The Post-Pujols Future of the St. Louis Cardinals

Most Cardinals fans have had enough time by now to digest the departure of Albert Pujols. We’ve all seen or heard of the fans burning their #5 jerseys and the public outcries of disgust for Albert. I personally was not surprised that he signed with another team. I truly hoped he would stay in St. Louis, but when it didn’t happen prior to the Albert-imposed 2011 Spring Training deadline, it became a strong possibility that another team would offer him a huge contract. I think the Cardinals did what they could financially and practically to keep him. It honestly doesn’t make sense to give a player that’s 31 years old and showing signs of declining numbers a 10-year contract. The Angels were in a good situation to give him that contract with their new TV-deal and the potential of moving him to the DH position in the latter years of the contract. I truly wish Albert the best and appreciate the amazing things he did with the birds-on-the-bat on his chest. I know when time has passed and the wounds are healed, he’ll find his place on the wall of retired numbers on the wall at Busch Stadium, as well as in the hearts of the fans of St. Louis.

While all Redbird fans are disappointed that Albert won’t be back in a Cardinals uniform, we should all be glad that the team’s management are taking steps to move forward with another playoff contending team.

These steps included re-signing Rafael Furcal and Skip Schumaker to 2-year contracts and the addition of free-agent Carlos Beltran on a 2-year deal. Is Carlos Beltran an Albert-clone? No. Can his experience and power help to fill a hole in the lineup? Absolutely. Beltran is a sound hitter and position player that should fit well into the Cardinals’ lineup to compliment the big bats of Berkman and Holiday. Beltran is getting up there in age, however, so it makes sense that the contract is a 2-year deal.

The truth of the matter is the ‘Birds still have the tools needed to go deep into the playoff in 2012. One also needs to focus on the starting pitching. Having a healthy Adam Wainwright back is a huge boost. If Chris Carpenter’s 2nd half of 2011 is any indication of his potential performance in 2012, the future is bright. Jamie Garcia, in my opinion, hasn’t even reached his full potential as a pitcher. He continues to get better and could be a solid #1 or #2 pitcher on many other teams.

Yadier Molina is without a doubt, the most gifted catcher playing the game today. Factor in his continued improvement with a bat and his clutch-hitting, and he is in the prime of his career. What many Cardinals fans(including myself) are now concerned with is not letting him hit the free-agent market and re-living another Pujols-type situation with Yadi. The team management needs to make a contract extension for Molina a top priority now. This can help insure we’ll have a title-contender for years to come.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *