The Cardinals were relatively quiet in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft, picking up one reliever yet to pitch in Double-A, Russ Haltiwanger, but they lost two players, reliever Luis Perdomo and outfielder Cody Haerther.
The loss of Haerther, squeezed out by his uneven play, injuries and tougher competition, was all but assured when the Cardinals did not even protect him at the Triple-A level. He was taken by Toronto, also the “other” when they claimed Haerther off waivers one year ago, only to try to remove him from their roster a few days later – just before the 2007 Rule 5 Draft. Of course, as most know, the Cardinals took him back.
Cody is a class guy and as such, will be missed by The Cardinal Nation.
Perdomo’s loss was unnecessary, what with the Cardinals having enough roster space to keep him. As the draft demonstrated, he had value in the market, so why give it away? Taken by the San Francisco Giants, the reliever has to remain in the majors for the entire 2009 season, or be passed through waivers and potentially returned to the Cardinals.
Perhaps it is for the better, as any mention of Perdomo reminds me of the decline and eventual give-away of another ex-Cardinal, Anthony Reyes, as the two were swapped for one another in the days approaching the 2008 trade deadline.
Perdomo just reached Double-A this season, too, but his over-90 mph sinking fastball is why he didn’t last beyond the sixth pick in this Rule 5 Draft. The Cardinals now have just $50,000 to show for Perdomo, and therefore, for Reyes.
To put that into perspective, Albert Pujols makes roughly $30,000 per at-bat over the course of the season!
I am not going to raise my blood pressure rehashing the details of Reyes’ years with the Cardinals other than to again shake my head over what might have been. I can’t properly dish out blame in the proper proportion among player, coaches and front office, but I do firmly believe that somewhere, somehow, someone should have done more.
Best wishes to Perdomo and Haerther with their new organizations and same to Reyes with the Indians, for that matter.
To read more about the newest Cardinal, Haltiwanger, check out my free article on Scout.com.
There is no question that Reyes lost trade value over the last two years. From a baseball standpoint (with hindsight) it would have been best to trade him before the 2007 season when his trade value was highest. But what would the fan reaction have been to trading away the winner of Game 1 of the WS, in addition to letting the winner of Game 5 walk away?
After carrying a 1.83 ERA in six starts with the Indians before being shut down for the year, I image that Reyes’ stock will again be rising.
With 20-20 hindsight working in our favor, trading Reyes before the 2007 season would have been tough, no doubt, but given his value was at its highest as you say, the Cardinals would have received a more valuable player or players in return, ones that may have helped the 2007 team. Seems likely he/they would have contributed more than Reyes.
I am not a big fan of the theory that the front office and coaching staff are not on the same page, nor do I believe they always agree, but the Reyes situation sure felt like the coaches and the player gave up working together before the front office could/would act. It really feels like a lost opportunity, now made worse by letting Perdomo walk.
Good for Reyes and the Indians if they can make it work. Same with the Giants and Perdomo, though the latter may be back come the end of March.
I doubt the merit of apporting blame regarding Reyes. No minor leaguer is a sure thing. He got 30+ starts He was horrendous in 2007. Since his market value was low, the Cards gave Anthony a fresh opportunity for the tiny price of Perdomo.
Some fans may have been optimistic about Reyes and have transferred this hopefulness to Perdomo. Yet Perdomo did not do a lot at Springfield to warrant the 40 man roster. If the Giants want him, Perdomo is theirs.
Haerther does not have as much speed as some other OF prospects and he suffered the tough luck of some injuries.
Its good of the Cards to give Reyes, Perdomo, and Haerther fresh chances elsewhere. It also gives the team more AA/AAA roster slots for others.
I agree about the folly of apportioning blame. It is something I consistently harp against doing, which I thought about when I typed that. Yet, it is something people always want to do.
Forgetting blame, I do think Reyes’ time in StL could have come out differently. Too bad it didn’t.
If we blame someone for Reyes, does Wellemeyer provide them redemption? Wellemeyer got released out of the bullpen of a last place team, but the Cards turned him into an ok pitcher.
Reyes pitched a few fine games for the Cards. But to pitch for Duncan, a guy may need a crisper breaking ball. Since Dunc has coached a lot of ML pitchers, I defer to his expertise.
It is surely not realistic to think that every possible combination of players and coaches would maximize results every time. Some come out well, others less so, which I think is your point.
I dont think it was possible to trade Reyes after the 06 season. We had too many starting pitchers who decamped and starting pitching hyperinflated in the free agent market. We signed Wells, converted Looper, and tried to rely on the cheap and inexeprienced Wainwright and Reyes.
With Reyes, it might have worked out better, but it also could have worked out as it indeed did. Its good to let bygones be bygone, while Reyes gets another chance for the Indians. Maybe Kerry Wood will help him collect some Ws.