Perhaps he’s not the savior that his name suggests, but the Royals are placing enough faith in 21-year-old Salvador Perez that his signing represents a significant effort to lock up talent early.

Much was made in 2008 about the signing of Evan Longoria to a long-term deal before he’d completed even a full year in the majors. The Royals mimicked the Longoria deal by giving Perez a 5-year deal for $7 million with 3 club option years that total up to $19.75 million.

By giving a rookie a multi-year, incentive-laden contract, it would appear both player and team benefit. If the player is injured or flops, he still gets big money. But if the player lives up to his presumed potential, the team retains his services through the early part of his career for a relatively bargain-basement price. And the player earns his worth through incentives.

The fact that Perez got such a deal done before Eric Hosmer might be a bit surprising, but is no less encouraging to Royals fans. Hosmer is a potentially great player, but he plays first base, a position where seemingly every team has a great player.

Perez, on the other hand, plays a position where few are truly great. Prior to last season, Perez was viewed as a premium defensive catcher and handler of pitchers who might develop offensively. But last season he rocketed to the head of the class with the bat and became the most coveted catching prospect in baseball.

While Hosmer has tons of company when it comes to elite first basemen, Manager Ned Yost told reporters Tuesday that Perez stands alone among catchers.

“You can’t find a catcher of his magnitude – they’re just not out there,” Yost said from Surprise, Arizona yesterday. “In my 25 years, I haven’t come across a catcher with this kid’s ability. When I was with the Braves, we sort of had that with Javi Lopez, Javi was a spectacular player, but this kid is better.”

Yost called Perez, who’s played just 39 games in the big leagues “ the cornerstone” of the team, predicting the catcher would be “an all-star for years to come.”

Is this kind of praise, heaped on top of a headline-grabbing contract, too much for a rookie?

“This is the big leagues. You learn to deal with that,” said Yost. “If you’re gonna reach your ceiling, there’s no way around that.”

Perez’ talent was no secret to Royals fans prior to 2011, but he wasn’t showing up in prospect rankings. Strangely, Wil Myers was the one ranked second among catching prospects at this time last year. But Myers moved to the outfield and Perez moved through two minor leagues and a month in Kansas City so effortlessly he would probably be ranked #1 among prospects this year if he were eligible.

(Some others ranked last year were very good as well. Jesus Montero certainly didn’t disappoint last year and is ranked #1 again this year. J.P. Arencibia and Wilson Ramos left the ranks of prospects to become solid big leaguers last year.)

But Yost doesn’t just see Perez as a great prospect. He sees in him the potential to be THE BEST catcher in the game. Soon.

How long has it been since the Royals had the best player in the game at any particular position? Possibly not since 1980, when Brett won the MVP as a third baseman.

So the fact that Perez stands in line to become an elite catcher makes his signing of utmost importance. Hopefully Hosmer and others will follow suit and commit to long-term deals with KC.

If Perez reaches his potential, he’ll be an all star. But if he can turn the Royals into a winning franchise, he will be El Salvador.

This season has been anything but smooth for the Cardinals and their fanbase. An up and down, rollercoaster of a ride has seen fans start thinking towards 2012 and the team exploring options to trade some potential free agents, only to realize the Braves were falling apart and the team might be able to salvage something in 2011.

The season's hopes are on the shoulders of EJax

The playoffs, or the three games that represent the playoffs to this point, seem to have taken that idea to the next level. The Cardinals had Roy Halladay on the ropes and the fans were excited to see that their team was, in fact, worthy of being in the playoffs. A few innings later, however, the team would show a weakness to pull through and see the victory all the way through and ended up being blown out in the first game. The blowout seemed to confirm to most fans that the team was overmatched and that the Phillies truly were the powerhouse. The road was not going to get any easier, either, as Cliff Lee still had to pitch before they could leave Philadelphia.

Game two rolled around and the Cardinals worked hard against Lee, taking his pitch count high early on and scraping out a few runs. The bullpen, used in a match up environment despite an early exit by the starter, would pin down a solid victory. Fans were back on the bandwagon seeing that the team could hang tough, compete hard, gain a victory against a top of the line starter, and band together for a win. The series was shifting to St. Louis and the fans were clamoring about a potential National League Championship Series appearance.

Game three had the potential to be one of two things: a great performance for the team or an extreme statement by Philadelphia. It turned out to be a bit of both but ultimately, simply a let down for the Cardinals. Behind a strong start by Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals kept Cole Hamels on the ropes throughout the entire game. The problem this time around was lack of follow through. Why Hamels labored and constantly found himself in a threatening position, he did what any ace pitcher would do and worked his way out of it. The Cardinals failed to drive the point home with the youngest of the “Four Aces” on the mound and found themselves in trouble when Garcia left a pitch up and surrendered a pinch-hit, three run home run. Much like the season, the Cardinals would not let this go down without a fight, and scraped together a few runs of their own. As happened often in 2011, the team found themselves coming up just short.

This has been one of the most heartbreaking and exciting versions of the Cardinals to watch. If there is one thing this team has earned from the fans, it would be the support knowing that they just will not give up. On Wednesday evening, the team will take to the Busch Stadium field facing yet another elimination game. They hand the ball to Edwin Jackson and ask him to keep hope alive. They face a familiar foe in Roy Oswalt and will look to use that to their advantage.

Win or lose, they will go down with a fight. Fans deserve a team that leaves it all on the field. This team deserves fans that will get behind them and fight with them. This is the highs and lows of baseball. The fans may be rewarded with one more game in Philadelphia. The fans may be let down and left feeling like it was not enough.

Who says you cannot be romantic about this game?

Leave it to THIS Cardinal team to leave the season hanging in the balance with only two games remaining. 160 down, 2 to go and still multiple scenarios where the Cardinals make the playoffs. Yet as I sit here writing this with the Braves seemingly giving the Wild Card to the Cardinals they trail 100 loss Houston 0-5 in the 3^rd inning. Why, because this team has a flair for the dramatic.

Since Ryan Franklin started the blown save parade eight games into the season the Cardinals have found a way to make sure things not so sure, turn wins into losses and inspire hope only to douse out the passionate burning flames of Cardinal Nation with their underachieving play. Franklin gave way to Boggs, who gave way to Sanchez who gave way to Salas who gave way to Motte who all totaled 26 blown saves.

Still the Cardinals sit one game out of the playoffs. After losing 13 games in their opponents last at bat the Cardinals may still host a playoff game. A team that has played in 49 one run games, losing 23 games by another 21 in extra innings, losing 13 could still be playing in October. Nothing is as it seems with the 2011 Cardinals. Not winning, not losing.

Proving my point the Cardinals have now pulled to within one run…down 4-5 in the 4^th inning. A team that was written off by all. If you’re one of the 3 people alive who thought the at 10.5 games out they still had a chance well then good for you…and you’re lying.

After losing nine of fourteen between August 13^th and 27^th, the Cardinals began would could end up as the greatest comeback in MLB history. Erasing a 10.5 game deficit to win the Wild Card by winning 19 or their next 28.

Even is this game the back and forth is almost too much to take. 0-5 became 5-5 just as quick and even quicker again became 5-6. Do the Cardinals not like momentum on their side? Our starting pitching adds to the drama in their own way by not even getting though seven innings combine through two games in Houston. Again, against a 100 loss team.

As a result Tony LaRussa must puzzle together his bullpen to find another six innings of availability. Six innings out of a bullpen that is more than taxed…mostly due to TLR’s insistence on tinkering within every game, playing the match-ups to a fault and going to the Motte well perhaps once too often.

Regardless of Tuesday’s result the Cardinals will still have a chance to force a one game playoff for the Wild Card by winning on Wednesday. Who else would start such a game but, yep…Chris Carpenter.

As I save this the Cardinals have tied it at six with two outs in the 7th…If only I were making this stuff up I could have a great career writing fiction. But fact is this is the reality of the 2011 Cardinal season.

These are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

After the Cards’ disappointing loss to the New York Mets Thursday, I wrote the following on my blog: “If the Cardinals win two of three in their next two series and the Braves lose two of three in theirs, the teams will meet in St. Louis for a one game playoff to determine the Wild Card winner.” What has changed, 24 hours and one more game back in the standings later? Nothing. The above scenario is still in play.

The Cardinals certainly are not making it easy on themselves. Friday night they had their ace on the mound, and needed a morale boost from a bounce back win. They wasted both opportunities. Two losses in a row when they can barely spare one is not the easiest path. Now they are three games back in the Wild Card race, and time is running out.

But there are still five games for the Cardinals to play. The Braves have five left as well. All things considered, both teams seem equally capable of winning them or losing them based on which squad shows up each night. The Braves have the advantage of the lead right now, but that could all but evaporate before the end of this weekend and they know it.

The Cardinals really are backed into a corner though, and the worst part is they don’t control their own fate. They haven’t for months. It’s an unfamiliar position for the franchise, really. They’ve always been the chased, not the chaser. None of the Tony LaRussa-managed playoff teams had to come from behind like this. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things; wins are wins and the Cardinals need more of them. But it’s entirely possible that they could have won the last two games as well as the next five and still missed the playoffs. Now that’s a letdown.

Don’t forget that the variables haven’t changed either. The Braves still have a depleted rotation and a young, overworked bullpen. The Cardinals are still mostly healthy and may get Matt Holliday back this weekend as well. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen, of course. But the Cards definitely have no excuses. They will live or die with an intact roster. They will win or lose based on effort and execution alone. And they will have to do it against terrible teams, while the Braves still have to face a Phillies team looking to re-gain momentum heading into October.

Should the Cards not make the playoffs this year, some may look at these two recent losses as what cost the Redbirds their shot. It’s especially stinging that the Cardinals’ Achilles’ heels all year—questionable defense and a suspect bullpen—played prominent roles once again. But since that has been a year-long issue, take away any five of those bullpen losses or games lost on errors and the Cardinals are still in the hunt for the NL Central title, with the Wild Card likely being the consolation prize for either them or the Brewers. These last two losses were poorly timed, but if the Cards miss the 2011 postseason they were not the sole reason why.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter at @birdbrained.

There is no major question about how much money the Cardinals will spend this off-season. Their payroll for 2012 almost certainly will land in the $110 million range, give or take a few million, just a small increase from this year’s total.

The important question is, How will they spend all of those millions?

Last winter it was all about the offense. The Cardinals’ braintrust admitted they were willing to make sacrifices on defense, believing the expected extra offensive boost would make up for those shortcomings.

Through Sunday, that “extra” offense amounted to less than 1/4thof an extra run per game, an average of 4.7 runs a game instead of 4.5 runs a game scored by the Cardinals in 2010. The result is that the Cardinals most likely will fall short of the playoffs once again, now trailing the Brewers by 9 ½ games in the NL Central and the Braves by 8 ½ games in the wild card race with 22 games to play.

So as the planning begins to determine their spending priorities for 2012, here’s some unsolicited advice for Bill DeWitt, John Mozeliak and company:

Go get pitching, pitching and more pitching.

All it takes is one look at the current National League standings, and a check back at the results of the past few seasons, to realize that pitching is what wins games. Home runs are nice, and fans really like the fireworks, but if a team wants to win, pitching is paramount.

The best team in baseball, the Phillies, leads the NL with a 3.08 ERA. The Giants, the worst offensive team in the league, have stayed in contention in the NL West because of a 3.15 team ERA. The Braves follow with a 3.35 ERA.

Before one thinks this is a one-year aberration, consider that the Giants led the league in ERA in 2010 and won the World Series. The Dodgers led in ERA in 2009 and 2008 and lost in the NLCS both years.

The Cardinals came into Sunday’s game with a 3.91 ERA, 10th in the NL, up nearly half a run, from the team’s combined 3.57 ERA, which ranked fourth in the league, and nearly half a run per game below the league average. If the Cardinals hold on to their current spot among NL teams, it would be their worst ERA ranking since the 2007 staff finished 11th in the league with a 4.65 ERA.

That information kind of makes their league-leading batting average and league-leading runs total a little less important.

Another fact which shows it is even more important than ever to improve the pitching staff — if the Cardinals want to contend in 2012 — is the NL trend which has seen the league’s average ERA decline every year since 2006. The 2011 season could mark the first time the league’s composite ERA drops below 4.00 since 1992 – meaning that at a time when the Cardinals’ numbers are getting worse, the other team’s numbers are getting better.

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While no one is suggesting the Cardinals come close to matching what the Phillies spend on starting pitching – a combined $65 million this year for Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton – they should be able to be competitive with the other top pitching clubs in the league – the Giants, Braves and Brewers.

The Giants’ starters this year earned a combined $44 million, the Brewers $31 million and the Braves just under .$30 million, although both of those totals will no doubt increase due to raises for their own pitchers in 2012.

After picking up Adam Wainwright’s $9 million option for 2012, the Cardinals have $33 million committed to four starting pitchers for 2012 – Wainwright, Kyle Lohse ($12.2 million), Jake Westbrook ($8.5 million) and Jaime Garcia ($3.3 million). Chris Carpenter has a $15 million option, or $1 million buyout, as well.

If the Cardinals choose to buy out Carpenter, and try to re-negotiate a new contract, they basically will have about $38 million at their disposal if they keep the total team payroll near this year’s total.

That extra money, of course, comes from Carpenter and not re-signing Albert Pujols and Ryan Theriot, which brings up the biggest question facing the Cardinals this winter – do they want to keep Pujols, or do they want to win?

From a simple economic standpoint it doesn’t seem possible to do both.

If Pujols had not hit free agency until after 2013 or so, it might have been possible because the Cardinals’ farm system is loaded with young talented pitchers, but all of them except Shelby Miller are probably at least two years away from arriving in St. Louis. That stable of good, cheap talent would allow the Cardinals to spend a higher percentage of their payroll on one player, but it just doesn’t seem possible for 2012 – if the priority is to win. Those pitchers are now in Class A ball or lower, and the fact is the Double A Springfield staff, even with Miller, had the worst ERA in the Texas League and allowed the most walks and most home runs in the league this season. Their bullpen also blew 25 saves. Almost all of the pitchers at Triple A Memphis are not prospects.

There is no question that Pujols is a Hall of Fame player and a great citizen of St. Louis. But what we have learned, once again, over the past five seasons is that baseball is not, never has been and never will be a one-man game. As great as Pujols has been the last five years – including two MVP awards – the Cardinals have won zero playoff games in that time span.

If they can re-sign Lance Berkman for a reasonable increase over the $8 million he made this year, the Cardinals have a short-term answer to replace Pujols in the lineup. Their long-term answer might be 23-year-old Matt Adams, the Texas League Player of the Year this season who hit 32 homers and drove in 101 runs to go along with a .304 average at Springfield. Allen Craig can take over Berkman’s place in right field.

The Cardinals need to make the tough choice that it will be much wiser to make those moves and take the money it would cost to re-sign Pujols and re-sign Carpenter to a lesser contract, go sign another starting pitcher and a closer. A new shortstop would be nice too, but let’s try not to be greedy.

There will be four above-average left-handers on the market this winter, C.C. Sabathia, C.J. Wilson, Cole Hamels and Mark Buehrle. Because of his St. Louis connections, and the fact he likely would take a shorter contract, Buehrle has to be the focus of the Cardinals’ attention, and sooner rather than later.

Getting Carpenter to come back for less money would also be a plus, allowing the team to explore what the market could possibly bring by trading either Westbrook or Lohse. A starting rotation for 2012 of Wainwright, Buehrle, Carpenter, Garcia and either Westbrook or Lohse would definitely be an upgrade over the 2011 rotation.

How good is Buehrle, who will be 33 next March? Before having his worst start of the year Sunday night against the Tigers, he had gone 10-3 in his previous 20 starts for the White Sox and had the second best ERA in the American League since May 1. Justin Verlander was at 2.04 since that date, Buehrle was at 2.47 before the Tigers erupted for seven earned runs against him in just 3 1/3 innings.

As for the bullpen, Sunday’s 10th inning loss to the Reds marked the 22nd time this season the Cardinals have lost a game in the opponent’s final at-bat. The Cardinals’ total of 23 blown saves is tied for the second highest total in the NL, behind Washington’s 25. The Phillies have six blown saves all season.

The best closer on the market this winter will be Heath Bell, but others to consider would include Jonathan Papelbon and Matt Capps. Bell and Papelbon have had the most success and experience in their careers, but also will cost the most. Capps has not had a great year this season with the Twins, saving 15 of 23 opportunities while splitting the job with Joe Nathan, but he is 31 of 41 the last two years and is only 29 years old.

It will not be easy for the Cardinals to say goodbye to Pujols. Many fans no doubt will protest and be upset. Winning, however, will calm them down and bring them back to Busch Stadium.

And as history shows, the road to the pennant starts on the pitching mound.

Head over to RobRains.com to read Rob’s notes on the rest of Major and Minor League Baseball.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is toying with the idea of adding two additional playoff teams to the mix next year, bumping the field up while potentially watering the competition down. The concept hasn’t been set in stone, but the most likely scenario would involve each league getting an extra wild card berth. The two wild cards teams in each league would play each other in a best of three series, the winners move on and the playoffs as we know them today begin.

If the playoff expansion were in effect this year, the Cardinals would be right in the thick of things for the final National League playoff spot. While that would be great for Cardinals fans, count me as part of the crowd that says “thanks, but no thanks.”

Why don’t I like the idea? For starters, I think it’s unfair. It is absolutely ridiculous to have teams play 162 games only to have their fate decide in a one (or more likely three) game series. Take the standings this year as an example:

In the American League, the wild card leading Red Sox are on pace for 99 wins. The Rays are next in line, on pace for 88 wins. Think about that: Boston would have to face a team in the same division, 11 games behind them, in a crap-shoot three game series where anything and everything can go wrong. In the blink of an eye, their season could be over.

In the National League, it’s not much better. The 96-win Braves would have to play the 86-win Giants in a three game playoff… the same team that ousted them last year in a best of 5.

Did I mention that both Boston and Atlanta just so happen to have the 2^nd best records in their respective leagues? With the new playoff format, it wouldn’t matter. So what would/should be a #2 seed with home field advantage in the NLDS and a “bye” in the “wild card round” would instead be thrown into a best of 3 with a team that was basically only slightly above mediocre the past six months. It’s just not fair.

The other reason I wouldn’t be all too thrilled about the 5^th playoff spot is because frankly neither the Cardinals, Giants, Rays, or Angels particularly deserve to go to the playoffs, at least that would be the case this year. Typically in baseball, the motto is “90+ wins and you’re in.” This year, we’re on pace for 8 teams to have 90+ wins… funny how that works out, no? Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule (see: the 83 win World Champion Cardinals of 2006) and that’s why you won’t hear me say I wouldn’t want to see the Cardinals make it to the playoffs this year. Saying something like that is simply ridiculous. If the playoff field does expand to five teams in each league next year, I do not expect any fans of the 5^th team in to be making apologies or wish they weren’t in for fear of embarrassment. Sports are crazy. If you get in the field and anything can happen. Already this year we’ve seen Virginia Commonwealth University go from “last 4 in” and a play-in game in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament to the Final Four… and the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks come within a touchdown of hosting the NFC Championship game. I already talked about the 83-win Cardinals winning it all.

The “anything’s possible” factor is the only redeeming quality about commissioner Selig’s plan to expand the playoff field. But the fairness-factor isn’t quite up to par. Thanks, but no thanks, Bud.

If, and that still is a very big two-letter word, the Cardinals decide to try to trade Colby Rasmus — in the next two weeks, over the winter, or a year from now — there are two things which will have to happen. One, the Cardinals will have to find a team willing to trade for Rasmus, and two, that team must be willing to give the Cardinals players who they consider either equal or of greater value than Rasmus.

The Marlins' Randy Choate may be of great interest to the Cardinals

The first part should be easy. There are at least nine teams in need of a center fielder, and Rasmus, even with his inconsistencies and defensive issues, would provide an immediate upgrade at the position for all nine of those teams. It’s the second part which becomes the tricky issue for the Cardinals. If Rasmus could be convinced that it might be in his best interest long-term to become a leftfielder, the list probably expands to more than nine teams which would be interested in him.

The Cardinals’ biggest need right now appears to be for a left-handed reliever who can retire a left-handed batter at a key moment in the game. With 12 games to play against Milwaukee, and Prince Fielder, and three games left against the Reds, and Joey Votto, that one factor might be the one which decides the pennant race in the NL Central.

That player alone, however, no matter his importance to the current makeup of the Cardinals, would not be sufficient value to obtain in a trade for Rasmus. More than likely, the Cardinals need to pick up a couple of high-level prospects, probably pitchers or a shortstop, if they are going to part with their former number-one draft pick, who people forget, is still only 24 years old.

If the Cardinals want to talk now about a possible trade for Rasmus, it would seem to make the most sense for GM John Mozeliak to be calling his counterpart on these teams, which are listed in alphabetical order:

Atlanta – Through the All-Star break, the Braves had the worst batting average for centerfielders in the NL (.222) and had only four home runs and 18 RBIs combined between Jordan Schaffer and Nate McLouth. The Braves actually have two quality left-handed relief specialists in All-Star Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty. They also have a promising left-handed starter, Mike Minor, in Triple A, and their 2010 No. 1 draft pick, shortstop Matt Lipka, playing in Class A.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox owe Alex Rios a lot of money, but he is having a terrible year. Their combined centerfielders hit even worse than the Braves, .210, before the All-Star break and Rios was only slightly better with a .213 average with six homers and 21 RBIs. When John Danks comes back off the disabled list, the White Sox will have six starting pitchers. Most observers believe they will trade Edwin Jackson, who threw a shutout on Saturday in front of several scouts, including one from the Cardinals. Another starter might interest the Cardinals more, however. How about left-hander and St. Charles native Mark Buehrle, now 32, who has talked openly about one day wanting to pitch for the Cardinals before he retires. He is a free agent after the season and would have to approve any trade.

Florida – The Marlins traded for veteran Mike Cameron before the All-Star break, but he is not the team’s long-term answer. Putting Rasmus in the middle of Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton would give Florida a talented young outfield for years to come. Combined, the Marlins’ centerfielders hit .234 before the All-Star break and had just seven home runs. The Marlins have pitching to trade, both starters and relievers, and names such as Ricky Nolasco, Annabel Sanchez and Leo Nunez certainly should come up in any discussion about Rasmus.

San Diego – The Padres like Cameron Maybin, which is why they might be included to move Rasmus to left field. Everyone knows about Heath Bell and Mike Adams in their bullpen, but another name to consider is former Cardinal prospect Luke Gregerson, and they also have a young flamethrower in the minors, right-hander Brad Broch, who was just promoted from Double A to Triple A. The Padres actually think they might get more in return for Adams than Bell since he is under contract through next season.

Seattle – The Mariners’ centerfielders had the worst average in the majors before the All-Star break, .196, with five homers and only 21 RBIs. The Mariners don’t really have the pitching depth to trade off the major-league roster, but they do have two young talented shortstops in the minors, Nick Franklin and Marcus Littlewood, who might interest the Cardinals.

San Francisco – A lot was said and written before the break about the Giants’ interest in Carlos Beltran, but the asking price for the Mets’ outfielder is going to be very high and will attract interest from a lot of teams. The Giants do need a centerfielder after posting only a .248 average with 3 homers and 24 RBIs before the All-Star break. If the asking price for Beltran gets too high, maybe the Giants would look at Rasmus. They have quality left-handed relief specialist in Javier Lopez, another very good setup reliever in Sergio Romos and two young minor leaguers, a left-handed starter named Eric Suskemp and an outfielder named Francisco Peguero.

Tampa Bay – Like the Beltran talks, the buzz about Rasmus before the break seemed to center on the Rays. Their only interest in Rasmus would seem to be if they could also move B.J. Upton at the same time, either in that or another trade. There would seem to be no incentive for them to trade starter Jeremy Hellickson, although James Shield would appear to be a more likely target for the Cardinals. They also have left-handed reliever Jake McGee, who was just promoted to the majors this week from Triple A.

Toronto – The Blue Jays centerfielders had a combined .244 average before the All-Star break with only four home runs, although Rajah Davis had 24 stolen bases. Toronto has several relievers who are said to be available, but the Cardinals would likely want a higher return for Rasmus.

Washington – The Nationals primary centerfielder before the break was former Cardinal Rick Ankiel, who is struggling and without former Cardinal connection Jim Riggleman there, his playing time could start to diminish, B.J. Upton’s name has been linked to the Nationals for some time, but it isn’t known the actual level of their interest. What would or should interest the Cardinals would be if the Nationals would consider trading All-Star Tyler Clippard, a right-hander who also has been very effective against left-handed batters.

The market for left-handed specialists

With or without bringing up Rasmus, the Cardinals are expected to be exploring the market for a left-handed specialist between now and the July 31 trading deadline. These six would appear to be the best of the lot, and again, at least worthy of a phone conversation:

Jonny Venters, Atlanta – There probably is no way the Braves would consider trading the All-Star, but they do have another lefthanded reliever in Eric O’Flaherty and rookie Craig Kimbrel gets the bulk of the save opportunities. Through Saturday he had allowed only seven hits in 51 at-bats to left-handed batters, a 137 average, and had four walks and 20 strikeouts. For his two-year career, lefthanded batters have only posted a .177 average against Venters.

Randy Choate, Florida — The 35-year-old veteran is a target for several teams, including the Yankees, which figures to bring up the asking price. He has allowed only five hits in 53 at-bats to lefthanded hitters this season before Saturday, a .053 average, with one walk and 23 strikeouts. For his career, Choate has held left-handers to a .205 average.

Marc Rzepczynski, Toronto – The 25-year-old has been outstanding this season for the Blue Jays, holding left-handed batters to a .152 average (10-of-66) with six walks and 21 strikeouts. He has held opposing left-handers to a .209 average for his career.

Eric O’Flaherty, Atlanta – He is the same age as Venters, 26, but has not received the same level of attention. Quietly, however, he has been very effective, holding left-handed batters to a .182 average this season (10-of-55) with two walks and 12 strikeouts. O’Flaherty actually has more experience than Venters and for his career has held left-handed opponents to a .219 average.

Cory Luebke, San Diego – The Padres moved Luebke into their starting rotation in late June, but before then he was very effective against left-handed batters, holding them to a .152 average. For his career, opponents are hitting only .181 against the 26-year-old Luebke.

Javier Lopez, San Francisco – The 34-year-old left-hander has been a key setup man for Brian Wilson with the Giants, holding opponents to a .111 average (7-of-63) while issuing seven walks and 20 strikeouts. Left-handers have a career .220 average against Lopez.

Check out news from around Major League Baseball in this rest of this article over at RobRains.com.

With a few exceptions the 2011 Royals campaign is going like most of us thought it would. There have been some nice surprises. The two Braves castoffs in the outfield are having produtive seasons, Alex Gordon is finally being the player we thought he should be.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The wave of prospects has finally arrived and began contributing at the Major League level. The big names of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have done as well as anyone can expect from rookies. Alcides Escobar, a key component in the Zack Greinke trade is making a good bid for a Gold Glove, and seems to have found his stroke at the plate after a woeful start. The young bullpen has shown flashes of brilliance, and had plenty of “learning opportunities”. This is all playing out as expected. No one thought the team would contend. It’s essentially still spring training.

The one thing we knew wouldn’t be nice was the starting pitching. And they have lived up to expectations. Some times to the point of being historically bad. Luke Hochaver is not an ace, and Vin Mazzaro has no business in the majors. We knew this going into the season. Although, it would be nice if they didn’t embarrass themselves.

My concern is that beyond Danny Duffy, Dayton Moore has not called up anyone else. If you look at the in-season roster moves it seems pretty clear that the front office is taking the approach: “If you’re not getting it done. You’re going down, and we’re giving the prospects a shot.”. However, when Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies went to the DL; Danny Duffy was called up to the rotation, and the other spot was filled by Nate Adcock until Felipe Paulino was acquired from Colorado, and earned himself a spot in the rotation.

On top of the big league pitching troubles the magnificent pitching prospects in the system are facing some adversity. Mike Montgomery has not built upon his success from last year and is rocking an ERA of 5.00. I saw Montgomery pitch in the Futures Game on April 3rd. I was excited at the thought he would be up with the big club this summer. That still might be the case, but it’s still troublesome to see him regress. Prospect John Lamb is going to have Tommy John surgery. Not the end of a career anymore, but a disappointing setback. Chris Dwyer is sporting an ERA of 6.12 in AA NW Arkansas. That is not good regardless of level. Jake Odorizzi, another piece in the Zack Greinke deal is having an awesome season. However, he’s still at Class A Wilmington and won’t be ready for a few years. These two and a half months have shown how fragile prospects can be.

I’m excited about the progress of the position players. However, if the front office does not find some pitching, both at the big league level and deeper in the system I fear this Youth Movement will turn into the Royals of the late 90s/ early 2000’s. All hitting, no pitching and never making a run at a play-offs. There is some talent in the system, but is there a division leader type ace among that group? I think the Royals will need more than one to contend. See 2010 San Fransisco Giants. Should the front office look at stretching some of talent in the bullpen? Can the front office trade Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, or Wilson Betimit for more pitching? That’s a lot of questions for a time when we should be close to answers. The Royals can hit home runs all they want. Until two or more pitchers can out pitch Luke Hochaver as the “ace” of this rotation the Royals aren’t going anywhere. Except from illrelevant to medicore