Rasmus Denies Making Trade Request
8:20pm: Rasmus denied making a trade request earlier this season, according to B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidwest.com.
"I never did that,” said Rasmus following today's game. "I don’t know where that’s coming from. I just want to play baseball and have fun…I love being here. I love the fans. I’m moving forward and just trying to play hard and I’m happy we won today."
Tony La Russa also addressed the topic in today's post-game press conference. The manager insisted that he doesn't have an issue with Rasmus and that he will see significant playing time down the stretch.
2:04pm: Pujols had even more to say on the matter, writes Passan.
“If he doesn’t want to be here next year, we need to figure out a way to get him out of here and find somebody that wants to be here and play,” said the nine-time All-Star. “That’s a reality.
“That’ll show you right there a young player that doesn’t respect what he’s got,” Pujols added. “He needs to find out the talent and ability that he has and pretty much keep his mouth shut and play the game. Let the organization make those decisions, not himself.”
1:55pm: First baseman Albert Pujols has weighed in on the situation, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
"We need to figure out a way to get him out of here," said the nine-time All-Star.
1:26pm: Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa confirmed that center fielder Colby Rasmus has requested a trade, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, La Russa declined to delve much deeper into the matter with reporters.
"What do you want me to say? Ask Colby. Just ask Colby," said the manager. "He can handle it however he wants to handle it. He's capable of explaining himself and what he was thinking at the time."
Despite La Russa's suggestion, Rasmus would not confirm his trade request before taking the field against the Reds this afternoon. He also declined to say whether he hoped to remain with the club next season. La Russa seems to think that the center fielder has had a change of heart.
"I think he's thinking probably the grass is not greener other places and that this is a good situation, a great organization, teammates, everything. That's what I think. You can ask him," said La Russa, who also said that the outfielder made a similar request in his rookie season.
Rasmus came to GM John Mozeliak with his request during the Cards' July 23-25 series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, according to a source familiar with the situation. After the center fielder arrived late to the park, La Russa threatened to option him to Triple-A in a closed door meeting. However, when talking to Rasmus, Mozeliak assured him that he would be staying put.
Poll: Colby Rasmus
Earlier today, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed that Colby Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season. While La Russa seems confident that Rasmus' desire to be relocated has since cooled off, the 24-year-old was reluctant to address the story and would not say whether he wanted to return to St. Louis in 2011. This also isn't the first time that the talented center fielder has asked for a one-way ticket out of town: La Russa acknowledged that Rasmus requested a trade in his rookie year last season.
With what appears to be a serious rift, one would imagine that the Cards would look to deal their unhappy outfielder. However, GM John Mozeliak is obviously less-than-thrilled about the prospect of parting with a 24-year-old star in the making. Rasmus has followed up a strong 2009 debut with an even better 2010. In 117 games, the left-handed hitter has a slash line of .264/.349/.495 with 19 homers. While his -7.0 UZR/150 this season doesn't impress, his 13.5 UZR/150 from his rookie campaign shows that he is capable of playing better in the field.
There's no question that Rasmus would yield a strong return for the Cardinals, but St. Louis would obviously prefer to keep the burgeoning hitter. With his dissatisfaction now public, it may not be advantageous for the Cardinals to move him this offseason. Albert Pujols says he should go, Tony La Russa won't say much, but we want to know what you have to say.
If you were in the position of GM John Mozeliak, would you trade Rasmus this offseason?
Cardinals Notes: Pujols, Ryan, Schumaker, Rasmus
The Cardinals have slipped to eight games back of the Reds in the NL Central race, and the division title is looking increasingly out of reach for St. Louis. So rather than focusing on this season, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch previews the coming winter, asking a few questions about what the team's future holds. Here are some highlights of Strauss' piece:
- Locking up Albert Pujols is the club's top priority; the Cards will likely have trouble adding another impact bat until they know what sort of money they'll be committing to their top hitter for the next several years.
- "Strong opinion exists" at the major league level that the Cards' Triple-A and Double-A affiliates won't produce an impact position player for at least the next couple seasons. Strauss points out that the team hasn't signed many minor league free agents in recent years, and that the organization might have to rethink that strategy to provide depth and insurance for the big league roster.
- The Cards may need to look into acquiring more offense at its middle infield spots, since Brendan Ryan (.573 OPS) and Skip Schumaker (.680 OPS) have contributed very little at the plate.
- It's still up in the air whether Tony La Russa will be back to manage in St. Louis next season. If he does, there are questions about his relationship with Colby Rasmus. According to Strauss' club sources, Rasmus requested a trade earlier this year due to his frustrations with the Cards' skipper.
The Cardinals’ 2011 Rotation
With a 4-13 record over their last 17 games, an eight-game deficit to make up in the NL Central, and a weekend series against an in-form Cincinnati club, the Cardinals could be looking ahead to next year by as soon as Monday. Let's get a head start on the process by examining what the St. Louis starting rotation may look like by Opening Day 2011.
Leading the way for the Cards are Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia. Carpenter is signed through 2011 and St. Louis has a club option worth $15MM in 2012 that they're certain to exercise if Carpenter remains as healthy and effective as he has been over the last two seasons. It's possible the Cards could explore an extension with Carpenter this winter, if they're not already too busy trying to extend Albert Pujols.
Wainwright seems well on his way to a top-five finish (at least) in the NL Cy Young voting, which will trigger a clause in his contract that guarantees the 2012 and 2013 club options St. Louis currently holds on the right-hander. Wainwright is set to earn $21MM over those two seasons, plus an extra $1MM should he actually win the Cy either this season or in 2011. The Cards were a virtual lock to pick up those team options anyway given how well Wainwright has pitched in his career.
If Wainwright is a bargain, then Garcia is a steal. The 24-year-old southpaw has a 2.33 ERA and a 2.03 K/BB in 25 starts this season and he carries a 20 1/3 scoreless inning streak into tonight's start against the Reds. Garcia doesn't reach arbitration until after the 2011 season, so he will remain a very affordable option for St. Louis unless the club tries to cover his arb years with a long-term deal. It's still just Garcia's first full major league year, so if the Redbirds do approach him with a long-term contract, it will be a step down from the Romero/Lester/Gallardo deals.
When Kyle Lohse signed a four-year, $41MM extension with St. Louis in September 2008, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes prophetically asked, "What are the odds this deal looks solid even halfway through?" Now that we're about halfway through the deal, it's indeed looking like a miss for the Cards. Lohse has battled forearm and groin injuries over the last two seasons and has a 5.55 ERA in 35 games (34 of them starts) over that stretch. Lohse will be pencilled into a spot in the 2011 rotation, since it would be hard for the Cardinals to eat the remaining $23.75MM owed to the right-hander and even harder to trade him. (Plus, Lohse has a no-trade clause.)
With four spots accounted for, the fifth rotation job is wide-open. The Cards' strategy over the last few winters has been to sign veterans (Rich Hill, Brad Penny, Matt Clement, Lohse in March 2008) to one-year or minor league contracts to see if pitching coach Dave Duncan can get them back into top form, so the team could pursue that option again. St. Louis might have gotten a head start on this strategy with the acquisition of Jake Westbrook at the trade deadline. Westbrook has pitched well (4.03 ERA, 5.67 K/BB ratio) in his first six National League starts, so he will come at a higher price than those other past winter signings should the Cardinals want to bring him back.
Another midseason pick-up, Jeff Suppan, hasn't performed as well and would only be brought back as roster depth. Penny could be another low-cost veteran option from the current roster. After signing a one-year, $7.5MM deal with the Cards last December, Penny had a solid first nine starts but hasn't pitched since May due to a back injury. The lingering nature of what was originally thought to be a minor back injury will definitely scare some teams away from the 32-year-old, so the Cardinals (who have been monitoring Penny's status all year) could bring the right-hander back if they're satisifed that he's healthy.
P.J. Walters, Blake Hawksworth and Adam Ottavino have started games for St. Louis this season, though all would need superb spring training performances to get into the running for the fifth starter's job. Baseball America projected Walters as a future middle reliever in the preseason, Hawksworth has pitched mostly out of the bullpen for St. Louis and Ottavino may be a question mark for the spring since he needs labrum surgery.
Shelby Miller, the top prospect in the St. Louis system, has only increased his stock in his first full season of pro ball. Miller, the 19th overall pick in the 2009 draft, has a 3.62 ERA and a 12.1 K/9 rate in 24 starts for Single-A Quad Cities. Baseball America had Miller rated as the 50th-best prospect in baseball in the preseason, and their midseason prospect report again slotted him in the #26-50 range. Miller doesn't even turn 20 until October 10, so the Cards will probably hold off his major league debut until 2012.
Other farm system options include southpaw Evan MacLane and right-handers Lance Lynn and Brandon Dickson, all of whom have had solid seasons in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League. All could factor in as spot starters or candidates for the No. 5 position. Keep an eye on right-hander Scott Gorgen, a fourth-round pick from the 2008 draft who has a 2.99 ERA in his 49-game minor league career thus far, including a 1.31 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) at Double-A this season.
Minor League Transactions: Yankees, Pinto
The minor league transactions continue, even as the minor league season draws to a close. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has all the minor league news for August 19th-25th. Here are some highlights:
- The Yankees signed Tzu-Wei Lin, a 16-year-old shortstop from Taiwan, for a six-figure bonus. However, Lin may be looking to void the contract and take more money from the Twins or A’s. Lin, who stands 5’7”, has good speed and a good arm with an above-average bat.
- The Cardinals released lefty reliever Renyel Pinto after he posted a 4.78 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 7.5 BB/9 at Triple A. Memphis was not kind to Pinto or to Nate Robertson, another lefty who signed with the Cards after the Marlins released him.
Trever Miller’s 2011 Option Vests
By entering the Cardinals-Giants game Saturday night, lefty reliever Trever Miller reached 45 appearances on the season. The appearance was nothing special, as Miller threw four pitches to Aubrey Huff and allowed a single. But the outing was signficant for Miller, as it caused his $2MM option for 2011 to vest.
According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Miller's option will revert back to the club's choice if he spends time on the DL with a left arm or shoulder injury. He hasn't pitched well this year, but only needs about one more month of good health.
Meanwhile, the Rangers' Darren Oliver needs seven more appearances for his $3.25MM option to vest for next year.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Feliz, Braves, Kershaw
On this date two years ago, umpires agreed to the use of instant replay to help determine boundary calls, such as fair or foul, on home runs. Expanded use of instant replay remains a hot topic in baseball, and even though Commissioner Bud Selig continues to dance around the subject, more replay feels inevitable at this point.
Here are a bunch of links from around the baseball blogosphere…
- Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts interviews players and team personnel about minor league life, touching on everything from salary to housing to food, the whole nine. It's a long, but truly great read.
- Capitol Avenue Club analyzes the Derrek Lee trade.
- Pine Tar and Pocket Protectors says that Pedro Feliz is not the answer for the Cardinals.
- Beyond The Box Score looks at which teams are building the best bullpens on the cheap.
- Amazin' Avenue tries to figure out who should close for the Mets with Francisco Rodriguez out for the season.
- Royals Review questions whether or not Kansas City has something in Bryan Bullington.
- The Few, The Proud, The Brave looks ahead to Atlanta's offseason as well as the 2011 season.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. tries to figure out if the Pirates should start spending this offseason.
- The Process Report lists the Rays' farmhands eligible for this year's Rule 5 Draft.
- SD Sports Net wonders if the Padres whiffed by failing to sign first rounder Karsten Whitson.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness uses Ricky Romero's new contract as a basis for a Clayton Kershaw contract extension.
- Baseball Time In Arlington examines the hidden value of Cliff Lee.
- Camden Crazies wonders if Brad Bergesen is back to being an effective pitcher.
- 1 Blue Jays Way introduces us to Toronto's prospects.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Simmons, Crisp, Royals
On a night when Brian Matusz stifled the AL West leaders, here are some news items…
- ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine looks at how the Cubs might replace Derrek Lee, whether it be going after a big free agent or by moving Aramis Ramirez or Tyler Colvin to first base.
- The Mariners are "starting to eye" Ted Simmons as a managerial candidate, according to Fanhouse.com's Tom Krasovic. Simmons, 61, is in his second year as San Diego's bench coach and has only three years of coaching experience overall, though he has spent 19 years in various front office positions. Simmons was an eight-time All-Star during a 21-season playing career with St. Louis, Milwaukee and Atlanta from 1968 to 1988.
- Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com predicts that Oakland is "likely" to pick up Coco Crisp's $5.75MM club option for next season.
- Royals owner David Glass adamantly denied rumors that he is thinking of selling the team, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Gil Meche is "ninety-five percent" sure that he'll pitch out of the bullpen next season, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- The Cardinals' contract with first-round pick Zack Cox is analyzed by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Fangraphs' Dave Cameron looks at the top five "free agent signings that worked" from the past winter. The Rangers' deal with Colby Lewis tops the list.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian talks to Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos about the GM's busy first year and his future plans for the Jays.
Cardinals Acquire Pedro Feliz
The Cardinals acquired Pedro Feliz and cash from the Astros for pitcher David Carpenter, according to Astros director of social media Alyson Footer (on Twitter). Feliz, 35, has a .221/.243/.311 line this season with four homers in 304 plate appearances. He hasn't hit much in recent years, but has a reputation as a strong defender. UZR suggests that Feliz's defense has been excellent throughout his career (though he has a -7.9 rating in 530 innings so far in 2010).
The Cardinals acquired Feliz to help out at third base, since an injury to David Freese and a Felipe Lopez slump have left St. Louis thin at the hot corner. The Cardinals intensified their search for infielders this week, showing interest in multiple third basemen. Feliz makes a total of $4.5MM in 2010 (he has yet to receive about $1.1MM of that) before becoming a free agent this winter.
Carpenter, 25, was the closer for the Cards' Florida State League (High A) affiliate. He has 20 saves this year with a 2.36 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. The Cards drafted Carpenter in the 12th round of the 2006 draft as a catcher. Astros GM Ed Wade describes the right-hander as a "power arm" who could become a major league contributor.
Cardinals Interested In Geoff Blum
The Cardinals are interested in Geoff Blum, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Blum, Craig Counsell and Edwin Encarnacion have all cleared waivers, so the Cards could trade for those infielders without restriction. Brandon Inge also interests the Cards, but if he has cleared waivers, it has not been reported.
The Cardinals are pursuing infield help more aggressively than before, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team lost David Freese to a season-ending ankle operation, so the front office would like to add a third baseman or utility infielder. GM John Mozeliak says he’s discussing players who have cleared waivers with a number of teams and waiting for other players to be placed on waivers.
"The whole process of waivers is about being patient," Mozeliak said. "At the same token, if we felt like we could do something that will help us sooner rather than later, we would give that real consideration.”
The Cardinals are relying on Felipe Lopez to play third, but he has just a .580 OPS since the All-Star break. Allen Craig has appeared at the hot corner, but is probably not an everyday option there.