Cards looking at Fuentes

[CrazyEights]

The more I think about it, the more I don't want Fuentes. I really hope somebody else signs him before the Cardinals make a huge mistake. Perez is going to be our closer, so why not let him close now when we need him. We have much more pressing needs than a closer. Our Starting pitching is a much bigger need. I would love to have Carpenter back healthy this year, but there is no guarantee that he will be. We thought that he would be back for the second half of last season and he wasn't. If Carpenter isn't healthy then we only have 3 starting pitchers. Adam Wainwright is a top of the rotation pitcher. Kyle Lohse is an average to above average pitcher at best. Todd Wellemeyer is an average to below average pitcher at best. So, if Carpenter isn't healthy... we have 1 good pitcher and a couple of bottom of the rotation pitchers. We need 2 more Starting pitchers, and those don't come cheap. We can spend $11Mil of the $10-$15 Mil left to spend, but that leaves very little left if any for a starting pitcher, let alone 2 of them. Sure, it would be nice to have Fuentes, but we can't afford him. It doesn't really matter if you have a good closer, if you can't get past the first eight. We could try trading an outfielder or two for a couple of starting pitchers, but there aren't very many teams willing to trade good starting pitchers. We need a couple of above average pitchers for the rotation. I wouldn't mind having Looper back, but we can't afford him if we sign Fuentes. Just say no to Fuentes.

[love_that_reefer]

Its still way too premature to say for certain Perez will be the closer. And I can't believe you honestly said "It doesn't really matter if you have a good closer, if you can't get past the first eight". How did we not learn anything from the '08 season.

[CrazyEights]

Its still way too premature to say for certain Perez will be the closer. And I can't believe you honestly said "It doesn't really matter if you have a good closer, if you can't get past the first eight". How did we not learn anything from the '08 season.

In 08, we had a pretty good rotation. Most of our pitchers had career years. We aren't even getting all of them back this season. We have a rotation of 3 pitchers, one of them is a top of the rotation guy (Wainwright), and even Wainwright has had injury problems. I have no problem signing a guy like Hoffman for a stop gap solution to help Perez and Motte get some more experience. I think they could learn a lot from a vet like Hoffman as well. The problem with signing Fuentes is that it would be for 3 years. It won't take Perez 3 years to be ready to be the closer. Ideally, I'd like to see the Cards sign Hoffman for a year. I'd rather just let Perez and Motte fight it out for the closer role in 09 than heavily overpay Fuentes. Fuentes isn't even an elite closer. He isn't orth a 3 year deal for $11Mil a year. We need to spend that money on starters, because we only have 3 starters. So yeah, if we can't get a couple of good starters, then we wouldn't have a chance to use Fuentes even if we did sign him.

I would love to have a great closer, but Fuentes isn't that good. Heck, I would rather sign KRod for $15Mil than Fuentes for $10Mil.

[love_that_reefer]

Motte and Perez fighting for the closer role shows that the Cards are not in it to win it next season. Still way too premature to say these guys can be ML closers. Fuentes has 23 blown saves in his career, the Cards had 31 last year. Fuentes is THAT good and a 3 year deal is NOT that long.

[CrazyEights]

Going into the 2009 season without any major additions to the rotation shows hat the Cardinals aren't in it ot win it in 2009 even if they do sign Fuentes. The Cardinals need to add a couple of arms to the rotation. Perez will be a good closer in a couple of years, and we don't need him to be blocked by a guy like Fuentes. Of course Fuentez was a lot better than the 2008 Cards bullpen, heck who wasn't better? Like I said, I'd love to have Fuentes wearing the birds on a bat next season, but not for $33Mil.

[love_that_reefer]

Perez COULD be a good closer in a few years. He also might be better suited as a setup man. Throwing him out to the wolves could hurt more than it could help. Why not let him setup for a few seasons? Its not going to block anything. Rotation wasn't the problem last year, the bullpen was. Its better to have a sure thing than a question mark.

[CrazyEights]

Rotation wasn't the problem last year, the bullpen was. Its better to have a sure thing than a question mark.

The problem is that we don't even have the same roation that we had last year. We only have 3 starters, and possibly Carpenter.

[love_that_reefer]

Problem is the Cards have the same bullpen. Cards can find pitchers to round out the rotation.

[CrazyEights]

Problem is the Cards have the same bullpen. Cards can find pitchers to round out the rotation.

Yeah, they can find a couple of #4 and #5 starters. So they will have 1 top of the line starter, and 4 bottom of the line starters. I'm not counting Carpenter, because it's anybodys guess if he even pitches next year. Like I said before, it won't matter who our closer is if we don't have a good rotation.

[love_that_reefer]

And it won't matter if you have a good rotation without a closer, as we all saw last year. Perez blew four games in eleven chances. Cards can still make moves to get starters.

[CrazyEights]

And it won't matter if you have a good rotation without a closer, as we all saw last year. Perez blew four games in eleven chances. Cards can still make moves to get starters.

It would probably be easier to find a closer than a couple of starters. Perez was a rookie last year. He will get better. Ideally, he could use a couple of years before being the closer, but we may not have a choice. Fuentes isn't worth $3#Mil for 3 years.

[CrazyEights]

GM John Mozeliak is getting impatient with Brian Fuentes' agents, who are waiting for the market to develop. They might be waiting for the Angels to jump in, but that won't happen until the Mark Teixeira situation is resolved. Strauss says the Cardinals have offered two years and $16-18MM, and the ball is in Fuentes' court. Fuentes, of course, wants three years and more than $30MM. The Cardinals are reluctant to give him the third year.

Strauss says the Cards "may investigate the availability" of Takashi Saito, though the Dodgers hope to re-sign him. Strauss also learned that Mozeliak met with the agents for Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara at the Winter Meetings.

$8-9 Mil per year for 2 years is more reasonable. I wouldn't have a problem with signing Fuentes at that price.

[love_that_reefer]

It would probably be easier to find a closer than a couple of starters. Perez was a rookie last year. He will get better. Ideally, he could use a couple of years before being the closer, but we may not have a choice. Fuentes isn't worth $3#Mil for 3 years.

Yeah, its easy to find a closer. Finding a good closer is a different story.

[CrazyEights]

Yeah, its easy to find a closer. Finding a good closer is a different story.

We can go around and around on this all day. A good closer is very important, no doubt about it, but so is having a solid rotation. If I have a choice between 2 good starting pitchers (which we need) or a good closer, then i will pick the 2 good starters.

[CrazyEights]

If we can get Fuentes for 8 or 9 Mil per year for 2 years, then go after him. We might still have enough to get a good starter. I doubt Fuentes will sign for that though. He wants at least $11Mil per year for 3 years. I don't want anything to do with him at that cost.