St. Louis Cardinals Keep Banging the Drum

Daniel ShoptawFeb 5, 2009

He's probably been the most talked-about free agent in Cardinal Nation this year. So, when in doubt on a blog entry, go back to the well.

What spurred this on was the note that it looks like the Rangers aren't going to sign Ben Sheets. I had honestly thought that Sheets was going to wind up down in Arlington. I'm not sure how well he'd have done, but I thought that was where he'd be in 2009.

So with the Rangers out of the running, apparently, where does that leave Sheets? The Yankees aren't likely to go after him with all their post-season acquisitions. Their rotation is pretty full at the moment.

The Mets don't seem to be interested, though they probably could use him. Even after signing Oliver Perez, they still have a bit of a gap in the rotation.

The Cubs have made their big signings and still want to leave room in case the Jake Peavy trade restarts.

The Brewers weren't offering a multi-year deal, which was a sticking point in the negotiations earlier in the winter.

It seems like the market is shrinking fast for Mr. Sheets. That's a market the Cardinals need to be in, if only to keep their options open.

I know, there was a lot of talk yesterday about Ken Rosenthal's report that the Cards are telling people they are out of money. I figure that's true, at least to a certain extent. They probably are done handing out contracts to average players, figuring they've got just as good in their system.

But this organization has always been good about finding money to put the team over the top. I find it a little hard to believe that there isn't a reserve for a impact player in their price range. Sheets would be that person.

A two-year contract for $8 million a year would seem to be fairly reasonable. If you trade Rick Ankiel or Ryan Ludwick for a top minor league prospect or a league-minimum player, you could save $4 million of the deal right there.

I'm sure there are some questions in the medical report. Frankly, that's the only way that Sheets isn't signed right now, bad economy or no. But sometimes you've got to take the chances that come your way and this would seem to be one of those times.