no love from other teams, so very likely he will return for a 1-year deal with incentives and maybe a team option.
Walt is very interested in Seattle's Joel Pineiro, who was just non-tendered by the M's.
We have also non-tendered Sosa and retatin the right to speak with him as well.
Opening day could look like this:
Carpenter
Penny
Wells
Weaver
Wainwight
If Mulder signs, he will be ready to go into full rotation end of July. If the Penny trade doesn't happen, then I would assume we will try to pick up Pineiro then Sosa.
The Cards have non-tendered Rick Ankiel. The reason is, they want to keep him but not at what he was getting paid before. They want to give him a minor league contract to try him out. You will recall they turned him into a hitter and he had 21 home runs and 75 RBIs in 85 games in the minors in 2005 and was expected to take a starting outfield spot in 2006, when he tore his patellar tendon in a spring training game in Feb. He's a lefty and a tremendous athlete and Tony still wants to keep him to see if he can make it. If the Cardinals bring Ankiel back on a Minor League deal, they would avoid the difficulty of passing him through waivers if and when he does not make the big-league club; something that has been an issue the past two springs.
Long being a franchise that likes to 'keep it in the family,' the Cards are checking into the health of Jayson Werth. The grandson of former Cardinal shortstop Dick "Ducky" Schofield missed 2006 with a wrist injury. Werth last played for the Dodgers, appearing in 190 games over 2 years (2004-05) hitting 25 homers and batting in 109 in that time. He hit .286 with 2 homers and a double in 14 at bats in the 2004 NLDS when the Cards beat the Dodgers in 4 games. He will be 27 during the 07 season.
Encarnacion underwent surgery on his left wrist last week, but the club does not expect the procedure to be a hindrance in Spring Training. Encarnacion had been bothered by soreness in the wrist during the latter part of the 2006 season and in the playoffs. He has been dangled as trade bait, and may end up a Dodger is the Penny trade goes thru.
Aaron Miles re-upped for a second year in a Cardinals uniform. Miles will receive a reported $1 million, a nice boost from his pre-arbitration-eligibility $350,000 in 2006. Miles played second base and shortstop in '06, starting at second for a portion of the year and also backing up David Eckstein at short. He'll likely back up Eckstein and new signee Adam Kennedy in '07.
The Cardinals also offered contracts to reserve outfielder So Taguchi and left-handed reliever Randy Flores.
2 other free agent possibilities are Tony Armas Jr. and Tomo Ohka. Other players the Cards have inquired about are former Met and Devil Ray Victor Zambrano and Braves reliever Chris Reitsma.
At this time, the rotation is:
Carpenter
Reyes
Wells
Wainwright
They are talking with the Dodgers right now about a trade for Penny. Seems LA has spent lots of money and would like to unload a contract or 2. The Dodgers actually came to the Cards with the offer.
There is speculation that Mulder is going to stay, altho he has been fielding some offers. The 3 teams 'in the running' were Texas, DBacks and Cards. Texas may not have a spot to keep for him and the DBacks don't like to make incentive conracts. He would not be ready until around July, which the Cards are prepared to wait for him. He is getting married this weekend, and the word is he wants a deal before he goes on his honeymoon.
Weaver has been getting no love from other teams, so very likely he will return for a 1-year deal with incentives and maybe a team option.
Walt is very interested in Seattle's Joel Pineiro, who was just non-tendered by the M's.
We have also non-tendered Sosa and retatin the right to speak with him as well.
Opening day could look like this:
Carpenter
Penny
Wells
Weaver
Wainwight
If Mulder signs, he will be ready to go into full rotation end of July. If the Penny trade doesn't happen, then I would assume we will try to pick up Pineiro then Sosa.
The Cards have non-tendered Rick Ankiel. The reason is, they want to keep him but not at what he was getting paid before. They want to give him a minor league contract to try him out. You will recall they turned him into a hitter and he had 21 home runs and 75 RBIs in 85 games in the minors in 2005 and was expected to take a starting outfield spot in 2006, when he tore his patellar tendon in a spring training game in Feb. He's a lefty and a tremendous athlete and Tony still wants to keep him to see if he can make it. If the Cardinals bring Ankiel back on a Minor League deal, they would avoid the difficulty of passing him through waivers if and when he does not make the big-league club; something that has been an issue the past two springs.
Long being a franchise that likes to 'keep it in the family,' the Cards are checking into the health of Jayson Werth. The grandson of former Cardinal shortstop Dick "Ducky" Schofield missed 2006 with a wrist injury. Werth last played for the Dodgers, appearing in 190 games over 2 years (2004-05) hitting 25 homers and batting in 109 in that time. He hit .286 with 2 homers and a double in 14 at bats in the 2004 NLDS when the Cards beat the Dodgers in 4 games. He will be 27 during the 07 season.
Encarnacion underwent surgery on his left wrist last week, but the club does not expect the procedure to be a hindrance in Spring Training. Encarnacion had been bothered by soreness in the wrist during the latter part of the 2006 season and in the playoffs. He has been dangled as trade bait, and may end up a Dodger is the Penny trade goes thru.
Aaron Miles re-upped for a second year in a Cardinals uniform. Miles will receive a reported $1 million, a nice boost from his pre-arbitration-eligibility $350,000 in 2006. Miles played second base and shortstop in '06, starting at second for a portion of the year and also backing up David Eckstein at short. He'll likely back up Eckstein and new signee Adam Kennedy in '07.
The Cardinals also offered contracts to reserve outfielder So Taguchi and left-handed reliever Randy Flores.
2 other free agent possibilities are Tony Armas Jr. and Tomo Ohka. Other players the Cards have inquired about are former Met and Devil Ray Victor Zambrano and Braves reliever Chris Reitsma.