 Tom Ackerman Says:
Acquire another starting pitcher. The Cardinals hope that Chris Carpenter will be fully recovered by April, but Carpenter has a complicated nerve issue. It's not known when, exactly, he'll be able to rejoin the rotation.
In the meantime, if the Cards aren't keen on picking up a high-dollar free agent, then I'd offer Rick Ankiel or Ryan Ludwick in a trade for some immediate starting pitching help.
The closer? His name is Chris Perez. Jason Motte eventually sets him up -- and serves as a closer down the road, perhaps. Save the money for starting pitching.
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 Kevin Wheeler Says:
The best thing the Cardinals could do would be to add a late inning reliever (Trevor Hoffman), a shortstop (Orlando Cabrera) and then see what bargains are available later in the offseason to add some starting pitching depth. As far as filling a need at second base, I wouldn't touch the free agent class. The good players are too expensive and the less expensive players are no better than what the Cardinals already have. I would attempt to add offense at second base by dangling Ryan Ludwick or Rick Ankiel as outfield is an area of depth. I would target the Angels (Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins, Sean Rodriguez, Brandon Wood) as a potential trade partner. They need offense in the outfield/designated hitter spots and they have a wealth of middle infield talent. Creativity is key for the Cards and the depth they have in the outfield, as well as the expected slow market for free agent outfielders not named Manny Ramirez, gives the team a number of ways they can go about achieving their goals in the offseason.
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 Ron Jacober
Says:
Spend some money? I've grown a little tired of hearing that this is a small market or mid market team and cannot compete with the big boys. True if you are talking Yankees, Red Sox and probably the Dodgers. They should be able to compete with everyone else. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Busch Stadium been sold out for almost every game the past several years? Every year, the Cardinals are in the upper echelon of teams in attendence. I thought one of the reasons for the new ballpark was to increase the revenue so they could be more agressive in the free agent market. So what should they do with that increased revenue? PITCHING. A stud starter and a stud closer. You can't win wihout them. They need more punch in the middle infield but there's not much out there on the free agent shelves. So, trade some of the outfield depth for the help. I'll defer to Kevin Wheeler on the talent available. But, Cardinal fans are waiting for them to DO something. But, don't hold your breath.
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