Ankiel and Ludwick arbitration dates set
You heard it here first. The dates for the arbitration hearings for St. Louis Cardinals outfielders Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick have been set. In a schedule that only MLB could devise, the two hearings will be held in Phoenix five days apart – on February 12 (Ankiel) and February 17 (Ludwick).
If I was a betting man, I would put my money on February 12 happening while the 17th would be made unnecessary by a pre-hearing agreement with Ludwick. Whether the latter would be a simple one-year deal or a multi-year contract is unclear.
The last arbitration hearing the Cardinals actually had, back in 1999, they defeated agent Scott Boras on behalf of pitcher Darren Oliver. This time, Boras represents Ankiel, the pitcher-turned outfielder. The two sides come in separated by almost $1 million in their respective views of the player’s 2009 value.
More information from my previous reports here and here. (Also be sure to read the comments below the posts.)
Korean is day-to-day, just like the rest
Regarding the contract of Hyang-Nam Choi, the 37- (or 38) year-old reliever from Korea signed by the Cardinals (reports vary on his exact age), a Korean news source reported the deal is a month-to-month agreement, somehow implying out-of-the-ordinary terms that put the import on less-firm ground than his minor league counterparts.
Not so.
Choi is signed to a standard one-year Memphis contract, and will be in minor league camp when it opens on Monday, March 9. The “monthly” aspect is standard for all minor league contracts, in that players are paid a monthly amount, rather than having it expressed as an annual salary.
Apparently the Korean writer was unfamiliar with that. That’s ok, as many of us Americans are confused by Korean names. Choi is the player’s family name followed by his given name, listed as Choi Hyang-nam in Korean sources.
Think Hee-Seop Choi, the then-Dodgers Korean first baseman whose 2005 collision with Scott Rolen‘s shoulder changed everything. On the other hand, let’s not think about that after all.
Also, Choi the pitcher has been added to my Cardinals roster matrix as its 307th player.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had this sobering comment about the Cardinals in a Wednesday column.
“Club officials are telling agents that they are out of money, a stunning development considering that the team will host the All-Star Game this season.”
The reporter speculates that ticket sales and revenues are not being boosted by the presence of the All-Star Game and that the Cards are not in the hunt for free agent Braden Looper, or apparently anyone else that requires a major league salary.
I haven’t revisited the math of the Cardinals total payroll with a set roster, but it would seem to be somewhere in the low $90 millions, which could be as much as a 10% reduction from 2008. Of course, as noted above, Ankiel’s and Ludwick’s salaries could swing the 2009 total by as much as $2.4 million one way or the other.
Gorgen’s shoulder surgery?
Via a post on a social networking site (nothing seems to be private anymore), our Scout.com Cardinals Minor League Rookie Pitcher of the Year with Batavia last season, Scott Gorgen, mentioned recently that he required surgery on his shoulder. I have not yet been able to reach the 22-year-old right-hander to confirm this but I will post if so.
Since the Cardinals have not yet received their signed HIPAA waiver forms which enable them to discuss 2009 player injuries, the organization is unable to comment publicly at this time.
In case you missed this good news story the other day, Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, writing for the Sporting News, offers a positive spin on the 2009 Cardinals. It is nice to see from a writer from an opposing city, especially considering some of the biased junk that has come out of Chicago in recent years.
Justice should have a good eye for bad situations as the Astros have decimated their once-strong farm system both in staff and players and despite finishing just ahead of the Cardinals last year, are an organization seemingly trending in the wrong direction.
I still think Ludwick is more likely to go than Rick for some reason. Boras wants the Cards in that room and I’m thinking they know that. There is likely some inner play between those dates. Luddy has the best case.
Rick Ankiel is represented by Scott Boras, while Ryan Ludwick is represented by Jeff Borris. Maybe guys with names like Boras and Borris are tough to negotiate with?
One of Borris’ partners is Rick Thurman. He represents Brian Fuentes. Fuentes decided to land in Anaheim, despite the entreaties of the Cards.
Borris and Dan Lozano represent Albert Pujols. Presumably these gents will expect Albert to be fairly remunerated, after his current deal ends.
Wigginton signed with Baltimore for $3M/yr for two years. I dunno what Houston was thinking.
Houston letting Wigginton go is comparable to the Cards dumping Miles. Good complimentary players to whom a cost-cutting club didn’t want to risk having to pay market value. I wonder if Houston called Ty with an offer after they learned he was ready to sign with the Orioles.
Jumbo, don’t know if you caught it the other day, but I was highly amused when I ran across Pujols’ comments prior to his last contract being signed. The five-year old words were identical to what he said last month. Standard posturing.
I know that the conventional wisdom — and probably historical reality — is that when player and club submit arbitration figures that are relatively close, those are the cases that get settled before going before the panel. And, conversely, when the two sides are far apart, those cases are more likely to go to arbitration.
To me, this has always seemed backward. If you’re close, why not roll the dice? But if you’re as far apart as the Cardinals and Ludwick, that’s a HUGE gamble for each side, particularly so for the player since the extra $1.4 million hit on the team represents just a 1-2% bump in the overall payroll. You’d think both sides would be eager to embrace something near the midpoint. Each side must be awfully sure of itself if this thing actually goes to a hearing, and one will have been sadly mistaken.
It cracks me up that there is a shark named Borris to go along with Boras. The Cards are going to arbitration against Borris and Boras. How strange is that?
At least, we not have any players repped by Boris Badanoff.
I wasn’t happy with letting Miles go, either. I’m less happy now that they haven’t found anyone to replace him with.