The St Louis Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty has been known to get the most from his budget, and 2007 will be no exception, as he & the Cardinals have made some moves that provide solid players for reasonable amounts of money when compared to the deals other teams are offering comparable players.

The Cardinals have signed second baseman Adam Kennedy to a 3 year, $10 million deal, which is reasonable enough, given that Kennedy has been solid on both sides of the ball over the past few seasons. He began a modest decline last season, and will likely continue to decline some as he ages, but should continue to deliver at least league average statistics over the life of the contract. The last season (at $4.5 million) may be a little steep, but getting him at reasonable cost during the first two seasons of the contract make the final year payoff worthwhile.

The Cardinals picked up another project for pitching coach Dave Duncan in former Pittsburgh hurler Kip Wells. The 29 year old has the stuff to be excellent, but hasn't found his niche yet. He has been signed to a fairly reasonable one year, $4 million deal. If he finds his stride under the LaRussa/Duncan tandem, this move could payoff big for the Cardinals in the long run.

Finally, the Cardinals signed backup catcher Gary Bennett to a $900,000 one year deal today. There is a mutual option for 2008 also at $900,000, or a $50,000 buyout if the team doesn't exercise the option. Bennett's never been much of a hitter, but he calls an excellent game, offers solid defense behind the plate, and is a positive influence in the clubhouse. He worked quite well with the younger Cardinal pitchers, and they will need his leadership again with a predominately young relief corps, and with Wells and Anthony Reyes already slotted in the starting rotation.

Reports in the St Louis media were that the Cardinals had about $25 million left to spend towards the 2007 season before this latest group of moves. With these moves, the Cardinals still have about $17 million left to basically sign pitching. With that money, the Cardinals have several options to take with their pitching. They can attempt to retain Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver, or at least retain one of the Jeffs and sign a similar pitcher (Gil Meche, Ted Lilly, etc). Or they can make a solid effort towards getting Barry Zito or Jason Schmidt. If the Cardinals acquired Zito or Schmidt, the fifth starter's spot could go to Brad Thompson, Chris Narveson, or Adam Wainwright. However, using Wainwright as a starter will significantly hurt the Cardinals bullpen--Isringhausen or no Isringhausen.

We will continue to monitor the Cardinals offseason moves, as well as all other significant baseball moves. Once any notable players claim a new (or old) home, we will provide coverage and commentary of the move, here at To the Point and Back!

About the Author

Author Robert Griggs is an avid follower of baseball. He is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan so you can be sure to see many articles like this one in the future. Mr. Griggs currently writes for the commentary website: http://www.tothepointandback.com. If you would like to check out more of his works, feel free to do so.