Luvofthegame
12-07-2006, 12:48 AM
Free-agent right-hander would fill second slot in rotation
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
Jason Schmidt has pitched at least 200 innings in three of the last four seasons. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
Cardinals Headlines
The Cardinals consider themselves serious players for free-agent right-hander Jason Schmidt. Randy Hendricks, one of Schmidt's agents, sees it the same way.
Maybe the Winter Meetings won't be so uneventful for the defending World Series champions after all.
The Cardinals have targeted Schmidt, a 33-year-old who spent the past 5 1/2 seasons as a member of the Giants, and they are optimistic about their chances. Schmidt is also reportedly being courted by the Dodgers, Cubs and Mariners, and possibly other clubs as well.
"There's a question of how far we go, but we're going," said general manager Walt Jocketty. "We'd like to have him."
Hendricks acknowledged that despite a couple of perceived hindrances to a deal, Schmidt wouldn't mind being a Cardinal. He said that Schmidt's preference to remain on the West Coast is real, but has been overblown, and that the Cardinals' reluctance to offer a pact of more than three years would not be a problem.
Schmidt, who finished second in Cy Young balloting in 2003 and fourth in 2004, would provide a serious shot in the arm to the St. Louis rotation. Currently, the staff lacks a clear No. 2 option behind ace Chris Carpenter, with Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes set and two spots still wide open. Schmidt went 11-9 with a 3.59 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings for San Francisco in 2006. He went 78-37 as a Giant, but is not expected to return to that team for '07.
As one of two pitchers perceived to be front-of-the-rotation types in this year's market, Schmidt may represent a higher priority than any of the other free agents available. St. Louis is not in the running for lefty Barry Zito, who may receive an exorbitant pact from the Mets or Rangers.
The Cardinals are reportedly in serious discussions to add right-hander Miguel Batista, and they have spoken with the representatives for Mark Mulder and Jeff Suppan, both of whom pitched for St. Louis in 2006. But deals with pitchers of that ilk may be placed on the back burner while the Cardinals try to sort things out with Schmidt. And as far as those dealings go, the Redbirds consider themselves a legitimate contender.
"We appear to be, yes," Jocketty said. "I think so."
The Cardinals expect to have at least one more meeting with Randy and Alan Hendricks to discuss Schmidt before the Winter Meetings are over. They met with agents from the Beverly Hills Sports Council, which represents reliever Octavio Dotel among others, as well as the agents for Suppan and Mulder on Tuesday. Jocketty said he does not see any trades materializing soon, and that his club didn't even meet face-to-face with any other teams on Tuesday.
Complete coverage >
If St. Louis adds only one starter from the outside, it would mean finding an additional rotation member from in-house. The most obvious choice is righty Adam Wainwright, who closed in the 2006 playoffs. But another option is apparently on the club's radar: veteran righty Braden Looper, who hasn't started a game since his first year in professional ball, when he made 12 starts for Prince William of the Class A Carolina League.
Manager Tony La Russa first mentioned the possibility to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, and Jocketty and Hendricks (who also represents Looper) both confirmed it later in the afternoon.
"Last year, he had times where he pitched more than one inning," La Russa said. "He's throwing in the 90s consistently. The more he pitched, the more he improved his two off -speed pitches. You have four free-agent starters and you try to be creative. I mean, I think [pitching coach Dave Duncan] talked to Loop about it before we all went our separate ways, and he responded well. I talked to him just the other day."
That would leave one more domino. If the Cardinals take a pitcher out of their bullpen, they would need to add a reliever. That move could come soon, allowing them to get along with other plans. Jocketty said that a deal with a relief pitcher could well be done before the team packs up and leaves the Orlando area on Thursday.
One name in the mix is Dotel, formerly of the Yankees, A's, Astros and Mets. Dotel reportedly prefers to close, but he would have no guarantee of that in St. Louis. Keith Foulke, who closed for Boston, is not in those discussions, and St. Louis has not met with the agent for Eric Gagne. Any deal with a free-agent reliever would be for only one year, Jocketty said.
Whether a starter or a reliever comes first, the Cards are optimistic they will not leave Disney World empty-handed. A Schmidt deal -- with some team -- could come down by the end of the upcoming weekend. A move with a reliever could come in the next 36 hours. While things are quiet overall at the Winter Meetings, the Cardinals feel they're moving in the right direction.
"We had some pretty positive and productive meetings today," Jocketty said. "We're a long way from getting deals done, but I feel more encouraged than I did maybe a week ago."
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
Jason Schmidt has pitched at least 200 innings in three of the last four seasons. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
Cardinals Headlines
The Cardinals consider themselves serious players for free-agent right-hander Jason Schmidt. Randy Hendricks, one of Schmidt's agents, sees it the same way.
Maybe the Winter Meetings won't be so uneventful for the defending World Series champions after all.
The Cardinals have targeted Schmidt, a 33-year-old who spent the past 5 1/2 seasons as a member of the Giants, and they are optimistic about their chances. Schmidt is also reportedly being courted by the Dodgers, Cubs and Mariners, and possibly other clubs as well.
"There's a question of how far we go, but we're going," said general manager Walt Jocketty. "We'd like to have him."
Hendricks acknowledged that despite a couple of perceived hindrances to a deal, Schmidt wouldn't mind being a Cardinal. He said that Schmidt's preference to remain on the West Coast is real, but has been overblown, and that the Cardinals' reluctance to offer a pact of more than three years would not be a problem.
Schmidt, who finished second in Cy Young balloting in 2003 and fourth in 2004, would provide a serious shot in the arm to the St. Louis rotation. Currently, the staff lacks a clear No. 2 option behind ace Chris Carpenter, with Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes set and two spots still wide open. Schmidt went 11-9 with a 3.59 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings for San Francisco in 2006. He went 78-37 as a Giant, but is not expected to return to that team for '07.
As one of two pitchers perceived to be front-of-the-rotation types in this year's market, Schmidt may represent a higher priority than any of the other free agents available. St. Louis is not in the running for lefty Barry Zito, who may receive an exorbitant pact from the Mets or Rangers.
The Cardinals are reportedly in serious discussions to add right-hander Miguel Batista, and they have spoken with the representatives for Mark Mulder and Jeff Suppan, both of whom pitched for St. Louis in 2006. But deals with pitchers of that ilk may be placed on the back burner while the Cardinals try to sort things out with Schmidt. And as far as those dealings go, the Redbirds consider themselves a legitimate contender.
"We appear to be, yes," Jocketty said. "I think so."
The Cardinals expect to have at least one more meeting with Randy and Alan Hendricks to discuss Schmidt before the Winter Meetings are over. They met with agents from the Beverly Hills Sports Council, which represents reliever Octavio Dotel among others, as well as the agents for Suppan and Mulder on Tuesday. Jocketty said he does not see any trades materializing soon, and that his club didn't even meet face-to-face with any other teams on Tuesday.
Complete coverage >
If St. Louis adds only one starter from the outside, it would mean finding an additional rotation member from in-house. The most obvious choice is righty Adam Wainwright, who closed in the 2006 playoffs. But another option is apparently on the club's radar: veteran righty Braden Looper, who hasn't started a game since his first year in professional ball, when he made 12 starts for Prince William of the Class A Carolina League.
Manager Tony La Russa first mentioned the possibility to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, and Jocketty and Hendricks (who also represents Looper) both confirmed it later in the afternoon.
"Last year, he had times where he pitched more than one inning," La Russa said. "He's throwing in the 90s consistently. The more he pitched, the more he improved his two off -speed pitches. You have four free-agent starters and you try to be creative. I mean, I think [pitching coach Dave Duncan] talked to Loop about it before we all went our separate ways, and he responded well. I talked to him just the other day."
That would leave one more domino. If the Cardinals take a pitcher out of their bullpen, they would need to add a reliever. That move could come soon, allowing them to get along with other plans. Jocketty said that a deal with a relief pitcher could well be done before the team packs up and leaves the Orlando area on Thursday.
One name in the mix is Dotel, formerly of the Yankees, A's, Astros and Mets. Dotel reportedly prefers to close, but he would have no guarantee of that in St. Louis. Keith Foulke, who closed for Boston, is not in those discussions, and St. Louis has not met with the agent for Eric Gagne. Any deal with a free-agent reliever would be for only one year, Jocketty said.
Whether a starter or a reliever comes first, the Cards are optimistic they will not leave Disney World empty-handed. A Schmidt deal -- with some team -- could come down by the end of the upcoming weekend. A move with a reliever could come in the next 36 hours. While things are quiet overall at the Winter Meetings, the Cardinals feel they're moving in the right direction.
"We had some pretty positive and productive meetings today," Jocketty said. "We're a long way from getting deals done, but I feel more encouraged than I did maybe a week ago."