What the Cardinals Should Do to Cap Off the Offseason | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

While it has been a busy offseason for some, the Cardinals have been surprisingly quiet. They did strike a deal to bring in Khalil Greene from the San Diego Padres -- a move that I think has the potential to work out very well for St. Louis. Greene is a player with something to prove and has free agency just around the corner, and as often as not, that is sufficient motivation for a player to put up good numbers. The one worry is that he'll have a good year and then leave for a bigger contract than St. Louis is willing to offer.

The other signings to this point don't exactly elicit a strong reaction one way or the other: Trever Miller and Royce Ring. Miller was solid out of the Tampa Bay bullpen last year, so he may fit nicely into a pen that lost too many games for the Cards last year. Ring was once a very highly regarded prospect, and you always have the hope that Dave Duncan can turn a guy's pitching career around.

The thought was that the team could trade from its surplus of outfielders to get some pitching help, but so far there haven't been any deals that have moved beyond sportswriter speculation. But it is becoming a little frustrating to see pieces falling into place for other teams without much of a fight from the Cardinals, especially Brian Fuentes, who would have fit perfectly into the pen and been a nice bridge to closers of the future Chris Perez/Jason Motte/Door number 3. But, there is still some value on the market, so here is who I would love to see the Cards target:

Derek Lowe - He's as consistent a pitcher as there is, and while you worry a bit about the mileage and the slightly inflated price tag, the Mets seem to be the only serious suitor at the moment, and their offer didn't blow him away. A rotation that featured Lowe, Wainwright, Loshe and hopefully a healthy Carpenter doesn't sound all that bad.
John Garland - He's more consistent than he's given credit for, and he does have a ring with the White Sox, so he's proven he can win on the big stage. He's never blossomed into the top of the rotation guy that many thought he'd be when he was the Cubs top prospect, but I always come back to one thing when I talk about the Cardinals and pitching -- Dave Duncan. So you count on his usual 14 wins -- maybe add a couple to that total, and what's not to like?
Andy Pettitte - I'll admit this is one from the heart for me. As a Yankees fan, Pettitte has long been a favorite, and while I understand what's going on from a baseball standpoint, it does pain me a bit to see Andy tossed aside for the second time in his career. Last time he went "home" to Houston. I think St. Louis would be a perfect fit for the guy, and would be a nice place to cap off a solid, if now somewhat tainted career. Cardinal fans would forgive the HGH mess as long as they see Pettitte giving his all. Plus, I think he'd have a bit of a chip on his shoulder to prove the Yanks wrong for not stepping up their offer.
Brandon Lyon - I throw this in only because I saw the rumor today. I'm not crazy about the guy, but he does have experience closing out games, and that seems to be what Tony wants.
Eddie Guardado - Same reason as Lyon, but I haven't heard any rumblings yet. Plus, he's a lefty.
Oliver Perez, Randy Wolf, Juan Cruz - I lump these guys together because obviously if I get my wish on some of the names higher up on the list, then you'd be picking one of these guys. These are all guys that have shown flashes of being quality arms and I always assume that everyone gets better if they buy into to what Duncan preaches.
Orlando Cabrera/Orlando Hudson - I'm a little shocked to see both of these guys still on the market, to be honest. You don't have room for both as the roster stands now, and you'd probably have to trade Adam Kennedy if you sign one of these guys. But I think either could fit in well with the Cardinals and help provide depth for the infield (Greene does have a habit of spending time on the DL).

Only a fool would put that list out there and think his team would go after even half of those guys. But I think any of these guys would fit in well with the team and would become fan favorites in no time. I realize the whole list isn't going to happen, but if they could sign any of the top 3 guys, and then either Lyon or Guardardo, then I think Cards fans should be pleased.

One more deal I'd like to see -- a trade actually. No, not Jake Peavy, although I'd love to see that if they can figure out a way to get it done and not cripple the team for years to come. As much as it would pain me to see each of these guys leave their current team, I wouldn't mind seeing a swap of Rick Ankiel for Robinson Cano. I think you need to include more in that deal for both teams to pull the trigger, so lets say the Cardinals would send Ankiel, Kennedy and a prospect to the Yankees for Cano and Ian Kennedy.

The Yankees need an upgrade in CF and Ankiel is heading for free agency with Scott Boras as his agent. Cano is on the outs in NY, and Kennedy is a solid veteran who could be blend in to the background in NY -- much like his days in Anaheim. Kennedy's an up and comer, and with Duncan -- well, you know what I think there.

So now the only question is for John Mozeilik -- "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"