NYT: Jack Clark Takes Jabs at Mets of Mid-’80s (RR)

More like a Carlos Monzon crushing jab to the face…

As it turns out, the old feuds continue to simmer. Jack Clark, the cleanup hitter on those St. Louis teams, called those Mets a bunch of cheats and showboats Tuesday in an interview on KTRS-AM radio, which broadcasts Cardinals games.

Clark told McGraw Milhaven, the morning host at the station, that the mutual hatred ran so deep that he purposely snubbed the Mets when they played together in All-Star Games.

“I wanted to let them know I wasn’t glad to be there with them and their teammate, didn’t want to be on any team or be a teammate with them, and we were going to battle,” said Clark, who provides commentary on some Cardinals games and manages the Springfield Sliders, a summer collegiate league team in Illinois.

Clark took particular aim at Gary Carter, the Mets’ catcher in those years, saying that he “talked his way more into the Hall of Fame than deserving it.” Carter, he said, craved the spotlight, which was “pretty sickening and disgusting to everybody else.”

Thanks to Can’t Stop the Bleeding.

Goold: The Pace of Albert Pujols

‘Whew’...I thought Jeter had lost his “Face of” gig there for a second.

1. Pujols is the seventh player to reach 30 homers by the end of June, and he’s the first since two National Leaguers did it in 2001. Here is the list, but not just the list. Included with the names is how many homers they had as of June 30 and … how many homers they had in that season.

* 2001 … Barry Bonds … 39 … 73
* 2001 … Luis Gonzalez … 32 … 57
* 1999 … Sammy Sosa … 30 … 63
* 1998 … Ken Griffey Jr. … 33 … 56
* 1998 … Mark McGwire … 37 … 70
* 1998 … Sosa … 33 … 66
* 1994 … Griffey … 32 … 40
* 1930 … Babe Ruth … 30 … 49
* 1928 … Babe Ruth … 30 … 54

What stands out here — more than the names, more than the stains — is the 64-year gap between Ruth and Griffey. And then not a gap of less than four years until today, when baseball went eight years.

Jenkins: Pitching to Pujols

Attention geeks that never played the game (this means you Amsinger!)...scroll down for some pitching/life tips by Jenkins

One of the really tired laments of recent years—“Why does anyone pitch to Barry Bonds?—has been resurrected in the case of Albert Pujols. Yo, all you geeks who never played the game: They pitch to Pujols (watch Tim Lincecum tonight) because athletes compete. Will they make terrible mistakes? You bet. Will they regret throwing Pujols a 3-1 fastball when they could have just pitched around him? Absolutely. It’s just that big-league baseball isn’t about quitting, wimping out, taking the easy route. Runners at second and third, one out? Of course you walk Pujols, or Bonds, or Willie McCovey. But when you can change the momentum of a ballgame, making it clear that you and your team matter, you go right after the guy. He’s not hitting .831. He makes outs, a good deal of the time, just like everyone else. Play the game hard, or just quit. And don’t listen to the idiots who, if they had their way, would see not a single strike thrown to Pujols all year . . .

Miklasz: Another special day for Pujols

After Albert Pujols deposited two bombs into the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen Saturday, there was lot of media chatter about how he came through on Christian Family Day at Busch Stadium.

True, of course. And yes, the two-homer game was undoubtedly satisfying for Albert, who is a devout Christian.

“I praise God that I did it on a special day, to honor Him and glorify Him, like I try to do every day,” Pujols said.

And yes, oddly enough, Pujols seems to do OK on other days, too.

My extensive research indicates that he hits on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

...I’ll check with the Elias Sports Bureau to verify, but I am pretty certain that Pujols has freaked pitchers out on Earth Day, Arbor Day, Independence Day, Flag Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Cinco de Mayo and the Autumnal Equinox.

Thanks to Father Barnald.

A Mechanical Look at Chris Perez - Driveline Mechanics

The question always is, how long will his arm last?

Overall, I’m not terribly enthused with what I see from Chris Perez. As an Indians fan, I hope that Chris Perez can avoid the disabled list if he’s used as a reliever, but I forsee elbow strain/inflammation on the horizon for him, with possible bone spurs and UCL tears/rupture.

MLB: Tribe deals DeRosa to Cards for Perez

The Tribe sent versatile veteran Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals in exchange for right-handed reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named. DeRosa figures to become the Cards’ regular third baseman, given Troy Glaus’ shoulder troubles, while Perez will be inserted into an Indians’ bullpen that has struggled to find itself all season.

Acquired by the Tribe in an offseason trade with the Cubs, the 34-year-old DeRosa was batting .270 with 47 runs scored, 13 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 71 games for the Indians. He opened the season as the club’s regular at third base but has bounced around over the past month, getting regular time in the outfield corners of late.

Perez, who turns 24 on July 1, has spent the majority of 2009 in the Cardinals’ bullpen, going 1-1 with a save and a 4.18 ERA in 29 appearances. He began the year at Triple-A Memphis, where he was 1-0 with two saves and a 0.00 ERA in four innings of work. Major Leaguers have hit just .195 off him.

MLB.com: Two Pujols swings enough for Cards

Whatever you call it, though, Pujols thrived. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning that put the Cardinals ahead, his 27th of the year. After Wellemeyer surrendered three runs in the second inning, Pujols added another two-run shot in the third that gave St. Louis the lead for good. It was his Major League-leading 28th home run of the year, and his sixth multi-homer game this season.

Starter Kevin Slowey entered the game with a 10-2 record, but was gone quickly, thanks to Pujols.

“He’s got pretty good stuff,” Pujols said. “The record that he has talks by itself. With this heat, he got in a little bit of trouble and left a couple of pitches up on me and I took advantage.”

...

“We said we weren’t going to let him beat us,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “But we made bad pitches today and he put them in the seats. [I’m] very disappointed because when you go into the series, you know that he’s the one guy you are going to be careful to and not let him beat you but he did today.”

Pujols leads the NL/MLB by 4 homers and 5 RBIs and is 9th in the NL in average...and hits 20 points higher in the second half for his career. Come on, triple crown…

Star-Tribune: Gardy not mimicking La Russa

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa likes to bat his pitcher eighth in the order.

...

So while Cardinals rigthander Adam Wainwright was penciled in as the No. 8 hitter on Friday, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was asked if he would ever do that.

“I don’t want to take the time and go, ‘Tony, why are we doing this?’” Gardenhire said with a chuckle. “I don’t want to hurt my brain any more.

“He understands this league. He has been in it forever and he likes it. I don’t want to kill my brain any more that. All I know is that I have a guy who doesn’t hit all year long and he’s going to hit tonight. So I’m going to bat him ninth, and if there’s anybody out there with less than two outs, he’s going to bunt.”

plus, Nathan relishes challenge long after Pujols’ at-bat

NBC Sports: Fan falls from Busch Stadium upper deck

A 30-year-old man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals played the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Witnesses said it appeared the man fainted in the 92-degree heat. Joe Walsh, director of stadium operations, said the fan fell on to an empty seat after grazing a female fan nearby.

Cardinals sign Wagner Mateo

Cardinals sign Wagner Mateo - 16 year old Dominican outfielder - reportedly giving him a bonus of $3.1 million.  This would be both the largest bonus ever given to a Dominican hitter, and the largest amateur bonus ever given by the Cards - J.D. Drew signed for $3 million.

This is good news; finally the much-hyped Dominican connection is coming through.  As long as this doesn’t impede them from signing Shelby Miller, the Cards’ system is looking up.

Fangraphs: One Win Curveballs

So far this year Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright and Javier Vazquez have each provided a win’s worth of value with their curveballs alone. They have saved over ten runs with their curveballs. On the other end of the spectrum is Brad Penny, whose curveball has cost the Red Sox about a win (9.4 runs).

An awesome piece of work using PitchF/X data on curveballs.  The comments section includes further elaboration of the methods and assumptions.

SNY: Berg: Multiple multimedia tidbits following Beltran DL news

Holy Passemetserie! The Pujols button!

Here comes that man again: Twice a year, Mets fans get to watch Albert Pujols play against their favorite team. That isn’t enough for me, so I pay for the MLB Extra Innings package on DirecTV to watch El Hombre in thrilling HD. I maintain that there should be some sort of alert for when Pujols is batting, and maybe a button you can push when that alert comes up that would take you directly to the Cardinals game. In other words, the DirecTV remote should be modified to look like this.

And if they’re installing that button, they might as well make an all-Pujols on-demand channel that features Pujols’ greatest moments, like that time he absolutely brutalized Brad Lidge. Plus maybe it can show Albert Pujols doing other stuff, too, like just buying groceries and mowing the lawn. I bet he does it all extremely well.

Anyway, it’s too soon to tell, but the best player in baseball might actually be getting better. At 29, Pujols is following the best year of his career with what’s shaping up to be the best year of his career. It’s a half-formed theory at best because Pujols’ most productive offensive season before 2008 came in 2003 and since he had what was, for him, a down year in 2007. But it’s fun to speculate because the idea of Pujols even having another level to take his game to is insane.

Rosenthal: Source: Injured Glaus has trade appeal at 1B/DH

Glaus, who has yet to play this season while recovering from surgery on his right shoulder, is progressing better with his hitting than his throwing, according to a source with knowledge of his recovery process.

While Glaus hit off a pitching machine for the first time Monday and could be ready for a minor-league rehabilitation assignment by the middle of next week, he is struggling to throw at distances of greater than 90 feet, the source said.

...Glaus, who turns 33 on Aug. 3, is an above-average defender at third, but has played only four career games at first. He also is earning $11.25 million this season, at a time when few clubs are willing to take on additional payroll.

To trade Glaus, the Cardinals likely would need to pay a sizable percentage of his remaining salary. The Rangers, Mets, Giants and Braves are among the contenders who could seek help at first base. The Tigers and Mariners are among those who could upgrade at DH.

Thanks to Grewb.

STL Post-Dispatch: Grand slam is a KO as Pujols calls the shot

After opening the third inning with a fly out, Pujols returned to the Cardinals clubhouse to review video. There he predicted to assistant hitting coach Mike Aldrete that his next at-bat would ricochet off the yet-to-open Royals Hall of Fame behind the visitors bullpen in left field. “He didn’t say he might hit the Hall of Fame. He said he would hit the Hall of Fame,” Aldrete recalled… When Meche finally threw the pitch, Pujols swatted it some 423 feet off a Hall of Fame window.

A [Pujols] can make you dizzy, like you been drinking Jack and Coke all morning.

StL Post-Dispatch/Miklasz: Start now to keep Pujols on the payroll

After this season, Pujols will have two more years left on his contract. Unless the Cardinals sign him, Pujols can become a free agent after the 2011 season. That seems like a long way off, but it isn’t. Look at it another way: There are only 422 games remaining on his contract.

What are the Cardinals waiting for?

Can you imagine the backlash if ownership and management loses Pujols to free agency?

It’s unthinkable.

Pujols is on track to end his career as one of the two or three greatest righthanded hitters in baseball history. He’s already No. 1 among RH batters in baseball history in combined on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Only three players — all lefthanded hitters — have a higher OPS than Pujols’ 1.053. You may have heard of them: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig.

Pujols is 29. He’s in his ninth season. There’s lots of baseball left in him. I took a look at the PECOTA projections on Pujols over at baseballprospectus.com, and the forecast is that at age 35, for the 2015 season, he’ll hit .308 with 26 homers, 92 RBIs, a .403 on-base percentage and a .528 slugging percentage. This is no novelty act. Pujols endures.

also from the Post-Dispatch, DeRosa’s value rises in Cleveland

StL Post-Dispatch: The voices of baseball

MIKE SHANNON

He’s in his 38th season in the booth, now paired with relative newcomer John Rooney, and is popular because of his down-to-earth manner and knowledge of the game. Shannon’s playing career with the Cardinals ended abruptly in 1970 because of a kidney ailment, and after a year in the front office he moved into the broadcast booth. He had a rough start, a la Dizzy Dean, but he and Jack Buck eventually clicked and now he’s a St. Louis institution with his “Shannonisms” and trademark “Get up baby! Get Up, Get Up, Get Up!” call as he tries to talk a ball hit by a Cardinal to rise over the wall for a homer.

Shannon “has that player’s attitude, which I still don’t have, where he can shake off a bad play or a loss by the next day,” Buck said in a Post-Dispatch interview in 1996. “And I could be in the game 50 years and still not know some of what he does because I didn’t play the game in the big leagues.”

Shannon is closing in on his 70th birthday next month and is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. One of the lesser know tidbits about Shannon is that he was an excellent quarterback at CBC High and was recruited by Mizzou, but left for a baseball contract after his freshman season.

also, St. Louis Cardinals chairman says a big trade is not likely at this time

PD: Hall of a coach? Cardinals’ Dave Duncan talks Cy success, and Cooperstown credentials

His playing career over, catcher Dave Duncan was busy making other plans when the phone rang in late March 1978.

It was former Indians General Manager Phil Seghi. Cleveland’s bullpen coach had suddenly quit. The job was Duncan’s, Seghi told him, but he needed an answer in an hour and the $20,000 salary was nonnegotiable.

Duncan took it, and was promoted to pitching coach two years later, directing the staff through 1981—the season of Len Barker’s perfect game and All-Star appearance.

Plain Dealer/Livingston: My dad, his son, our St. Louis Cardinals

Tales From The Porch…

My father loved Pepper Martin best because, like him, he was from Oklahoma and grew up wild and dirt poor.

The Cardinals were always the first team I read about when he got off the streetcar in Dallas and handed me the copy of The Sporting News he had bought downtown. I could imitate Stan Musial’s peek-a-boo stance. I knew Marty Marion was “Mr. Shortstop,” although I now believe he was really Omar Vizquel.

We would listen to KMOX radio, the Cardinals’ flagship station, and Harry Caray’s voice at night would be pure and clear over the 700 miles from our living room to Sportsman’s Park. (Daddy never accepted the name change to Busch Stadium). “It might be. . . . it could be. . . . it is! Home run! Holy cow!” Caray cried.

FARK.com: Photoshop this paragon of manliness

Too funny.

Thanks to Paul Sauberer, via Facebook. 

NBC Sports/Gleeman: Cardinals interested in Miguel Tejada?

On the heels of manager Tony La Russa saying last week that the Cardinals need to find a big bat to hit behind Albert Pujols, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the team is interested in Miguel Tejada.

Tejada would be an interesting pickup on a few different levels. First and foremost he’s leading the league with a .355 batting average and hitting .355/.378/.521 overall, so that would seemingly fit La Russa’s description of a big bat even if the 35-year-old is highly unlikely to keep up that type of production.

Guys like Matt Holliday have also been linked to St. Louis recently, but the Cardinals have received little production from the left side of the infield and finding a hitter like Tejada who can man shortstop or third base would allow them to keep their better-hitting outfielders in the lineup as well.

With that said, Tejada to the Cardinals isn’t quite a perfect fit. For one thing, Khalil Greene is making his way back from anxiety problems and should be ready to rejoin the team soon. Plus, Tejada’s defense at shortstop has declined to the point that he’s somewhere between “solidly below average for the position” and “terrible.”

plus, Molson cutting off free beer supply for retirees

Beyond the Boxscore: Kalkman: Interview With John Sickels & Open Draft Day Discussion Post

As the young men move out into the battle zone of the ML Draft...Sky pilots an interview with Sickels.

BtB: Are there any prospects where there might be a divide between scouts and statheads?

John Sickels: They line up more than you’d think. Scouts have been higher on Cameron Maybin than a lot of statheads, who have worried about his strikeouts and low line drive tendency cutting into his power production. That would be one example. Statheads like Jaff Decker more than traditional scouts do, though even traditionalists respect his bat. They just worry about where he will fit defensively. Pre-season, some statheads (including me) were really worried about Mike Stanton’s strikeout rate, while scouts focused more on his physical projection and his youth. Stanton has really improved his plate discipline this year and looks to be a favorite of both camps now. Again, the differences aren’t as strong as they were 15 or even five years ago.

BtB:How will Pitch f/x (and soon Hit f/x) affect the accuracy, and cost, of scouting?

John Sickels: Honestly, I haven’t thought a lot about this yet. It’s been in the majors so far, and frankly when a player gets to the majors and graduates out of rookie status, I start to lose interest in them since I focus mostly on the minors and prospects. When a rookie gets to the show, I’ll look at his Pitch f/x stuff, though if he still has rookie status the data set is usually limited. What I really want is Pitch f/x for the minors. Then we can answer that question.

Twitter.com: Not Playing Ball

Impersonation violates Twitter’s Terms of Service and we take the issue seriously. We suspend, delete, or transfer control of accounts known to be impersonation. When alerted, we took action in this regard on behalf of St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Reports this week that Twitter has settled a law suit and officially agreed to pay legal fees for an impersonation complaint that was taken care of by our support staff in accordance with our Terms are erroneous. Twitter has not settled, nor do we plan to settle or pay.

With due respect to the man and his notable work, Mr. La Russa’s lawsuit was an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous. Twitter’s Terms of Service are fair and we believe will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa’s lawsuit.

La Russa, Twitter settle lawsuit

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and Twitter have reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the social networking site.

La Russa said Friday that Twitter has agreed to pay legal fees and make a donation to his Animal Rescue Foundation.

That was quick.

MLB: La Russa says Cards looking for big bat

You mean like the one Jeter attempted to buy?

“The No. 1 thing we can get is a guy to hit behind Albert [Pujols],” La Russa said. “That’s the No. 1 thing.”

And whereas in past years, such comments have sounded like an attempt to prod the Cardinals’ front office, on Thursday they had a different tone. La Russa spoke like a man who has expectations, rather than hopes. La Russa indicated that the club has some financial flexibility, and it’s clear that St. Louis has some young pitching to deal—especially relief pitching.

..."You don’t want to disrespect the guys that are hitting around him now,” La Russa said. “All I’ve said is that 500 or 1,000 at-bats from now, any of these guys could be that guy. They’re building a career, and they’ve got some experience. But what you try to do is have guys not be unfairly pressured, and that’s the position we’re putting guys into. But they tried to make the Matt Holliday deal during the winter.

“If that guy over there is unreasonable, [then you can’t do it]. ... Trying is very important. Doing something stupid is very low on the priority list. I don’t want us to do something stupid.”

Citizen Media Law Project: La Russa v. Twitter, Inc.

Anthony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, sued Twitter after an unknown Twitter user created an account at twitter.com/TonyLaRussa and pretended to post updates as La Russa. The fake Twitter page included La Russa’s photo and a handful of vulgar and apparently Cardinals-related updates. One line of the “profile” suggested it was all a fake: “Bio Parodies are fun for everyone.”

La Russa’s complaint alleged that the fake Twitter page constituted trademark infringement and dilution, cybersquatting, and misappropriation of name and likeness.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle, La Russa’s attorney tried to contact Twitter before filing the lawsuit, but got no response. Hours after the lawsuit was filed, Twitter removed the fake La Russa page and its postings.  According to the Superior Court docket, the case is still pending.

Strauss: St. Louis Cardinals in uncomfortable situation regarding Khalil Greene

General manager John Mozeliak said Friday that Greene will continue to visit his personal doctors unless little progress results. At that point, according to Mozeliak, the club may intervene in his treatment.

Sympathetic to Greene’s plight, the front office is also stung by the lack of forewarning about a condition that began to consume Greene last season with the San Diego Padres.

Greene says he has dealt with symptoms of his current condition since childhood, but only within the last few years have the manifestations worsened. The Padres ostensibly made Greene available for trade this winter as part of a salary dump tied to the pending sale of the club. Greene is due $6.5 million this season, a figure numerous teams saw as out of balance with a 2008 season in which he batted .213 and eventually ended by smashing his left hand into a trunk.

Several teams saw red flags and virtually blackballed him as a trade target.

...Still, Mozeliak refers to the club installing “a new filter” for examining similar situations in the future.

“I think whenever you experience these type of things you have to look at how the decision was made,” Mozeliak said. “Is there a new filter or an additional filter you add to avoid something like this going forward? I think that’s something to talk about.”

every 12 months or 12,000 Aaron Miles…

NYT: Curry: More and More Teams Pitch Around Pujols (RR)

Huh? (shakes off transient ischemic attack...better now)

“You love to get your walks,” Pujols said. “But you also love to hit and not give any at-bats away.”

...As disciplined as Pujols typically is as a hitter, pitchers said that he sometimes swings at balls out of the strike zone. Bonds, who hugged the plate, choked up on the bat and used a compact stroke, rarely swung at balls that were even two inches out of the strike zone. Pujols will chase pitches, especially breaking pitches down and away.

“My walk total is what it is because sometimes I expand my strike zone a little bit to drive that run in,” Pujols said. “Sometimes, I get it and I drive the ball out of the ballpark. With my hand-eye coordination, I take advantage of that. Putting the ball in play doesn’t help you get a lot of walks.”

La Russa said Pujols “plays the game to win,” meaning he will go after borderline pitches if he thinks he can produce runs. Pujols mentioned his similarities to Tony Gwynn, an eight-time batting champion, not Bonds, because Pujols is a contact hitter who does not strike out much.

Hummel: Herzog, Susman weren’t best buds

And for GGC’s Boozie Kuhn file…

While Susman was still on the Cardinals’ executive board, the team then lost Jack Clark to free agency to the New York Yankees after the 1987 season, a departure that still rankles Herzog. That, however, doesn’t bother him as much as the 1981 split-season format, which Herzog blames in large part on Commissioner Bowie Kuhn’s dislike for Susman and Busch, who Kuhn thought were trying to force him out of office. (Kuhn, just named to the Hall of Fame last year, was voted out a year or so later.)

In a year in which nearly two months’ worth of games were lost by a players’ strike, the Cardinals finished with the best record in the National League Eastern Division. But when the season was divided into halves by Kuhn, the Cardinals ended up finishing second in both halves and not eligible for the playoffs.

“Everybody knew that (Susman) and Gussie were trying to get rid of Kuhn and that’s why they took that thing away from us in ‘81,” Herzog said. “In the second half, they made us play 32 games on the road and only 22 at home and they didn’t finish a tie game we had in Chicago. We wound up half a game out in the second half.

“(Kuhn) took care of his boys, like (Walter) O’Malley of the Dodgers,” said Herzog, referring to the fact that the Dodgers were in first place in the Western Division when the strike came. “And we got (expletive).”

Strauss: Khalil Greene goes on the DL

The Cardinals on Friday placed shortstop Khalil Greene on the disabled list due to social anxiety disorder. The timing of his return remains uncertain.

“It’s hard for me to quantify when we will know if it’s right,” general manager John Mozeliak said during a break in his three-day trip to the club’s Triple-A Memphis affiliate. “He’s got to have a lot of ownership in the process and let us know when he thinks he’s ready to play. There’s a lot of reason to be optimistic.”

...Mozeliak devoted Thursday speaking to doctors treating Greene’s situation and was also in touch with Greene’s agent, Mike Milchin. Greene had to give his consent for the club to make the move.

“It’s just something that has become progressively more and more difficult to deal with,” Greene said. “It’s been with me this year and, I guess, to a lesser degree last year. The club thought this was the way to go and, at this point, I can’t say I disagree.”

Thanks to EddieG…

Miklasz: St. Louis Cardinals’ General Manager John Mozeliak faces tough hurdles

Alexander III, Nicholas II, Bernie I.

Vice president of player development Jeff Luhnow will object to any deal that requires the bartering of his precious Faberge Eggs, which is the name I’ve given to the Cardinals’ long list of breathlessly hyped prospects. Why? Track record. They haven’t traded a Faberge Egg yet. I believe Luhnow has done an exceptional job. But until I see the Cardinals actually deal a Faberge Egg away, you can’t convince me that he’s truly open-minded about parting with them.

When I mentioned these two concerns to Mozeliak (again), he insisted that I’m wrong. Mozeliak says DeWitt will go along with adding payroll. Mozeliak said that Luhnow is on board with using the prospects as trade pieces. Mozeliak pointed out that one of the major advantages of having a productive farm system is using it to trade unproven youngsters for proven veterans.

In defense of DeWitt, he’s wasting $21.75 million this season on infielders who aren’t playing for the Cardinals. Glaus is being paid $11.25 million to rehab his shoulder, Khalil Greene is being paid $6.25 million to have a seat on the bench, and Adam Kennedy is being paid $4 million by the Cardinals to play for the Oakland A’s.

DeWitt gave the go-ahead for Mozeliak to acquire Greene, who is batting .202 as he copes with an anxiety disorder. DeWitt also OK’d manager Tony La Russa’s desire to dump Kennedy before spring training. Those dud moves are on the GM and the manager, not the owner.

And in Luhnow’s defense, he was hired and promoted by DeWitt to launch an ambitious program to improve the drafting and development of young players. He’s just doing his job. He should be protective of the system — but without getting carried away.