With Rafael Furcal lost for the season, there has been a steady stream of rumors linking the Cardinals to every shortstop that is or could be available.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests that the Red Sox could trade Stephen Drew should Jose Iglesias prove ready. The Cardinals pursued Drew this offseason, before losing out to Boston.
Dan Szymborski of ESPN Insider says that Elvis Andrus is the perfect fit for the Cards and they could get him in exchange for a pitching prospect, such as Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller or Carlos Martinez.
Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLBTraderumors notes that the Diamondbacks are looking to trade John McDonald and that the Cards could consider him as well.
Finally, there is Troy Tulowitzki, the biggest name being bandied about in trade rumors, however, per Jon Heyman, the Cardinals have not contacted the Rockies about Tulo and Colorado has no interest in trading him anyway.
Despite all the rumors, the Cardinals do not appear to be looking for immediate help. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith, GM John Mozeliak told reporters after the Furcal injury that "From the immediate standpoint, I think we’re OK. Now, as the season develops, if we don’t feel that things are going
as we hoped, then we explore other options. But I think in the
short-term, we feel comfortable where we’re at."
In addition, Joe Strauss states that the loss of Furcal is not a crisis and that, as long as Pete Kozma can play acceptable defense until the trade market develops, the Cardinals will be fine.
Thus, as I surmised last week, it appears that the Cardinals will wait until at least the July trade deadline to try to shore up their short stop deficiencies. At that time, the Cardinals should have a better idea as to where they stand as a team and whether Kozma can cut it at short.
Showing posts with label Elvis Andrus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elvis Andrus. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Rafael Furcal to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Jennifer Langosch broke the news this morning and it was confirmed by Derrick Goold that Rafael Furcal will undergo Tommy John surgery, as soon as next week, which will knock him out for all of the 2013 season.
With that issue finally settled, albeit in a bad way, the Cardinals need to move forward and, as I see it, the they have 3 options:
1. Go with what they've got
Sure none of Ronny Cedeno, Pete Kozma and Ryan Jackson don't inspire confidence as the Cardinals full-time option at short, but, as my blogging cohorts at Viva el Birdos point out, the Cards have had worse shortstops and succeeded.
While it may not be the best option, going with the current triumvirate for this season gives the Cardinals time to sort out their strengths and (other) weaknesses. Although the Cardinals are said to have an abundance of pitching, it will take them time to sort it out and determine if they want to trade some of that pitching to fill their shortstop hole.
They can then address the shortstop situation next offseason.
2. Make a move now
Another option would be to try to shore up the shortstop position now (or before the season starts). The Cardinals are nearing a decision as to who their 5th starter will be. Once that decision is made, could they use the "loser" of that battle as trade bait for a shortstop?
Texas is looking for pitching after recently losing Martin Perez to injury and they have stud prospect Jurickson Profar waiting in the wings to replace their current shortstop Elvis Andrus. Colorado is also in need of pitching and they have Josh Rutledge capable of taking over for Troy Tulowitzki at short.
However, are the Cardinals prepared to take on Tulowitzki's salary--he's owed $144 million over the next 8 years (including a $4 million buyout of his 2021 option). Andrus' salary is a bit more reasonable, but he is only signed through 2014 and the Cardinals would probably want to sign him to an extension.
3. Make a move in July
To split the difference between the first two options, the Cardinals could decide to make a move to acquire a shortstop in July. That is how they acquired Furcal a few years ago.
This option would give the Cardinals time to see who establishes himself as their 5th starter and thereby help the Cards to better identify their trade chips. Also, teams are always looking for pitching for the stretch run and this would give the Cardinals more leverage in trade negotiations.
Finally, if the Cardinals cannot reach an agreement on an extension with Adam Wainwright and if they are out of contention, they could flip Wainwright for a young shortstop that can fill the position for several years.
Basically, it would give the Cardinals more time to sort out their options, while also giving them more leverage than an offseason trade.
Overall, I think the Cardinals will go with the third option and make a trade for a shortstop in July as it makes the most sense, given the circumstances. Until then, we'll just have to live with 3+ months of below replacement level play at short.
With that issue finally settled, albeit in a bad way, the Cardinals need to move forward and, as I see it, the they have 3 options:
1. Go with what they've got
Sure none of Ronny Cedeno, Pete Kozma and Ryan Jackson don't inspire confidence as the Cardinals full-time option at short, but, as my blogging cohorts at Viva el Birdos point out, the Cards have had worse shortstops and succeeded.
While it may not be the best option, going with the current triumvirate for this season gives the Cardinals time to sort out their strengths and (other) weaknesses. Although the Cardinals are said to have an abundance of pitching, it will take them time to sort it out and determine if they want to trade some of that pitching to fill their shortstop hole.
They can then address the shortstop situation next offseason.
2. Make a move now
Another option would be to try to shore up the shortstop position now (or before the season starts). The Cardinals are nearing a decision as to who their 5th starter will be. Once that decision is made, could they use the "loser" of that battle as trade bait for a shortstop?
Texas is looking for pitching after recently losing Martin Perez to injury and they have stud prospect Jurickson Profar waiting in the wings to replace their current shortstop Elvis Andrus. Colorado is also in need of pitching and they have Josh Rutledge capable of taking over for Troy Tulowitzki at short.
However, are the Cardinals prepared to take on Tulowitzki's salary--he's owed $144 million over the next 8 years (including a $4 million buyout of his 2021 option). Andrus' salary is a bit more reasonable, but he is only signed through 2014 and the Cardinals would probably want to sign him to an extension.
3. Make a move in July
To split the difference between the first two options, the Cardinals could decide to make a move to acquire a shortstop in July. That is how they acquired Furcal a few years ago.
This option would give the Cardinals time to see who establishes himself as their 5th starter and thereby help the Cards to better identify their trade chips. Also, teams are always looking for pitching for the stretch run and this would give the Cardinals more leverage in trade negotiations.
Finally, if the Cardinals cannot reach an agreement on an extension with Adam Wainwright and if they are out of contention, they could flip Wainwright for a young shortstop that can fill the position for several years.
Basically, it would give the Cardinals more time to sort out their options, while also giving them more leverage than an offseason trade.
Overall, I think the Cardinals will go with the third option and make a trade for a shortstop in July as it makes the most sense, given the circumstances. Until then, we'll just have to live with 3+ months of below replacement level play at short.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Cardinals still looking for heir to Ozzie Smith's throne
Ozzie Smith retired from baseball in 1996 after 15 seasons with the Cardinals. During that time, he won 11 Gold Gloves and was voted to the All Star Team 14 years.
In the 16 years since his retirement, the Cardinals have had 6 different shortstops (Royce Clayton, Edgar Renteria, David Eckstein, Cesar Izturis, Brendan Ryan and Rafael Furcal) and, other than Edgar Renteria's 6 years, none has spent more than 3 years at the helm.
I understand that in this day and age, it is difficult to develop and retain a player. Renteria, the best of the bunch, left the Cardinals for greener pastures after the 2004 season. Whereas the other players were either traded (Clayton, Ryan) or allowed to leave via free agency (Izturis, Eckstein) and chances are Furcal will join the latter group.
The cheapest way for the Cardinals to find an heir to Ozzie's throne would be via the draft, whereas the Cards can control the rights of the player for several years at a below market rate. However, the Cardinals have already tried this route twice, drafting Tyler Greene in the first round (30th overall) in the 2005 draft and selecting Pete Kozma 18th overall in the 2007 draft.
Greene never panned out for the Cards, hitting .218/.295/.329 in 495 at bats over 4 years before being traded to the Astros. Kozma doesn't look much better, despite his strong September and postseason, as his .236/.308/.344 career line in the minors hints that his performance was a small sample size fluke.
So, with Furcal likely gone after this season, where can the Cardinals turn to fill the gap?
One option is free agency. However, a quick look at the potential free agent list for 2014 reveals a bunch of players on the wrong side of 30. Yeah, you could take a chance on someone like Yunel Escobar or Stephen Drew, but they are not a long-term solution.
The best bet is to trade for a young, major league ready shortstop. This is where the Texas Rangers come in. The Rangers have two young shortstops in Elvis Andrus and top prospect Jurickson Profar and it seems likely that they would move one of the two to fill a hole elsewhere.
One such hole is starting pitching. The Rangers have been searching for starting pitching all offseason, pursuing the likes of Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson, before they signed elsewhere, and recent reports indicate that the Rangers are looking more at trades than free agency to improve their team at this point.
The Cardinals have an abundance of young pitching that they could offer, including Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha. It seems, on paper at least, that the two sides could work something out.
However, despite Buster Olney's speculation that the Rangers would likely trade Andrus this offseason, the Diamondbacks tried unsuccessfully to land either Andrus or Profar for Justin Upton, before settling for Didi Gregorious in a 3 team trade involving their top pitching prospect, Trevor Bauer.
So, could the Cardinals pry either one away from the Rangers? Probably, but it will be costly. I'm guessing it would take at least Lynn and one of the other 4 youngsters to land Andrus. Profar may be a little cheaper in terms of prospects, as he is as still unproven, but he is generally considered the top prospect in the game and would still likely require two young pitchers in return.
A trade like that would put a big dent in the Cards pitching depth. But, if it fills the Cardinals hole at short for the next 10 years, it would be worth it.
In the 16 years since his retirement, the Cardinals have had 6 different shortstops (Royce Clayton, Edgar Renteria, David Eckstein, Cesar Izturis, Brendan Ryan and Rafael Furcal) and, other than Edgar Renteria's 6 years, none has spent more than 3 years at the helm.
I understand that in this day and age, it is difficult to develop and retain a player. Renteria, the best of the bunch, left the Cardinals for greener pastures after the 2004 season. Whereas the other players were either traded (Clayton, Ryan) or allowed to leave via free agency (Izturis, Eckstein) and chances are Furcal will join the latter group.
The cheapest way for the Cardinals to find an heir to Ozzie's throne would be via the draft, whereas the Cards can control the rights of the player for several years at a below market rate. However, the Cardinals have already tried this route twice, drafting Tyler Greene in the first round (30th overall) in the 2005 draft and selecting Pete Kozma 18th overall in the 2007 draft.
Greene never panned out for the Cards, hitting .218/.295/.329 in 495 at bats over 4 years before being traded to the Astros. Kozma doesn't look much better, despite his strong September and postseason, as his .236/.308/.344 career line in the minors hints that his performance was a small sample size fluke.
So, with Furcal likely gone after this season, where can the Cardinals turn to fill the gap?
One option is free agency. However, a quick look at the potential free agent list for 2014 reveals a bunch of players on the wrong side of 30. Yeah, you could take a chance on someone like Yunel Escobar or Stephen Drew, but they are not a long-term solution.
The best bet is to trade for a young, major league ready shortstop. This is where the Texas Rangers come in. The Rangers have two young shortstops in Elvis Andrus and top prospect Jurickson Profar and it seems likely that they would move one of the two to fill a hole elsewhere.
One such hole is starting pitching. The Rangers have been searching for starting pitching all offseason, pursuing the likes of Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson, before they signed elsewhere, and recent reports indicate that the Rangers are looking more at trades than free agency to improve their team at this point.
The Cardinals have an abundance of young pitching that they could offer, including Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha. It seems, on paper at least, that the two sides could work something out.
However, despite Buster Olney's speculation that the Rangers would likely trade Andrus this offseason, the Diamondbacks tried unsuccessfully to land either Andrus or Profar for Justin Upton, before settling for Didi Gregorious in a 3 team trade involving their top pitching prospect, Trevor Bauer.
So, could the Cardinals pry either one away from the Rangers? Probably, but it will be costly. I'm guessing it would take at least Lynn and one of the other 4 youngsters to land Andrus. Profar may be a little cheaper in terms of prospects, as he is as still unproven, but he is generally considered the top prospect in the game and would still likely require two young pitchers in return.
A trade like that would put a big dent in the Cards pitching depth. But, if it fills the Cardinals hole at short for the next 10 years, it would be worth it.
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