The season is over and let the bidding begin

[Valascus]

I didn't say it was a good deal...I just said I agreed that Zito and the Mets were a good match.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

my mistake!  I m not jumpin on you , sorry if i came on too strong Val. I really dont see them as a good fit we need 45 games one guy no matter what can win 45 games. If Glavine goes back to Atlanta and Pedro gets an upset stomach and El Duque books we need 45 games. Zito wants too much fior too little We need 3 quality starters and they will not have enough to get the other 30 wins ( and thats providing Zito can even win 15) if the match the money being floated now.

[RiskKid.]

Andy could be back in pinstripes (see below link).....I like this more than anything else out there free agent wise......I'm glad we're staying quiet for now, we really don't need to do much. With the pitchers we have, plus maybe Igawa and Pettite and the young guns waiting in the wings we are in pretty good shape. I hope we keep Bernie this year, he really proved he was a player and a true Yankee last year.

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061205&content_id=1751436&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy

[senile1]

I can't believe Boston is giving J.D. Drew 70 million for 5 years, 14 million a year.  That's utterly ludicrous.  If my memory serves me well, Pujols received 100 million for 7 years in 2004, 14.285 million a year.  I think they're all overpaid for playing a game, but Drew definitely hit the undeserved jackpot.  'Nuf said.  

[Valascus]

No, No Muddy, you didn't come on too strong. I will disagree with you on Zito being a good fit in New York though. He is a very durable dude and will give the Mets a chance to win everytime he goes out there. I can give you a couple of good reasons he will win more than 15 games if he becomes a Met. 1) He will be moving from the American League, which is much tougher on pitchers, to the National League, which is easier on 'em. 2) The Mets are going to produce a lot of run support for him giving him a larger margin for error than he has EVER had in Oakland. 3)As mentioned in the column, Shea is great park for helping keep righty power hitters at bay. This will help Zito tremendously leading to less longballs and a drop in his already respectable ERA.

The fact of the matter is, if any team wants to improve their pitching via free agency, it's just gonna be expensive...no matter who the players agent is (though I will say Boras is a scumbag). If the Mets want to keep a certain level of talent in their rotation, then it's gonna cost 'em. If you look at all the Mets options for starters via free agency (very few good options) or trade (even fewer good options, if any available), Zito is their best bet. Now...the money situation. Consider this, Glavine will be leaving this offseason. That is money that the Mets will not have to pay giving them the room to sign Zito. Now lets consider Zito's track record.

Career Totals: 102W and 63L, giving him a career wining percentage of .618. He has never pitched less than 200 innings (except his rookie year) and has NEVER been on the DL despite his high innings pitched. He has a career ERA of 3.55 in the AL, and that number will very likely drop while pitching in the NL in Shea's confines. He has a decent, not great, but decent walk(560 career walks) to strike out(1096 strike outs) ratio (about 2 strikeouts per walk), but that is expected with his style of pitching. He is not overpowering, but when his command is on he has some of the best breakin' stuff in the biz. Last year he was 16-10 with a team that is far less offensively than the Mets. Expect that number to bump up a win or two.

Considering what is available on the market I would pay the money for it. Better than paying a bunch of money for unknown quantities such as Mark Mulder, or overpaying money to "decent" pitchers such as Ted Lilly, Gil Meche, or Jeff Suppan.

[Valascus]

I totally agree on J.D. Drew. That dude is a schmuck. He is a big sissy when it comes to injuries. "Ow, ow, I stubbed my toe...better sit this one out and collect a huge sum of money for not playing." J.D Drew just proves how inflated the baseball market is for offense (it's also rediculous for pitching). If Drew is making Pujols money now...imagine what Pujols will make when his contract is up   :o !!. Drew is making that kind of money despite his many stints on the DL, despite only posting one year with more than 30 dingers and one year with over 100 RBI (and they weren't even the same years), and despite being a poor leader and team mate in the clubhouse. It has also been said that Drew can't handle the big market scrutiny he will get in Boston. I will say LA is a big market...but nothing compared to Boston. Just another example of how Boston overpays to come in second every year, great job Theo!

On another note Boston signed Julio Lugo to a 4 year $36 mil contract. This makes much more sense for Boston considering the loss of Alex Cora. Lugo plays a pretty nifty defense, gets on base, and puts up good offensive numbers by shortstop (which is where Boston will deploy him) standards. He will help an already potent Boston offense. They did overpay for him too, but I think he makes much more sense than Drew does.

[Daniel My Brother]

Here's my problem with J.D. Drew: In 2004 the Cardinals were losing to the hated cubs in the 9th inning of a regular season game. Edgar Renterria came to bat for the Cards and hit a walk off grand slam to win it for St. Louis.

As you can imagine, the fans were going wild and the players sprinted out of the dugout to celebrate with Edgar at home plate! Except for Drew, he was the last guy out of the dugout and he looked like he was walking to his own funeral. If beating the Cubs with a GS in the 9th doesn't get you excited about baseball, then why are you even playing?!

JD is very talented but the Tin Man has more heart than this guy. Good luck Boston.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Val thats the whole point in 2 years shea will be dust and Ebbets Field II ( they broke ground in parking Lots J throuh M) will be the new park And the conmfiguration has a shorter right field porch and such.

  I have to trust Minya is smarter than Phillips, Phillips weak point was buying Free Agents with great histories that turned out to be just that HISTORY I dont think he ever heard of the lets give him a Physical Idea.

Our infield is recently signed and its a great infield we need some ground ball pitchers I dont know how this is gonna play out If the Majors would drop two franchises the pitching would go back to being a whole lot better, but our commish is in the business of selling home runs it seems. If they would have left the mound the way it was ( Gibson and Kofax ) we would see pitchers and great duels again. This will not happen so the pickins are slim and every year the MLB average and run production keep goin up

[nboucher]

Okay, time for the lifelong Red Sox fan to come out and play.

I absolutely agree that the Drew contract is an obscene amount of money and a huge risk for Boston. I wonder whether Drew really appreciates what he's getting himself into. The pressure will be huge, and the fans will be on him. This is a town of the Schilling bloody sock, after all, and a fan base that has always valued gamers and dirt dogs above all, which is one reason I don't understand why the Red Sox favor Drew over Nixon. I heard Jerry Remy talk about this deal this morning, and he basically said that the only way this will work is if Drew responds to Boston the way Fred Lynn did. Remy is convinced that if Lynn, a very laid-back guy, had stayed in Boston his whole career, he'd be in the HoF. The pressure lit a fire under the guy that faded when he went to a less intense team. Anyway you look at it, the gamble is huge.

I also agree that the Lugo deal was a no-brainer.

Now about the good old days and today's spending: of course the good old days were better. Star players spent virtually their whole careers on one team, anybody could afford to go to games, etc. (I won't remind you all of baseball's reluctance to accept black players, as Boston was the worst offender on that one.) But to paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, those days are gone, boys, and they ain't coming back. Revenue sharing has helped some, but it obviously hasn't stopped salaries from spiraling. My beef is with individual owners. Yes, you can mock Epstein for paying so much for a second-place team (third in '06), but I'd much rather see my owner spending my money than be supporting a franchise that is doing just fine financially but is not rolling the dollars back into creating a better team on the field. Some owners are pocketing the profits, period, and that's bad ownership. I know that I'm supposed to hate the Yankees and Steinbrenner, but I confess I've always admired his attitude that if you want the best you've got to be willing to pay for it. The Red Sox can never again claim that the Yankees will be able to outspend them, because they've proven they are willing to spend all kinds of money, even when it's not sure money, to try to win. Steinbrenner and Cashman may still beat them at that game, but I admire Eptstein and his owners for getting in there and playing it. That's the reality of today's baseball and whining about the good old days, imho, is a bore.

And, yes, the Mets should sign Zito. The guy's the opposite of Drew: he's never hurt, he's an innings machine, and he has the arm and the brain to win every game he starts.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

OK Norm and Val I came up with a soulution The Mets sign Zito to a Boras ball and chain contract We are only resposible for a million and year and the Cards and Sox pay the rest

[Valascus]

Sorry Muddy...it looks like the Cards are ponying up some dough for Jason Schmidt. I don't think we will have the money to help the Mets pay for Zito.  

Apparently the Cardinals are among the final three teams that are under "very strong" consideration for Jason Schmidt. The other two teams are the Dodgers and Mariners. I can't see the Mariners being able to get him, so I believe our only steep competiton, and it'll be steep, will be the Dodgers. They just ended up with some cash they didn't think they were gonna have when Drew and Lugo got signed by the Sox.

Could you fellow Cards fans imagine a 1-2 punch of Carp and Schmidt? They are saying our rotation could look like this: 1. Carp, 2. Schmidt, 3. Kip Wells, 4. Reyes, 5. Wainwright, Looper, Miguel Bautista, Mark Mulder, Jason Suppan. It appears to be some combination fo those pitchers if they land Schmidt. That would be a pretty good rotation. Definately stronger than the one we had last year. On top of that the signing of Kennedy makes the team stronger offensively. I daresay that the Cardinals could indeed be a stronger team than they were last year. Hopefully Walt can make it all happen.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I was keeping quite about Schmidty THATS WHO I WAS HOPING MINYA WAS MOVIN ON!!!!!!!

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Oh no the FAN is reportiung Zito may be heading for the Mets I hope all you guys and Minya are right! Its not a done deal but what i expected Boras puts the carrot to another team, bids him up then goes to the actual targeting team to up the anty!

Also as RUMORS GO; The Dodgers are trying to get Ramirez away from Boston?????????? And The Fish are bveing approached by both NY Teams for a Dontrell Trade, but they don't seem to be interested,

[Valascus]

Wow...so nevermind about Schmidt. The Dodgers have landed him.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6242312

The Dodgers simply outbid us. They offered him 3 years $47 mil. I think we offerd him 3 years $35 mil. Oh well...it sounded good but I figured that would happen. The Cards very rarely make much of a splash on the free agent market. But...that does help set the market for pitching.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

The Dodgers need a new front office, they have for several years now

[Valascus]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6244784

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Oh my God...I hope that doesn't happen. Ever...We don't need him here. That would be the most horrific thing to happen here EVER. It didn't sound like it was going to happen...but the fact that Walt even thought about it disturbs me.

[K_Mac]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6244784

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Oh my God...I hope that doesn't happen. Ever...We don't need him here. That would be the most horrific thing to happen here EVER. It didn't sound like it was going to happen...but the fact that Walt even thought about it disturbs me.

Bonds at any price would be mess. The last thing we need on a championship club is a prima donna worried more about his numbers than the good of the team. His effect in the clubhouse...please say it aint so.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I hope he winds up as a DH in Seattle it as close to Canada as we can get him!

Sorry Glenn , nothing personal ;D ;D

[Valascus]

Could you imagine Bonds breaking the HR record in Busch? Ugh...what a horrid idea. I wonder if the Club would honor his "achievement" by putting his name somewhere in the stadium and his home run total or something of that nature like they did with McGwire? God I seriously hope none of that ever happens. I don't want the Cards to be connected with Bonds in any way, shape, or form. They would forever be the club remembered for signing him to the year that allowed him to break the record. I hope he doesn't get signed at all. But that is probably wishful thinking.

[senile1]

I would lose some respect for my Cardinals if they picked up Bonds.  I'm with you, Valascus.  There are no circumstances that justify the Cardinals picking up Bonds.  Truthfully, my team would have to be in the cellar to even consider him.  And even then, I don't think my principles would allow me to take him.

[bassmasta7]

NO WAY!!! If the Cards sign Bonds I would completely disown the team. Since I live in ATL, I guess I could be come a Braves fan. :-[ I highly doubt the Cards will sign Bonds, but the idea makes me sick. I cant wait to tell my dad that. He has hated Bonds since before he took steriods, back when he was just an a** hole.

Man I was really hoping to get Schmidt. He is great and would be even better in STL. He is the opposite of Bonds, he is a good fit in STL. I hope the Cards make a run at Zito. Muddy, dont worry, you will get him, and he is great. He is everything Val said he was not to mention he has already won a Cy Young. I think he won it when he was only like 23 in 2002.

nboucher, you are right about the some owners not spending any money. For example, the Royals. The Royals are horrible and havent spent any money in forever. It's not like their owners cant afford it. Afterall the owners own one of the biggest stores in the world, Walmart. And the few Royal fans just keep on supporting their team even though the owners arent. They are just pocketing the money and using the team as an investment and a business to make money. The Yankees make the most money from their franchise, then George Steinbreiner puts the money back into the team because he wants to win.

If the Cards are lookin to fill in that spot in left, I would look no further than one of the fastest players in the league, Carl Crawford. He would be a perfect fit. They could trade Duncan and maybe some prospects to Tampa Bay and that would be a pretty impressive package. I havent heard the Cards name in these talks but I would not be surprised if Walt tried to make it happen.

[Valascus]

The Crawford idea would be great...except that the D-rays want premium young pitching in return, which we just don't have to give up. Crawford is still a developing player, but he is a bonafide 5 tool player. He will have a big big future in the bigs as long as he doesn't screw it up by doing anything stupid. I don't think he is the fastest player in the bigs...I think that title goes to Jose Reyes. That dude just flat out has wheels...one of the most dangerous players in the game. If anyone get's traded from the D-Rays it will be Rocco Baldelli. Not as nice as Crawford but a decent player nonetheless. I would pass on him though. Baldelli will end up a lead off hitter for someone.

I don't know what the Cardinals could do in the trade market. There is not a lot out there at the moment...and the stuff that is ut their has a steep asking price. If the Cards traded for any position I think it would have to be a pitcher. The team that has the most trade possibilities in the starting pitching dept. is the Chicago White Sox. They have a surplus of starters and have been shopping Javier Vazquez, Mark Buerhle, Jose Contreras, and Freddy Garcia. I think it would be great if the Cards could find a way to make a trade for Mark Buerhle work. He is a St. Charles native and has expressed interest in pitching in Saint Louis in the past numerous times. I am not sure what the Sox are looking for in return though and knowing our luck it would be something we don't have to give up or can't afford to.

As far as whisperings I have heard about the free agent market, the Cards have shown interest in Octavio Dotel, Mark Mulder, Luis Gonzalez, Dan Kolb, and Jeff Suppan. If they land any folks from that bunch I hope it is Dotel and Gonzalez. I would like to possibly see Suppan back, but I think it will cost us too much. I am not impressed with Kolb and Mulder will not pitch until mid season, and who knows how well he will pitch. I got got pretty tired pretty quick of watching Mulder get lit up game after game for anywhere between 6 to 8 runs.

As far as Bonds goes, I am kinda thinking he is doing a lot of posturing to try to get the Giants to resign him. I think in all reality the Giants are the only team that could get away with signing him. Hopefully that's all it is. I hope we land Gonzo so it takes Bonds completely out of any equation, no matter how unlikely, for the Cardinals.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Val Dotel is a great pitcher, one of the worst moves in Mets history was Dotel for Hammond. Hes a gritty pitcher with lots of good stuff left, I wish we could get him back.

[RiskKid.]

I hope the Red Sox sign Bonds....  

Whoops....sorry Norm, couldn't help myself!

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Actually Karl I think That A Bonds monument would be fitting next to the Bambino Monument out thier in DA BRONX