For example, there's a story up at the Post-Dispatch site that the bullpen next year will be pretty similar to what it was this year. Being that Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller signed extensions at the end of last year and Dennys Reyes had a two-year deal to begin with, this isn't exactly the biggest of shockers.
I don't think anyone expects that Franklin will lose his closer job over the offseason, even with the terrible run he went on to close 2009. The general official opinion on that is that he got worn down with all the innings he had thrown, so you have to figure a few months' rest and he's good to go. I'm not necessarily sold on that--Franklin worried me while he was going well, though not as much as he had in the past--but I do think you have to give him a shot and see, especially after the extension.
Miller and Reyes will be the left-handed specialists again this year. That's what they do. I will say I'm still surprised Miller turned out to be the better deal than Reyes did. We'll see if that continues in 2010 or not.
The rest of the bullpen are young guys with enough experience and success not to have to worry about the Memphis shuttle, at least not for a while. Blake Hawksworth, Kyle McClellan and Mitchell Boggs might have a shot at the back of the starting rotation (though I expect Jaime Garcia will be written in there), but if not they'll be back in the 'pen. Jason Motte, who best be learning something offspeed this winter, will be back in the seventh-eighth inning mix.
The only thing that will be different is that, after so many years, the young face of Brad Thompson is not likely to be in Cardinal red. Thompson's done a lot for the team and I wish him well, but he's declined every year he's been in the majors. Maybe someone can use him regularly and get more production out of him, but the Cardinals won't be that team.
Tony LaRussa still hasn't said officially whether he is coming back or not, but very few people expect him to actually walk. I am surprised that it has taken this long, though. I wouldn't be surprised if the pull of staying home isn't starting to get to him, and that next year, if he comes back for another of his one-year deals, a more pleasing ending doesn't have him sailing off into the sunset.
Bernie Miklasz talks about Albert Pujols' recovery from elbow surgery and the thought that the Cards should try to give him more rest next season. Like he points out, though, the problem is AP wants to play. He has a similar motto as Cal Ripken--you have plenty of time for rest in the offseason. Still, another day off here and there might not be a bad thing, especially if he starts showing symptoms of more elbow problems in the pennant race next year.
Old friend Mark McGwire surfaced recently to talk about Mr. Pujols. Most notably, that he thinks AP could get $30 million per if he hits free agency. Well, at least that he's worth that. I don't think any of us will argue that Pujols is worth more than anyone in baseball. The issue is, whether the Cardinals will have to prove it. If they do, they probably won't, due to payroll restrictions. I think you'll see the team come to a below-market-value agreement with AP, but it may not be until the end of next season.
While Chris Carpenter wasn't able to pull down the Baseball Blogger Alliance's Cy Young award, he did get another cool honor, winning the Bullet Rogan Award from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as the top NL pitcher. Not sure if it is significant that both the AL and NL winners played in Missouri, where the museum is located.
Part of being in the BBA is to help out other bloggers in the organization. With that in mind, and because the prize is pretty darn cool, I want to suggest you check out SoDo Mojo. The Seattle blog is giving away a $100 certificate to sportsmemorabilia.com, so you'll want to get in on that!
Blogging will probably be somewhat sporadic for a while as news trickles out. Keep checking back!
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