Musings from an Optimistic Redbird Fan – 2013

“Scrabble” signed – Well, I’m glad the St. Louis Cardinals signed Marc Rzepczynski. A one-year contract is about right and I hope he does well enough and is consistent enough this season, to merit a longer contract next season. Now, the Cards need to open their pocket books and be a little more generous with David Freese. They have invested significant time and money in this future All Star and I don’t thing his salary demands are unreasonable in relative terms. I can appreciate concern over his injuries in the past; give him a reasonable one year contract then, lock him up for 3-5 years or more next season.

Holliday’s Opinion on PED Use – Matt Holliday’s opinion on the penalties of being causing using banned PEDs is “dead on” in my opinion. He thinks the first time caught, a player should be suspended for a season; second time, a lifetime ban with application for reinstatement after two years. More importantly, his opinions have changed based on the fact that players keep getting caught and the current punishment isn’t enough. I believe in changing penalties if the current penalty in place isn’t effective enough.

New Redbird Cedeno – I think the Cards’ acquisition of Ronny Cedeno is a good one. But, I think you’ll see him play more at second base than shortstop. And even that’s iffy if Matt Carpenter’s work in the offseason pays off. You see, I don’t buy into the notion that Raphael Furcal will be injured again and miss a lot of games. I think Mike Matheny will temper Furcal’s playing time and keep him healthy all season with Cedeno platooning from time to time. The best case scenario; I see Cedeno starting twice a week and maybe coming in as a defensive replacement at second base as Carpenter eases into the job. Bottom line is, the Cardinals made a wise and cost efficient choice for a backup infielder and bench player.

Thanks for reading.