So, what changes do we need to make for next year?

[Radbird]

I like those ideas, PIR. It's early (a lot earlier than we expected) but that's a good start.

Is Glaus a FA or still under contract? If he's healthy, is he an option at 3rd? Can Figgins play somewhere else if he is (or if we resign DeRo)?

[stlouie_lipp]

Some early guesses:

Ankiel - gone. He'll sign, like Eduardo Perez and Craig Paquette before him, with a team that will install him as a fulltime starter, in hopes of having a good enough season to get that 5/100 deal he thought Boras thought he was gonna get him a year or two ago.

Pineiro - probably gone, unless he's willing to take, say, 3/25. If he wants Suppan money (4/40), he's gone.

Smoltz - probably will retire. The only way he comes back is if he is installed as our fourth starter next season and I don't think (as he demonstrated the last couple of weeks) he has anything left in the tank.

Glaus - gone.

Derosa - likely to be back. He'll sign a low-base deal for 2010 with a lot of incentives, with a kicker clause for 2011 at decent money ($8-10 million) if he stays healthy all year.

Holliday - he'll get his money, somewhere, on the basis of his good regular season stats - but he may have to play for some team that doesn't go to the postseason too often so nobody sees him as the gutless choker he turned out to be.

wow. based on three postseason games for the Cards you are calling him that?

How is he "gutless"?

[BW23]

As I said the other day, there will be plenty of people who over-react to Holliday's misplay in Game 2. Luckily there's many more fans that are knowledgeable.

That said, I'm not sure I want him back, but I had that feeling the day they traded for him, when he was on a hot tear and at the end of the season. I don't think he'll be worth the kind of contract he'll get.

[haltz]

wow. based on three postseason games for the Cards you are calling him that?

How is he "gutless"?

He missed a fly ball in the lights.

I wouldn't mind adding a little team speed, although I don't know where you'd insert it.

Team speed, for Chrissake, you get [expletive] god damn little fleas on the bases getting picked off trying to steal, getting thrown out, taking runs away from you. You get them big [expletive] who can hit the [expletive] ball out of the [expletive] ballpark and you can't make any god damn mistakes.

Sorry, the phrase "team speed" always make me think of Earl Weaver.

I'd really like to see a more dependable bullpen. McClellan and Franklin are decent, but not the type of shut-down arms that I feel confident with late in the game.

I agree, but bullpens are so fickle and the deals top relievers sign always seem like a bad idea. It seems to me like the best idea for a mid-payroll team is to just kind of roll the dice every year and hope the farm can churn out some decent arms. It'd be nice if they were a little quicker pulling the trigger on guys like Boggs and Ottavino. Just put them in the pen.

I don't think there's a whole lot to do. Figure out left field - maybe not Holliday since Modene says he'll be all but banished to the Mexican League after his error, and pick up a starter. Looks like they are going to pretty much pencil in Garcia. Not a huge fan of that but whatever.

This is a pretty solid club. Just get backl to the tournament and take your chances again next year.

[Cheddar Tom]

iron balls mcginty is hilarious.

i'd shuffle the chairs in the bullpen...set up a full-time platoon with skrappy and lugo...bring back derosa...bring up craig and freese permanently...teach ludwick to hit fastballs again...teach the team how to take pitches...there's nothing major that needs to be done.

[PaintItRed]

I like those ideas, PIR. It's early (a lot earlier than we expected) but that's a good start.

Is Glaus a FA or still under contract? If he's healthy, is he an option at 3rd? Can Figgins play somewhere else if he is (or if we resign DeRo)?

Glaus is a FA. I believe you would get Glaus for major league minimum but IMO this guy is done. All those steroids really tore him up and he's getting really old. I guess if he's free why not spring training but I think if we bring in Figgins we let DeRo walk. We still have Lugo, Schumaker, and Ryan.

[MrSaigon]

In general (several Holliday posts aside) this board seems to be a lot more rational than myself, because I would say 'Care about baseball after August' in all caps with several exclamation points. It's as though this team had some existential crisis in late August and asked themselves, 'It's just baseball, who cares?' The answer of course is me, I care.

[Richie Allen]

No interest in hearing Glaus' name again.

Would make a decent effort to ink DeRosa.

I'd give Smoltz a shot, if he's interested. Don't see why he couldn't close or setup (if willing), if it's obvious his stamina is fading.

Pineiro, let him walk if he's going to get paid what he "deserves" after this year. Give young arms or Smoltz a shot at the rotation.

Gotta make Holliday number one priority. The game two loss is entirely his fault but that will effect nothing, and it shouldn't. Without signing him, IMO, we've pretty much spun our wheels attempting to rebuild since fall of 06.

I think we need to put a little more thought into constructing our bullpen. Not necessarily guys 4 through 7 or 8 but the top 3. I'm not for spending multiple millions for a single closer but perhaps we could pry a couple guys away from these teams that have 7th, 8th and 9th inning guys that can all throw 97. How much are we spending on these Loogys? Ditch that and get some guys that can pitch an entire inning. I'd like to experience the feeling that if you get to the 7th, the game is pretty much ours. Maybe we've got those guys in Motte and other minor leaguers, I don't know.

Let Tony, if he's here, go out and get some new utility guys. Spend a million or two on a guy if it can get us someone that doesn't make us cringe every time he's in the game.

Oh, and Ankiel has probably worn out his welcome here. I think in 09 we've seen the headcase we all feared rear its head. Yeah, some of you will contend he was never any good and it was just a matter of time before he was figured out but he was nowhere near as over-matched in previous seasons as he was this year. Can't reasonably expect he'll just turn it back around, however. See ya, Rick.

[Kasko]

I don't at all blame him for the loss, but I think I'm just ready for La Russa to go.

Agreed (I do blame him for Game 2)
A lineup that can manufacture more runs.

[thrill]

Resign Pinata for Lohse cash, instead of Holliday, give me Figgins and Abreu. After that, make some minor roster moves and I'm good.