[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

This franchise also needs to develop/acquire a shortstop for the future. We kicked the can down the road with Peralta, but they've got to figure something out long term. We can't run Kozma like guys out there and expect results.

Man, where would this team be without that Peralta contract? What a huge HUGE acquisition he's been.

Edmundo Sosa appears to be their hope, but he's too far off, IMO. I think they were hoping that Diaz would be the gap filler but he's sure regressed a lot. The guy I saw in spring training last year looked a lot like a gap to gap .280 hitter with 10 HR pop and fringe/average defense at SS - someone that can hold down the fort until someone better came along. He's just not progressing.

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Hollidays contract is one of the few $100 million+ contacts that I can remember that the team actually got their money's worth. I think Hamas pointed out last year that his WAR has pad for the contract last year. These last two years are freebies and we have another option year.

And back to Peralta, by fWAR he's paid off his 4 year contract a mere 200 games into his Cardinal career. I just can't speak highly enough about how important he's been.

Originally Posted by O.city

DJ, whats your solution to the lack of bats?

Draft and develop some?

Well that's everyone's solution. Frankly, however, I'm not convinced they have the eye for hitters that they have for pitching at this point. Something in their scouting model allows them to find premier pitchers throughout the draft. I'm not seeing that in their hitters and I really REALLY worry that it went out the door with Luhnow.

I'd have made a harder push for Tomas and Moncada in the international market. Alternatively, I'd have considered blowing up the middle part of these drafts to make high bids on guys that fall due to signing concerns. Justin Bellanger would have been the kind of guy to do that with last year, IMO. Big time power 1b prospect that would fit in this system nicely; considered a 2nd round talent but/for signability issues. Instead of going all out to get him signed, we pissed away money on middle round JAGs, IMO.

Austin Wilson in 2010 was another guy that I always thought we didn't push hard enough to get signed. Last year it looked like we'd rue that decision, though he's really scuffling in high A this year.

Ultimately they need to find an impact hitter somewhere and if that means they end up using 11 draft choices and only signing 6 guys, so be it. Or if that means dealing with international signing penalties to get Yoan Moncada, oh well (though admittedly, I can go either way on that signing; there are fair arguments to both sides).

There is a complete lack of top end hitters in this system and that's going to absolutely murder us. Something aggressive needs be done to address that and fairly soon.