Fisking Jeff Gordon's post

St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer/reporter/columnist/whatever Jeff Gordon had a blazing hawt take yesterday regarding the Astros and their lack of progress under former Cardinals executive Jeff Luhnow. This makes perfect sense, given that the Cardinals - like the Astros - are 60-55 and that the Astros don't play the Cardinals for another four days. The piece was really only a reaction to the Carlos Gomez DFAing. And it's also highly suspect on its own merit. Let's see!

Somebody should hack into the Astros' baseball operation and check that scouting report Jeff Luhnow had an outfielder Carlos Gomez.

LOL felony jokes! Always fun for a local writer to advocate the very action that disgraced Teh Cradinal Way (sic) and landed their former scouting director in a federal penitentiary for almost four years.

...At the time (of the Carlos Gomez trade), agent Scott Boras insisted nothing was wrong with Gomez.

Despite the Mets backing out of the deal due to Gomez's reported hip issues, the Astros were comfortable enough to go ahead and make the deal the Mets didn't, giving up four prospects in the process. There was nothing wrong with Gomez physically at the time, unless Gordon has difficulty in envisioning that players can just not play well.

...Yeah, well good luck with that. Gomez hit .242 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 41 games with Houston last year and struggled with an oblique injury in September.

Is this the proper time to point out to Dr. Gordon that the oblique is not the hip injury he spent the preceding paragraph highlighting? The oblique is not the hip. Are we all clear on that? Good! I guess we'll just ignore how in the final 19 of the 41 regular season games in which Gomez played for Houston in 2015 he hit .318/.370/.561. He did struggle with an oblique injury in September which, given how hot Gomez had gotten over the previous three weeks, could have been instrumental in the Astros' losing the division. Or they could have lost it anyway and had to go to New York for the Wild Card game...where Gomez hit a pretty massive home run. But good luck with that, too.

OH! As a minor aside, Gordon was an awfully big fan of the "good luck with that" phrase back in 2012 when Brad Mills was fired:

(Quoting interim manager Tony DeFrancesco): "There's going to be a commitment to excellence. I want to be the guy who changes the environment around here."

Yeah, well, good luck with that. Real progress is at least a few years away.

Sure would be nice for Gordon to tell us when the Real Progress has finally been achieved.

This season he posted a dismal "slash line" of .210/.272/.322 this season before the Astros finally designated him for assignment.

Why are we putting "slash line" in air-quotes like it's similar to a magic spell? Or do the air-quotes act as a visual cue for the best fans in baseball (TM) to pay attention. Oh, but stats! It's true that Carlos Gomez was not very good this year. That's why he's not with the team anymore.

"The play on the field was not what we expected," Luhnow said, according to MLB.com. "I don't know if anybody could have forecasted a change like that. We didn't..." 

...Actually, the Mets forecast a change like that and backed out of the deal with Milwaukee.

Wait, I thought the Mets backed out of the deal because there were concerns about his hip, not because they thought he wouldn't hit for the remaining 15 months on his contract. The Mets' initial target was Gomez, likely because of the extra year remaining on his deal and his relatively low cost. When they backed out, it was because they didn't like what they saw out of Gomez's hip at that time. They, like the Astros were trying to make the playoffs. At the time that the trade between Milwaukee and New York fell apart, the Mets were two games out of the NL East lead. And since they had concerns over Gomez's hip, they were concerned he wouldn't help them in the 2015 race. They pivoted to Yoenis Cespedes, who obviously worked out much better for the Mets than Gomez did the Astros. However, that the Mets traded for Cespedes shows that they were more interested in the 2015 race than risking missing out on 2015 and taking another shot at 2016. The 2015 Mets have a young core of pitchers, but Daniel Murphy was going to be a free agent, Bartolo Colon was 42. Cuddyer was 36, Granderson was 34. Their window was presumably shorter than the Astros' perceived window. And the Mets had to sign Cespedes to a 3yr/$75m contract to keep him, while the Astros had Gomez under contract for $9m in 2016. The Mets backed out of the deal because they wanted short-term bang, the Astros were interested in a longer-term bang.

The Gomez trade was just one of the mishaps that prevented the Astros from converting their tank-and-rebuild sacrifice into Cubs-like dominance. Here are some more:

Oh this should be good.

Drafting pitcher Mark Appel first overall in the 2013 draft, ahead of Cubs slugger Kris Bryant. Appel struggled in the minors before Luhnow dealt him last winter.

I'm trying to figure out if Gordon here is pissed at Luhnow or if he's pissed at the success the Cubs are having, mainly at the expense of the Cardinals. But sure, I'll play along with Gordon's revisionist history. When Mark Appel was the 1-1 in 2013, the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers said it was "impressive." Keith Law said he was the "best player available." ESPN said Appel immediately became the Astros' top prospect - ahead of Correa, mind you. Alyson Footer said the pick was "pret-tay pret-tay good." Jim Callis said before the 2013 draft that the Cubs and Mark Appel were close to a deal, anyway, with the 1-2 pick. Hey maybe the draft is a crapshoot and things don't work out exactly the way you hope they do. Or we can mention that Appel was at least part of a package that brought Ken Giles to Houston, or do we only focus on April when we talk about Ken Giles?

Drafting pitcher Brady Aiken first overall in the 2014 draft, ahead of the likes of White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon and Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber. Aiken had elbow problems and never signed with the Astros.

*Pauses to shove leaking brain back up through nose.* Wait, weren't we just talking about how great the Mets were for backing out of the Gomez deal? So the Astros draft Brady Aiken, finally get a chance to check out his elbow, and - with the benefit of the same hindsight that Gordon has access to - rightly have concerns over the elbow with which, as Gordon notes, Aiken has had problems?

Matter of fact, let's check in on Brady Aiken. *Opens Baseball-Reference* Yes, hmmm. 27IP, 36H/22ER, 36K:15BB. Fastball in the high 80s. Yes, he's only 19, and he's coming back from Tommy John surgery. Maybe it'll work out, but how are you gonna praise the Mets for backing out of a deal for medical concerns and then use that same argument to blast the Astros? Or do we talk about how not signing Aiken led to the drafting of Alex Bregman? No? Doesn't fit in the narrative? Okay. But hey, there's the Cubs again. Maybe Gordon should just get a Theo voodoo doll and save us all some time.

Cashiering outfielder J.D. Martinez, who became a power-hitting star for the Tigers.

I know for a fact that J.D. Martinez is the one player on which the front office wishes they had a mulligan. That said, Martinez *did* have almost 1000 Plate Appearances in Houston with a .687 OPS. When the Astros released him, the Tigers worked with him to completely rebuild his swing. I mean, (as Not Hank notes in the link) it happened to the Ramgers with Chris Davis. It happened to the Pirates with Jose Bautista. Should the Astros have totally rebuilt his swing? Maybe. Maybe crap like that happens, though.

Trading elite starting pitching prospect Vince Velasquez (along with Appel) to get Phillies closer Ken Giles - who fell into a middle-relief role in Houston this season.

Again, it's like this post was written in April. Yeah, Early Giles was bad. But since June 1 Giles has thrown 25IP, 20H/4ER, 43K:6BB. A 1.44 ERA/1.04 WHIP, and that's with a .380 BABIP. So the "middle relief role" is true, but that was when he wasn't performing while Luke Gregerson was, and Will Harris earned the next spot up. Oh, and Ken Giles won't be a free agent until 2021. Or is it not okay to deal from a position of (perceived) depth and a struggling minor-league pitcher to acquire a hard-throwing closer of Giles' caliber?

While the Astros still have Fiers from that Gomez deal, what they mostly have is regret.

I mean, the Astros did make the postseason...and came within nothing having to do with Carlos Gomez of making it to the ALCS. And they're only 2.0 GB of a Wild Card spot, even despite the lack of production from formerly-hated Cardinal Colby Rasmus (whom, of course, Gordon notes). So maybe "regret" is strong. They wish Gomez had performed well, but he didn't. So...

Fortunately for the Astros, Santana hasn't done much for the Brewers and Phillips has stalled out in the minors. That eases the pain somewhat. 

Wait. So...what are we complaining about again? That the Astros traded some prospects who - as of right now - aren't lighting the world on fire - to make a playoff push, less than five years after starting a dramatic rebuild? That's a negative? Or are we complaining about Jeff Luhnow because he was a polarizing figure when he was with the Cardinals?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports department has a long history of going out of their way to critique/criticize Luhnow. Maybe the issue isn't really with Luhnow, it's with Gordon.

Friday Morning Hot Links

Well. That gave me the vapors. After scoring 23 runs in nine August games prior to yesterday's doubleheader, the Astros pounded out 25 runs in one day. Or, the Astros had scored 25 runs in the eleven games from July 30-August 9, a span of 410 plate appearances.

Game 1 recap; Game 2 recap.

*Hinch:
We had one continual day of offense that didn't stop. It was a fun day; a long day, pretty exhausting, but to walk out of here with two twins after being down by a lot of runs in the rain is a pretty good feeling. 

Gattis:
It's crazy. It's like feast or famine right now for us.

The Astros had 35 hits and were 13x34 w/RISP on the day. The 35 hits and 25 runs ranked second in Astros' franchise doubleheader history. Doubleheader stats:

Springer: 5x9, 6RBI
Altuve: 5x9, 3RBI
Correa: 4x8, 2HR, 4RBI
Marwin: 6x11, 3RBI

The Rockies Ranger'd the Rangers, answering a Texas 4-run 7th with a 5-run 8th to win 12-9. The Orioles beat the A's. The Yankees beat the Red Sox. The Astros are 7.5 GB of West Greeneville, 1.0 GB of Seattle. They're 4.5 GB of Baltimore for WC1 and 2.0 GB of Boston for WC2 with Detroit and Seattle between Houston and the WC2.

*Altuve is hitting .434 on the road, which would be the highest road batting average in 91 years. Hinch:
You guys and copy and paste everything I've said to this point. There's not much more to say. He's the best hitter in the league. Period.

*Fister, on Altuve:
He's like a video game. He just continues to amaze. For me, I'm just going to try and let him get himself out.

Altuve is the first Astro to record eight four-hit games in a single season.

*Chris Devenski got his first major-league win, after going 0-4 to this point in the season, all in relief.  Hinch, on Devenski:
He picked us up big time by going through five innings. He's so efficient when he's right. He got into the fifth inning relatively quickly. We started the game with 60-70, maybe 75 pitches, and he maximized all the outs. He's tough to hit when he's in the strike zone. Guys want to go up and swing against him and he can disrupt the timing as well as anybody on our team.

*Ken Giles will go on paternity leave today. The corresponding move is expected to be Luke Gregerson's activation from the DL, but it's not 100%.

*Be sure to check out this lovely piece of garbage from the Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon (from yesterday):
Somebody should hack into the Astros' baseball operation and check that scouting report Jeff Luhnow had on Carlos Gomez...

*Tal's Hill is indeed coming down after the 2016 season, and you can click through to see the conceptual renderings. It'll be weird to see a 90-degree angle in the outfield. Doubt anything can go wrong there. However, if you click through to Image 3 in the slideshow at the top of the article (Chron gonna Chron), you'll see what the outfield will look like. Also, look at the score on the scoreboard. The morally-bankrupt artist already has the Astros down 5-0 to the Ramgers.

*Do you want the Astros to replace Jason Castro with Wilson Ramos? Read this.

*Read about Fresno embracing their taco side.

*FanGraphs: So you want to salvage Carlos Gomez?

*Ken Rosenthal: The Mariners didn't panic at the deadline, and now it's paying off.

*What's it like to be 16-years old and watch one of your friends make Olympic history?

*Before you go: Check out Jose Altuve's spray chart

Jose Altuve closing in on 1000 hits.... His base hit spray chart is quite impressive. @astros pic.twitter.com/JnsJs7RIQ3

— Daren Willman (@darenw) August 11, 2016

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Get in on this before your annoying officemate...

*Odd story in the Chron about Mike Elias and the draft, which Drellich describes as Elias' sole job. "If it is necessary," Drellich adds later, "Luhnow has the final call on whom the Astros draft. He also handles the negotiations of the highest profile pick in the draft."

*The Astros are one of nine MLB teams to which Cliff Lee could be traded without his consent.

*The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon sums up former Cardinal exec Jeff Luhnow.

*Scott Boras describes the difference between the Cubs and the Astros.
I deal with (Luhnow), so I don't know about other aspects of the Astros system, but Jeff has a very empirical formula and he has a very defined plan and he is, at this point in his career, he has a very...tight track of what he wants to do. It's a narrow track as far as his intentions. The Cubs have a plan that I think very much includes kind of what Theo's positioning is after his experiences in Boston.

*Mac Marshall on Friday's draft deadline:
We had to wait until 4pm, but once we found out I was just excited (about staying at LSU).

See! It all worked out for everybody (*sobs*)

*Mark Appel had his next scheduled start - originally tonight - pushed back in order to get extra bullpen work. Mike Elias:
As crazy as his numbers look, we're really not that worried about it internally because of what we know about him and what we expect of him.

*Dexter Fowler isn't very close to returning from his intercostal strain.

*"It's kind of weird to know that this is my third year, but I'm just now getting the hang of it."
-Collin McHugh

*"In addition to revealing the Astros as shitty jerks, the Brady Aiken saga has also reminded the world of the existence of one of the NCAA's silliest and most farcical rules..."
-Deadspin

*They're pretty much what we all thought the Astros would be, only we had the wrong team in Texas pegged as the biggest mess in the sport. 
-New York Daily News, on the Rangers

Monday Morning Link Dump

While You Were Drinking: here's your Monday Morning Link Dump...

The Astros are beginning the managerial search immediately. Meanwhile, minor league hitting instructor Ty Van Burkleo is the interim hitting coach, and special assistant to the GM Dan Radison (formerly in the Cardinals' organization) is the interim first-base coach.

The hope is to have a manager in place by November, and a short list of names has already been compiled.

Luhnow, on the timing:
"It was about a week ago that we made a decision that we weren't going to renew Brad for next year," Luhnow said. "Once that decision was made, in thinking through the logic, it made sense to make these changes sooner rather than later, not have a lame-duck administration really."

Brad Mills seemed to be relieved by his firing.

Luhnow:
But there's something to be said for sticking to a plan. And sometimes sticking to it can be harder than figuring out what the right plan is."

Dierker:
"I like the philosophy. I wholeheartedly endorse the process. I don't know if it will work. (Luhnow) doesn't know if it will work. It all depends on if these guys get better. If they already were better, you couldn't get three of them for one major league player."

Jeff Gordon, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, of course, had some things to say. When he quoted DeFrancesco's desire to help move the Astros in the right direction:
Yeah, well, good luck with that. Real progress is at least a few years away.

Maury Brown has a post in Baseball Prospectus about Jim Crane, the Astros, and payroll:
What the Astros really are is three seasons into a five-year rebuilding plan that’s certainly going to need more than five years to come to fruition...

StL Post-Dispatch on Tyler Greene

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon had a couple thoughts on Tyler Greene:

He heard boos during his last game in St. Louis, a 15-0 loss. He had a bad game, sure, but who didn't? Some seven- and eight-digit salary guys were more glaring no-shows......When Greene looks bad, he really, really looks bad. And as a jumpy guy, he lets the mishaps multiply on him. Clearly this was not a guy capable of playing well in a limited role, as Matt Carpenter has so far this season. But now Greene gets a fresh start.

Methinks Derrick Goold is minimizing Luhnow's impact on the Cardinals

...At least that's what it looks like.

From 2005 to 2011, the years Jeff Luhnow oversaw the draft, the Cardinals have had more drafted players reach the majors than any other team in the majors. This is a stat that the Cardinals will trumpet. It is not a stat that tells the whole story of the Cardinals draft. Quantity should not be a mask for quality...In other words, they draft a players who will contribute at the major-league level. They draft few who will star.

Read the whole thing for more context, but make of it what you will.

This is awfully kind and self-congratulatory

Good old Jeff Gordon, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave Jim Crane some advice on how to rebuild the Astros:

1. Be like St. Louis.
2. Enjoy!

Jeff Gordon won't leave it alone about Milo not leaving Berkman alone

Jeff Gordon's Tipsheet in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has this note:

Tipsheet caught the Houston broadcast of the Cards-Astros game Thursday night on satellite radio while driving home from a meeting. The seventh inning conversation turned to Lance Berkman and his All-Star Game candidacy.

Astros play-by-play man Milo Hamilton couldn’t resist needling Berkman, again. Earlier he ripped Berkman for whipping himself into top shape as a Cardinal after failing to do so during final, injury-marred season an Astro.

Milo’s Thursday night comment was something like this: “If he makes the All-Star Game, I hope he brings his trainer.”

Snap!

/Dead Horse

We just may have helped kill the Cardinals

Or, at least, made them question the All-Knowing John Mozeliak.

Here, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Jeff Gordon runs around the village hollering and screaming:

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak can look at the bright side today. Fewer people are asking why he traded a beloved hitter, Ryan Ludwick, to add another pitcher.

Newcomer Jake Westbrook pitched well in his debut, allowing just two runs in six innings Monday night. He was exactly as advertised, a savvy ground-ball specialist who should fit snugly into Dave Duncan’s program. But the rest of the Cards pitching staff allowed 25 runs in the next 11 innings against the Astros. Twenty-five!

Some of that failure could be attributed to defense, or the lack thereof. Fielding is not a strong suit of this team. Even in good times, the 2010 Cards give away outs. In bad times they give away runs and games. This takes a cumulative toll on the starters and relievers.

But the pitchers still have to make pitches – and several of them quit doing that the last two days. Jaime Garcia looked like a young pitcher hitting the fatigue wall Tuesday night. Set-up man Jason Motte developed a sore shoulder and lost command. That shifted a bigger burden to Mitchell Boggs, who promptly blew up. Key lefty Dennys Reyes continued his second-half meltdown. Fill-in reliever Mike MacDougal showed everybody why he was out of the majors this season. The only reliable Cards reliever the last two days was . . . utility man Aaron Miles, who threw a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday night.

So Mozeliak must continue making changes. Issues abound. The bullpen is looking frayed these days...

...Tuesday night’s epic defeat was a cry for help. Can Mozeliak answer it quickly? Can he answer it well?

The Cards season may hinge on his response.

Post-Dispatch misses the point

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch totally misses the point in regard to the trading history of new Astros 1B1, Brett Wallace.

For the third time in less than 13 months and for the second consecutive trade deadline, former Cardinals top prospect Brett Wallace had to pack his bags for a move. The first-round pick has yet to take an at-bat in the majors, and yet he's already been with four organizations, and twice he's been on the periphery of deals the Philadelphia Phillies have made for a front-line starting pitcher. And, of all the teams, he's never been with Philly. Remember when it was just uncertain whether he would stay at a position? Now he cannot stick with a team.

God have mercy. We're not talking about a guy who has been traded three times in a year for Adam Everett, Milton Bradley, and Gary Matthews, Jr. He's been part of - or the key prospect in - deals for Matt Holliday, Roy Halladay, and now Roy Oswalt. Give me a break about how he can't stick with a team.

Post-Dispatch: Screw Oswalt, the Cardinals should make a run at Brett Myers

Obviously impressed by last night's performance, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wants the Cardinals to make a run at Myers, whom we Astros fans don't have a sentimental (love/hate, tiredhead) attachment to. Unlike Oswalt.

Cards manager Tony La Russa has expressed admiration for Myers, noting how he became a much better pitcher after suffering injuries. Rather than trying to overpower hitters, Myers is working them with a variety of pitches.

Myers may be more of a finesse pitcher now, but he oozes mental toughness. Pitching coach Dave Duncan would love to have another veteran like this...

...The Cards know what the Astros need from earlier trade conversations, so Mozeliak should take the plunge and get Myers in the rotation in time for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.

Trading top pitching prospect Shelby Miller for a journeyman like Myers makes no sense, but the Cards should be prepared to deal from their surplus of major-league ready players.

A journeyman who has played for two teams in nine years, that's a new one. But it's still a valid point.

Roy has been talking to the Cardinals

Courtesy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss we read that Roy has been talking to a Cardinal, reiterating his desire to leave the Astros and join the Cardinals for romantic interludes (this has a Steve Phillips feel to it. And I feel dirty):

GM John Mozeliak:
"At this point, it's entirely possible that there may not be a deal out there (for pitching). We're continuing to explore avenues, but as we speak I can't say I'm encouraged."

Strauss:
On Saturday Oswalt reiterated his wish to be dealt to St. Louis to at least one Cardinals player. However, Oswalt's willingness to restructure a $16 million option for 2012 may not overcome the Astros' steep asking price in personnel. One club official senses squeamishness by Astros management to deal Oswalt within the division.

So let me get this straight. On the day that Roy is pitching to tie the Astros' franchise record for wins, he was on the phone to an unnamed Cardinal (my money is on Vince Coleman) talking about how he wanted to join them. Interesting.

Miklasz straight brings it

Do you want the Astros situation summed up in 150 words or less? Let the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz help you out:

The imposing financial complications aside, here's another big problem in the Cardinals' efforts to obtain Oswalt from the Houston Astros: they're not exactly dealing with the smartest people in the room. Owner Drayton McLane remains in a state of denial, refusing to accept the obvious need to rebuid through drafting and player development. The Astros have old, declining players who make too much money. GM Ed Wade has signed too many marginal talent to silly free-agent deals. It adds up to a 63-98 record since last July 25. The Astros need to replenish their farm system but keep putting it off. This week I've read reports of the Astros wanted to be "overwhelmed" by an offer before agreeing to deal starting pitcher Brett Myers. This is hysterical. Myers is a free agent at the end of the season. He is not a franchise-piece player. He's a solid rotation guy. Why wouldn't the Astros invest in the future by accepting a couple of decent prospects for him? It's nonsense. But this is what Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is dealing with -- people that do not even understand their own team. Good luck.

I agree with a lot of this. But I disagree with a couple of things.

1. The knock on drafting and player development. Wade's (meaning Bobby Heck's) drafts over the last three years have been solid. The international free-agent signings are a source of optimism. When most media types not from Houston look at the Astros' system, it seems as though they stop at Triple-A.

2. The Cardinals have excess prospects at the Astros' least needy position. So I'm okay with the Astros balking (pun intended) at the Cardinals offer - and it's not as though they would accept Jay, Ryan, and Miller for Myers, either.

Still, that's a pretty scathing - and moderately accurate - review of the 2004-2007 Astros.

Derrick Goold explains the financial situation for the Cardinals

Quick version: It ain't pretty:

There is less money remaining on Oswalt's deal than Haren's deal, but Oswalt's deal offers a shorter-term pain point, and his salary for 2011 really would be $18 million -- if you include the $2-million buyout for that option. There are reports, and have been for awhile, that Oswalt wants his new team to exercise the option before he'll agree to the deal...

...Whether or not the 2012 option is exercised the Cardinals are looking at a rotation with Oswalt in 2011 that would cost $50 million.

Hard to see how they fill out the roster with a $100-million budget.

Derrick Goold: Maybe, maybe not on Roy.

It seems as though Derrick Goold has some knowledge:

Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt has told the team that if they intend to trade him his "first choice" is the St. Louis Cardinals, a league executive with knowledge of the Astros' discussions with interested teams told The Post-Dispatch...

...Without mentioning Oswalt by name, a Cardinals team official said this morning that he viewed adding an unnamed "premium player" as "a longshot." At least one team other than the Cardinals has been told the Cardinals are on top of Oswalt's preferred destinations.

St. Louis media is jumping all over this Roy character

Bernie Miklasz has a new article weighing the Pros and Cons of trading Roy Oswalt. While I dislike the Cardinals with the fire of 1,000 suns (and the Cubs with the fire of 998 suns), I do enjoy their beat reporters and their bloggers.

First Miklasz:
If he is desperate to get to St. Louis and wants to restructure his contract in a major way to make his escape from a depressing situation in Houston, this could happen. Without a serious contract revision, I wouldn't take the speculation seriously. My connections were downplaying the possibility this morning, because the Oswalt contract math is bad math for the Cardinals. And if the Astros make ridiculous demands, the Cardinals won't make this deal. But perhaps Oswalt will pressure Houston management to get this done. Because he has the contractual power to veto trades and could use this to push his way to STL.

Miklasz's "Why it Makes Sense:"
-Roy is still good, and there hasn't been a decline. Yet.
-Adding Oswalt would mean that Jaime Garcia is, at worst, SP4.
-That's one heckuva playoff rotation.
-If the Cardinals don't think they can re-sign Pujols, then they need to go for a title run this year.
-Oswalt doesn't have any ego issues. Unless you call being a titty-baby an ego issue. Then there's a minor one.

Miklasz's "Why it Doesn't Make Sense:"
-Payroll, if the Cardinals do re-sign Pujols.
Perhaps Oswalt will do a massive restructuring to help the Cardinals out. Again, I have no idea. Yes he wants to pitch here. That much already has been established. But that doesn't mean he's going to give up a bunch of money. If Oswalt is willing to sacrifice a lot of money, then Cardinals fans would have even more reasons to love him.

-Oswalt's back problems could crop up at any moment.
-This is no way to run a franchise, trading prospects for 30-something veterans. (See: Astros, Houston.)
-The Cardinals really need offense.

That's one more Pro than Con, according to Miklasz.

Cardinals still interested in Tejada

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold addresses the "What Now?" for the Cardinals, now that they've spent $17 million a year until 2017. Seeing as how they still need an SP5, 3B, and another reliever.

The club has been intrigued with free-agent infielder Miguel Tejada, a former MVP and a shortstop who had 199 hits last season for the Houston Astros. The Cardinals' interest is predicated on Tejada's willingness to move to third base and the possibility of fitting him in on a short-term deal. Members of the Cardinals' leadership have eyed Tejada as a trade target in recent seasons, and manager Tony La Russa recently stated publicly that the club has "talked about Miguel."

The Cardinals are bored with us

So St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon says:

There is not much intrigue surrounding the Cardinals these days. They are racing back to postseason play.

They know it and their National League rivals know it. They are destined to win the Central Division with this reloaded roster...

...From here to October, the Cards just have to go about their business and grind out some victories.

/quiet sobbing.

The Cardinals were just tired, it had nothing to do with Bud Norris

So says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon. An excerpt:

If ever a baseball team needed a few days off in the same week, it’s the Cardinals.

They looked whipped Sunday. They offered starting pitcher Adam Wainwright zero support.

On an otherwise beautiful day at the ballpark, they slogged through an ugly offensive performance in their 2-0 loss to the Astros. They blew their chance to sweep the Astros and add to their National League Central lead.

They missed a chance to build serious momentum in the pennant race.

“We just came off a tough road trip,” outfielder Ryan Ludwick said. “To win three of four against LA, the team with the best record in the National League, and two of three from Houston, which is battling in our division, that is pretty good.”

“We played 5-2 ball against the Dodgers and Astros,” Wainwright added. “If you told us we would do that beforehand, we probably would have taken that and not played the games.”

True, but that 5-2 home stand could have been a 7-0 home stand. Imagine what a sweep could have done to their playoff quest.

This team had the opportunity to ride its (Matt) Holliday excitement and make a big move.

By Sunday, though, the group appeared spent. Albert Pujols (hitting .185 during this homestand) looked weary at the plate and the reconfigured Cards lineup had no life.

Colby Rasmus drew a couple of walks in the No. 2 slot, giving Albert an opportunity to not knock him in.

Ludwick came off the bench and hit a single. (Twice in the last four games he was out of the starting lineup, despite hitting .340 with 28 RBIs in July. That bears watching.)

Wainwright broke up the no-hit bid by Astros pitcher Bud Norris (!) with a single up the middle. Alas, that leadoff single in the sixth inning (followed by a Rasmus walk one out later) did not start a rally...

...Overall, the Cards offered little resistance as the immortal Norris mowed them down. The offensive machine ran out of steam.

I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Mr. Gordon. Norris is immortal, he shall never die. Nor lose. Nor give up a run. Ever.

Cards' writers: still not afraid of the Astros

In the morning writer roundup at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the question is "Which team is the Cardinals' biggest threat?" I found this an interesting way to phrase it, as the standings would indicate that the Cards are the Cubs biggest threat. Anyway. The Cubs were the consensus pick, but Jeff Gordon (kind of) picked the Astros:

Until Roy Oswalt went down, I liked the Astros. That team has been on a prolonged upturn. The ’Stros can really beat up opponents in its bandbox stadium. But they have to have their ace. If Oswalt misses significant time with his back strain, that makes the Cubs the biggest threat — even without Ted Lilly. Neither team seems likely to make a major move at the trade deadline, though, so both teams could lose some steam.

There it is, the Astros as a product of Minute Maid Park.