Much has changed since then, or has it?

Tuesday’s report that the Northsiders are interested in signing the top player on the market may serve as new Cubs president Theo Epstein’s virtual bro hug with now-free agent Pujols.

What a difference 24 hours made in the heat level of Major League Baseball’s hot stove.

On Monday, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan commented about the “surprisingly quiet” market for Pujols. Passan had spoken with three baseball executives who characterized the Cardinals as “heavy, heavy favorites” to retain the first baseman. “I’m 100 percent certain he’s going back there,” one executive reportedly told the writer.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal shattered the tranquility when he disclosed on Tuesday morning that the Cubs are interested in both Pujols and Milwaukee free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

The FOX report had an interesting angle on why, noting the new labor agreement between players and owners was designed to scale back team spending on amateurs. That had been a major element of Epstein’s past formula for success with the Boston Red Sox.

Despite having good major league teams that meant annually drafting late in the first round, the Sox did a consistently solid job of building a strong minor league pipeline. Those players helped fuel major league success that included two World Championships. One route that could be used to accomplish that was having the means to overpay if necessary to secure top amateur talent.

If Epstein is being forced to modify that proven blueprint because of stiff financial penalties for overspending on amateurs in the future, his Achilles heel as a GM may be exposed in Chicago.

With Boston, Theo had a very mixed record over the years with major league free agent acquisitions. Problem contracts with John Lackey and Carl Crawford last winter offer the most recent examples of concerns that go back at least to the days of Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo. In between, there were J.D. Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka among others.

In fact, Epstein shares that legacy with Hendry, effectively his predecessor leading the Cubs. Over his nine years in the GM chair, Hendry saddled the Baby Bears with numerous bad contracts including Alfonso Soriano, Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano and many more.

As Rosenthal notes, Fielder is also in the mix in Chicago. He may be had for fewer years than the nine the Cardinals have allegedly offered Pujols, though Fielder’s per-season price tag could be higher, since he is more than three years younger. Of course, like Pujols’ age, Fielder’s weight remains a concern of some potential buyers.

Another proven weapon in Epstein’s bag of tricks in Boston was to drive up the price of free agents to his nemesis, the New York Yankees. One recent example was his move to try to snare Yankees icon Mariano Rivera away from his long-time home. Though he was unsuccessful, Epstein’s initiative raised the ante paid by his primary competitor.

Whether the Cubs end up with Pujols, or Fielder or neither one of them, it seems risky to not take the overtures seriously.

To date, the Cardinals have enjoyed the upper hand with Pujols. Due to a lack of competition, they seem to have had no reason to increase their February offer, one that Pujols rejected. It may be in the nine years, $200 million range.

Scott Boras, Fielder’s agent, and Dan Lozano, the embattled representative of Pujols, must love the Tuesday news. Each may be hoping the other first sets the market while leaving the final premier first-baseman standing to elicit a bidding war from desperate suitors.

At this point, no one knows if any clubs will reach a desperation level, however. In fact, the first question is whether or not any teams will become legitimate bidders. The Marlins kicked the tires on Pujols, but no other club has made an offer to either free agent – at least that has been reported.

Other teams could jump into the fray, including Texas, Washington, Seattle or the Angels, but no one yet knows for sure.

For a point of comparison, click here to see the results of this same poll, conducted here at The Cardinal Nation Blog in May.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.
Follow TCN on Google+.

The open days between MLB playoff games, called “Workout Days,” usually provide generic interview quotes from managers and the next game’s starting pitchers.

On Saturday, that changed. A most surprising source, Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke, sounded off about why his teammates do not like St. Louis Cardinals pitching ace Chris Carpenter.

Here are the relevant quotes.

Q. After being around it for 18 matchups this season, do these two teams legitimately dislike each other?

ZACK GREINKE: Maybe now. I think no one really likes Carpenter. But besides that, I think they respect mostly everyone on their team.

Q. So what do the guys have against Carpenter?

ZACK GREINKE: I don’t know. They think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude. But — and then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff. And most pitchers just don’t do that. And when guys do, I guess some hitters get mad. Some hitters do it to pitchers. But when you do that some people will get mad.

There’s other pitchers in the League that do it, but, I don’t know, a lot of guys on our team don’t like Carpenter.

Carpenter, the Cardinals’ NLDS Game 5 starter on Thursday, was not part of Saturday’s interview schedule. Manager Tony La Russa was, however, and he spoke after Greinke.

Q. Along those same lines, Zack Greinke came in a minute ago and he said that a lot of the Brewers’ guys don’t like Chris Carpenter in his eyes because “his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude.” What’s your take on Carpenter and a comment like that?

TONY LaRUSSA: Very disappointed that Greinke would say that. Just praised him a little bit ago. I don’t know him a lot, but I always thought he was a high character, classy guy. That’s a bad comment to make unless you know Chris Carpenter.

Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a it’s not our business, unless somebody crosses the line.

So I think the Brewers should take care of their players and their comments and not be concerned about other players and comments. But like I said at the beginning, I said it purposefully, if they had Chris Carpenter, they would be cheering for him and believing in him and they would not allow somebody that was a teammate to make a crack like that.

But Greinke is not his teammate, so I’m disappointed. If you knew him, none of that stuff is true. He doesn’t give bullshit. He doesn’t take it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Will Greinke’s remarks provide additional motivation to a Cardinals team that surely does not like the Brewers, either?

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Umpiring at first base, Gibson missed a call during the ninth inning of the Cardinals’ loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

With one on and no out, Josh Wilson dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Pitcher Mark Rzepczynski fielded the ball and threw to the inside of first base. Albert Pujols left the bag to catch the ball, but touched it with his toe before Wilson reached first.

Pujols immediately protested, with manager Tony La Russa taking over the debate. The skipper was soon ejected by Gibson.

With Mitchell Boggs then assuming the pitching duties, Corey Hart’s one-out single plated both Wilson and the runner ahead of him, extending the Brewers’ lead from 3-1 to their final 5-1 edge.

La Russa and Gibson have a checkered history, including three ejections in the last four years.

The umpire ran the manager on September 12, 2009 for arguing balls and strikes at Atlanta. It was La Russa’s first (and only?) ejection that year.

On July 28, 2007 as the Cards faced the Brewers at Busch Stadium, third base umpire Gibson ejected La Russa for arguing a checked swing strike call that went against Skip Schumaker. It was the manager’s first boot of that season.

In the 2005 NLCS in which the Cardinals lost to Houston, Gibson was involved in three controversial plays that all went against St. Louis in Game 2. The first was a missed tag out at third that the home plate ump Gibson ran over to cover. The second was a ball that should have been called a foul but was ruled fair and led to a Cardinals out. The third was a crucial strikeout of Jim Edmonds with two on base in a two-run game.

Six days later, in Game 6 of that same series, Gibson, then at second base, made an out call on Yadier Molina when replays showed Astros shortstop Adam Everett had missed the tag. As in the other cases, La Russa argued to no avail. It was a key play in the final game of Busch Stadium II and the end for one of La Russa’s best Cardinals teams.

Despite all of this, the reality is that Gibson did not lose Wednesday’s game. The Cardinals are 3-8 against Milwaukee this season because the Brewers have simply played better.

Yet as La Russa noted, Gibson will be in an important position in St. Louis’ must-win Thursday night contest.

“He missed the call. He didn’t think he missed it,” said La Russa. “I say very clearly that had very little with us losing the game. They would have had a two-run lead going into the ninth, and their closer (John Axford) hasn’t given up anything. So (Gibson) isn’t the reason we got beat.

“But he missed the call. Short fuse. Very undeserved ejection. Let’s see how he handles it tomorrow (when Gibson is behind the plate). Let’s see if he has a carryover and gets upset and wants to take it out on us.”

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Still, some moves made by the club in recent years seem to have more than the expected amount of La Russa’s fingerprints on them. Last week’s trade of Colby Rasmus to Toronto was the most recent.

La Russa is still at it. Apparently his cell phone was out of service on Tuesday when the skipper sent general manager John Mozeliak a clear to-do via the media.

With only one left-handed reliever in a bullpen that normally has two, La Russa apparently covets veteran lefty hurler Arthur Rhodes, who was designated for assignment by Texas on Tuesday. The 41-year-old, a 20-year MLB veteran, posted a 4.81 ERA in 32 games for the Rangers in 2011 after a pair of solid seasons with Cincinnati.

“He’s been a hell of a (professional) for a long, long time,” La Russa told the media, speaking of Rhodes. “He has all of our respect. Does that sound like (I’m) intrigued?”

DFAing Rhodes means the Rangers have ten days to decide his fate – trade, release or assignment to the minors if he clears waivers.

Not only did La Russa’s public comments put Mozeliak on the spot, they signaled to Texas and the rest of baseball the Cardinals’ intent.

If it had been prior to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, the Rangers, knowing the high level of La Russa’s interest, could have decided to jack up Rhodes’ selling price. Even now, the Cardinals may face a heightened risk of losing out on Rhodes. Another club, especially one trailing the Cards in the tight National League Central race, might choose to claim the reliever off waivers just to block him from St. Louis.

The Rangers are currently on the hook to pay Rhodes around $1.3 million for the final two months of the season. Any team that claims him would have to pick up that financial commitment. Rhodes’ contract also includes a 2012 option for $4 million that is based on both appearances and good health that he most likely will not achieve.

Signaling personnel wants through the media is not the Cardinals normal mode of operation as they have been most successful in the past making stealth moves.

Certainly La Russa should be consulted about his opinions of potentially-available players on other clubs, but the organization may be better served if he keeps them behind closed doors.

On the other hand, in this particular case, missing out on a 41-year-old reliever who may be on his last legs may turn out to be the right (non-) move for the Cardinals, anyway.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Following his Sunday comments supporting an opposing player and in the process, disagreeing with a teammate and his manager, Byrd may need more than a fortified helmet when he returns to Chicago.

From his centerfield perch on defense, Byrd had a good view of Matt Holliday’s hard slide which took out Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro during Saturday’s game. It was a crucial play that helped St. Louis extend an inning in which they erased a Chicago lead and went on to a 13-5 win.

“I was hurt on the ground and didn’t think too much about the runs,” Castro told ESPN after the game. “He was really out of the base [path]. He didn’t have a chance to touch the base. He slid hard, real hard. It wasn’t clean.”

Cubs manager Mike Quade was tossed from the game by umpire Derryl Cousins after an automatic double play was not called. A heated debate ensued.

“I applaud somebody who will go in hard to try and break up a double play,” Quade told ESPN. “But my thing is, it’s not a legal slide to me. The way Starlin was clipped, in retrospect, the bag was the last thing on his mind. They don’t [call an out] unless it’s blatant. The rules are there for a reason.”

On his blog, Byrd defended Holliday. While what he said was hardly controversial in a general sense, it is bound to cause him problems since it can be perceived he is not backing his teammate.

Wrote Byrd, “The dude was trying to break up a double play. Holliday plays hard. You have to appreciate the way he plays. He’s not labeled as a dirty player. He didn’t go spikes up. The only thing that made it look bad was that he slid late. That’s it. Whether he could reach the bag or not, I don’t know. If I’m in that situation, and I’m playing to win, trying to get to a pennant race, I’d do the same exact thing. Even though we’re second to last and in fifth place in this division, I still try to flip infielders. It’s as simple as that. I try to play winning baseball, and that’s all that is.

“You call a play dirty when a guy is going out there trying to hurt somebody and that’s not what he did. If Holliday wants to go in and hurt somebody he will. He’s 6-4, 235, 240 pounds. That’s him playing hard. The way we take it when we see it is we want to defend our players at the time. When you go back and really look at it and how the game is played and how it should be played, there’s nothing wrong with that. If the umpires want to make their call and say he was too far off, so be it. Being dirty or being malicious, it’s not even close.”

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Here are four of the elements.

One team from the National League, perhaps the Arizona Diamondbacks or Houston Astros, would move to the American League, creating two 15-team leagues.

The playoffs would expand to five teams from each league instead of the four today.

One version has the six divisions eliminated with the five teams with the best records in each league making the playoffs.

Another major question would be implementing the designated hitter in the former National League teams, since there would be constant interleague play with 15-team leagues.

Any recommendations to Commissioner Bud Selig and the owners will come from baseball’s special committee for on-field matters, which includes Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Did I miss any key elements or questions?

What do you think?

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Lame-duck Lou Piniella walked away with 37 games last season and coach Mike Quade was given the managerial reigns on an interim basis.

The Cubs went 24-13 in garbage time to finish the season, while Quade received high marks for his leadership. He was kept on for 2011 ahead of Triple-A manager and Hall of Fame Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who left the organization when he was passed over.

Expectations were high coming into 2011. In fact, at least one well-known Cardinals beat writer picked the Cubs to win the National League Central.

It hasn’t gone that way. Starting with the Carlos Silva-Aramis Ramirez spring training altercation and through multiple injuries since, the Cubs lost the first two games in St. Louis this weekend and sit at 23-33. Being ten games under .500 and ten games out of first place provides a major contrast to the ten-games-over 35-25 Cardinals.

Amid general poor play and a meltdown against the Reds on May 17, Quade called a team meeting. It didn’t help. At that time, they were 17-23 (.425). Since then, the Cubs have gone 6-10 (.375).

The survivor in the general manager’s chair throughout all of this including the Piniella years and the Dusty Baker years is Jim Hendry, hired in 2002.

The Arlington Heights, Ill. Daily Herald may be the first of the Chicagoland papers to be calling for a change in leadership. You can read the article yourself, but I find the most interesting questions to be whether or not Hendry deserves a third rebuilding shot and if not, how much more traumatic the resulting changes may be in the short term.

Hugs or no, the potential impact on signing Albert Pujols in the upcoming off-season was not mentioned.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Broadcasters Dan McLaughlin and Ricky Horton stepped aside from calling balls and strikes, spending a fair amount of time discussing how much Pujols has admired Helton over the years. Six and a half years older than Pujols, Helton became a full-time major leaguer in 1998. Pujols’ rookie season followed in 2001.

The two stars may have been first and most closely linked in 2003. That season, Pujols won his first National League batting title, edging Helton by the closest margin in league history – just .00022.

The Friday in-game discussion made me think about Helton’s career trajectory and whether Pujols might follow.

One of the most feared hitters in the game in the early half of last decade and a Colorado icon, Helton logged five consecutive All-Star appearances from 2000-04 and picked up four Silver Slugger Awards for hitting excellence from 2000-03.

Before Helton reached free agency, in March 2003, the Rockies gave him a nine-year, $141.5 million contract with the tenth year including a buyout option. The deal covered the 2003-12 seasons, corresponding with Helton’s ages 29-38. It was structured in such a way that his salary would not drop in the later years of the contract.

As the above table clearly indicates, after the first two years of the deal, starting in 2005, Helton’s power and RBI productivity took a considerable nosedive – just when his salary was approaching its highest annual levels. Helton was 31 years of age when his performance dropoff began.

Later, in 2008, Helton missed considerable time due to back problems that have popped up again since. There were also whispers of PED use, vehemently denied, the Colorado altitude and post-humidor effect and other factors one could suggest as excuses/explanations.

Say what you will, but the bottom line was that Helton was no longer an offensive force, but was being paid like one, and would be for years to come.

Though Helton bounced back a bit in 2009, by 2010, the two parties returned to the bargaining table. After four seasons at $16.6 million, his contract was re-negotiated downward to more accurately reflect his reduced contribution.

Helton received a guarantee for 2012 and a 2013 extension, replacing a never-to-be used $23 million option and buyout for 2012. His annual salaries for 2010 and 2011 were reduced by over $15 million in aggregate from the amounts the original deal called for.

However, Helton will recover most of what he gave back in deferred money. He will recoup $13.1 million plus interest during the decade of his 40s.

Perhaps this will enable Helton to remain with the Rockies until his retirement day, an unusual occurrence in today’s free agency-powered game. He is clearly a player whose impact extends beyond the white lines.

What can the St. Louis Cardinals learn from Helton’s story?

Obviously, nine or ten-year contracts are risky. Even if the player isn’t hurt, performance can drop in an unexplainable manner, never to return.

Some players, especially franchise ones, aren’t after getting all the money they can possibly earn – at least at the time. Helton was under no obligation to re-negotiate his contract with at least two seasons to go. Though it didn’t happen right away, his salary was eventually brought into a more reasonable range. That gave his team’s owners more flexibility to pay others. The player spread his earnings over a longer period of time and got two more years tacked onto the end of his deal.

If Pujols’ struggles continue all season long in 2011, might it signal the beginning of the career decline that Helton also experienced in his age 31 season?

Would the Cardinals (or any other club) offer him less in free agency as a result?

Even if Pujols returns to St. Louis and signs the expected mega-deal, what if declined productivity occurs over a long enough period to be considered more than a slump?

Would Pujols later re-negotiate his deal for a lower annual salary? If not, would he at least accept less immediate money?

Of course, no one knows how relevant and real this could become, but it is certainly worth considering.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

As St. Louis Cardinals fans know, just last week manager Tony La Russa tried to play off the Albert Pujols contract stalemate on pressure from the Players Union being applied to Pujols to seek top dollar on the open market. Considerable debate ensued as to whether the accusations were real or imagined.

Not only do officials do it, fans join in, too.

Wednesday was an especially bad day for members across the Cardinal Nation as the serious injury to Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was announced. Thursday’s news confirmed the need for season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Some pointed an accusatory finger at the club’s oft-maligned medical staff for not addressing the problem earlier while others turned their anger on the opponent – specifically, the Cincinnati Reds’ Jonny Gomes.

A report from Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News had the veteran Cincy outfielder singing in the Reds clubhouse on Wednesday in apparent delight over Wainwright’s misfortune.

Another writer, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, witnessed the same event, but offered a different perspective. Later Sheldon contacted Gomes by phone. The player said all the right things, including a denial of any malicious intent, but many suspicious Cardinals fans wrote it off as damage control, backtracking, spin to cut the heat.

This morning, McCoy was the one to backtrack. He said his “70-year-old ears” may have been “hearing things.” McCoy subsequently removed the offending passage from his original Wednesday post and offered his regrets for having written about it.

On Thursday, Gomes told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick that he has “reached out” to the Cardinals  to squash any potential bad feelings from the episode. Update: Gomes has also gone on local radio in St. Louis to explain.

Both managers earlier made politically-correct comments intended to diffuse the situation.

I can understand why Cardinals backers are unhappy about the Reds, stemming from last season’s comments from Brandon Phillips and especially the career-ending injury that Jason LaRue suffered at the cleats of Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto.

On the other hand, Cardinals fans have a well-deserved reputation for being knowledgeable and classy, showing respect for opponents. Overreaction to one writer’s disputed report would seem to go against that grain.

It is completely understandable to be upset over the Wainwright news, but it should probably be left at that.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

One is a Dominican-born slugger with three Most Valuable Player Awards still in his prime playing years while the other is a US-raised owner of five World Series rings who is approaching the conclusion of a storied career.

There are several common threads, however. They are the acknowledged current on-field leaders of the two most storied franchises in the history of major league baseball as measured by World Series championships, 27 for New York and 10 for St. Louis.

Each is among the most admired men in the game off the field as well. For example, both are past winners of MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award, recognized for commitment to community and helping others.

Another similarity is that each has recently experienced difficulty getting a new contract in place with his only home as a major leaguer.

Heading into the final year of his previous deal in 2010, Jeter announced upon reporting to camp last February that he would not discuss his contract situation until after the season. He also made it clear he had no intention of wearing any uniform other than Yankee pinstripes. The club confirmed their standing policy of no in-season negotiations, as well.

After the season, the 36-year-old Jeter and the Yankees began a negotiation process that each said they wanted to keep private. Instead, it soon spilled into the papers and turned ugly. At one point, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman publicly encouraged his shortstop to search for a better deal elsewhere.

As expected, when all was said and done, there was not a higher offer. Jeter ultimately settled on a three-year, $51 million deal to remain with New York, but the Yankees took a lot of heat for the approach taken with their long-time team captain and feelings were hurt.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t angry about how some of this went,” Jeter said at a December press conference to announce his new contract.

Pujols’ current situation as of February 2011 looks much like Jeter’s did one year prior. Player and club are saying the right things about wanting to remain together until death do they part, but are deferring talks until the fall. That enables everyone to focus on the season at hand.

In hindsight, that approach didn’t work out as well as expected for the 2010 Yankees. While they made the playoffs, it was as a Wild Card. Some observers felt the club was unable to kick it into high gear when the post-season began. The defending World Champions lost to Texas in six games in the American League Championship Series.

Among those dissatisfied is Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner, son of the late “Boss” George Steinbrenner. On Monday, Hank said the following, as reported by ESPN.

“I think, maybe, they celebrated too much last year,” Steinbrenner said. “Some of the players, too busy building mansions and doing other things and not concentrating on winning. I have no problem saying that.”

The remark was a direct shot a Jeter, who was building a large multimillion-dollar home last year. Said to be almost 31,000 square feet, it is the largest residence in Tampa.

While the Yankees may have won the contract battle with Jeter, at what cost was it secured? Their cold war clearly continues on, long after the ink on the new contract has dried.

The Cardinals aren’t yet saying it the same way as the Yankees did with Jeter, but the one key outcome will be the same – Pujols testing his value via free agency.

No one knows exactly where the negotiations will head this fall. Unlike Jeter, Pujols is in the prime of his career and may be looking for a record haul. As such, there should be greater market interest, though the price may scare off some potential bidders.

This fall, St. Louis will likely be faced with a different problem than New York, having to decide whether or not to match a higher offer from another club. The Cardinals could force Pujols to choose between team loyalty and more cash elsewhere. That is the time when the words may start flying, even if a messy Pujols-Cardinals divorce is eventually averted.

Both sides should remain very careful. As the continuing Yankees-Jeter discord indicates, bad feelings can remain even after what appears to be a good outcome has been achieved.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Though the Cincinnati Reds were not picked by many to be in first place in the National League Central Division in 2010, that is precisely where they sat as August opened. The early leaders, the St. Louis Cardinals, had slipped to two games off the pace heading into a crucial three-game series in the Queen City that began on August 9.

Adding fire to the matchup, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips uttered remarks critical of the Cardinals prior to game one that were not widely publicized until afterward.

“I’d play against these guys on one leg,” Phillips told the Dayton Daily News. “We have to beat these guys. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them. They’re little bitches, all of them. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.”

In game one, Chris Carpenter blanked Cincinnati for six innings before tiring in the seventh. He did not allow a runner in scoring position until the sixth and made a seven-run fourth inning stand up for his 13th victory as St. Louis won 7-3.

Second baseman Skip Schumaker, who launched a fourth-inning grand slam in game one, may have spoken for many of the Cardinals with his reply.

“Let them keep talking and we’ll see how it plays out.”

It didn’t take long for a reaction on the field as game two began with a wild melee.

Phillips and Yadier Molina touched off the skirmish. As the Reds second baseman approached the plate to lead off the bottom of the first inning, he tapped the Cardinals catcher on the shin guards with his bat. While Phillips typically does the gesture as matter of habit, given the charged environment, Molina took exception.

“You think I’m in a good mood about the comments you made last night?” Molina said he told Phillips after kicking away Phillips’ attempt to be friendly. “Then don’t say, ‘Hi,’ to me. You are not my friend, so don’t touch me. You don’t have to touch me. That’s stupid.”

The benches and bullpens emptied, and the two managers and long-time adversaries, Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker, were among those mixing it up before being ejected and later suspended for two games each.

Here is the video from the Cincinnati television broadcast.

Carpenter, in the midst of exchanging words with his ex-teammate Scott Rolen, was among a group pushed up against the screen as the pile kept moving. The Cardinals pitcher suffered scratches on his back when he was kicked by Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto. Cueto is shown at the back in the initial camera views, but sprinted around the group to the screen before engaging. The most damage was inflicted on Cardinals reserve Jason LaRue. The former Reds catcher stepped in trying to protect Carpenter from Cueto’s flailing cleats.

“I turned around and I’ve got Cueto kicking me in the back with his spikes,” Carpenter said. “He ends up kicking my backup catcher in the face. Totally unprofessional. Unbelievable. I don’t know where that guy learned to fight.”

LaRue’s injuries included bruised ribs and a concussion, the severity of which was not immediately understood. Molina answered that day with a second-inning solo home run that helped the Cardinals take an 8-4 game two win.

Behind Colby Rasmus’ grand slam on his 24^th birthday and the pitching of Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals took the much quieter game three by a 6-1 score. In sweeping Cincinnati, St. Louis reached the 15 games over .500 mark and recaptured the division lead.

Any positives for St. Louis were short-lived.

LaRue was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 10. On the 12^th, MLB announced a seven-day suspension for Cueto, the maximum sentence reportedly allowable under the current rules. The pitcher did not appeal. He effectively missed just one start, returning to action on August 21, adding insult to the injury and increasing outrage among many Cardinals fans. Cueto did not appear in the final series between the two clubs, held in St. Louis over Labor Day weekend.

LaRue was much less fortunate than Cueto. As more about the severity of his injuries became known, LaRue was moved to the 60-day DL on the 19^th, officially ending his season. He ultimately announced his retirement on September 18 amid concerns over brain damage including memory loss. The 36-year-old’s career was done after 922 games and 12 MLB seasons, the first eight years served as a member of the Reds.

At the conclusion of the August series, Rasmus had noted:

“There was a lot of riff-raff going on. It might have woke a sleeping giant.”

If so, that giant was Cincinnati. The Cardinals soon gave the division lead back as the Reds ended up taking the Central by five games. The Cardinals did not again demonstrate the kind of emotion seen during the August 9-11 series the rest of the way.

Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Earlier this week, former Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent penned an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Albert Pujols’s Capital Opportunity.”

At face value, Vincent appeared to be offering a public service to those players already being paid the highest salaries in the game by suggesting they relieve some of their considerable tax liability by pursuing ownership shares in their teams as part of their compensation.

Vincent cited examples of corporate executives and film industry bigwigs that have prospered in such an arrangement, while wondering aloud why MLB stars currently pushing for contacts such as Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter don’t demand the same treatment.

Initially, I was intrigued by the premise, but after reading more, I became alarmed over the impracticality of Vincent’s recommendations. I began to wonder why he would be advocating an approach that he acknowledges is not allowed under baseball’s current agreements.

Why is Vincent pushing for a solution to a problem that may or may not exist for a very few? Even if the tax burden on these elite athletes was a major issue, their agents often secure long-term payouts of contracts and deploy savvy financial professionals to manage their clients’ investments.

Why in the world would Vincent care about this?

I can only draw the conclusion that not far beneath the surface, the deposed commissioner seems to be trying to stir up trouble during the final year leading up to a new agreement between players and owners. His proposal could drive a wedge between the top players and the rank and file as well as cause heartburn for the owners who fired him almost two decades ago.

In an article touting the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee candidacy of former Vincent adversary and Players’ Union head Marvin Miller, MLB.com’s Peter Gammons outlined several gaping holes in Vincent’s proposal.

“For instance, it has recently been suggested that one way to resolve the Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols contractual stalemates is to give each a piece of ownership. If only Miller were in the MLBPA office to roar to The New York Times or The Associated Press. What that would do is alienate Jeter or Pujols from teammates unhappy about the biggest or smallest of issues. As a member of ownership, neither player would be allowed in union meetings, and how could they be eligible for postseason shares? If Phil Hughes or Colby Rasmus were shaken down by management, why wouldn’t they harbor animosity toward Jeter or Pujols?”

Even prior to that, in fact as soon as I read his Monday article, I emailed Vincent to express my concern. I waited for several days, but he did not respond. The content of my note follows.

“Mr. Vincent, we have spoken and exchanged messages about umpiring and the Hall of Fame in the past. I enjoyed and appreciated your openness.

I am contacting you now about your Wall Street Journal article on the subject of team ownership shares by players. While I agree with your basic proposal as a valuable long-term direction for a small group of elite players, I find your specific recommendations for the here and now surprisingly impractical.

Specifically, you state there is nothing in MLB rules which prohibit player ownership, yet later acknowledge that the current union agreements do just that. Despite this reality, you express surprise that players negotiating for current contracts are not demanding that which is not allowed and would not realistically be negotiated into the current CBA. Further, you erroneously said the CBA ends this year.

You and I both know that Albert Pujols’ next contract will be signed long before a new agreement is in place. Given that, how in the world could he request and receive a share of ownership of the Cardinals as you say he should in your closing statement?

You also avoid any discussion of the challenge within the union of implementing a change that would only benefit the very top tier of players. To negotiate such a change may mean the rank and file would likely have to give in another area just to ease the tax burdens of the elite few. That could be a very tough sell.

Agents, which as you know can be very savvy, may have personal compensation issues with such a proposal. For example, if Scott Boras thought he could prosper financially from such a change, chances are very high that he would have been pushing for player (and even agent ownership?) long ago.

You, more than 99.9 percent of your readers, understand the myriad of complexities behind such changes, yet gloss over many of the realities in your WSJ article. For that, I am disappointed.”

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook

Theriot joins St. Louis

On Tuesday, the Cardinals acquired infielder Ryan Theriot from the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Blake Hawksworth. GM John Mozeliak immediately anointed the former Chicago Cubs shortstop as Brendan Ryan’s replacement as his starter there. According to the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss, Ryan is rumored to be headed out of town. Once they pull him out from under the bus, that is.

Theriot is arbitration-eligible and is under team control for two more seasons. More details on his signing are available at TheCardinalNation.com.

Tallet signed

The Cardinals picked up what appears to be a situational lefty in 33-year-old Brian Tallet. He was let go by Toronto after five seasons of both starting and relieving. With decent numbers against left-handed hitters in his career, Tallet looks like he could be ok if not overexposed.

You can find more on him in the same article linked to above. The roster matrix here is current with Tuesday’s moves.

No Type A free agents likely

The Cardinals are not likely to sign a Type A free agent who was offered and declined arbitration, Mozeliak told MLB.com. Otherwise, they would give up their first-round pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, currently sitting at number 22.

Though the final decisions are not yet in, here are the names likely out of bounds as a result. No major surprises. Paul Konerko (CWS), Adam Dunn (Was), Adrian Beltre (Bos), Jayson Werth (Phi), Carl Crawford (TB), Cliff Lee (Tex), Carl Pavano (Min), Rafael Soriano (TB), Scott Downs (Tor), Jason Frasor (Tor), Frank Francisco (Tex), Grant Balfour (TB).

Fat Elvis sighting

Former Astros first baseman Lance Berkman has been told that Houston, who traded him to the Yankees this past summer, does not want the free agent back. In comments to The Houston Chronicle, Berkman included the Cardinals among a number of clubs kicking his tires. Apparently, they considered him a viable corner outfield candidate.

FOX Sports reports that Berkman wants $7 million for 2011 and will likely get it, perhaps from Oakland. The rub is that despite having bad knees, Berkman does not want to be a designated hitter. It appears that getting in better shape could help his cause.

Pags gone

Catcher Matt Pagnozzi, who saw time with St. Louis in September with both Yadier Molina and Jason LaRue injured, has been signed by the Colorado Rockies as a minor league free agent. Pags declared free agency after having been removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster following the season.

A pair of Pirates cut loose

Two Pittsburgh Pirates, third baseman Andy LaRoche and switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder Delwyn Young, cleared waivers and became free agents. Both had been removed from the Bucs’ 40-man roster after being designated for assignment. The two were former Dodgers top prospects. LaRoche had been Pittsburgh’s starting third baseman in 2009, but didn’t hit enough to keep the job.

La Roche could offer third base depth for the Cardinals, but they may spend more for a stronger option such as Miguel Tejada. If they stop at LaRoche or someone like him, it would seem another high-risk gamble on David Freese’s health.

Another chance for Big Mac

33 players are up for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. 14 are repeaters, including Mark McGwire, joined by 19 first-timers. Former Cardinals are in bold.

The complete ballot includes: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Lenny Harris, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Kirk Rueter, Benito Santiago, Lee Smith, B.J. Surhoff, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker.

link to bios for each candidate

Cardinals post-season shares

With a second-place finish, the 2010 Cardinals get money even though they didn’t make the playoffs.

Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $9,679.42 – The Cardinals awarded 44 full shares, 12.05 partial shares and 4 cash awards.

Link to MLB press release

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

In a Saturday column at the Chicago Tribune, Phil Rogers seemed to be in the mood to try to drum up some interest for free agent shortstop Derek Jeter. The New York Yankees captain is in the midst of acrimonious contract negotiations with those who hold the keys to his only home as a professional.

In his career decline phase at age 36, Jeter appears to want more years and money than others deem reasonable. Rumors place the Yankees’ offer at three years, $45 million while Jeter’s counter may be four or five years at $23 million per season. In other words, there is a huge gap to overcome.

The Yankees did not offer Jeter arbitration, freeing him to sign with another club without compensation. As a Type A player, had Jeter been offered and declined, he would have cost a prospective signing team their first or second-round draft pick in 2011.

Given that, Rogers pulls out his dart board and outlines a list of other clubs that “at least must be discussing Jeter”. They include the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, Orioles, Twins, Angels, Cubs and White Sox.

In the case of the St. Louis, Rogers suggests, apparently with a straight face, that if the Cardinals cannot get Albert Pujols to commit to a contract extension, they should quickly turn to Jeter.

Specifically, Rogers wants the Cardinals to give their superstar an ultimatum. Either Pujols immediately takes St. Louis’ best deal, or they redeploy the money allocated for him as the basis for a four-year contract offer to the aging Yankees shortstop.

Have Rogers’ thought processes been mutated by the numerous failures of his hometown Cubs in signing expensive free agent busts or is his proposal a stroke of brilliance?

Would Jeter join forces with Pujols, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and the others for one last run at a championship as the columnist suggests, or would it send the Cardinals back down the Tino Martinez path to ruin?

Free agency is an avenue not recently traveled by the Cardinals. The last winter in which they made a big splash in that market, signing players from other organizations, was in 2001-2002, when closer Jason Isringhausen was one of two major additions.

The other was another fading Yankees icon, Martinez, who was not retained by New York following the 2001 season. At age 34, the first baseman signed a three-year, $21 million contact with the Cardinals.

After two tumultuous and disappointing seasons, Martinez was dumped for a non-prospect by then-general manager Walt Jocketty. The Cardinals were so anxious to be rid of Tino that they ate his 2004 salary simply so he would play the final year of his contract for Tampa Bay instead.

A consideration for Jeter is the recent example of his former teammate Johnny Damon. The ex-Yankees outfielder, also nearing the end of a solid career, was a free agent one year ago. He and agent Scott Boras badly miscalculated his market value, demanding a contract offer no less per year than his previous deal. The Yankees countered with a lower, but very fair proposal. After Damon did not respond, New York pulled the offer and he ended up signing with Detroit for considerably less money.

What do you think? Would signing Jeter be a bold stroke or a terrible move for the Cardinals?

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

At times, information regarding professional sports teams is released either directly or indirectly to reinforce a desired point. Now and then, credibility with the intended audience is stretched beyond what seems reasonable, however.

Such appears to be the case with a new rumor involving the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dan Uggla trade. As most know by now, the Florida Marlins second baseman, one year from free agency, was available on the open market this past week.

Numerous clubs were rumored to be interested, with the Atlanta Braves securing Uggla on Tuesday in return for All-Star utilityman Omar Infante and minor league pitcher Mike Dunn.

The St. Louis Cardinals had expressed mild interest, but in reality seemed content all along to keep converted outfielder Skip Schumaker at second base and deploy their resources elsewhere this off-season.

Such was the case when on the same day as the Uggla deal came to pass, the Cardinals announced the re-signing of pitcher Jake Westbrook to a two-year contract with an option for a third season.

Perhaps the Westbrook timing was merely coincidence, but even if so, it took some of the edge off arguments across the Cardinal Nation that had been in favor of adding Uggla instead.

The story seemed to travel a bridge too far on Wednesday when Post-Dispatch Cardinals beat writer Joe Strauss tweeted this.

“Cards inquired on Uggla. Balked when Fish pushed for Raz’.”

While I am not doubting that someone in a position of authority told Strauss this, how could it have been said with a straight face? There seems no reasonable scenario in which this deal would have made sense.

Even if the Marlins initially asked for Colby Rasmus, and who could blame them for at least trying, it strains all rational thinking to believe they would hold to that position when instead quickly dispatching Uggla to a divisional rival for a prospect and a substantially-lesser player in Infante.

Why would the Marlins set the bar so much higher for the Cardinals? In other words, I bet you couldn’t find one person anywhere who would consider Infante and Dunn to be anywhere near the equivalent of Rasmus in value.

Four years of a cost-controlled Rasmus for one year of Uggla? Seriously?

Now, the twitter sheep who apparently can’t think for themselves are falling all over each other lauding the Cardinals brass for resisting the temptation of dealing Rasmus and passing on Uggla.

While signing Westbrook and not acquiring Uggla may prove to be the best moves for the Cardinals, this explanation offered just doesn’t hold water.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Uggla interest

The Post-Dispatch has a bit more optimistic take than the earlier Matthew Leach blog post (“a long shot”) on the Cardinals’ potential interest in Marlins star Dan Uggla. Both include the same concern over the acquisition cost of the second baseman in terms of players required. The P-D story does acknowledge the Cardinals believe they could cover Uggla’s 2011 salary.

An MLB.com Monday report said the Marlins are asking for a pitcher and catcher in return for Uggla with the Nationals, Blue Jays, Braves and Tigers among the interested.

Other infield options

Over the weekend, Buster Olney of ESPN suggested the Cardinals would vigorously pursue infielder Juan Uribe, late of the San Francisco Giants. In the same P-D article that discusses Uggla, it is mentioned that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak will meet with Uribe’s agent this week in Orlando.

The club also has continued interest in Miguel Tejada, says the article, while painting a picture that the Cards may not pursue Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The cost of the latter will include both his contract and posting fee paid to his Japanese club.

Pujols contract timing

Mo tells Joe Strauss he plans to engage the Albert Pujols camp on contract discussions before Christmas.

One of the posters on The Cardinal Nation message board, TheEckFactor, ran into Albert on Monday in Springfield, IL, where the first baseman is apparently involved in the opening of a sports facility. He shared a photo.

Westbrook odds improving

In a bit of a surprise, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that “Cardinals growing more optimistic on signing (Jake) Westbrook. A week ago, team thought odds were only 50-50.”

In other news, the early winter price of pitching remains high. The Dodgers re-signed free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $12 million contract that includes an additional $500,000 in incentives and full no-trade protection.

Oquendo interview

Despite dealing with the death of his father over the weekend, new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson spent two hours in Orlando on Monday interviewing Jose Oquendo for the open managerial role in New York.

The Post-Dispatch report notes that Tony La Russa spent time with Oquendo, helping him prepare for the interview.

One report had Oquendo being the last of ten first-round interviews, but SI’s Jon Heyman tweeted there may be more candidates added to the mix. The original schedule was said to lead to a decision by the early December Winter Meetings.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

30-year-old Dan Uggla and the Florida Marlins are preparing for a divorce. The All-Star second baseman is one season away from free agency and wants more than the reported four-year, $48 million contract the Fish offered.

The St. Louis Cardinals don’t appear to be a fit. They say they aren’t in the market for a second baseman, apparently content with keeping converted outfielder Skip Schumaker there. Indications are that the club’s major expenditure this winter will be on a starting pitcher, Jake Westbrook or his replacement, along with a less-splashy upgrade at shortstop.

Perhaps the Cardinals should reconsider how they allocate their available cash.

The team has a history of acquiring impact offensive players who were looking for a change, only to later convince then to re-sign with the club. Some arrived via trades during the season, such as Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen and Matt Holliday. Others were dealt to St. Louis in the off-season, including Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds.

Another notable winter addition was made on December 20, 1999 when the Cardinals acquired then-30-year-old second baseman Fernando Vina from the Milwaukee Brewers.

In return, St. Louis yielded one established major leaguer and two prospects – pitchers Juan Acevedo and Matt Parker and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo. Acevedo had started and closed for St. Louis. Alfonzo eventually reached the majors as a reserve while Parker never panned out.

Acquiring Vina not only gave the Cardinals an All-Star second baseman and leadoff hitter, it also allowed them to displace scrappy, fan-favorite Joe McEwing, better as a utility man. “Super Joe” had been miscast as the regular second sacker in 1999 prior to Vina’s arrival. The trade also freed up second base prospect Adam Kennedy, a key component in the subsequent acquisition of Edmonds from the Angels.

As an aside, albeit an interesting one, note the similarities between McEwing’s 1999 season while starting at second base and Schumaker’s 2010. Super Joe actually showed more pop with the bat and had better basic defensive metrics, yet was still replaced by a superior player the next season.

As Vina and the Cardinals mutually enjoyed the relationship, they cemented the marriage, keeping the second baseman off the free agent market. Vina signed a $15 million deal in 2000 covering the next three seasons.

Vina batted .300 his first two years, topped the league in fielding percentage and won a pair of Gold Gloves in his four seasons with St. Louis. The club averaged 95 wins in his first three campaigns, reaching the playoffs each year including the NLCS twice, territory the Cardinals haven’t seen since 2006. Vina departed as a free agent following an injury-plagued 2003 season during which he later admitted having used HGH.

To put Vina’s $5 million average annual value deal into perspective, it represented approximately 6.4 percent of the Cardinals’ payroll in the 2001-03 seasons.

It was clearly a different time, but the contract was noteworthy because before and since, the club used second base as a low-salaried, transient spot. Vina demonstrated that spending more on the position could be a good decision.

Back to the here and now, Uggla is a different kind of player than Vina and is a considerably more expensive option, too. He might fetch $10 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, which if so, would work out to nine or ten percent of the Cardinals’ projected 2011 player budget.

It would also mean the Cardinals would have to get comfortable with an in-house fifth starting pitcher for 2011, perhaps Kyle McClellan. They could bring in several make-good, bounceback types as insurance but would be forced to give up on signing Westbrook or comparable.

It all gets down to belief or lack of belief in the organization’s current strategy, first illustrated this past summer with the Ryan Ludwick-Westbrook trade. Looking back at how to best improve upon the 2010 Cardinals, does the club need to add more offense or more starting pitching?

Having averaged 31 home runs per season over his five-year Marlins career, Uggla would bring a proven power bat to the Cardinals lineup. With Florida, he produced while batting second and fifth. In St. Louis, Colby Rasmus could be placed in the other spot with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in between.

This is certainly not a no-brainer. There are plenty of reasons to write off the idea without even exploring it first. The uncertainty of Pujols’ long-term contract situation alone could make the front office uncomfortable over the prospect of taking on another high-salaried player.

There would be an immediate acquisition cost for Uggla in terms of players lost that may be steep, but there could also be some recovery down the line. If he didn’t work out, the Cardinals could either deal him again next summer or if he later chose not to re-sign, take a pair of compensatory picks in the 2012 draft.

Making such a bold move would require substantial risk-taking, but there is also considerable upside. The current core of Cardinals will not be in their prime years that much longer. This would be a “win-now” type of action.

The formula has worked before. Why not consider it again?

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

As the hot stove league heats up, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune noted the following about the St. Louis Cardinals in a “Baseball Whispers” article on Sunday.

“Miguel Tejada is on their radar as they look to improve at two of three spots among second, short and third.”

This name has been floated in conjunction with the Cardinals a number of times over the years, including at the July trade deadline. Buoyed by the expected return of David Freese, the Cardinals apparently did not make Baltimore an offer for Tejada. The 36-year-old was dealt to the San Diego Padres instead in return for a prospect.

Now, with a chance to upgrade over inadequate fill-in Pedro Feliz, the Cardinals may be looking at Tejada again. Even before Rogers’ comment, the name has come up on the personal wish list of Post-Dispatch Cardinals beat writer Joe Strauss in recent weeks.

Tejada does not come without warts, including past issues with age falsification and PED allegations. The biggest challenge may be the decline in stats as his age advances. His .692 OPS in 2010 was his worst as an MLB full-time starter, a stretch that began in 1999.

As his defensive range has declined, Tejada spent more time at third base than his natural shortstop position this past season. The Cardinals are clearly looking for short-term third base insurance for oft-injured Freese while prospects such as Zack Cox and Matt Carpenter work their way toward St. Louis. At short, Tejada could be an offensive pairing with defensive stalwart Brendan Ryan.

Though the right-handed hitting Tejada has never appeared at second base as a major leaguer, I can’t help but wonder if he could become proficient at that position as well. It is a late-career move already made by former Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein, Tejada’s teammate in San Diego. This would give the 2011 Cardinals even more flexibility.

Even if all three incumbent infielders were to recover to have standout seasons in 2011, there should be enough at-bats to satisfy Tejada backing up all of them.

The more I think about it, from a fit perspective, I can see why the addition of Tejada would suit the Cardinals well.

Before we march off fat, dumb and happy into the sunset, here is the rub, though, and it is a major one.

Earlier, those in the game of trying to reverse-engineer the Elias Rankings projected Tejada as a Type B free agent. If so, a signing club would not forfeit a draft pick.

That did not turn out to be the case, however. In the real Elias Rankings released last week, Tejada has been classified as a Type A free agent, his ranking perhaps buoyed by having played better with San Diego than with the Orioles. In fact, because of his fit with his new club, some reports have the Padres interested in retaining Tejada for 2011.

If the Cardinals were to move quickly to try to sign Tejada before San Diego has to make the decision whether or not to offer him arbitration, the Cards would automatically forfeit their first-round draft pick next June, tentatively #22 overall.

This prohibitive price from the Cardinals’ perspective would be the same if the Padres eventually do offer arbitration to Tejada and he declines. If the Padres offer arbitration and Tejada accepts, he is off the market. The offer decision date for clubs is November 23.

The Cardinals may have to wait until at least November 30, the date by which players must accept or decline offers of arbitration, to make a formal move on Tejada, while hoping the Padres pass on the opportunity to grab a pair of extra early picks by not offering him.

Further, the Cardinals have no Type A free agents of their own that might be used to replace their first-round pick that would be lost in signing Tejada. With an already-thin group of projected high ceiling prospects, the Cardinals would be especially ill-advised to give up their top draft pick to sign an aging infielder.

In other words, while there may be interest in Tejada from St. Louis, it would be a major surprise to see any action in that area until at least late next month and the chance of it not proceeding at all has increased substantially in recent days.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Blockbuster trades in today’s MLB are much less frequent than back in the pre-free agent days, when general managers like Frank “Trader” Lane made their reputation (and sometimes lost it) through scores of player swaps with their peers.

Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams, one of the co-stars of a recent reality television series on MLB Network, may be today’s closest reincarnation of Lane.

Within the last few days, word leaked out of Williams’ proposal to deal his popular, but combustible manager Ozzie Guillen, to the Florida Marlins. The requested take was immense – rookie Marlins’ outfielder Mike Stanton.

In Saturday’s Chicago Sun-Times, another Williams maneuver to acquire a young outfielder with potential superstar talent was disclosed. Two sources indicate that the GM has St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus in his sights.

According to a major league scout, the Sox are proposing a package that includes outfielder Carlos Quentin. Other players in the potential deal were not named.

The same scout notes Cardinals scouts were “paying extra attention” to Quentin late in the season, implying the proposed deal may have been under consideration for some time.

Adding weight to the rumor is the news that a White Sox source contacted by the Sun-Times confirmed that Rasmus had been brought up during the final weeks of the regular season.

While Rasmus has had trouble with the Cardinals, Quentin has had problems with baseball in general.

This quote from the Sun-Times speaks volumes:

“The Sox love his raw talent but are concerned about his capacity to grind out an entire season without beating himself up mentally. A team source said Quentin planned to again visit with a life coach this offseason so he could ‘start having some fun in the game’.”

So Quentin already has problems despite playing for the loose manager Guillen and his last attempt at getting professional help did not take. Does he sound like a good fit for Tony La Russa’s grind-it-out a hard nine innings at-a-time Cardinals?

It is not as if there are reports of Quentin beating himself up physically as did former St. Louis shortstop Khalil Greene, but why again take on the additional risk of someone else’s problem?

From a salary and years perspective, this deal would also be a loser for the Cardinals, at least on a one-for-one basis.

Rasmus, 24, with only two years of MLB experience, has four more years of team control prior to free agency. Quentin has just two remaining.

Like Rasmus, the 28-year-old Quentin was a former first-round draft pick, taken in 2003 by Arizona and dealt to the Sox prior to the 2007 season. Chicago’s right fielder made $3.2 million in 2010, his first of three arbitration-eligible years. Quentin is not yet under contract for 2011 or 2012 but will surely be in line for increases.

In other words, Quentin is at the same exact spot in his career as was Ryan Ludwick one year ago. A key reason cited for Ludwick being traded away by the Cardinals this summer was his escalating salary in his final two years prior to free agency.

In terms of on-field results offensively, the two’s recent pasts are eerily similar.

Quentin had a superb breakout season in 2008, during which he was an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, but dropped off in performance the last two years. Ludwick has the exact same profile – 2008 All-Star and Silver Slugger who did not match that level of play in 2009 or 2010.

One big difference is that Quentin is considered a poor defender, designated hitter material in the eyes of some, and has the reputation of being injury prone to boot, but hey, at least he is four years younger than Ludwick!

Seriously, why would the Cardinals trade Ludwick away in July, only to add a similar version with more warts a few months later while losing two cost-controlled seasons of the younger centerfielder Rasmus to boot?

For this rumored deal to gain traction, there would have to be a lot more to it, it would seem.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on Friday. The 76-year-old appeared on several radio and television broadcasts, fielding the normal softball questions about his legacy. That allowed Selig to brag about his accomplishments such as the wild card, as well as future wishes including international play.

What no one posed were the questions that would have actually told us something. Here are six examples of what I would have liked to ask:

1) You take credit for instituting the wild card and now say you would like to expand the playoffs. Do you plan to do anything to give a greater advantage to division winners in the future? If so, what and when?

2) We’ve seen instant replay used for disputed home run calls. Isn’t it time to consider expansion of the capability to a greater level of use as in many other sports?

3) With the recent leaking of financial statements of the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, were you aware they have not been deploying their revenue sharing funds to improve their on-field product as was supposedly required? What are you going to do about it? What is your message to those teams’ fans?

4) It has been rumored that Bob DuPuy, MLB president, is being forced out of his job. Does it have anything to do with the above? Does eliminating your most obvious successor mean you may be planning to stay longer than the two more years you have remaining on your term, which will have run 20 years?

5) Will you ever standardize the use of the designated hitter or abolish it entirely? Don’t you see that it causes a built-in inequity in interleague play, the All-Star Game and the World Series?

6) You said the wild card was instituted for the fans, increasing their interest in more teams deeper into the season. If you want more fans to follow games, why can’t you get the archaic and confusing television blackout rules fixed as you said you would at least four years ago?

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

In contrast to the highly-visible watch for Alex Rodriguez’ 600^th career home run, with cut-ins on national sports networks to every plate appearance, Albert Pujols’ quest for number 400 received substantially less attention.

While A-Rod went homerless for a dozen games between numbers 599 and 600 before reaching his milestone on August 4, Pujols removed his suspense more quickly. After hitting 399 on August 23 in Cardinals game 122, he went just three games before striking his 400^th. The opposite field shot occurred on the second pitch of Thursday’s fourth inning against Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals.

In the process, Pujols became the 47^th member of Major League Baseball’s 400 home run club. He is the eighth among currently active players.

There are many parallels between the two future Hall of Famers, Pujols and Rodriguez, born 4 1/2 years apart.

One point which now brings them together is being among the three youngest players in history to reach 400 home runs, along with recently-retired Ken Griffey Jr. A-Rod is the only one to have accomplished the feat while still in his 20’s. At 30 years, 222 days, Pujols joined the list at number three. (Note that it took A-Rod slightly more than five years to move from 400 to 600.)

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf, we offer the list of all 400 home run players below, listed from youngest to oldest when achieving the feat. The far right column shows year-day age of each player on their 400^th home run date.

MLB 400 home run club, ordered by age when reached

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

On Wednesday afternoon, I tuned in to catch the Atlanta Braves take a 10-1 lead over the Colorado Rockies only for the home club to come back to seize an improbable Coors Field-powered 12-10 win.

I left that broadcast with two thoughts, neither of them good.

First was a recollection of the July 6 game, also at Coors, in which the St. Louis Cardinals yielded nine runs to the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth. St. Louis lost 12-9 on a walkoff three-run home run by Seth Smith against Ryan Franklin.

The second was a point highlighted by the Atlanta announcers – the batting championship candidacy of two of their players. One is infielder Martin Prado, currently batting .317. Along with Triple Crown candidates Joey Votto and Albert Pujols (pictured), Prado is among the top five in the National League race along with Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies (.320) and former Cardinal Placido Polanco of the Phillies (.318).

The second Braves name mentioned, the one that hit me out of the blue, is 2010 National League All-Star Omar Infante. Atlanta’s second baseman and leadoff hitter is batting .347 after going 1-for-5 on Wednesday.

That is 24 points ahead of Votto and 25 more than Pujols at the start of the day, but here’s the rub. As of yet, Infante does not have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.

While the baseball world is watching a potential Triple Crown race between the pair of NL Central first sackers, could this unexpected contender come from nowhere to gum up the works?

It is hardly assured.

Through Wednesday, Infante has just 347 plate appearances this season. To qualify for the batting championship, a hitter must accrue an average of 3.1 PAs per game times 162 games or 502 plate appearances in total.

If a hitter falls short of 502, he can be given enough hitless at-bats to get his total to the minimum. Of course, his average drops accordingly. In this case, there is also the necessity for Infante to continue to hit well enough to remain in contention.

Yet, it is certainly possible. For example, in 1996, San Diego’s Tony Gwynn took the NL batting title despite having 498 plate appearances.

Here is one case, loaded with assumptions. Any of them may not come to pass, invalidating the conclusion. Still, it offers an example of what could happen here in 2010.

In the second half, Infante is averaging just over 3.9 plate appearances per game. The Braves have 35 games remaining after Wednesday. If Omar plays every day, he would accrue another 137 plate appearances for a total of 484.

To calculate his qualifying batting average, he would be assessed a 0-for-18 addition to his then-current average to reach 502.

There is one other consideration – the difference between plate appearances and at-bats. Today, Infante has 347 PAs and 326 at-bats. Keeping that ratio constant for the remainder of the season would leave him with 455 at-bats.

Another big assumption is that Infante could maintain his .347 average through those 455 at-bats (and 484 plate appearances). If so, he would have 158 hits at season’s end.

Adding the 0-for-18 for the batting championship qualification would mean he would have 158 hits in 473 at-bats (455 plus 18). That would drop his qualifying average 13 points to .334.

That would still be more than good enough to top both Votto and Pujols – given their averages today, of course.

The bottom line is a suggestion to keep an eye on Infante as well as the two Triple Crown contenders over the final five weeks. I know I will be.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Perhaps no one has found the social phenomena of Twitter to be more exhilarating than best-selling author H.G. Bissinger III, known to the world as “Buzz.” Through his penning of wildly popular books including “Friday Night Lights” and the Tony La Russa and Cardinals-focused “Three Nights in August,” Bissinger’s reputation as a literary leader of his generation has long been cemented in place.

The friend and business partner of La Russa in Red Bird Cinema is a regular visitor in the manager’s office when the Cardinals visit Philadelphia. The group’s announced projects include a film adaptation of “Three Nights” with “Lights” star and long-time Cardinals fan Billy Bob Thornton producing.

Yet there is another, unflattering side of Buzz. In an infamous “Internet Media” episode of Bob Costas’ series “Costas Now” aired on HBO in April 2008, Bissinger went off on an embarrassing tirade perhaps directed as much as what Deadspin founder Will Leitch represents as at Leitch himself. The basis was the author’s extreme dislike of bloggers. Bissinger’s over-the-top actions drew widespread criticism and ridicule at the time.

Since first tasting the immediacy of instant messaging months ago, Bissinger has increased his outspokenness exponentially via that medium. As he tweeted Monday,

“Even if some of you think I am a vicious little profane prick, which I am and am not…”

The author has taken a particular and most odd liking to the catch phrase “douche juice,” which he fires at the drop of a hat. It doesn’t end there as “F” bombs and worse are a regular part of Buzz’ Twitter shock-shtick.

On Monday, one of the targets of his Buzz bombs was Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, a friend of La Russa back to their youth in Tampa, Florida. Apparently, Bissinger is not in the process of negotiating the rights to ink “Three Nights in Chicago.”

In the first related tweet, Bissinger suggested Piniella has not been worth his pay with the Cubs.

“I am surprised nobody came up with Pinella in who is stealing money. Spent week with Cubs 1st season. Kept getting lost on way to clubhouse,” Buzz tweeted.

Just in case there was any doubt about what he was saying, Bissinger followed with this 140-character analysis.

“Piniella could have cared less. Spoke tough. All bark. La Russa gets to ballpark seven hours before game. Lou five minutes before BP.”

The Monday night trilogy was completed with this observation.

“Piniella was a big name. They thought it was a coup talking him out of retirement. But he was coasting on reputation. Obvious.”

Update: Tweets number four and five appeared shortly afterward.

“Piniella might as well sit on top of the dugout in a rocking chair. Swig a beer. Get some bennies. Ignore that Wrigley is a dump.”

And then this:

“Lenny Dykstra would do better job managing cubs than Piniella. At least he would not pretend to manage. Lou should be playing LF for Pirates.”

Bissinger’s criticism apparently has no bounds, as he even questions his buddy La Russa.

“McGwire was a terrible mistake La Russa made. He is not a good hitting coach…”

It appears that Bissinger is not taking himself too seriously and doesn’t seem to care what he says about anyone to everyone. His online tough-guy persona reminds me a bit of another author who was “Juiced” in his own way, Jose Canseco.

As the story of Mark McGwire’s return put him back in the spotlight briefly this past off-season, La Russa’s former pupil and McGwire’s “Bash Brother” posted a series of wildly profane tweets challenging and threatening those critical of him and his checkered past.

Odd internet bedfellows indeed.

If you dare, follow Bissinger’s tweets here (NSFW). He has over 6,500 followers.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

When the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 1-0 score Tuesday night, it not only wasted an excellent start by ace Chris Carpenter, it continued the team’s futility count to 11, where futility is defined by being shut out by the opposing starting pitcher.

The latest to hold St. Louis’ offense scoreless was Dodger Hiroki Kuroda, augmented by Los Angeles’ pen.

The first shutout starter the Cardinals faced this season was Houston Astro Bud Norris. The right-hander carries a 6.80 ERA this season, which includes his gem against St. Louis back on April 15.  He is currently on the disabled list.

In six of these 11 games this season, the Cardinals did not score against the opposing relievers, either. In other words, they were kept off the scoreboard the entire game.

Here is the full list, thanks to researcher Tom Orf. I added the 2010 and career ERAs for reference.

Not every pitcher deserves to be in the Bud Norris Club, but many do. Five of the 11 have 2010 ERAs over 4.80, including their scoreless stints against St. Louis. Seven of them have career ERAs of 4.35 or more.

Opposing Starters Allowing No Runs vs. Cardinals, 2010

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

As I watched the Cardinals take on the Pirates in Pittsburgh this weekend, I couldn’t help but think about the parallels between the right fielders of each club, Pittsburgh’s Garrett Jones and St. Louis’ Ryan Ludwick. Each traveled a long, hard road after having been drafted in 1999 before finally sticking in the majors at the age of 28 and excelling once finally there for good.

Cardinals fans probably know the basics of Ludwick’s story by now, but for completeness, here is it again.

Ludwick was originally signed as the second-round selection of the Oakland A’s in 1999. He moved to Texas in a 2002 trade and that year, he made his big-league debut for the Rangers before his season ended with a hip fracture.

In July of 2003, after playing most of the season in Triple-A, Ludwick joined the Cleveland Indians in another trade. Continuing to spend most of the time in the minors, his 162 major league at-bats that season would be his career high before joining St. Louis.

The right-handed hitter missed considerable time in 2004 and 2005 due to knee, shoulder and wrist woes, especially struggling the latter year after finally making the Indians out of Spring Training. He was removed from the 40-man roster, not retained by the Indians, then spent 2006 in Triple-A for Detroit, but did not get called up. Again a free agent, Ludwick signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals.

After just 29 games at Triple-A Memphis in 2007, at the age of 28, Ludwick was promoted to St. Louis, where he played in 120 Major League games, hitting .267/.339/.479 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI. After having spent the majority of each of the previous six years in Triple-A, the minor league phase of his career finally ended at 736 games played .

Coming into 2008, Ludwick was not penciled in as a starter, but by the end of the season was an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, with 37 home runs, 113 RBI and a .299 average. His .591 slugging percentage was second best in the National League.

Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1999’s 14^th round, Jones suffered a broken jaw in 2001 and was released by the organization early in the 2002 season. He signed with Minnesota where he was initially assigned to Quad Cities, then a Twins affiliate.

After a slow climb through the system, Jones finally made his MLB debut in May 2007, a month before his 26^th birthday. He would go down and come back up again twice more that season, appearing in his first 31 career MLB games.

During the spring of 2008, Jones was outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster. After spending the entire season in Triple-A without a return to the roster or the Twin Cities, he became a minor league free agent that fall.

Jones signed a minor league contract that included a major league spring training invitation with the Pirates for 2009. After not making the big club, he reported to Triple-A for the fifth consecutive season. Hitting .307 with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 48 RBI and 14 stolen bases at the time, Jones received the call to Pittsburgh last June 30. He was 28 years old, long past having been considered a “prospect.”

Despite not playing his first game with Pirates until July 1, Jones acted like he should have been there all along. He led all Major League rookies last season in home runs and slugging percentage (.567). Jones ranked second among National League rookies in on-base percentage (.372), third in batting, fifth in total bases (178) and in the top ten in RBI, doubles, steals and runs scored.

Compared to all MLB players, Jones tied for fifth in home runs hit from July 1 through the end of the season, trailing only Prince Fielder (26), Ryan Howard (25), Derrek Lee (24) and Mark Reynolds (23). Jones became the fastest player in Pirates history to reach 10 home runs in a season (in his first 19 games). His 21 home runs were the most by a left-handed hitting rookie in club history.

Jones’ minor league career has likely ended, or at least suspended indefinitely, at 1038 games.

Both Ludwick and Jones offer examples of perseverance, required by many to attain and hold onto their ultimate goal.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Felipe Lopez was considered a hero at the time Saturday night when he took the mound to pitch a scoreless 18^th inning in the eventual 20-inning loss to the New York Mets.

Unfortunately, there is an unpleasant sidebar to this story as the veteran has been out of action since Monday due to elbow discomfort. That same pain is what caused Lopez to opt out of pitching a second frame on Saturday night.

What makes matters worse is that Lopez first hurt his right, throwing elbow the week prior in Milwaukee but did not disclose his injury to trainers. Had team officials known that, not only would the player have received more prompt treatment, he most likely would not have been allowed to risk further damage by pitching last weekend.

While manager Tony La Russa has been second, third and fourth-guessed over his managerial decisions in that game, he made it clear he had no prior knowledge of Lopez’ elbow soreness.

The severity of the injury is being downplayed, with Lopez potentially being available for this weekend’s series in San Francisco. What if that is not the case, however?

Rob Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat penned an interesting piece about the Cardinals history of using non-pitchers on the mound. It is well worth the read but it does not acknowledge injuries incurred when players not conditioned to pitch end up doing just that.

While the Cardinals may have avoided high-profile cases of position player mound injuries to date, the story of Jose Canseco may best illustrate the ugly underbelly of this kind of maneuver.

While with Texas on May 30, 1993, Canseco took to the mound in mop-up duty for the Rangers. He injured his right elbow on his second pitch, but continued to throw a total of 33 that day. A torn ligament meant reconstructive surgery and a ruined season for the “Juiced” slugger.

As often happens in sport, we see in the Lopez case a blurring of the line between “manning up” and being smart. The potential detriment to both the player and team of anything less than full disclosure of injuries is considerable.

Here is hoping this is the last we hear of problems with Lopez’ elbow.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Just like his hairdo, Major League Baseball commissioner-for-life or until he actually retires Bud Selig comes up with some really ugly visions from time to time. The most recent concept – one he has convinced himself that “everybody” wants – is more playoff teams.

Selig was interviewed on-air by ESPN’s Dan Schulman during Monday night’s home opener for the Minnesota Twins in their new Target Field home. Here is how the exchange went, courtesy of Larry Brown Sports:

Schulman: “Do you see any change in the playoff format? Do you ever see another Wild Card team?”

Selig: “Well, I remember all the abuse I took about the Wild Card to begin with and now everybody wants more. I would like to see more. You know we only have eight out of 30 — the least number of any sport — we have the most direct playoff system. It’s something we’re going to consider. In some ways I like it, in some ways I don’t. It’s very attractive.”

In summary, “everybody” wants it and Bud sees it as “very attractive.”

I can’t help but wonder…

• As he was prattling on, did Selig consider the weather conditions under which mid-to-late November night games might take place at Target Field?
• Is the commish thinking of this as another possible solution to his American League East death penalty problem for the Tampa Bay Rays short of realignment? In this scenario, could three (or more?) teams from one division play their way into October (and November)?
• Is this concept in scope for Tony La Russa, John Schuerholz and their “special committee for on-field matters?” And if so, are they bringing this idea forward, with Selig pre-testing it out on the public?
• Could a shortened regular season, back to 154 games, for example, be a part of an expanded playoff format? What would this do to records set since the schedule increased to 162 back in 1962? Would perennial also-rans be willing to give up four guaranteed regular-season home dates with only a slightly-increased hope of reaching the post-season?
• Is there any chance that the current system is changed substantially to give division winners more credit for finishing in first place over 162 games? Today, giving the best teams over six months of play a one-game first-round benefit is about as stupid as awarding home-field advantage in the World Series based on an exhibition game in which no one really wants to play.
• One element of an expanded playoff format could be the addition of first-round byes. In contrast with football, where a full week off expands to two with a bye, would the idea of taking off ten days or more really offer an advantage? Baseball players aren’t used to sitting that long.

Finally, here is the short list of issues I believe are more pressing for MLB to tackle and resolve. Of course, ideas like more post-season games have a pronounced cash-register appeal that tackling most of these problems lack: Fixing revenue sharing, instituting blood testing, cleaning up television blackout rules and solving the international problems, perhaps via a draft.

While I have no confidence any of the above will get done anytime soon, neither do I have any expectations about Selig’s new project. After all, this is the man that brought us the concept of contraction and so many other not-ready-for-prime time ideas.

Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.

Speaking with the media on Monday morning prior to his St. Louis Cardinals taking on the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Florida, manager Tony La Russa commented on the rumor published by ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Philadelphia Phillies had internal discussions about the thought of trading Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols. That speculation was immediately shot down by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro on Sunday.

“It’s like stats,” La Russa said. “Use and abuse. It’s the media; they can be really useful and they can be really abusive, but to come up with that one is abusive. It disrupts the Phillies, it disrupts  the… – to the extent anyone thinks it is serious. It could distract the Phillies; it could distract here.

“I am pretty sure that neither has happened, but…I would be surprised… Who wrote this? Who said this? The person who came up with that one should be tracked down and you’d say ‘Hmmm. That credibility just took a big hit.’ It is ridiculous, actually. It is really not worth speculating on other than trying to figure out who started it.”

Told it was Olney, La Russa didn’t believe it.

“I doubt that. I’d be shocked if it was him,” the manager replied.

When it was asked if a player of Pujols’ stature in a contract period would foster this kind of speculation, La Russa pointed out the reality of the situation from his perspective and that of the Cardinals organization.

“I think what it will foster is media bs, because what they said already without even a hesitation is our organization is going to plan on making Albert a player to start and finish his career here,” La Russa said. “So where’s the… and Albert has said he wants to stay here. So why would anyone want to start speculating?

“Whenever the contract gets worked out, it gets worked out. So that is what I said. If someone wants to start it up, it is media bs. Or if the fans start it up, then it is fan bs. There is nothing going on with St. Louis except what they both clearly said,” the manager explained.

La Russa was asked if he planned to discuss the situation with Pujols. He said he would not unless he sees anything different with the player, the same approach he takes with his entire team.

One writer speculated out loud that every organization might think about how to try to acquire a player of Pujols’ importance. La Russa flatly disagreed.

“I don’t think any team kicked it around, as a matter of fact, because they know he isn’t going anywhere. They’ve got more important things to do than waste their time. That’s my answer…”

When it was suggested this kind of speculation might arise again the future, La Russa made it clear his reply will be consistent.

“Then every time it comes up, you can use those quotes and we won’t have to talk about it,” the manager only partially joked. “It will be the same response.”

Follow me on Twitter.

In my earlier post, “Time to act on the Holliday-Pujols contract FUD”, I concluded with a case why I think the timing is right for the St. Louis Cardinals to push to secure a contract extension for Albert Pujols on the heels of Matt Hollliday’s seven-year, $120 million deal. I said this despite the fact that Pujols is still two seasons away from free agency, an indication that perhaps there should be no urgency.

I also raised the possibility, albeit remote, of trading Pujols at this July’s deadline if it could be determined he would be unsignable. It would be a year and a half prior to his reaching free agency, but the last time the Cardinals could deal their franchise player without his consent. This has significant bargaining value for the organization if needed.

Many disagree with this entire line of thinking for different reasons.

• Some would not consider the notion of voluntarily parting ways with a franchise icon under any circumstances. I can understand that, though I think it is bad business not to thoroughly evaluate every avenue.
• Others feel that since both sides appear to be amenable to a deal, the boat should not be rocked. I can see that point of view, too, but waiting may become increasingly distracting to all involved due to external pressures. Good intentions alone do not always lead to the desired result.
• Yet others suggest Pujols’ re-signing price could actually decline over the next two years due to market, performance or injury factors. This is a real possibility, though one I think is less likely than the alternative. I am also concerned that the closer it gets to Pujols reaching free agency, the chance he ends up testing it may increase.

A first baseman with recent circumstances most similar to Pujols may be the New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira. Last winter, agent Scott Boras extracted a mammoth commitment for $180 million over eight years for Tex, then a free agent. His $22.5 million annual salary is second only to teammate Alex Rodriguez in all of Major League Baseball.

What makes Teixeira’s story even more fascinating is his trade history. It is unusual for a player of his caliber to be dealt once, let alone twice, yet that is precisely what occurred. Better yet, the trades were one-and-half and a half-year respectively prior to his free agency.

As such, this offers an extraordinary view into the declining trade value of a top talent as free agency neared.

In July 2007, the Texas Rangers, Teixeira’s home since he was taken in the first round of the 2001 draft, dealt him to the Atlanta Braves. Their justification was the feeling they could not afford to keep their first baseman when he would achieve free agency following the 2008 season.

The Rangers’ take was immense – five of Atlanta’s top 20 prospects at the time, including their top three. (An aged journeyman lefty reliever, Ron Mahay, also joined Teixeira in Atlanta.) Three of the five prospects the Rangers received are now established major leaguers, exciting shortstop Elvis Andrus, hard-throwing pitcher Neftali Feliz and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. It is certainly not entirely due to this trade, but it is still worth noting that the Rangers have improved in each of the two seasons since trading Teixeira away.

One year later, the Braves found themselves in a similar situation, unable to keep Teixeira. With the first baseman closing in on free agency, their take from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was much less. For Teixeira, they received just two players – former top prospect and major leaguer Casey Kotchman plus the Angels’ then-sixth-ranked prospect.

With a year-and-a-half of hindsight, this second trade looks even worse than it did at the time. Kotchman has since been flipped twice, to Boston then Seattle, first for a partial season of Adam LaRoche, then for a major league reserve, Bill Hall, and a player to be named later. Kotchman is still struggling to establish himself as a front-line first base starter.

Once the 2008 season ended, Teixeira spurned the Angels for the Yankees and their hefty contract. Los Angeles received two draft picks in compensation. They became the 25th and 40th selections in the 2009 draft.

In summary, Teixeira’s market value dropped from five top prospects at 1.5 years out to one major leaguer and a top prospect at .5 years prior to free agency to finally a pair of future draft picks at signing, two players far from being able to contribute at the major league level.

While this may not have a direct relationship to Pujols’ situation with the Cardinals, it does illustrate that in the unlikely situation it is determined that he needs to be dealt, sooner is better than later, lest his trade value take a similar negative trajectory as Teixeira.

I want to reiterate that I am not advocating a trade, but I do believe the Cardinals need to push the Pujols camp into providing them a clear signal as to his signability within whatever long-term financial planning guidelines club officials have established. The Holliday trade opens the door to do this if it hasn’t already been done.

We as the public will likely not be informed of any discussions between the two sides, as it should be. The other edge of that sword is that no news will not be perceived by many as good news as the pages of the calendar slowly flip toward Pujols’ free agency.

If not now, at some point over the next two years, the external noise over Pujols’ future will become so deafening and the repetitive questions will become so distracting that perhaps both sides will just sit down and get the deal done.

Follow me on Twitter.

Tuesday: The New York Post’s George King reports free-agent outfielder Damon is ready to look elsewhere than the Yankees for work. “I am going to start looking around. Teams are getting better and there are teams interested,” Damon said. “I can’t wait forever and I am sure [the Yankees] are trying to figure things out. I have to be ready.” It is believed the Yankees aren’t interested in giving Damon more than two years for about $20 million.

Wednesday: ESPN.com reports Damon wants $13 million a season from the Yankees. There has been no movement in talks between both parties. Damon has indicated that he does not want the Yankees to make an offer if they are going to propose less.

Friday: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, reports Damon lowered his price for the Yankees earlier this week, first to two years, $26 million, and then to two years, $20 million. However, by the time Damon dropped his price the second time, the team had already agreed to terms with designated hitter Nick Johnson. The Yankees offered two years and $14 million somewhere in the process, but the two sides failed two reach an agreement.

Friday: The New York Post caught up with Damon for his reaction upon the Yankees signing Johnson instead of him. Damon had been looking for a three-year deal in the $39 million range, and even though sources say that agent Scott Boras caved on the third year, the Yankees weren’t willing to give Damon the same $13 million salary he earned in each of the last four years.

Damon did not hide his disappointment that the Yankees decided to move on without him, though he did not mention his agent.

“I wanted it to happen. I have nothing but great things to say about the Yankees,” Damon said. “If the Nick Johnson thing works out, it will be good for them. It’s part of baseball.

“I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do. I know there are some teams interested, but the Yankees are the best organization I’ve been a part of so far in my career. I wish them all the best.”

It reminded me of another Yankees-related situation from past years, with a player heading in instead of out, but otherwise similar feelings.

In the 2005 Rob Rains book “Cardinals: Where Have You Gone?”, former St. Louis first baseman Jack Clark looked back at his departure from St. Louis. It was a time, 1987, when the owners were guilty of collusion. In fact, as 1987 became 1988, Clark had not received a single offer other than a cut from St. Louis despite coming off a very strong season.

“There were a lot of things that were said to me, and the way they were said, that bothered me,” Clark said. “I was getting a lot of pressure from the (players) union. (Agent) Tom (Reich) came to me and said, ‘What about the Yankees?’…”

He agreed to terms with the Bombers on January 6, 1988. The Ripper is still ripped today about how the events played out.

“Looking back on it, I should have stayed a Cardinal,” Clark said. “I was very happy here. I had my best years in baseball here. We went to the World Series twice in three years. It was fun to go to the ballpark every day. I was playing for the best manager in the game. My family liked it here. My kids were in school. I considered this my home.”

Here is hoping another Boras client, Matt Holliday is aware of the details of the Damon situation and that while a Cardinal, he had the chance to meet Clark, now a broadcaster with FOX Sports Midwest, and hear his story about leaving St. Louis first-hand.

Otherwise, perhaps Holliday will be featured in the 2029 version of “Cardinals: Where Have You Gone?”

Follow me on Twitter.