Listening to St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak discussing the club’s acquisition of future Hall of Famer John Smoltz (pictured) Wednesday afternoon made me think about the recent success of the Cardinals in restoring the luster to Red Sox castoffs.
The deep pockets of Sox principal owner John Henry and his partners enable them to eat massive contracts like Big Papi consumes… t-bones. It amazes me that while his growing number of mistakes get run out of town, Boston GM Theo Epstein continues to be issued free passes.
A lower-revenue team like St. Louis cannot afford nearly as many missteps. It seems for every Tino Martinez or Adam Kennedy contract the Cardinals have to swallow, the Sox quietly dispose of a handful of Edgar Renterias. The former St. Louis shortstop was sent away from Boston after one year of a four-year deal with $11 million cash pinned to the front of his uniform.
In just the last two years alone, the Cardinals have picked up three Beantown busts. Oddly, the first name of each of the three begin with the letter “J”.
At the 2007 deadline, the Sox were happy to send Joel Pineiro to St. Louis in return for a minor leaguer, Sean Danielson. The former Seattle starter had been signed to a $4 million base deal loaded with closer-type incentives that previous winter.
After failing in Boston, Pineiro had been optioned to the minors at the time of the trade. Less than 90 days after joining St. Louis, he signed a two-year deal for $13 million that looked like a mistake in the first year but is a bargain today.
Shortstop Julio Lugo, like Renteria before him, wore out his welcome with the tough Red Sox crowd. After having designated him for assignment, the Sox ate the remaining $13.5 million on Lugo’s four-year, $36 million deal signed before the 2007 season.
In return for slumping outfielder Chris Duncan, who has since been removed from Boston’s 40-man roster, the Cardinals picked up a year and a half of Lugo’s services with no salary obligation attached. So far, Lugo has posted a line of .343/.392/.567 in spot duty for the Cardinals.
Desperate for shortstop help since dumping Lugo, the Sox unsuccessfully tried journeyman Chris Woodward and now have acquired veteran Alex Gonzalez from Cincinnati. Both are lesser players than the one they already had – Lugo.
Then of course we have Wednesday’s addition of right-hander John Smoltz. The 42-year-old, coming off June 2008 shoulder surgery, signed with the Sox this past winter. He struggled as a starter and did not want to go to the minor leagues to return to relieving, a role in which he excelled previously.
When the Sox released Smoltz, they remained responsible for the remainder of his contract. It has a $5.5 million base, with the Cardinals only liable for a prorated portion of the $400,000 per year minimum salary, about $100,000.
I am conveniently forgetting about a fourth Red Sox reject, pitcher Matt Clement, a name I thought I would never write about again. After having rehabbed him for the better part of two years, the Sox made no effort to re-sign Clement following the 2007 season. The Cards snapped up the former Cubs starter in January, 2008 for $1.5 million. Clement never reached St. Louis and was released from Triple-A Memphis that August after underwhelming results on the mound.
The right-hander had an audition with Toronto this spring, but is now retired from baseball. Clement has become the coach of the men’s basketball team at Butler (PA) High School, his alma mater.
Still, three of four successes wouldn’t be bad, would it? Getting another shot at the Sox with a chance to atone for the 2004 World Series disappointment would be the icing on the cake. No doubt the three jilted “J’s” would receive special satisfaction from participating in an October beatdown of the Beantowners.
That 13.5 was the magic ticket for the Holiday deal. A smart money move by a cashflow fanatic. The starter door for Smoltz is a very smart Tony/Dave manuver. Lets hope we get some runs for him and a win for his confidence.
The LA times article on Albert was repeated in the SF paper today. Someone is interested in pushing his funk botton. It hit on all the sensitive vulnerabilities. Its business.
Don’t pay much attension to all the Boras/Holiday meeting hype. Its standard procedure.
The value of any FA starts with his home club. The vulnerability in influencing any player is gauged by his wife’s demeanor when on the red carpet. Scottie is already preparing for BD’s first parry.
Tony Womack was another success with the Cards as a Boston expatriate, in addition to Pineiro and Lugo.
Wagner + Boston = Hmmm?
Nice thought, bling, but as part of the trade conditions, Wagner’s option for 2010 will not be picked up. So the commitment of Wagner and the Red Sox to each other will be only a month or two, then he will become a free agent after the season.
Can’t help but think that the Rsox continue to make questionable decisions. And by the way, Lugo has developed into quite a mystery. He went from “take every pitch where it wants to go, with authority ” to ” I’m a cardinal now, let me steer weak ground balls around the infield, or the Hr, or nothing at all.” Ryan is the only hitter cutting down his swing to fulfill a role.
Did anybody try to bunt, slap and run (Colby) against Wandy? The starters are going to burn down in September if they don’t get a little support.
Oddly enough, my gut tells me that the Cardinals get lit up tonight. My feeling that Joel is due to give it up, is accompanied by the feeling that Albert and Matt really aren’t up in my view.
The first move by Boras has been made with the fully covered meeting of Holiday and wife in LA. Scottie went to a lot of trouble to sit behind the plate,(on the screen) with Cardinal clients wives, in they’re correct pecking order, with seating for nanny’s and children in Row 2. His lieutenants don’t miss much. He won’t let Matt get swept up like Lohse. He isn’t sure, as many of us, of BD’s real intentions concerning Albert. His attack will no doubt try to take as much of the pie as possible, without regard to evolving stories concerning Albert’s present mental disposition. At this point, the contest really comes down to a game between himself and Albert’s agent to “shape” the market.
His only concern now is to keep a tight hold on the reigns of the Holiday family until December. Matt appears to be suffering a little disconnect from said meeting I would day. I think in the end,
BD will get what he’s after. This guy is good. He also knows what Boras will will do. He’s probably counting on it.
WC, what I would find odd is if you had a positive prediction. Someone is always crashing and burning in your world…
There won’t be much of a contest between Boras and Albert’s agent since one player will be a free agent in two months, while the other won’t be one for two years and two months.
Holliday may have an impact on Pujols’ strategy and ultimate price. It won’t be the other way around, although I could see the Cards heavily backloading their offer to Holliday to keep his salary in line with Albert’s over the next two seasons. It could be uncomfortable if Holliday is higher-paid than The Franchise, a subject I have written about before. Of course, Boras could care less about that. As you note, Albert is not his concern.
I’ve also noticed the lack of interest in playing small ball when it would mean a run here and there. Or maybe a lack of ability. The strategy is to just club everyone to death. Its working pretty good for now.
Well……..maybe Colby has been drinking energy drinks all afternoon. And maybe Rick has been able to avoid that. The team is trying to evolve Brian, putting all the focus on Smoltz isn’t gonna get it in September.
You of all people don’t want to see Albert unsigned in the option year. That means there is big trouble with Albert that won’t be fixed by money. You would be wrong if you thought there won’t be friction if Holiday wakes up and Albert doesn’t. Albert is freely adjusting at the plate now. That is both a good sign and a bad sign. What is revealed isn’t so much what a pitcher might throw, but more what he hopes will come true. The Bumping, and glaring and macho stuff is a bleeding off of inertia. I don’t know where his ball is going to bounce. You seem to forget how available the triple crown was when he was the king of a rabble of modest talent. The spiritual crisis brought on by the “You can believe in me” campaign, or the “God will tell me where to play” period is at hand. He is being eaten alive by self doubt. This is why he is looking for “playground” stimulation instead of “an expression high art and achievement under the supervision of God”. Performance arts are a bitch. Been there.
A spiritual crisis offered, and avoided through denial can last a lifetime. I am not so sure where this ends up. I just witness the technical and emotional displays. Baseball is not exactly a complex soup of emotional possibilities. Its a team game……………… and its a kids game.
We’re not clubbing anyone BB. Our starters are giving up fewer. Look at the scores around baseball. I watch a number of teams. Cards have very little offense. Watch tonight. Joel will give up +4 and we will be pressured.. If the 4 come in inning 1 and 2. Huston will go +6.
WC, your gut was off again tonight.
The last couple games have shown how unreliable an offense based on brute pugilism can be against quality pitching. We aren’t going to have Cy Young standing on his head out there every day, so it would be nice to be able to finesse a run here and there.
How so Brian? Again? That double play by Joel with two in two on was the turning point. The Cards were right where I put them. Joel gave up a few but pitched with character. Cardinal pitching wins the day again because cardinal hitters have nothing in their heads with runners on. The exception was DeRosa steering that outside pitch into the ally with two strikes. Nice bat work. This will not get us out of the first round. If they score 4 they win. I’m looking for us to score 8 and beat the 7. This is serious. Joel is looking like a true veteran though. No panic.
I go all out at this point to force hitting. I have Colby doing “Ishiro” against all let handers. Shumaker has to start slicing 50% of the time. He turns to many outside pitches back to the right side. Hit and run, steal, crank it up and see who can play.
BB: nice use of the phrase, brute pugilism.
BW: yes, WC’s crystal ball is often opaque. To listen to him, one would never suspect that the Cards are running away with the Central Division.
WC, its nice to keep winning, even during the dog days of August. In some recent seasons, the Cards have nose-dived during August. Not this year.
You act as if I’m betting against the Cards Jumbo. Read the thread.
“Oddly enough, my gut tells me that the Cardinals get lit up tonight. My feeling that Joel is due to give it up, is accompanied by the feeling that Albert and Matt really aren’t up in my view.”
(Joel got the double play balls.)
Watch tonight. Joel will give up +4 and we will be pressured.. If the 4 come in inning 1 and 2. Huston will go +6.
(this was exactly right, we would have been pressured if we fell behind the 4th run)
We need seating to beat Lee, Happ and Hamel’s. We better run.
On paper, the Phillies are a strong team. If they add another reliever, they would become stronger.
The pickup of Lee makes the Phils hard to beat. They are a defending champion with a strong lineup and strong starting pitching.
One thing the Cards should have learned from 2006 is its all about how you play in October. If you are an underdog, this can lower pressure and enable you to have fun and play your best.
During August, its best not to fret about not scoring enough. Its healthier mentally just to enjoy all the wins. Maybe Mo could pick-up another veteran pitcher, Penny or Hoffman or somebody else.
Getting back to the original topic of the Red Sox and Cards, it is tempting to criticize the Sox for fiscal profligacy in relation to shedding ballplayers. However, the Sox follow a gameplan that is so different from the Cardinals, it may be unfair to criticize the Sox. The Sox are a very big spending team. Part of being a big spending team is that some players will have off-years and become expensive mistakes. This is just par for the course. In 2007, the Red Sox gambled big on D-Mat and were rewarded with a WS win. In 2009, D-Mat did little and cost them about $25MM. One year, DMat makes the Sox look like geniuses, this year like dopes, even though as Walt would say, its the same guy.
The Sox seem impatient, signing Lugo and Renteria to big contracts, then trading them after a year or so. But part of being a big spending team is you can afford to get rid of guys if your fans get mad at them.
The Cards are a value oriented team. We do not bid big bucks if we can help it. So we often gamble on rebounds by veterans. And this strategy has led to picking up guys after they have worn out their welcome in Boston. Jeff Suppan was a great post-Boston investment during 04-06. Tony Womack played great in 2004. Joel Pineiro got dumped to the Cards in 2007 and MoLaDuncan have been proven smart to have signed him in October 07, when many fans thought this ruinously bad judgment.
Julio Lugo is a freebie gift in 2009, generously financed by the Sox. While giving Lugo to the Cards seems silly, the Sox have the money to add another SS for next season. We do not need to worry about the Sox fielding a team next year. We can just be grateful for their high spending ways and for Mo being clever enough to grab Lugo. Lugo takes pressure off of Skip S, Brendan Ryan, and makes up for the tough years for Glaus and K Greene, and DeRosa’s wrist injury.
Maybe John Smoltz can help the Cards too. Smoltz is potentially very useful because he can relieve or start, depending on what is needed. No downside to giving him a shot. No downside to signing Brad Penny too, if he were recruitable.
D-Mat = Dice-K
Do the Cardinals finally deal with Chad M today, giving Carp a 6inning Love Boat ride? They’re having a special meeting. Or not. Vegas has the Cardinals at 3/1………what could go wrong?
Westy, I’ll let you know. I’m in the beer line headed to the nosebleed above Big Mac land and one section closer to the pole. If Albert smokes one I’ll bare-hand it like Brendan. My prediction- we pummel them. Gotta save battery.
I hope that 8$ beer is at least cold BB. I’m coming out there next week to watch a few.
According to Holiday, negotiations on an extension have begun. You know Boras would never make the numbers public. Will the Cardinals? They will be dickering around the Torrey Hunter numbers and the Teshera numbers, just feeling each other out. This will become a highly politicized negotiation, ongoing performance being a big factor. Boras can only benifit by a delay. If the Cards make a hard offer, and they will, Holiday will have to be told. We might get a sniff at that point. In other words, BD will let you know when the time is right.
Ludwick takes the high ground. At 99 pitches, that should be it for Carp with a chance to win.
No Franklin today, offense pugilisticaly challenged, Carp not likely to get the win.
We score a couple of cheap ones coming up………somehow.
Good call BB. Funny call by Molina trying to get K-Mac to get sink the ball in. He’s a kid and thats an adult pitch. Looks like my stomachache didn’t go away. Ridicules at bat by Ankiel. How about that Tony, first pitch with Yadi.