Chris Reed posted on February 06, 2012 08:20
The end of the Super Bowl signifies two things: 1. The football season is over; 2. Spring Training is literally just around the corner. Pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks, and some players have already arrived to begin workouts for the upcoming season. Surprisingly, some of the biggest free agent signings just occurred, and a number of players still remain unsigned just a handful of days before the season gets underway. And the Cardinals are still filling out their roster.
Recently the waning Hot Stove League has focused on Roy Oswalt and where the veteran pitcher will land in 2012. Oswalt’s track record is well-known, but unfortunately so is his injury history of late. If healthy, there is little question he can still pitch effectively.
But a back issue is a tough injury that often turns into one of those “lingering” problems. Still, the hurler is looking to bounce back not unlike his former teammate Lance Berkman did for the Cards in 2011. And Oswalt has expressed an interest in pitching for St. Louis before.
But the Cardinals already have five starters in their rotation, and a bullpen full of young, inexpensive arms. Oswalt certainly could represent an upgrade over some of them, but is he worth the risk? Should the Cards look into trading Jake Westbrook or Kyle McClellan to make room both on the roster and on the field for Oswalt? Should they take the chance that he’s healthy and can resurrect some of that magic from 2010 when he threw 211 innings and finished with a 2.76 ERA?
Right now, I think the answer might be no—they shouldn’t.
When I first heard about the possibility of mutual interest between the Cards and Oswalt, I was all for it. I mean, with Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia and a healthy Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals want to add Oswalt? Hell yes! Awesome! Ring up another championship, because the Cards are about to have the best rotation in baseball!
And then I started considering all the things that would have to happen to make that true. First, the Cards would have to move someone to bring Oswalt in, and both Westbrook and Kyle Lohse have high salaries and no trade clauses. McClellan could be moved pretty easily, but is Oswalt just coming to the Cards as a long reliever? That doesn’t make much sense, especially if he’s expecting a hefty payday. And what if he is only good for 150 innings this year, or isn’t as effective? Would he be that much of an upgrade over what the Cards already have? Look at this team…how many players expected to be in the starting lineup regularly spent significant time on the DL in 2011? 2010? How many of these guys are, like Oswalt, pushing 35 (or already past it)? And what would his salary do to the overall payroll? Would it max them out, or just come close?
For what it’s worth, the Cards’ payroll is already well North of $100 million, and anyone that thinks the Cards have money to burn because they won the World Series and don’t have to pay Albert Pujols is crazy. This team is not going to have a $130 million payroll…it just isn’t happening. But if they still retain some flexibility in the budget, it seems to make more sense to wait before making any major moves…not just to see who else may come available, but also to see what the team’s needs truly are once the season gets going.
Maybe Oswalt decides to take a team-friendly deal in 2012 just to re-establish himself as a reliable starter. If that is the case, maybe it makes more sense for the Cards to sign him. But to get Oswalt just for the sake of getting him and paying him in the high seven figures seems too risky, in every sense of the word. While it’s true a team can never have enough pitching, it doesn’t do a lot of good if that pitching isn’t healthy. And if it handcuffs the team financially, what will they do if other needs arise?
Chris Reed is a freelance writer who also appears on
I-70 Baseball Saturdays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.