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Cardinals Sign Tomo Ohka

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals have signed free agent righty Tomo Ohka to a minor league contract.  The Phillies were in on him as well, but the Cardinals gave him a shorter minor league requirement.

The Cardinals talked to Ohka’s agent last December, but must have found $1.5MM guaranteed to be prohibitive.  It’s easier to swallow when the Blue Jays are paying Ohka’s salary.  I think Ohka’s rotator cuff is still kind of messed up, but he might be able to get by in the NL Central.

Check out my profile of Ohka here; he’s an interesting character.  Unfortunately Ohka likely won’t remain a Memphis Redbird long enough to run into Sun-Woo Kim of the Fresno Grizzlies.  The two engaged in fisticuffs back in 2000 as members of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Zambrano Jokes About Cardinals

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OK, this is barely newsworthy.  But it’s still rumorish and I have gotten a few emails on the topic.  Yesterday in the clubhouse, Carlos Zambrano joked that his next catcher would be Yadier Molina.

I think it’s just Z messing around, but it doesn’t take much to stir up Cubs fans.  It’s worth considering: could the Cardinals sign Zambrano after the season?

St. Louis doesn’t have much salary coming off the books in just Kip Wells and David Eckstein.  And they’ll need a replacement at shortstop if they don’t retain Eckstein.  What’s more, several players will see their salaries escalate by a million or so.  Some major creativity on Walt Jocketty’s part would be required to keep the 2008 payroll under $100MM. 

I can see the Cardinals flirting with Zambrano this winter though.  Jocketty often flirts with the top free agent starter.  In the past it’s been Mike Hampton, Pedro Martinez, and A.J. Burnett, according to Larry from Viva El Birdos.

Speaking of VEB, Larry had a humorous baseball-related exchange with some lawyers while up for jury-duty.  Have a read.

Rosenthal’s Latest

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The authority on all trade rumors, Ken Rosenthal has spoken.  Let’s review.

  • As we have heard before, the Dodgers like Adam Dunn.  We’ve also discussed the fact that there’s not a clear place to put him.  Whether you go with first base or left field, a veteran must move.  The Padres like Dunn as well but talks have yet to occur.  The Angels may have liked him in the past but they don’t seem likely at this point.  And the Twins?  They just won’t break the bank for him unfortunately.
  • With Michael Barrett having issues with 40% of the Cubs’ rotation, the Cubs could look to trade him.  Even though he’s a top offensive catcher, his impending free agency might prevent any strong return.  Plus, the Cubs would have to go with a Henry Blanco/Koyie Hill tandem.  A more likely scenario is that the Cubs will let Barrett walk after the season.
  • Finally some clarity on Eric Gagne’s limited no-trade protection.  Rosenthal reveals that he can veto trades to 12 teams.  The Phillies and Indians are again mentioned as suitors.  Rosenthal thinks Mark Teixeira could generate a lot of talk but no action at the trading deadline.  Kind of like Alfonso Soriano or A.J. Burnett before him.
  • The asking price for Brad Lidge, supposedly: a premium young catcher and promising young pitcher.  Lidge will probably earn $8MM next year before hitting free agency.  The Astros should be happy with a young catcher or a young pitcher, not both.  I’d mention Salty here but I think he is worth much more than Lidge.  Rosenthal says the Astros could move another bullpen arm like Wheeler or Qualls to get the bat they need. 
  • Could the Devil Rays simply retain Al Reyes and Carlos Pena?  Both players could be valuable contributors to the 2008 club.  I like the idea of keeping Reyes around for next year, but I think Pena has peaked.
  • Noah Lowry would get the attention of the Braves or Cardinals, but the Giants are unlikely to move him.
  • The Phils are likely to pass on Tomo Ohka despite their need for pitching.

Could The Cardinals Acquire Buehrle?

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Larry over at Viva El Birdos breaks down exactly how rare a trade of a pitcher of Mark Buehrle’s caliber would be.  He also compares previous midseason deals for big-name starters to see what the Cardinals or any other team might have to send over to Chicago.

Another marquee pitcher dealt midseason was Randy Johnson in 1998.  While the age 34 season is rarely considered a player’s prime, the Unit didn’t really establish himself until he was 26.  Anyway, that deal required a serious bounty of John Halama, Carlos Guillen, and Freddy Garcia.  Halama had a few useful seasons, Garcia became Seattle’s ace, and Guillen developed into a star.  Guillen didn’t break out until he joined the Tigers in ’04, however. 

Cardinals Sign Troy Percival

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The Cardinals signed former closer Troy Percival to a minor league contract today.  Walt Jocketty dealt with competition from at least six other clubs for Percival’s services. The signing was somewhat surprising, as the Cardinals were not named as a representative at Percival’s recent workout.

Percival is a bit of a luxury for St. Louis, as their bullpen hasn’t been too shabby.  Cardinal relievers have a 3.41 ERA, third best in the National League.  As Jeff Sackmann asked here a few days ago, can Percival even help a big league club?  He remains a longshot.  But if he is going to make a difference, he’s picked the right division for it.  The Cardinals apparently expect him to slide into a setup role eventually.

Cards Hunting For Starters

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According to Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty, there’s just nothing out there on the starting pitching market.  No decent starters to acquire.  The Cardinals are doing OK in second place, 5.5 games behind the Brewers.  They still have a fine chance of sneaking into the rotation, but need to upgrade their patchwork rotation.  St. Louis starters have combined for a 5.25 ERA, easily the worst in the league.  Even worse than the Nationals.

Joe Strauss’s article mentions some mild interest in Tomo Ohka, who was designated for assignment yesterday by the Blue Jays.  The Cardinals talked to Ohka’s agent last December but couldn’t get a deal done.

Jocketty is, of course, exaggerating in saying nothing’s available.  Here are some names for you: Wade Miller, Josh Fogg, Mike Maroth, Odalis Perez, Brett Tomko, Jon Lieber, John Thomson, Tony Armas.  Now, if you’re talking good starters, well, that always requires a decent bounty.  Mark Buehrle should become available soon, and the Marlins would probably listen on Dontrelle Willis.  A mid-tier guy who could work is Paul Byrd.  Any other ideas for the Redbirds?

Cardinal Trade Rumor Roundup

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My apologies for posting some rumors from a few days ago; I’m still catching up.  Today’s let’s look at some recent Cardinals trade rumors.

The first question is whether the team should conduct some form of a fire sale.  Right now, they’re still mired in the NL Central race at 6.5 games out.  But if the team does spiral out of contention by July 31st, it might make sense to trade Jason Isringhausen.  He’s probably their best trading chip.  Cards beat writer Joe Strauss mentions the Braves, Indians, and Cubs as teams that would have interest in the 34 year-old closer.  After Izzy was nearly left for dead/retired in ’06, he’s bounced back with 13 saves in the season’s first two months.  He makes $8.75MM this year with an $8MM club option for ’08.  That includes a $1.25MM buyout. 

The Isringhausen trade option represents the worst case scenario.  Let’s consider what the Cardinals might do to improve in the short term.  Catcher Yadier Molina should be sidelined for at least a month with a broken wrist.  One option is Royals catcher Jason LaRue, who’s owed about $1.65MM on the season by KC.  The one concern is that LaRue is 7 for 57 on the season, and didn’t hit at all last year.  At 33, he may have to permanently join the Brotherhood of Backup Catchers, if he hasn’t already.  Yadier’s brother Jose may be an option as well.

Also on the radar: comeback kid Troy Percival.  The Cards will watch him throw, if they haven’t already.  St. Louis joins roughly a half-dozen teams in the Percival pursuit.  More than that, if you add the Giants and A’s to the mix. 

Article On Boras

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Came across an article on Scott Boras, via Will Caroll.  One quote from Boras struck me:

The Cardinals not signing Jeff Weaver is how you don’t win divisions, and my prediction is the St. Louis Cardinals won’t win their division this year.

I can see the Cards missing the playoffs, sure, but not signing Jeff Weaver for $8 million won’t be the reason.  Now if you want to argue that if the Cardinals had signed Weaver, they’d be in last place instead of fourth and in line for a better draft pick in ’08, I can buy that.  Boras should’ve went with that.

Another interesting section is the last page, where Boras proposes replacing the World Series with a nine game series in a different city each year.  Cities would compete for the right to host it.  That’s kind of cool.

Cards Won’t Reacquire Weaver

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While previous reports indicated the Cardinals had interest in Mariners starter Jeff Weaver, Cards GM Walt Jocketty firmly debunked the rumor when asked by Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.  Jocketty seems mildly bitter about Weaver’s decision, and won’t give him a second chance.

Weaver currently sports a 14.32 ERA in six starts for the Mariners, and he’s on the DL for shoulder tendinitis.  That’s historically bad.  Worst ever performance (six start minimum) belongs to Jaret Wright in 2002 (15.71 ERA).  Hayden Penn comes next with a 15.10 ERA in six starts last year, and then Weaver’s ’07.  Worst performance with a ten start minimum: Roy Halladay in 2000 with a 10.64 ERA in 13 starts. 

Scott Rolen Dodgers Trade Rumor

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Looking for a trade rumor, and don’t care whether it’s been confirmed in any way?  We got you covered.  A couple of Cards fans have emailed me this thread from Bernie’s Pressbox.  St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz throws this scenario out for debate:

Wilson Betemit and one of Matt Kemp/Andre Ethier for Scott Rolen.

Now, according to Bernie, there’s nothing concrete and he’s just talking.  Still, it’s interesting to ponder.  Factors to consider:

  • Rolen is owed $12MM annually through 2010.
  • He’d have to be convinced to waive his full no-trade clause.  Although maybe he wouldn’t mind playing under a different manager.
  • Rolen is off to a horrible offensive start; he’s on a popup binge.  He hasn’t hit lefties since his shoulder surgery, and his surgically repaired shoulder bothered him late last season.  You would expect a team to want him to show some signs of life and health before taking his contract through 2010.
  • Andy LaRoche is L.A.’s third baseman of the future.  Then again, they signed Nomar Garciaparra to block James Loney.

Now, there’s certainly still a chance Rolen will bounce back.  He was mashing as recently as August of ’06.  But would the Dodgers bank one of their best prospects on it?  I really don’t think so, which is why Kemp seems highly unlikely.  On the other hand, Betemit and Ethier for Rolen seems fair.  That doesn’t exactly resolve the Cards’ offensive woes, but they’d get a ton of salary relief and some cheap players.

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