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Possible Buyers: St. Louis Cardinals

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Viva El Birdos has a piece up about the Cardinals’ surprise rise to contention this season. A potent question is raised within: Should the Cards be content with merely contending, or should they be gearing up for a real shot at the Cubs? It’s not the easiest of decisions. They’re just 1.5 games back of the Cubs on the day we wrap up the season’s second month. But there are plenty of places this could go wrong.

For instance, Ryan Ludwick is currently the team’s second best hitter. There is little in the outfielder’s past that suggests he can maintain his .406 OBP or his .689 SLG. But hey, maybe they catch lightning in a bottle. And even if Ludwick does cool off, maybe Troy Glaus improves upon his uncharacteristic .380 SLG. Or maybe, like many recent years, he gets hurt.

That kind of illustrates the massive risk of mid-season moves. Injuries and flukes happen. And they both play an enormous role in a team’s ability to contend. If I’m heading the Cardinals, I’d probably stand pat. Too much can go wrong between now and October. (Though they’ll probably take another month to see how things are going.)

Once place the Cardinals can stand to improve is second base. Adam Kennedy clearly isn’t cutting it. Aaron Miles hasn’t been bad, but he really isn’t the answer. One player Viva brings up — and you’re going to hate me for this — is Brian Roberts. The Orioles have hit the cellar in the AL East, and might not climb out this season. We know that Peter Angelos favors Roberts, but there has to be a point where you trade him in to get some younger players if you can.

The Cards could use Anthony Reyes as trade bait. But who else? Any Cards fans want to jump in and talk about who is available, if anyone?

If the team doesn’t want to deal with Angelos, and I wouldn’t blame them, they could look at other second base options. Ray Durham probably won’t cut it, as the Cards already have a handful of players hovering around a .355 OBP with no power. Mark Grundzielanek?  Too similar to Durham. Mark Ellis? He won’t come cheap.

I guess we’ll find out over the next month whether the Cards are in it for keeps. I’m sure those names will be mentioned plenty if they are.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues, and can be reached here.

Odds And Ends: Weaver, Mulder, Pena, Giambi

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Here are a few random notes from the MLBiverse…

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.  Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.

Draft Roundup

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All kinds of draft links today. 

Cardinals Eyeing College Pitcher With 13th Pick

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The Cardinals have the 13th pick in the June draft.  The team’s VP of scouting and player development, Jeff Luhnow, says "there’s a real possibility that we go college pitcher."  MLB.com’s Matthew Leach admits that Aaron Crow will probably be gone.  Ditto Brian Matusz.  Christian Friedrich or Shooter Hunt remain possibilities.

Leach also suggests the Cardinals could take one of the many first baseman and move him to the outfield (Yonder Alonso, for example).  Baseball America’s May 16th mock draft projects the Cards will take Zach Collier, a high school outfielder. 

Odds And Ends: Cards’ Bullpen, Fish Extensions, Aubrey Promoted

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  • St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen is on the DL. But the Cards aren’t going shopping for a replacement. At least, not yet. "Not at this time," Mozeliak said when asked if the club might be tempted to check out the market for relievers. "We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of depth in relief, not only here but at Triple-A [Memphis]. A lot of this can be addressed internally."
  • After today’s press conference announcing Hanley Ramirez’s six-year deal, Marlins officials said the baseball personnel staff has not recommended any other players receive multi-year contract offers. Dan Uggla, Mike Jacobs, Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen will all be arbitration-eligible at season’s end.
  • Cleveland’s Jeremy Sowers, who turned 25 on Saturday, was sent back to Buffalo, where he is 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in seven starts. Sowers made his second spot start of the season on Friday, giving up three runs and five hits over five innings. His ERA ranks fifth in the International League. Mike Aubrey takes Sowers’ place on Cleveland’s roster. With Akron, Aubrey was batting .277 with nine doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs in 24 games. The oft-injured Aubrey, who was Cleveland’s first pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, might only be with the Tribe for a short while, if the team opts to go with seven relievers when it resumes its regular American League schedule on Tuesday.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. You can reach him here.

Odds And Ends: Reyes, Colon, Indians, Nationals

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A few notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Anthony Reyes, who has been the object of much trade speculation, made his first start at AAA on Friday night. Reyes pitched 3+ scoreless innings with a strict pitch-count. The Cardinals appear to be reconverting Reyes into a starter in the hopes of increasing his value for potential trade partners.
  • Jim Bowden hinted that he may implement a full-fledged youth movement in the near future, noting that a number of top prospects are close to being ready. Specifically, he mentioned two outfielders which would likely mean that Bowden will seek to move Austin Kearns and/or Wily Mo Pena. Kearns is due $8MM next year and there is a $10MM option for 2010 ($1M buyout). Pena may be easier to move with only a $5MM team option for 2009.
  • Justice B. Hill suggests that the Indians are now paying the price for their inability to swing a deal this past offseason for another offensive weapon at one of the corner outfield spots or third base. The timing of the story was unfortunate as the Tribe laid a 12-spot on the Jays last night.
  • The Red Sox do not have a need for a starting pitcher at this point, but they may soon have one too many arms for the rotation if Bartolo Colon continues to progress. Colon allowed one run in three innings, touching 97 on the radar gun. The obvious move would be to move somebody to the bullpen, but if somebody does go down with an injury, Colon’s availability likely means that the Red Sox will not be in the market for an extra arm down the stretch.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Isringhausen Wants a Break

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The Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss today reports that there is growing concern about the work of closer Jason Isringhausen, who has already blown five save chances this year. After his most recent blow-up, Izzy said he is sick of embarrassing himself and hurting the team. He suggested a meeting today with manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and general manager John Mozeliak to find at least a temporary alternative to using him in the ninth inning.

In the short term, Ryan Franklin or Randy Flores could be called on to close games for the Cards, though neither pitcher strikes out many batters. Ron Villone currently has an ERA under 1.00 and is averaging almost one strikeout per inning, but the last time he finished a season with an ERA under 4.00 was 1997. Still, he might prove a capable option while Izzy works to get his groove back.

If Isringhausen can’t correct his mechanics, St. Louis could be in the market for a closer come July. Closers who could be available include George Sherrill, Matt Capps, Chad Cordero and Huston Street (who has had his own struggles of late). Joakim Soria seems a logical trade candidate, though there is talk he could be converted to a starter.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com.  You can contact him here.

John Mozeliak Chat On MLB.com

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Cardinals GM John Mozeliak chatted with fans over at MLB.com.  Let’s dig out the hot stove info.

  • Mozeliak seems open to talking extension with Kyle Lohse at some point during the season.  Lohse has a 3.79 ERA in seven starts.  Less than 3% of his flyballs are leaving the yard, a trend that doesn’t figure to last.  But for less than $5MM, who’s complaining?
  • Mozeliak reiterated that the Cardinals have no interest in Barry Bonds.
  • Trade talks "could be exciting" come July.
  • Sadly, Juan Encarnacion is not likely to play baseball again.

Cards Showcasing Reyes In Triple A?

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Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that Anthony Reyes’ demotion to the Triple A rotation increases his trade value.  Interested teams view him as a starter, and want to see him in that role before acquiring him.

Last week, ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard rumblings that the Cards want "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece."  Reyes, 26, has shown flashes of brilliance but has a 5.41 career ERA in 219.2 innings.  He just seems fixable, is all. 

Reds Podcast Appearance

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Yesterday I joined Dan Clasgens and Greg Shoemaker on the Get Sports Radio Reds podcast.  You can download the mp3 here. 

On the show, I wasn’t able to explain the Cardinals’ hot start.  How are they doing it?  The starting pitching is clicking on all cylinders (with more help on the way), and the hitters are collectively getting on base quite often. 

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