Cards Fill Holes With Offseason Signings

Russellville (AP)—While December brought numerous trades to Arkansas, January has been the month for free agent signings.  Already two of the team’s four open slots have been filled by throwing money at the problem. 

Heading toward the end of his career, outfielder Ken Griffey signed a one-year deal to help shore up the outfield.  At the beginning of his playing days, Yadier Molina will anchor the catching corps for the next two years. 

“Getting players like Griffey and Molina will really help us out next year and the years to come,” Arkansas general manager Billy Beane said in a press conference on Monday.  “We’re looking forward to seeing them on the field in Cardinal red.” 

Griffey is a fan favorite wherever he goes and Arkansas is no exception.  The team store sold out of the limited number of Griffey jerseys they had made up in two hours.  Officials promise more will be available in the next week or so. 

There are still two slots to be filled.  The roster shows a hole in the outfield and at second base.  Beane, however, professes not to be concerned. 

“We have a couple of outfielders in our system that we expect to make an impact in the majors at some time this season.  We may promote one of them early or sign a cheap stopgap.  As for second, we are in on one of the prizes of the free agent market, as we talk to his agent most every day.  I’m not saying he’s going to be a Cardinal, but right now it’s not looking too bad.  If that falls through, we may get back to the trade market.”

When asked about signing Molina when prospect Jared Saltalamacchia was just traded for and expected to start, Beane reiterated that “Salty will start the season in the majors.  We’ll find room for him one way or another.”  That likely means incumbents Ronnie Paulino and Gerald Laird are on the trade block.

Flurry of Activity Surrounds Cardinals

Russellville (AP)–Two trades–one required because of a rule misinterpretation during the other–went down on Monday, netting the Cardinals the biggest fish in the sea, Mr. Albert Pujols.

The first and largest of the trades was with Conway Capitols, who sent Pujols, minor league third baseman Andy LaRoche and financial considerations to the Cardinals in exchange for Miguel Cabrera, James Loney and Hideki Matsui.

Included in that deal, however, were pitcher Bob Wickman and utility man Wilson Betemit.  Arkansas management freely admits that those players weren’t expected to be in their plans.

“We thought we could just release them with no penalty,” said general manager Billy Beane.  “We were full up on roster spots that they could take and so we were just taking them on to help out the Capitols a little bit.”

However, after discussions with the commissioner’s office, it was decided that was not within the rule framework that was set out in the URL charter.  The players had to be kept.

Beane said, “That threw a wrench into the works, for sure.  We finally decided to waive Chris Ray and put Bob into that slot.  We like Ray quite a bit, but with his surgery and the fact that he was going to be out most, if not all, of the year, that seemed to be the most reasonable way to go about it.  We shuffled the roster some and found a way to get Betemit on there, but we weren’t happy with his contract.”

Betemit was signed in the 2006-07 offseason with the expectation that he was going to be a starter and develop into a solid player.  However, he played his way into a bench role and the contract he had didn’t reflect that.

Enter the Peffercorns.

The defending URL champions had been looking for someone to take on first baseman Lyle Overbay.  The Cardinals considered that, then made the move, dealing outfielder Coco Crisp for him and releasing Betemit to make room.

“It wasn’t anything personal,” Beane reiterated.  “It’s not like we expect him to be on the Mitchell report or anything.  It’s just that the contract he had didn’t fit in with the philosophy and ideas that we have going here.  We feel like Lyle will be an asset to the team if he can bounce back to his pre-2007 self, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t.”

As for the impetus for all of this moving, Mr. Pujols?

“We got the best player in the game,” said owner Daniel Shoptaw.  “I’ve been hounding Billy for months to get that guy over here, and he finally came through for me.  I know that he is about 20% of our overall payroll right now, but that’s OK.  We’ve got the cornerstone for the future and we’re going to build around it.”

Winter Heats Up with Martin Trade

Russellville (AP)–The Arkansas Cardinals kicked off their rebuilding project Monday, sending catcher Russell Martin to the URL Champion Wendy’s Peffercorns for pitchers Ian Snell and Andrew Miller.

General Manager Billy Beane, in Nashville for the URL general managers meetings, pulled the trigger on the deal quickly after committing to young, cheap players for 2008 and beyond.

“Martin is a great talent, there is no doubt about that,” said Beane in an impromptu press conference outside a Starbucks in Nashville.  “However, we saw last year that the team, as it is currently constructed, doesn’t work.  I want to rebuild this team so that we can be strong contenders for many years down the line.  Getting young guys like Snell and Miller is key to that transformation.”

For his part, Martin was excited about the deal.

“I’m going to a winning organization, the defending champs.  How could I not be excited?” he said in a phone interview.  “I mean, the Cardinals have been great to me, but losing games all summer long got a little wearisome.  I’m very excited to be playing meaningful baseball late in the year.”

Sixth Place Finish “Not What We Expected”

Russellville (AP)–The Arkansas Cardinals finished sixth in the inaugural season of the United Rotisserie League after losing a consolation series to the Edwardsville Armada.  Owner Daniel Shoptaw was not pleased with the results and vowed a better 2008.

“First off, we have to stay healthy,” he said in his end of the year press conference on Wednesday.  “Filling up our DL and still having hurt players really got to us.  The biggest key, in my mind, was losing [Chris] Carpenter for the year.  If we could have run him out there with [Roy] Halladay and [Aaron] Harang, I think things could have been different.”

“We could use some more offense, as well.  Sixth in home runs.  Seventh in batting average and slugging percentage.  We need to look at fixing that for next year to see if we can’t move up the standings and at least be a threat.”

When asked if they would be active in the trade market, Shoptaw responded, “I sure hope so.”

“Trading keeps the blood fresh and people interested.  I’m going to be talking about moving players.  It could be someone like Halladay, even.  I’d not want to, but it could happen.  Others could be on the block.  We’ll target some top players.  We may not get them.  But we don’t plan to stand still.  Our fans deserve better than that.”

“On another note, the Cardinals would like to congratulate Wendy’s Peffercorns on taking the URL title.  The Peffercorns played solid baseball all year long and deserved to win.  We’re looking forward to knocking them off next year, though!”

Cardinals End Disappointing Inaugural Season

Russellville (AP)–The Arkansas Cardinals had a good first month.  After that, well, things weren’t so good.

Sunday, the team wrapped up the regular season with a seventh-place finish, well under .500.  They edged out the Conway Capitols to avoid “winning” the league’s Worst Record Trophy.

“What happened?  Well, probably a lot of things,” said owner Daniel Shoptaw in his Monday morning press conference.   “Injuries hit us hard.  We had a lot more injuries than we had room on the disabled list.  I’m working with our medical staff to see if there are some off-season exercises we can have the players do to perhaps have some more durability in 2008.

“When you wind up 138-198, there is a lot of blame to go around.  Billy (Beane, Arkansas GM) got burned on the Adam Wainwright trade.  We thought Anthony Reyes would be the better of the two.  It really looks now that we were mistaken.  Losing Chris Carpenter on Opening Day, thus voiding our ‘two aces’ strategy, really hurt as well.  And some players just simply didn’t play to the level we thought they could.

Shoptaw continued by pointing out there were some highlights.

“Well, we won both our rivalry trophies (vs. Atkins Alley Cats and Conway Capitols), which was a nice thing.   We got some good value out of Chris Duncan before he, like so many others, went down with injury.  Aaron Harang and Roy Halladay pitched close to our expectations, if not above them.  There are some things to build on for next year.”

What is Shoptaw looking forward to the most?

“Well, we do have the consolation bracket of the playoffs going, but I’m really looking forward to the offseason, when I think people will be more up to wheeling and dealing, plus we’ll be able to check out the free agents.  We have a lot of work to do so we can be better for 2008.”

Cardinals Focus on 2008

Russellville (AP)–It’s been a tough year for the Arkansas Cardinals.

Multiple injuries, topped by Chris Carpenter’s season-long battle, have helped drive this team down into the basement of the United Rotisserie League.  Ownership on Friday waved the white flag and plans on making some moves down the stretch.

“I’d love to move some parts that could help people,” said general manager Billy Beane.  “Right now, I don’t think anyone is really an untouchable.  I’d like to get some young blood in here, maybe send 2-3 guys for a superstar.  This roster needs a complete overhaul.”

When the subject of the playoffs is broached, Beane casually waved it off.

“I don’t want to mislead the fans–postseason play just doesn’t seem to be in the offing this year,” he said.  “We might be able to squeak into the last slot, and if so, all bets are off.  But I think we’re going to need to do this kind of overhaul to have a chance for that anyway, so might as well kill two birds with one stone.”

So, no untouchables?

“Nobody,” repeated Beane firmly.  “I mean, I’d have to be bowled over to trade (Miguel) Cabrera, but it could be done.  (Roy) Halladay would be take a good player in return as well.  But I’m definitely willing to listen to anyone.”

Cardinals Split, Stay in Fourth

Russellville (AP)–A hard fought series with the Edwardsville Armada came up with a semi-satisfactory ending as the Arkansas Cardinals split their home series with Edwardsville.

“The way things have been going, we were glad to get a split,” said manager Sparky Anderson about his fourth place club.  “After a strong first week, it’s been kinda downhill from there.  Hopefully we can start the rebound and use this split as a jumping off point.”

Arkansas smacked 12 home runs in the series, three by formerly struggling outfielder Craig Monroe.

“I’m just trying to keep my job, man,” said Monroe after Sunday’s game.  “There was a lot of talk going around that the brass wasn’t happy with me, that (general manager) Billy (Beane) was thinking about cutting me.  I knew I had to start producing if I wanted to stay here.”

What has surprised Beane, for the most part, is the lack of pitching on this team.  Beane, found sorting through pitching options before Tuesday’s tilt with the Texas Outlaws, elaborated on the hurlers.

“Well, losing (Chris) Carpenter has been a big blow.  We designed this staff for two horses and a number of complementary players.  Losing one of those big guys really has hurt, plus the fact that some of the surrounding pitchers have struggled out of the gate.  I expected to be winning games from the mound, not necessarily from the plate.”

The pitching woes continue as both John Patterson and Anibal Sanchez have come up lame and must be replaced.

The road doesn’t get any easier this week, as the Cardinals take on the league leading Outlaws.   The Outlaws have been the talk of the URL so far this season and, as a designated rival, are great motivation for the Cardinal players.

“We want very badly to knock those Outlaws off their perch,” third baseman Miguel Cabrera said.

Cardinals Sit in First, Battle Style to Stay There

Russellville (AP)–A tough matchup with the Atkins Alley Cats is in the rearview mirror.  A tougher one with the Brewville Style looms straight ahead.

The Arkansas Cardinals won their first series in their history 9-5 over the Alley Cats, led by Adam Dunn’s three home runs over the week’s span.  Miguel Cabrera was also hot, hitting .500 with two home runs, while on the pitching side Roy Halladay and Aaron Harang both had 11 strikeouts.

“It’s going to be tough to keep this up,” said manager Sparky Anderson.  “We had to put (Hideki) Matsui on the DL today and I’m pretty sure we are going to miss that bat.  Chris (Carpenter) still doesn’t feel right, so even if he doesn’t hit the DL, I doubt he’ll get to pitch in this series.  (John) Patterson is really going to have to step up, or we may have to reevaluate his status on this team.”

The Style won by the same margin as the Cardinals in their first series, so the two teams are tied with the Texas Outlaws for first place.

“I’m glad that we aren’t going to have to face Jake Peavy twice, I’ll tell you that much.  That kid is dominant so far.  And if (Mark) Teixeira gets heated up, this could be a long series.  But we’ll play our best ball and see if that doesn’t pan out for us,” said Anderson.

Opening Day Excites Cardinals, Fans

Russellville (AP)–They are getting ready at Shoptaw Stadium.  History is about to be made.

Starting Sunday, the United Rotisserie League will kick off, and one of the first games will be played here in Russellville as the Arkansas Cardinals host the regional rival Atkins Alley Cats.

Sparky Anderson, manager of the Cardinals, says he is ready to go.

“We’ve had a stocked roster for about two months now,” said Anderson as the team prepared to leave their spring training locale.  “We’ve done all the drills, practiced all the throws, played all the games.  Now it’s time to see what we have when the competition matters.  I think we’ve got quite a bit.”

The Alley Cats come in looking to draw first blood in a rivalry that has already been designated a trophy, the River Valley Championship.  The Cats, led by sluggers Ryan Howard and David Wright and pitchers Dontrelle Willis and Daiske Matsuzaka, look to be formidable opponents both this week and the season to come.

“Atkins has a good team, there’s no doubt about that,” said general manager Billy Beane.  “Charles (Rector, owner of the Alley Cats) spent a lot of time and effort this offseason getting a roster that was competitive.  All that said, I feel good about our chances to start off the year on the right foot.”

Some final roster moves will be done this weekend to get the Cardinal opening day lineup set.

“We’re going to send James Loney down, unfortunately.  I think he could really contribute up here, but we aren’t sure that he’ll get the at-bats.  So he’ll go down and get his reps in and, first chance we get, we’ll get him back up here.  Carlos Quentin, it looks like he’ll start the year on the DL.  I’m going to have to see who we can get to replace him for a few weeks.  Thankfully, it looks like (Jim) Edmonds will be fine to start the year, so that’s one less worry,” commented Beane.

Around the River Valley, fans were flocking to buy tickets to this matchup.

“I plan on being the first in line for these tickets,” said Ken Latham, a local engineer.  “I plan on being a big Cardinals fan for a long time to come.  Nothing better than wearing Cardinal red!”

Bobby Rehm, who teaches at a local school, said that he’d been using baseball examples all week for his kids.

“We’re talking about algebra and how many wins is X if X-10=Y+4, that kind of stuff.  Everyone is really excited about seeing the baseball team in action.  It should be a great year.”

The first 10,000 fans into the game on Sunday receive an inaugural season baseball, and the Christian group Third Day were scheduled to sing the national anthem.  Other promotions were not available at press time.

Looking Forward to Opening Day

St. Petersburg (AP)–Right now, it’s fun in the sun.  Come April 1, it’s game time.

The Arkansas Cardinals are in the midst of spring training here in St. Petersburg, getting the rust off and starting to learn to play together.  As a new team, there are a lot of procedures and polices to learn as well as baseball to play, but manager Sparky Anderson isn’t concerned.

“It’s been great to finally get on the field,” Anderson commented before infield practice today.  “You have to appreciate the hard work these guys are putting in.  Guys like [Miguel] Cabrera and [Roy] Halladay are working just as hard as [James] Loney and [Gerald] Laird.  The effort that’s out here is really impressive.”

It’s not been all fun and games in the Florida sun.

“Well, we’ll probably have to put Jimmy [Edmonds] on the DL here in a day or so,” said general manager Billy Beane.  “It just doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for opening day.  And we’re keeping an eye on Loney.  He’s doing well in camp, but we have to evaluate whether he might be better off starting in the minors.  I don’t think he will be going down, but we are monitoring that.”

John Patterson, who came over in a trade not long before spring training, has been very pleased with what he’s seen.

“This team is going places,” he said after his latest spring start.  “I think the offense is good, and I know we pitchers are treating the whole season as a competition.  We don’t want to be the weak link on a team with championship potential.”

A lot of the players are looking forward to the opening week series against a strong rival, the Atkins Alley Cats.

“Atkins was pretty active this offseason getting their roster set up,” said third baseman Scott Rolen.  “We’re really looking forward to seeing how we stack up and see if we can’t set the tone that we own the River Valley.  That’s our shor-term goal now, winning the first series.  Keep winning series, and you play in the postseason.”