Cards make offer to Morris since they lost out on Burnett

[Providence A's]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...2?OpenDocument

DALLAS

The Cardinals' commitment to preserving the integrity of their starting rotation has brought them to a familiar face as the club is prepared to make a three-year offer to free-agent righthander Matt Morris.

Morris, who has 101 wins in nine major league seasons spent entirely with the Redbirds, has emerged as the pitcher of the moment as several teams, including the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers, scramble for quality within a thin pitching crop.

General manager Walt Jocketty confirmed heightened interest in Morris on Wednesday after free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett chose the Toronto Blue Jays' five-year, $55 million bid over the Cardinals' four-year bid worth about $40 million. A proposed trade for Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Javier Vasquez unraveled Wednesday as well when the Diamondbacks refused to assume any portion of Vasquez's beefy contract.Advertisement

"I think we planned all along to improve the pitching if we can," Jocketty said Thursday. "Burnett was the top guy. We worked on a couple trades, and we didn't make an offer during dealing with Burnett because we hoped he might accept what we were proposing. I thought it was a long shot, but there was a brief time when I thought we might have a chance. Our interest in maintaining a strong rotation brings us to Matt."

The Giants have offered Morris a two-year deal worth at least $16 million, according to a source. However, general manager Brian Sabean spent Thursday restructuring the deal to accommodate a demand for a third year.

Morris' agent, Barry Axelrod, described talks as "complicated" but suggested that a deal would be reached before next week. A pack of seven teams has undergone a "weeding down process," according to Axelrod, as the Cardinals, Giants, Rangers and Seattle Mariners are believed to be finalists for the 31-year-old Morris.

"We'll probably be in and out of the Morris situation in a short period of time," Sabean predicted Thursday. He defined his estimate as "in a perfect world, 48 hours."

The Cardinals added a pitcher to their 40-man roster Thursday when they selected Chicago Cubs righthanded prospect Juan Mateo in the Rule 5 draft. Mateo, who pitched in Class A last season, is assured a spot on the team's major league staff next season or else must be offered back to the Cubs for $25,000. Mateo, who has started and pitched out of the bullpen, is rated a power arm. His presence commits the Cardinals to a 12-man staff should he stick in long relief.

Morris was the only Cardinals free agent to receive an offer of arbitration before Wednesday night's deadline. Technically, he could accept, be considered a signed player and exchange bids with the club next month. That is unlikely.

Morris earned $6.25 million last season, but more than half came from achieving appearance incentives after he had offseason shoulder surgery. He pitched 192 2/3 innings in the regular season before making two postseason starts - one of them the Cardinals' Game 3 clincher over the San Diego Padres in the Division Series. His 14-10 record included a 10-1 start through July 4. After going 10-2 with a 3.10 ERA before the break, he faded to 4-8 with a 5.32 ERA afterward.

Morris began the season by winning his first eight decisions. While denying the toll exacted by a significant load of innings after surgery, he finished with five consecutive losses, four in consecutive starts.

Jocketty said at this week's winter meetings that he hoped Morris might extend a "home team discount" to the Cardinals. He reiterated the stance Thursday, saying, "I hope Matt would sign for less here than somewhere else. He may not. But we'd like to have him back."

That desire may be sorely tested by the Giants, who refused salary arbitration to free agent Brett Tomko in anticipation of signing Morris. "He's the focus, and you can speculate on what kind of effort that will take," Sabean said.

The Cardinals have committed more than $63 million to eight players next season. The figure does not include a projected raise to about $5 million for pitcher Jason Marquis in arbitration. Marquis has been made available in trade discussions and could be moved for an "impact" outfielder should Morris return. Should Texas fall short on Morris, the Rangers are believed to be ready to make outfielder Kevin Mench available for pitching.

With a projected payroll of about $92 million for 2006, the club is still looking for an everyday second baseman, possibly another starting outfielder and a raft of relievers with less than $20 million. A three-year, $24 million bid for a starting pitcher would cut the remainder to $12 million.

Whatever moves occur won't include reliever Julian Tavarez, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek or left fielder Reggie Sanders, as none was offered arbitration by the club, which sacrificed compensatory draft picks and negotiating rights with the three until May 1. Sanders, in search of a two-year deal, probably will land with an American League team after rejecting the Cardinals' last-minute one-year offer Thursday.

Any offer to Morris probably will be backloaded to allow greater financial flexibility as the Cardinals move into new Busch Stadium next April.

Jocketty and the team's traveling party left their hotel Thursday after acquiring five players while giving up lefthanded reliever Ray King. Shortly after the arbitration deadline, the Cardinals acquired outfielder Larry Bigbie and infielder Aaron Miles from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for King. Both players are 28.

Jocketty projected the switch-hitting Miles as part of a spring competition for what may become a time share at second base. Bigbie, who missed much of last season's second half with a strained Achilles' tendon, was immediately rated a starter.

"He was somebody we tried to acquire at the trade deadline," Jocketty said. "Right now, I see him as a starter for us. He's still a young player who we believe has high upside."

Bigbie has previously played center field and in 2004 hit 15 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles, who made him the 21st player selected in the 1999 amateur draft. On Thursday, manager Tony La Russa also described So Taguchi as a starting outfielder given the team's current alignment.

Miles is considered below average defensively but is adept at reaching base. The Cardinals signed free agent Deivi Cruz ($850,000) and return Hector Luna to the middle infield mix along with starting shortstop David Eckstein.

The Cardinals received several feelers about King, but the Rockies persisted after expressing interest last month. Speculation about a deal had reached King in Arizona. When Jocketty phoned with the news late Thursday, King correctly guessed what had happened.

"For personal reasons, I was happy going anywhere west," King said. "It's a chance to be closer to home. My goal now is to get 10 quality years in the game for whatever team I'm on."

Might as well try to resign him...not much else out there

[Providence A's]

And he won't be back:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...B?OpenDocument

Righthander Matt Morris, the Cardinals' first No. 1 draft pick in the 11-season tenure of general manger Walt Jocketty, told the Post-Dispatch Saturday night that he would not be returning for his 10th season with the club.

Morris, drafted in 1995 and the winner of 101 games for the Cardinals, said he hadn't decided with whom he would sign as a free agent. He said he had narrowed the field to two teams, one of which is believed to be the San Francisco Giants. Multiple sources said Saturday night that the Giants appeared the clear frontrunners. In San Francisco, Morris would be rejoining former St. Louis teammates Mike Matheny, Steve Kline, Mark Sweeney and Jeff Fassero.

Speaking from his home in Jupiter, Fla., all Morris would say for the record on his choice was: "Not the Cardinals. I eliminated them today."

While Morris is moving out, veteran lefthanded reliever Ricardo Rincon apparently is moving in. A baseball source said the Cardinals are expected to announce the signing of the 35-year-old Rincon in the next day or so. Rincon, who has been with Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Oakland, appeared in 67 games for the Athletics last year, allowing just 10 of 46 inherited runners to score.

Rincon has made 552 appearances in his career, all in relief, and has pitched in 64, 67 and 67 games the past three seasons. He was 1-1 with a 4.34 earned-run average last season.

Morris was offered a two-year deal, plus a club option, that would have paid him roughly $6.5 million a year - what staff ace and Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter is receiving. The Giants and Texas Rangers are both believed to be offering three-year deals in the area of $8 million a year. But Texas general manager Jon Daniels told writers Saturday night that the Rangers are not in the running.

Morris acknowledged that the difference in the offers "certainly was a big consideration" and that he had figured he wasn't the Cardinals' first choice when he heard how fervently (four years, nearly $40 million) they had pursued free-agent righthander A.J. Burnett.

"When I saw them going after A.J. that hard, we (he and agent Barry Axelson) got it in our mind that I wasn't going to be in their plans at the time, and we started exploring some other options," the 31-year-old Morris said. "Then I woke up on Dec. 8 and saw they had offered me arbitration. But I don't think they were serious about signing me.

"My whole career has been there, and it's been a blast with the fans and all that's happened there. But as time went on, it's been a little easier to see which path I was going to take, and now we'll see which exact path I'm going to be on."

Morris, 14-10 with a 4.11 ERA last season, said he expected to make his decision in the next 48 hours.

On Saturday night, Jocketty said: "We were told where it was going - that it was going to be three years, possibly. That was just beyond where we felt comfortable going, and we told them that unless there was a change of heart, we would probably be parting ways.

"I remember his first year when he came (1997), we flew out of spring training to Houston and he came up to my room and signed his first major league contract. Then I negotiated a contract (three years for $27 million) with him a few years ago. I've always been very close to him and his dad. They're great people."

Morris chose his words carefully in his exit speech.

"It's hard to let go," he said. "I think St. Louis (with its offer) made the decision a little easier, but I appreciated what Walt and ownership did. They treated me like gold from day one. It will be sad to move on.

"It's been a great run, from the day I was drafted. I would have loved to have been in the new stadium. ... I'm going to miss playing there."