Viva El Birdos, a St. Louis Cardinals community

The start of Viva El Birdos's five part, month-by-month Opening Day preview.

Jaime Garcia succeeding in the rotation in 2010 leaves the Cardinals better off in multiple ways. For one thing, Kyle McClellan is probably a better bet at helping the Cardinals in relief in 2010 than, say, Adam Ottavino.

The Cardinals have the same extracurricular benefits of a Pujols deal to think about, and because of that I can't see them getting any nearer a Hometown Discount. The Twins needed Mauer and the Cardinals need Pujols, and that's a difficult place from which to start negotiating.

But there's one more angle to take before we finish the last verse of "Felipe, Row the Boat Ashore." Presenting: all the areas Felipe Lopez might plausibly play—though even Felipe Lopez won't be able to play them all at once, so far as I can tell.

Cardinals nearing a deal with Felipe Lopez.

Trading for a very specific kind of shortstop, or, there aren't many choices between Greene and Lopez.

The nearest alternate universe to our own is one in which David Freese can drive.

Two Schus, Three Ghosts (and none of them Chris Lambert or Christy Mathewson.)

As useful as these pitchers may be, they are the guys the Cardinals are trying to avoid playing. They are... the Memphis rotation.