shortstop

I love Eckstein and I loved Edgar so to me my like of the players is out of the equation.

Edgar is better with the bat and better with the glove.  The only thing I think Eckstein is better at is not striking out and maybe the running game (Eck is 9-1 SB-CS Edgar is 11-1 so since I can't quantify first to thirds I can't really say who really is better since I haven't seen Rent in years as for K% Eck strikes out 5% of the time but also only walks 5.2% while Rent is 15.6% K and 8.6%BB).  I just feel that Edgar gives us a better chance to win and Ryan isn't polished enough to be counted on as an everyday but I think he should be given a shot before Miles definitely.

What about trying for Billy Hall?   It seems the Brewers are now in favor of playing Corey Hart in centerfield.   Now Billy is out of a position again.   Will they attempt to convert him to leftfield.   Maybe back to third and convert Braun to leftfield?  

Perhaps the Brewers would sell a little low on Billy's down year and we could put him back at SS.

the fact that some Cards' fans treated Renteria so miserably after he left -- traitor, all that silly stuff.  He got a better offer from the Sox and took it as many other free agents do and as we all would if given the chance.  The difference, as I recall, was $8M over 4 years but that's not really the point.  Players do this all the time.  Cards' fans don't look upon Rolen as a traitor for asking out of Philly and then signing a free agent contract with us.  It's a business.

Additionally, Renteria's comment was that he felt that the Sox wanted him more than the Cards did.  Guess what -- they offered him more money than the Cards did; they did want him more and put more $$ on the table to show it.  So I don't get why Cards' fans still get all wound up about that.  I'd take Renteria back -- he's a very good SS and would be a big improvement over what we have now.  The reasons for not taking him back have nothing to do w/ feeling betrayed over getting our feelings hurt when he left town.  They have everything to do w/ the $7 M (I think) the Braves owe him next year -- can we afford it considering all the help we need in the rotation (I think the Sox are picking up $3M or so) and what do the Braves want in return?

I'm not sure he's worth all that we'd have to give up but I'm sure not going to get all worked up b/c he left the Cardinals acting as any of us would do given the circumstances.

how anyone would sign Eck as a SS. His range is just gone. I would laugh at anyone who signs him as a SS. He should be moved to 2nd yesterday.

but he doesn't solve anything --- he's a 1-year rental. at the end of the season, the cards are right back in the same boat.

the cardinals' problem is that they are not bringing in (or developing) enough guys who can nail down a position for 3 to 5 years. that's exactly what they did after 2003 --- they acquired 3 years' worth of marquis and suppan, stabilizing the rotation; they bought pujols out of his arbitration years and guaranteed he'd be in st louis for another 8 years; and they developed molina (6-year starter), calero, taguchi, and haren (coulda been . . . . ). plus they added wainwright via trade (who will hopefully provide 6 years' worth of pitching). those moves weren't just one-year moves --- they took a far-sighted approach and set themselves up for many years of competitiveness.

their recent off-seasons haven't worked out as well. the 3-year free-agent solutions they bought after 2005 (encarnacion and looper) have just been so-so. their internal promotions have been hit-or-miss; duncan and wainwright are successes, the jury's out on everyone else. rolen and edmonds got old. carp and mulder got hurt.

so the overall talent base has steadily declined, and adding 1 year of edgar renteria does nothing to halt that slide. on the contrary, it probably would accelerate the trend, because we'd have to give up 4 to 6 years' worth of some young player(s) for our 1 year of edgar.

i like renteria a lot. it made sense when they acquired him in 1999 --- he solved the shortstop position for 6 years. that's the kind of move the cards need to be looking for --- bringing in players who will be around for a while and build up the talent base.

he is NO Edgar. Yeah, Eck is hitting .307, Edgar is hitting .333. Eckstein has 22? errors,Edgar has 11. David has missed 44 games, Renteria has missed 35. In almost every hitting category, Renteria is better than Eckstein. I would rather see Yadi playing shortstop than Eckstein this year. Eckstein has a poor arm, and makes way too many errors.

Please see my signature.

He's cheap.

He's energetic.

He's outstanding at defense.

He's young.

I'd much rather spend the money from Eck on a pitcher, and would much rather keep whichever prospects we'd need to dish out to get Renteria. It's time for the Brendan Ryan era to begin.

not sure how edgar helps our pitching woes. Ryan, Eck, it really isnt that big a difference. There isnt a young shortstop on a team thats looking to give him up that we can sign/ trade for in a reasonable deal. We might as well take the 2nd base approach to short for the time being until another renteria type falls into our lap. As long as the player is adequate (and both are) and we restore the MV3(pujols and anyone else who wants to step up) our hitting will be fine. Now only if we had some good young sp's

I didn't like seeing him leave, but didn't think it was worth the price to keep him from the Sox either.  The worst of that was having him drag out the decision until after winter meetings.  We were lucky  the Angels decided they needed Cabrera, and Eck proved to be a good pickup.  First year he was clutch w/risp and turned the dp's with Grudz. 2nd year he gets WS MVP.  3rd year he's on the DL, has  20 E's.  He is done at SS, and we're already stuck at 2B.

I'd gladly have Rent back, but the acquisition effort had best be applied to SP.

If, and only if, Reyes plus a marginal prospect would net you Edgar, then I would love to see El Capitan back in 08.  It was a huge blow when he left, (although Eck did a nice job in 05, a little less each succeeding year) and it would be really nice to see him wearing the Birds again.  However, if it would take any more than that, the Braves can just hold on to him.  The farm system is in the shape it is because of trades like this.  (Admittedly, the worst scouting department I've ever seen has something to do with it, but the point remains.)  Even if the Cards thought they could sign Edgar to a deal for a few years after they traded for him, giving up any kind of promising talent just pushes the (finally) developing farm system back again.  

In the end, just starting Brendan Ryan at short next season nets us a pretty sizable upgrade defensively.  His bat is still a little bit of a question mark, but I think he would be at least serviceable.  The best use of resources this offseason would probably be to focus on the starting rotation.  Ryan boosts your infield defense; that helps whatever pitcher(s) you bring in here.  See if Kennedy bounces back, or give Hoffpauir a shot at producing at 2b.  This team has got to find a way to bolster the rotation, at least a little.  

To review:  if the Braves just want to move him for salary relief and to unblock one of their kids, then bring Renteria back.  If the Braves want good value, talent wise, for him though, walk away.  Just walk away.  There are bigger needs on this team than another player in his 30s.