It's certainly debatable, but Adams can only play 1 position; at least Taveras can play all 3 outfield positions.

It doesn't mean they'll trade him. It could mean that they'll eventually work out deals similar to the ones that guys like Pedroia and Youkilis signed shortly after establishing themselves as good, young ballplayers. If you lock a player up early enough (like we did with Waino and Yadi some time ago before their recent expiration) you'll pay more in the initial years while saving significantly down the road, likely keeping them away from FA for at least two years.

Most of those deals you only get one year maybe two past the years the team controls their movements.

If Taveras is as advertised, in 6 years he will want a Pujols sized contract. and the Cardinals will not be in any better financial situation to give him $250-$300 million.

Which is why you try to extend him at the end of year two, thus buying up his age 28-30 years at a discount, and then let some rube like Artie Moreno overpay for his decline years.

Fox Sports gives the love to the Cardinals
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/s...aseball-032613

a interesting part of the article
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For us, we have so many players that have come up together. And not only did they come up together, but they experienced success along the way. When they got to the big leagues, they expected that.”

It’s true. When I asked Craig about this phenomenon one day this spring, he suggested Game 6 of the 2011 World Series — one of the best games in any of our lifetimes — had some roots in a postseason event that probably wasn’t on your radar: the 2009 Pacific Coast League finals between the Memphis Redbirds and Sacramento River Cats.


The Redbirds’ lineup in that series included three players — Jay, Craig and Freese, a 2007 trade acquisition — who have become essential everyday players in St. Louis. Descalso and Boggs had significant roles on the team, too. And the Game 1 pitcher against Sacramento was Jaime Garcia, who started twice in the World Series for La Russa two years later. “We were the youngest team in the league — by far,” Jay recalled. “We all started off slow. Then we figured it out.”

Naturally, Memphis swept Sacramento in three.

“We were stacked,” Craig said. “That’s one thing we took pride in, winning that league championship in 2009. Then in the World Series, you look and I was in left, Jay was in center, and Daniel was at third for the final out. Freeser was in the game, too, and obviously did what he did. That’s one of the things that made the World Series extra special.


“We all had a common goal, to get to the big leagues. It wasn’t like we were trying to fight each other to get there. We just came up together as a group. We’d talk about it. We didn’t get presumptuous, but it was always like, ‘When we get to the big leagues, we want to do great things. We want to win.’ We always just fought for that opportunity and talked through things. We’ve gone a long way as a collective group.”


Notice the number of times the word “we” appeared in that quotation. It’s the sort of thing a high school or college coach would love. It also works. Whether the Cardinals’ players have great makeup (scouting term) or understand the process (nerdy jargon), the idea is the same: They get it. And the winning ethic of the Cardinals’ homegrown core — with a major assist from Carlos Beltran — explains how they were able to lose La Russa and Albert Pujols after winning the 2011 World Series and finish with close to the same record last year.


Craig believes the cohesion created in Memphis — and the minor-league stops before — “absolutely” has influenced the way the present-day Cardinals respond to October pressure. Jay sensed the same connectedness in the dugout before the ninth inning of the decisive Game 5 in Washington last year. The Nationals led, 7-5, before the tying and winning singles by Descalso and Kozma, respectively — each with two out.

5 years, $97.5 million for Wainwright.

Jesus. Think we may have overpaid.

Certainly did.

That said, I think they're leaning on cost-controlled excellence from Miller, Rosenthal, Wacha and Martinez to weather the last couple of years of WWs and Molina's contracts.

This isn't a smart economic deal at all, IMO. He needs to prove he's back to 2010 form before he's worth that, but we gave him the deal just assuming that he will.

I don't like it. At the same time, I do like the idea of my favorite current Cardinal being a cardinal for life.

If you want to live up to the first part of your user name and extract every drop of financial value out of every transaction, you can certainly make that case.

Nevertheless, I don't believe that it's anathema to slightly overpay your guys who have been good soldiers, dependable players and great teammates. If anything, I think it sets a good example for the rest of the locker room, and it's an entirely different notion than dropping the same bank for a player as a FA.

Ironically enough, despite my hate for Pioli and all things Patriot, there is some merit to the idea of a winning culture. Where Pioli got it wrong was in the assumption that old brokedicks, locker room snitches, and Gestapo tactics is what made it. It's not. It comes from having guys like Tom Brady, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright.

Look at what the latter two did for our young pitchers this offseason. There's real value in that that can never be measured on a Fangraphs page of what the player would receive in a FA market where everyone is overpaid as a consequence of the market's inherent irrationality.

What the **** was that for?

And I do understand the skepticism on the deal as Wainwright will be 33 in 2014. How many 33 year old pitchers are worth that today?

Dude, come on man.:shake:
I'm okay with the contract because he brings that intangible that doesn't show up in any box score. He is a die hard Cardinal. Talks constantly about the way that Cardinal pitchers behave, work out, help each other etc. He walked the walk. After Miller spent the weekend with him last year, he turned over a new leaf and now he is prospering again.

These young pitching studs need a great example of how to pitch at the major league level. How to train to stay at the big league level. How to maintain that fire to win.

When I went to the Atlanta playoff game last year, Waino was all over the practice field and during batting practice talking, joking with players and small groups. They all seem to listen and joke around with him. It was as obvious as it could be that he was viewed with respect by his teammates.

Waino is a leader that everyone respects. I'm damn glad I don't have to see another one of my favorite players in another uniform. That curveball to Beltran, I got to see him win a World Series for my team in person. Damn glad he is a Cardinal for life.:clap:

It was an intentionally off-color, tongue-in-cheek joke. JR isn't a rabbi.

Nor Jewish. Surprisingly (to most) two of my favorite posters on this site are Frazod and Hamas.

No offense taken from me.

I was 99.5% sure you weren't Jewish either. I always thought you were Mr. Plow.

That was my old Gamertag that I used to have in my sig, name was already taken here.

So... if Motte is out an extended amount of time, do you guys think Rosenthal is eventually given the closer's role? I know Boggs has had some success, but he doesn't seem like the slam-dunk guy Rosenthal could be.