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« Rockies Could Pursue Marquis | Main | Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Dickey, Takahashi »
Cardinals Payroll Developments
Here's a bit of "pure speculation" from Buster Olney: he wonders if the Cardinals have scaled back their payroll going forward.
Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III recently sounded reluctant to lower payroll, saying it would lead to a "spiral" he'd rather avoid.
The Cards have been patient on the free agent market so far, but the Mark Teixeira saga slowed everything down, so they could be more active soon. Now that they seem to have pulled their offer to Brian Fuentes, the Cardinals' next steps will be telling.
Olney's sources tell him that some teams have scaled back spending by as much as $20MM for next year and more may do the same as they project their revenues in the weakened economy.
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Posted by: CardinalFaninIL | December 26, 2008 at 06:37 PM
DeWitt wants to win, but not as bad as he wants to line his own pockets. His commitment to youth/cheap players clashes with Tony's will to play vets who obviously cost money to sign.
I don't know why people complain about the yankees signing all the big name free agents. If the cards could sign cc and aj we would be favorites in the NL, but DeWitt doesn't care about wins and losses only dollars and cents. He is a disgrace to the redbirds tradition.
Posted by: StLknows | December 26, 2008 at 06:41 PM
Well they do have some huge contracts coming off the books in Isringhausen and money owed to Rolen and Edmonds. I'd rather them keep this money and extend Pujols than go out and waste on someone like Fuentes.
Posted by: mtzxc | December 26, 2008 at 06:44 PM
Yeah, sorry to non-insiders.
It's a two-sentence bit in Olney's "around the majors" segment, so you're not missing out on an extensive analysis.
Basically he wonders if the Cards have reduced payroll now that their interest in Fuentes is waning.
Posted by: Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 26, 2008 at 06:46 PM
Of course, if you follow the Cardinals, you've got to realize by now that the national media rarely has a clue what's going on here in St. Louis.
I don't know if it's the same in other cities but the national media does a lot more "wondering" than actual reporting.
Posted by: Seals | December 26, 2008 at 06:54 PM
From Bill DeWitt himself.....
------
DeWitt, speaking in general terms about the debate, said it's not a case of signing the "lefty closer or we put (that money) in our pocket." "LOWERING THE PAYROLL IS A SPIRAL WE WAN'T TO AVOID," DeWitt asserted. There is still elasticity in the budget to pursue a free agent or two, and the Cardinals hope that if their actual revenue surpasses their estimates that excess could be funneled "into payroll," DeWitt said.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/3357B8DB59222555862575290011339E?OpenDocument
Posted by: CardinalFaninIL | December 26, 2008 at 06:54 PM
Olney jumps to conclusions.
The Cardinals don't want Fuentes. Fine. That's a good thing. Give the GD job to Motte or Perez and get it over with. Go grab a cheap lefty for the pen.
That doesn't mean they're lowering payroll. Teams shouldn't spend just for the sake of spending; unless they can go out and get a frontline starter like Lowe or a 2B like Orlando Hudson (which would put Kennedy on the bench though), then they shouldn't go out and sign mediocre guys to big contracts for the hell of it.
Posted by: melonis rex | December 26, 2008 at 07:13 PM
HAHAHA.. the funny thing about busch stadium, is it will be full no matter what the economy is doing. the dewitts are tightwads. and John Mozeliek is a complete moron, and cardinals fans agree with me.
Posted by: AndrewBeavs | December 26, 2008 at 07:37 PM
they probably are waiting to see who the cubs sign.if the cubs sign adam dunn or trade for peavy,or both,then its curtains for cards this season.they really wont have a chance then.
Posted by: cubbie75 | December 26, 2008 at 07:38 PM
AndrewBeavs
Are you nuts? Johnny Mo has done more in a year by trading for Glaus and Greene than Jockety did in his entire tenure. Jockety drafty poorly and focused on the major league team, Mozeliak and Luhnow have re-stocked the minor league system. Just because he wont overpay on guys like Fuentes doesnt mean he's a moron...a REAL Cardinals fan would know that.
Posted by: Redbirdfan | December 26, 2008 at 08:09 PM
I'm a Cardinals fan and I couldnt disagree with you more Beavs; John Mozeliak is a fantastic Gm, with incredibly strict ownership restraints. Look at the moves he has made so far and tell me how many of them haven't worked out so far.
Posted by: catch212 | December 26, 2008 at 08:12 PM
Mozeliak is a good GM. I wouldn't go as far as to say he's already done more than Jocketty, but JM has done well so far. I think it is fair to believe the team is going to start stashing $ away for Pujols' extension. I can't say that's a bad idea.
Posted by: MVPujols | December 26, 2008 at 08:53 PM
Being a Cub fan, me likey no Red Bird deals coming up. However, throwing money around for the sake of doing so is not wise. On the other hand, this is an organization that has a loyal fan base. They have the most WS championships in the NL and they expect quality. A new stadium and little to show for it in terms of major moves since it opened can be seen as stingy. In this market, there are serveral teams that will scoop up a nice player for a undervalued price. It seems Lowe and Fuentes are about the biggest names left. Even they might not get what they originally wanted, who knows. Every team is waiting for the price to drop on the remaining free agents. The big boys have signed.
Let's face it, Walt Jocketty did not build a great farm. Yes, I'm aware of the names that did come via the farm. Jocketty was great at the big level, not the farm level. Mozeliak needs more time to be determined what kind of GM he is tagged. So far, he seems to be doing good with what his boss gives him.
I guess the bottom line is I can see Cards fans upset ownership is not doing more for the team with the new ball park and team history what fans expect. I can also see patience in this market and the economy in general if things are done right. I think the team will be forced to make a couple big moves when Albert comes due. Maybe that is what the Cards are preparing to do.
Posted by: studio179 | December 26, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Ive always liked khalil greene, and troy glaus does have some power, although he kinda seems like a guy concerned with his own stats (my opinion) more than team victorys. i guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. i tell you this much, if they dont sign an extension on Albert.. I wont be making any trips down to busch.
Posted by: AndrewBeavs | December 26, 2008 at 10:46 PM
By the way.. didn't the Dewitt's have somthing to do with the downfall of the Cincinnati Reds?
Posted by: AndrewBeavs | December 26, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Studio179, I don't know what u count as a major move but the cards won a world series in the new stadium.
Posted by: Jared | December 26, 2008 at 11:17 PM
"and John Mozeliek is a complete moron, and cardinals fans agree with me."
Do you want a Mark Mulder trade redux? I mean, that was a big trade that Jocketty made, and Mozeliak hasn't made any "big" trades. The A's are on line 3 and will be happy to oblige
Posted by: melonis rex | December 27, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Jared, I am talking about the point of view from several Cardnial fans I know, not just a couple. As far as I am concerned, I think every Cards fan should be happy they have a recent championship in any ballpark. I wish my team had one.
Posted by: studio179 | December 27, 2008 at 11:15 AM
To StLknows:
Even if the Cardinals signed Sabathia, Burnett, and Tex(they wouldn't since they have Pujols), they would still only be on a level playing field with the Cubs, if not still worse.
Posted by: priorera | December 29, 2008 at 08:37 AM
I can understand the Cardinals suffering short term in order to save for Pujols...... if that's in fact what they plan on doing (which I am not yet convinced of).
But here's the thing... Pujols, in my opinion has shown that winning (or being in contention) is more of a driving forece to him than money. If the Cards plan on letting the team go to hell just to pay for Pujols, I do not believe Pujols will stay, especially when in reality, the Cardinals will most likely not have the most money to offer Pujols. So, if the team sucks hard and is hopelessly out of contention, and the Cardinals don't offer hime the most money, do you really expect him to stay???
The Cardinals need to show a willingness to spend and improve the team. No more "reclamation project" pitchers. Get players that have proven track records. This may not always pay off, but it at least pays off in one important way. It proves that the Cardinals WANT to win more than anything else. That, in my opinion is what will keep Pujols in St. Louis past 2011.
Posted by: MWACARDSFAN | December 29, 2008 at 11:58 AM
To priorera:
The Cubbies can spend more money than the Yankees but it can't change one simple fact... they're still the Cubs! and because of that, they will fail over and over and over again.
The Cardinals could use CC and Tex and Burnett to compete for a WS, but they will NEVER need those players to beat the lowly damn Cubs!
Posted by: MWACARDSFAN | December 29, 2008 at 12:02 PM