My day went well...

But then I read this:

Fresh from winning his second NL MVP award, Albert Pujols is eyeing the future. As in, will St. Louis still be the right fit for him?

The Cardinals star said the team's commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs when his contract expires in two years.

It's not about the money all the time," the first baseman said Sunday in Jupiter, Fla. "It's about being in a place to win and being in a position to win.

"If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team [on the field] every year like they have, I'm going to try to work everything out to stay in this town. But if they're not bringing championship-caliber play every year, then it's time for me to go somewhere else that I can win."

Pujols arrived in camp Sunday and spent time in the batting cage. He's signed to a seven-year, $100 million deal, and hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs last season.

The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, but have missed the playoffs the last two years. They were 86-76 last season, fourth in the NL Central. Their biggest offseason moves were trading for shortstop Khalil Greene and signing reliever Trever Miller.

Pujols had surgery on his right elbow to fix a nerve problem in November and is unsure how it will react to the everyday workload of spring training.

Manager Tony La Russa said the Cardinals will be "very careful in the progression with his drills and swinging and off-field work."

Pujols is uncertain if he will play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic because of the surgery and insurance issues. He was a member of the team in 2006.

"I've already done it once," he said. "I need to make sure everything goes the right way."

The Cardinals better get their act together because El Hombre is a Cardinal for life!

Cards release Adam Kennedy

Post Dispatch:

The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa, represents a 180-degree shift from the position staked out by the club in December after failing to find a trade partner for the veteran second baseman.

The Cardinals assume Kennedy’s $4 million salary for the upcoming season; Kennedy becomes a free agent.

Monday’s move creates an open competition for the position, barring a trade or free agent signing. Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Tyler Greene, Joe Thurston, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Skip Schumaker are considered the front-runners should the club promote from within. Ryan leads the group with 377 major-league at-bats in parts of two seasons with the Cardinals.

It's been a month...

There is not much going on as far as the offseason is concerned.

We have three outfield positions and five guys are trying to get a starting spot on the roster for those three spots.

The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield is so crowded some players are surprised they're still around.

Rick Ankiel was a big draw at the team's Winter Warmup on Sunday with his autograph going for $60, twice as much as the going rate for manager Tony La Russa. But it's been an uncertain offseason for the former pitcher who hit 25 homers in his first year as the starting center fielder, seeing his name mentioned as trade bait for a starting pitcher.

"Are they rumors or are they not?" Ankiel said. "I mean, who knows? I heard I was getting traded, but you never know until something happens.

"You prepare to play and that's all you can do."

Skip Schumaker thought he'd be part of a blockbuster deal for former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, who ended up in Oakland.

"I thought I was gone, I'm not going to lie to you," Schumaker told reporters. "I thought that was a done deal, and from everything I heard and from pretty good sources I thought I was definitely out of here."

The uncertainty is a byproduct of the team's depth. Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick are both coming off breakout years, Ankiel was a force at times and power-hitting Chris Duncan appears ready to reclaim playing time coming off cervical surgery.

Plus, 2005 first-round pick Colby Rasmus apparently is ready to crack the major leagues. That makes it five players for three spots.

Thus, the rumors. Schumaker and Holliday worked out with former home run champion Mark McGwire in the offseason, and discussed the possibility they'd be trading places with Ludwick joining Schumaker in Colorado.

"He didn't think it was Oakland, he'd never heard that and I don't think anybody really did," Schumaker said. "He thought the same thing as me, that he was probably headed here and I was probably headed there."

Winter meeting roundup: McGwire has integrity

Here's what happened with the Rule 5 draft today. Luis Perdomo was taken during round 5 by the San Francisco Giants.

The righthanded reliever the St. Louis Cardinals received in the Anthony Reyes trade with Cleveland was selected in the Rule 5 draft this morning by the San Francisco Giants. Luis Perdomo will be added to the Giants’ 40-man roster and taken to spring training where he will have the opportunity to make the major-league 25-man roster. He must be on that roster all season or be offered back to the Cardinals before he can be sent to the minors.

Perdomo was a likely loss after the Cardinals elected not to protect him from the draft by putting him on their 40-man roster. The players the Cardinals did protect were SS Tyler Greene and RHP Matt Scherer.

Adam Kennedy and Colby Rasmus are back in favor with Tony La Russa.

Kennedy "just wants to play," La Russa said. "I think it was a mutual respect thing. I thought he handled himself really well the times he didn't play. He ended up on a plus note."

For Rasmus, La Russa heaped on the praise.

"This guy has a chance to be an impact, everyday outfielder," La Russa said. "He has a chance to be a very special package."

After several offseasons of stumping for a cleanup hitter — a request he echoed toward the end of this past season — La Russa acknowledged that the priority right now should be pitching. He's content with the lineup that's in place since the addition of shortstop Khalil Greene. Yes, he plans to hit the pitcher eighth again in 2009, but Greene hitting in the No. 6 spot or lower has the potential to add run-producing depth to the lineup, La Russa said.

He added that outfielder Chris Duncan is "feeling great" as he recovers from surgery to repair a herniated disc and that Duncan shouldn't be slowed at all entering spring training. The manager said Duncan will be ready for the throng of outfielders the Cardinals have vying for jobs, citing five besides Duncan: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker — the incumbent starters — and rookies Joe Mather and Rasmus.

Inviting Kennedy back into the flock is as simple as assuring him playing time. Kennedy has told the Post-Dispatch he is warm to a return to the Cardinals if he has a legitimate shot at starting. La Russa said he hasn't reached out to Kennedy personally.

Tony also said that Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame. With his numbers, he most certainly does.

Given the chance to celebrate and comment on Rickey Henderson’s appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa also seized the opportunity to stump for another dynamo member of his Oakland Athletics teams who will be on the ballot.

On his third try, Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame, La Russa believes.

It’s a matter a of “integrity.”

“This steroid issue, that’s a matter of integrity, right?” La Russa said. “That’s one way to describe it, right? Well, it occurred to me, I know that I’ve never spoken much about it at all, but this guy did something that screams integrity. … How many guys do we know that had a contract like he had? He had a contract in his hand for $15 million over two years, and he walked away from it because he didn’t feel like he could play to that level. That, to me, there’s a certain integrity for the sport, for self-respect and everything.”[...]

La Russa: Now, our guess, and people that I’ve talked to, our guess is that a whole lot of guys, just being normal, would be figured some way to either talk to the organization, like let’s get a buyout, give me $5 million instead of $30 million, whatever it is, or go ahead and play less than their best and collect a check for two years. He walked away from two years of $30 million, and I thought to myself when I told this one writer, ‘Man, I think that speaks to the public or the voters about his integrity.’

You’ve got to be a pretty solid character guy … Am I reading that wrong? Do you think that’s a good sign of character, that you would walk away from $30 million if you didn’t think you could play to that level? How would you take that decision and not make sense of it.

Reporter. I’m not sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.

La Russa: So how would you describe a guy that walks away from $30 million?

Reporter. I’m agreeing with you that that’s a sign of character, not to have a debate that’s going to be transcribed here. This isn’t the place. I would agree that that’s a sign of integrity. But I think we all do things that show integrity in one side of our life and make questionable moves on another parallel track.

La Russa: I’m just saying that the fact that he walked away from that money has been an under-discussed, under-publicized — I know I have not discussed it, and I think that is a hellacious sign of the type of person he is, and that should translate into knowing that he’s a special guy. I just never talked about it. I thought I had the chance so I’d mention it.

Reporter. So you’d consider it as an intangible for his Hall of Fame?

La Russa: Yeah, he’s got this cloud over him.

Reporter. Character is an issue (on the ballot).

La Russa: So I think that showed great character because there’s not many guys that I know that wouldn’t have said, ‘I’ll just stumble along and take those checks.’

Winter Meetings

MLB Trade Rumors has the latest.

Roundup

Cards complete their deal for Trever Miller:

A deal delayed is now a deal done as the Cardinals completed the signing of lefty reliever Trever Miller today to a one-year deal

The physical Miller had several weeks ago with the Cardinals revealed what the team doctor believes is a tear in the labrum in his left shoulder. Having discovered the injury -- which hasn't caused Miller any soreness or limited any of his offseason workouts -- the Cardinals renegotiated the deal from the original two-year offer.

Miller, 35, agreed to a one-year that will pay him $2 million if he reaches all of the appearance-based incentives. His original deal, he said, was worth two years and a total of $4 million.

"It was a unique experience," Miller said of the delay between his physical and finalizing a deal. "We went from a high to a little bit of a low. ... We had to go back to the drawing board."

Dave Duncan spoke about Carp and Izzy.

Duncan believes Chris Carpenter should come back as a starting pitcher, not a reliever, if he can overcome his assorted medical issues. Given the lingering uncertainty about Carpenter’s return, however, Duncan is pondering his alternatives.[...]

The Cards must add an established closer. If Mozeliak can’t land one, Duncan would be open to giving Jason Isringhausen another look in that role in the spring.

“If he does everything he has to do to recover from the injuries he had and he wants to give it a shot, I’d vote 'yes' to giving him a shot,” Duncan said. “I know he’s interested in trying to continue pitching.”

But Izzy would have to prove himself in that closing role -– and accept pitching in other roles if he doesn’t win the job.

Russ Springer is unlikely to return to the Cardinals next season.

Citing a need to maintain roster flexibility and a crush of returning righthanded relievers, general manager John Mozeliak thought the risk of Springer being awarded a big contract in arbitration was not worth the reward — two premium draft picks — the club would have received had Springer turned down arbitration and signed elsewhere.

Last season, Springer compiled a 2.32 ERA and allowed 57 baserunners in 50 1/3 innings spread over 70 appearances.[...]

In addition to Springer, the Cardinals declined to offer arbitration to starting pitchers Braden Looper and Mark Mulder; relievers Ron Villone and Jason Isringhausen; infielders Felipe Lopez and Cesar Izturis; and outfielder Juan Encarnacion.

Jose Oquendo a secret weapon? Not so much, they say.

For six months every season at Busch Stadium, Oquendo is universally seen as Whitey Herzog's one-time "Secret Weapon" and Tony La Russa's current Cardinals third-base coach. Oquendo does his job, teaching as well as serving as traffic cop, with the rarest displays of disgust.

But it is different here.

Oquendo runs a clubhouse full of Class A and AA players along with a heavy dose of Independent League talent looking to catch on somewhere. Once a place where native major league players routinely appeared, the Puerto Rican Winter League has assumed a more developmental flavor as costs were slashed after last year's shutdown. A top talent such as Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina would receive $12,000 a month. (Molina has so far politely declined Oquendo's invite for a three-game-a-week routine.)

There is no team charter; players must drive themselves to games across the island. Carolina's roster includes only two pitchers who worked mostly at Triple-A last season, including Cardinals prospect P.J. Walters. Catcher Bryan Anderson is also among the mix.[...]

"It would be a real big deal," Oquendo says. "We have (managers from) the Dominican, Cuba, Venezuela. Well, how long has Puerto Rico been involved in the major leagues? And we haven't had one. I know Joey wants to do it. Myself, (Jose) Cruz, Sandy Alomar Sr. ... we've got more candidates now."

Oquendo, 45, says he remains patient.

"It's not in my nature to scream and yell, 'Why not me?'" Oquendo says. "My nature is to take it a step at a time. If the door opens, so be it. If not, I love what I'm doing. I don't think (being repeatedly passed over) would stop me from doing interviews. If you keep interviewing, you don't know what might happen."

Oquendo enjoys his role with the Cardinals, where he is considered a master defensive instructor and believes he now might have momentum for a managerial job. He has lost 20 pounds since the Cardinals' season ended, which helps his high blood pressure.

"Somebody has to be putting my name out there," he says. "If nobody was asking me to interview, then I'd be worried, because then nobody would be wanting me. I'd rather interview, get more comfortable in the process, hear what they have to say and handle the questions they ask. San Diego and Seattle had different sets of questions."

The Mariners sought someone who could calm an uneasy clubhouse. Former MVP right fielder Ichiro Suzuki represents to Seattle what Albert Pujols means to St. Louis.

"They were more worried about how to handle problems in the clubhouse. Both want to know how you handle superstars. I think Albert gives me good experience, " Oquendo said wryly. "How do you handle situations, not necessarily on the field, but situations in the clubhouse and the media? I don't think I would have a problem with any of that."

Oquendo, part of La Russa's staff for 10 seasons, skirts the possibility of eventually managing the Cardinals. La Russa's contract expires after next season and the inevitable questions soon will sprout about his future.

Asked if he ever has broached the topic to his boss, Oquendo says, "That's stuff I don't get into."

Oquendo dismisses any suggestion his style would be a Herzog-La Russa (or should it be La Russa-Herzog?) hybrid.

"Each of them had their own way of handling players and handling situations in the game," Oquendo says. "But it's not fair for me to draw so much from Whitey because I was a player then. As a player you view the game a lot differently than when you're a coach. I played for Joe Torre also. He was different than Whitey and Tony. But Torre came to us in a different situation. He didn't have the players that Whitey had early in the 80s. He had the players that were the reason Whitey quit."[...]

Pressed on the possibility of succeeding La Russa, Oquendo relents. "If something happened, it would be a nice place to manage," he says. "But at the same time, I hope Tony stays forever."

How small is the Hall of Fame ballot?

The smallest ballot in the history of Baseball Hall of Fame voting was announced on Monday, with only 23 names listed on it. One of those names, first-time candidate Rickey Henderson, seems certain to be elected given his career accomplishments, and if history is a legitimate guide, former Boston star Jim Rice also will be enshrined next July in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Here's the ballot and I'm bolding who I would vote for:
The ballot: Harold Baines, Jay Bell, Bert Blyleven, David Cone, Andre Dawson, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Rickey Henderson, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Jesse Orosco, Dave Parker, Dan Plesac, Tim Raines, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn, Matt Williams.

UCB Awards are up

The UCB Awards have been posted.

My CBA Award selections

It's that time of year again. I love how I just posted this to my other blog.

1) Player of the Year: Albert Pujols

There's no mistaking that the 2008 MVP is our player of the year.

2) Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Lohse

Lohse surprised us all this year. I'm actually glad that we extended his tenure with us. Dave Duncan does his magic as usual.

3) Game of the Year: September 9 vs. Chicago

I'm going with this one because it was one of the few that I was able to catch this season.

4) Surprise Player of the Year: Ryan Ludwick

No doubt.

5) Disappointing Player of the Year: Jason Isringhausen

He lost the role again...I think Joe Buck was examining his psyche after SLU gave him his honorary doctorate.

6) Cardinal Rookie of the Year: Joe Mather

7) New Cardinal of the Year: Kyle Lohse

8) Most Anticipated Cardinal: Colby Rasmus

Rasmus is still the most anticipated.

9) Best Individual Blog

I didn't do a good job at keeping up with the Cards blogs this season as much as I should have so I abstain.

10) Best Team Blog: VEB

11) Best Professional Blog: Bird Land

12) Best UCB Project: October Roundtables

13) Most Optimistic Blog: I don't know

14) Funniest Blog: I don't know

15) Best Blog Post/Series of the Year" Scott Rolen vs. Eddie Vedder

16) Rookie Blog of the Year: Pitchers Hit Eighth

NL Most Valuable Player: Albert Pujols

While I did not predict him during the original predictions or midseason, I can say that during my postseason predictions, I said it would be him or Ryan Howard. So, for the NL MVP award, I'm 1 for 3 this season. Given the weekend I had, it cheers me up a little bit.

Matthew Leach at MLB:

The National League's best player has also been named its most valuable.

Albert Pujols' magnificent season earned him his second NL Most Valuable Player Award. Pujols finished ahead of Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, who beat him out by a narrow margin to win the 2006 MVP.

Pujols has finished in the top 10 in the voting in every one of his eight Major League seasons, and has been fourth or better seven times. He is the 11th player to win two NL MVP awards.

As baseball waited to hear the results of the ballot, the discussion centered on the definition of "most valuable." Some argued that because Pujols' Cardinals did not make the postseason, he could not be the most valuable player in the league. It was the only possible case against Pujols, who was indisputably his league's best hitter and who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base.

Pujols had already been recognized with virtually every other major individual award for which he was eligible. He was named National League or Major League player of the year by the Sporting News, the MLB Players Association and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, as well as NL MVP in Baseball Prospectus' Internet Baseball Awards.

In the end, the Baseball Writers' Association of America joined the chorus, choosing not to penalize Pujols for his team's fourth-place finish. In fact, it's quite possible that quite the opposite happened -- that Pujols was rewarded for the Cardinals' place in the standings.[...]

It was by some measures the slugger's best season. He hit .357, two points shy of his career high, and set new personal bests with a .462 on-base percentage, a 1.115 OPS and 104 walks. He slugged .653, nearly 30 points better than his career average, cranking 37 homers and 44 doubles. Pujols drove in 116 runs, scored 100 and struck out just 54 times.

It was not only a supremely productive season for Pujols, it was a consistent one as well. He never hit lower than .302 in any month, never had an OBP lower than .413 and never slugged below .558. He came on especially strong in the second half, batting .366 and slugging .706 after the All-Star break. Pujols finished seven points behind Chipper Jones in the race for the NL batting title.

Only four players -- Barry Bonds, Roy Campanella and Stan Musial -- have been the NL MVP three or more times. Musial had been the only Cardinal to win the award twice or more.

In the history of the award, 13 Cardinals have won a combined 16 times. In addition to Pujols and Musial, Willie McGee, Keith Hernandez, Joe Torre, Bob Gibson, Orlando Cepeda, Ken Boyer, Marty Marion, Mort Cooper, Joe Medwick, Dizzy Dean and Frankie Frisch all garnered MVP honors.

AL Cy Young Award winner: Cliff Lee

While I did not predict him during the original predictions or midseason, I can say that during my postseason predictions, I said it would be him or Roy Halladay. So, for the AL Cy Young award, I'm 1 for 3 this season.

MLB:

The constant quest for perfection drove Cliff Lee to great feats throughout 2008.

"Even if I had won every start, I don't know if I'd be satisfied," he said near the season's end. "There's always something you can do better. I don't know how to explain it other than that. It's just the way I am, I guess."

But even Lee has to be satisfied with what took place Thursday, when the Baseball Writers' Association of America named him the American League Cy Young Award winner.

The honor was well-deserved. Lee led the AL in wins with a 22-3 record and in ERA with a 2.54 mark, posted the third-highest winning percentage (.880) for a 20-game winner in baseball history and became the Tribe's first 20-game winner since Gaylord Perry in 1974. The voters took notice. Lee received 24 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 132 points in balloting. He beat out the Jays' Roy Halladay, who finished second with 74 votes.

Lee followed the trail of former teammate and fellow left-hander CC Sabathia, who, one year ago, became the Indians' first Cy Young winner since Perry in 1972. Lee, Sabathia and Perry are the only Tribe pitchers to win the prestigious award.

Lee captured his in dramatic fashion, having been banished to the Minor Leagues and left off the Indians' playoff roster in '07. He was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA in that '07 season, which was marred by a right abdominal strain he suffered in Spring Training.

In Spring Training of this year, Lee had to fight for a spot on the Tribe's roster. Because of the $3.75 million Lee was set to make, it was generally assumed he was the front-runner to beat out young left-handers Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers, but the Indians nonetheless wanted him to earn the job.

Lee earned it all right. He looked confident and in command of all his pitches in spring camp, and the fifth starter's job was his.

But Lee wouldn't be the Tribe's fifth starter for long. He began the season 6-0 with a 0.81 ERA in his first six starts and never looked back.