The St. Louis Cardinals’ signing of reliever Dennys Reyes on Thursday was initially met with positive reaction from many across the Cardinal Nation, as the club moved to shore up their shaky left-handed relief situation.
I wrote about the signing yesterday at Scout.com, so I am not going to rehash that here. Yet several comments in Joe Strauss’ follow-up article Friday warrant further discussion.
While the Cardinals nicely structured Reyes’ deal such that the majority, $2 million, is payable next season with $1 million due in 2009, it seems this small move is it for the club until at least July.
The Cards wisely ensured they have protection in case Reyes is injured in the World Baseball Classic, already underway.
“The deal is contingent on Reyes passing a team physical after his participation with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. During the tournament, Reyes will be covered by an insurance policy obtained by the corporation that owns the event.”
The next quote offered is about yesterday’s Pedro Martinez rumor. The story painting him as the 2009 Cardinals potential closer had shorter legs than an aspiring tadpole.
“Intrigue over approaching former Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez as a potential closer will go no farther. The club now views projected set-up man Ryan Franklin as its alternative to Chris Perez and Jason Motte should the younger pitchers not assert themselves this spring.”
I don’t really care too much about that, though positioning Franklin as the closer fallback isn’t really news, is it? This third quote is the one that really concerns me.
“Signing Reyes virtually eliminates any remaining financial flexibility the team has until at least midway through the season, according to an organizational source.”
Taken at face value, this is an incredibly limiting position for the team to have placed themselves. Trades are difficult enough to pull off without them having to be either neutral or positive in terms of cash flow and cutting off the possibility of any signings before even understanding what they might be seems short-sighted.
The team as currently constructed is heavy on outfielders, especially left-handed ones, and lacks depth at second base, in right-handed relief and potentially in starting pitching.
If the Skip Schumaker at second base experiment fails, the club would seemingly be committed to Brian Barden, Brendan Ryan or the like for at least the first half of the season. If so, the real likelihood that stronger options might come available over the next month would be ignored, despite potential need that may arise.
As already noted above, if the kids can’t handle the ninth inning, the club will have to make do with Franklin, who was not up to the same job last season.
If Chris Carpenter (or any of the other starters) does not remain healthy, then the in-house candidates such as Kyle McClellan, Brad Thompson or Mitchell Boggs will seemingly have to be good enough.
I am not suggesting any particular deals be done now and I realize that sticking to budget is important for any business. Still, an aspiring championship club is foolish to close any possible doors of improvement even before the season gets underway.
In this scenario, one would have to hold out hope the team can remain competitive until the second half and that even if so, some help will be added. That would be in contrast to 2008, when the party line was that the cost of doing every possible trade was cost-prohibitive in terms of prospects to be given up.
Finally, if such a decision to stop spending was made after the Reyes signing, it seems dangerous to communicate it, even informally. On one hand, it can surely help tamp down expectations, both internally and externally.
On the other, it can fan the flames of discontent with team finances that is already consuming a number of vocal Cardinals watchers. At least some of them are the very ticket buyers the club is continuing to court here on the day single-game regular season tickets went on sale.
What was already a difficult balancing act seems to be getting tougher by the week.
I suspect Thurston is the first fallback position if the Schumaker experiment fails. He has the minor league pedigree of a leadoff hitter and has speed to take the extra base. His stolen base percentages haven’t been good but I think this team is built more along the lines of an Earl Weaver style offense than a Herzog offense.
As for the organizational source that indicated financial flexibility has been eliminated, he should learn to button it. Of course, he may just enjoy tweaking the noses of the negative crowd. After all, they have to have something to gripe about.
I hope the leak wasn’t intended to curb TLR expressing his desires in public, because I don’t think that is going to happen. It is a bit disappointing to have a positive move, the signing of Reyes, cloaked by the broader negative vibe.
Coming into camp, I felt the same way you did about Thurston, included above in the phrase “or the like”. Since, I am hearing his throws are not strong and his playing time has been relatively meager, neither of which is a particularly positive signal. Still a month to go, however…
I remember when Ludwick was pooh-poohed as AAAA. The Birdhouse labelled Miles a “career minor leaguer”, but now there is unhappiness when the career minor leaguer decamps for big bucks. In sum: we have enough infielders. Barden or Ryan & Schumacker or Thurston will be an acceptable platoon at 2B.
A team of Franklin, Kinney, McClellan, and Perez can divvy up the closer duties.
If TLR wants another player, he can give up half his salary in 2009 to help finance the acquistion. Lots of executives and employees are getting their salaries cut back, in order to help prevent layoffs, out in the real world. A game world can adjust to the new realities. Its the new patriotism.
Well, if they were only planning on having another $1M to spend this year, I’m glad that they spent it on left-handed relief.
I somehow doubt that the team would stick to this budget restriction regardless of the situation over the coming season.
I’m glad that you are noticing the small things Brian. There is no source but an official source on topics like that. When they do things like this, it reveals some of the issues we discussed recently. The only recourse for moves is Cardinal Cash flow, not BD personal fortune. Just like Polad.
They quieted both coaches with a million dollar move. I’m glad they did. Thats a positive move, even though Reyes is more of a risk than his numbers show. Off of that carpet and away from Gardenhire and into the NL have got to be positives. If you notice, using some of the above logic, our only recourse for a move at the Break will be to give up a valuable possession. This is where you lose Ankiel or Ludwick and most likely Chris Duncan if he isn’t tearing up the world. All trades would be straight up. They won’t take on salary just like last year. It has nothing to do with baseball. The Kennedy Move had nothing to do with baseball. I think the Bull Pen will be fine. As hard as it is to deal with, the most profitable move BD could possible make is create an environment in which Albert leaves without upsetting the Public to much. The view that the team has no financial recourse, if the public buys it, is the perfect vehicle. BD is good at achieving what he sees a personal goals.
WC, I really don’t want to get into another Albert debate, but I do not envision any scenario where a majority of Cardinals fans would support Albert leaving. An assumption of mine is that is he will accept a reasonable offer that reflects his stature, but is not more than any other player in the game makes, for example.
Jumbo, the Miles quote to which you refer did not come from me. Here is the link to my December. 2005 article entitled “Bigbie and Miles are OK with Me”. I did make this factual observation: “Miles turns 29 next week and has been a professional for 11 years, nine of which were spent in the minors.” Among my positive comments: “Bigbie and Miles are each proven major league starters.” On that, I was half right.
WC: The Kennedy release had nothing to do with money, because we are paying him anyway.
Brian: I did not allege the statement about career minor leaguer was from you. I believe it was written by Ray. Our same friend who three seasons later rues the little guy skedaddling up to Chicago. My point is one of how players are perceived. If someone spends years refining his craft in the minors, he is not seen as getting better, but instead becomes pond scum to fans. Seemingly, the only guys who are good are Latins who claim a very young birth date and who play at a low rung.
We have examples like Dave Lopes, Skip Schumacker, Ryan Franklin, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan, Joe Mather, Aaron Miles, who reached the majors around 28 or who played for many years in the minors. Out of respect for them, I wish not to presume AAA vets like Brian Barden or Joe Thurston are lesser men. Barden and Thurston are fringy. They could play in the majors or they can stay at AAA. Their fates may depend on Fate. If lucky, they will get a chance like Miles, or if unlucky they will not. In 2006, Miles was earmarked for AAA, until the Spivey fiasco. If not for Junior, Miles might be bartending today.
Who said support Brian? Resigned to the inevitable is the mentality that I’m looking at. Just as describing the Dry Powder that was saved turning out to be only 1milllon dollars, instead of the 8 or 9 to equal the 100 millon dollars promised. Aren’t we all buying the idea of projected short falls in attendance. Then BD says it sponsors that are lacking……..or to put it another way, corporate boxes that are written off for mystery sums as back scratching favors, now are being monitored by unsympathetic non-republicans. You don’t see the books on certain privileges or business practices. On our current course Pujols is gone. If he is retained, it will be the BD way, or no way. The hight profit models say the public in St Louis will come no matter what. You make another 200 million over 20 years if you can make Pujols go. About the inside source leak. two months ago they tried to do that up front, BD the third and Mo with Bernie I think. That was where the “downward spiral” analogy that WCBW had so much fun with was blurted out by BD3. Billy 3 hasn’t been heard from since. Now they do it the old fashion way again. Thats the state of the franchise.
WC, Nobody “promised” to spend $100MM on ML salaries in 2009. And while you personally may be unawares, there are some negative economic forces at work today. This is why reasonable folks “buy into the idea of projected short falls.”
Jumbo, I don’t see how the fact that some players have started their careers late have anything to do with Thurston’s suitability for the current roster. I’d agree that his AAA numbers the past few years have been solid and that some players can start their major league careers later in life. However, if the team doesn’t like his arm and isn’t giving him playing time, it doesn’t seem overly probable that he’ll be getting his shot.
Jumbo, did you know the Saud’s hired Haliburton to drill a new experimental well in 2004, and that after its successful completion, doubled the Saudi reserves. This new deep drilling technology was understood ten years earlier but wasn’t economically viable until recently. Guess where the other known deep oil pools are located? Some people rely on appearances and propaganda to disguise their real motivation. I can imagine that our religious sentimentality toward Albert may not be shared by all who those that are seeing numbers as their goal. They advertised their intension to spend 100 mill for profit, and reneged for profit. I already see where this is going. I have my all star tickets. I like a ball game.
Schumaker is being given time to learn 2B. The Cards know Skip can play OF, like they are mindful Thurston can play 2B.
Thurston began pro ball as a SS. He moved off SS, as many do, because he did not have enough arm. Quite a few 2Bmen do not have strong arms. (Schumaker would be an exception.) So it does not surprise that during spring training, Schumaker would be training at 2B and Thurston would scrap for at bats. Thurston does have 2 HRs.
WC: Please do not say where the other deep oil pools are. You have ahold of some very valuable information there and it should not be just be blurted out, at the Cardinal Nation, for all the world to see.
Those in the oil, gas, and coal extraction businesses are always beavering away, trying to improve technologies and yields. This is what they should be doing, its not something unexpected. Smart of the Saudi’s to hire Haliburton. We can use some more jobs. Thanks for this encouraging update.
Your welcome Jumbo. I’ll be careful.
Is it me, or is this blog commentary getting stranger and stranger?
It’s not you. I try not to encourage it, myself.
Red and Nutlaw, I’m with you guys.
Turning away from reaping deep oil deposits, a DeWitt topic in the view of our colleague, I read that the Rockies owner has even gone so far as to suggest the Rockies may not add spend more by adding players in 2009. This sounded a bit more extreme than the anonymous statement in the Post-Dispatch.
More than one team is intent on keeping ML salary costs to a minium.
It may be interesting to see what the Cards do in terms of international recruitment in 2009. This is an area for discretionary spending. If other teams cut back, we could expand. We have a lot of money coming off the books after the 2009 ML season, so this should provide some financial flexibility, very welcome in the new economy.
A year ago I “promised” my wife a nice vacation this summer. While my job is still producing income, it is a question as to whether it will be the same amount. Therefore, I am very cautious about my spending. We all budget appropriately in our own households. Yet, we expect our favorite teams to keep spending. Some wouldn’t be happy unless the Cards spent so much they had to ask for bailout money to cover the expense. The Yankees serve as a great lesson, if we look at their recent history. They won in 1996 with a very homegrown looking team. They added a little via trade and free agency to supplement, but the longterm guys, like Rivera, Posada, Jeter, B. Williams all came up through the organization. And they were under team control which allowed the Yankees to supplement over the next few years to maintain a great team. Then 2001 hit. The core guys were getting older and more expensive. They made several high dollar free agent buys and they failed to develop a lot of great young players. Although they won games, they failed to win another Series. TTeams wrap up the best players on their own teams, and the guys who get away in free agency are usually too much of a risk for the dollars committed to them, especially pitchers.
The Cards of 2006 were getting old. They had pushed and pushed with great trades and taking guys like Suppan and turning them into better players than they were anywhere else in baseball. But aside from a few guys they weren’t developing young players and getting younger. That 2006 team caught lightning in a bottle to win the World Series, but to anyone who watched the season it was obvious that changes were needed. That was confirmed by 2007. It will take a couple of “iffy” years to fully rebuild, but it seems to me they are getting close. If last year and this year are all we suffer through in rebuilding then we are very lucky.