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I’m sure I am not alone when it comes to the excitement I have about the 2014 season and what it holds for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals appear primed to make a deep run into October in 2014.

Their roster is pretty loaded, and they actually reduced payroll heading into next season. However, no matter how loaded a roster may be, there are always injuries, slumps and unforeseen circumstances.

Here is a look at some of the prospects from the Cardinals’ pipeline that may have an impact in 2014.

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As the New Year rings in, the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot to look forward to.

They are stocked up on talent at almost every position, are coming off a trip to the World Series and are poised to contend against the National League Central, all with a lower payroll.

Yeah, times are pretty good. But every team has room for improvement and the Cardinals are no exception.

Here are some New Years’ resolutions for the birds from St. Louis.

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As St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak heads into his second day of the baseball winter meetings, it must be a nice feeling to hold all of the cards, so to speak.  He doesn’t have to make a move but can if he sees a great opportunity.

There are no more holes to fill in the everyday lineup and the pitching cupboard is overflowing with arms.  Mozeliak has built this team to contend not only in 2014, but well beyond that as well.

Here are some predictions for what could be in store for the Cardinals in the next three years.

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The Hot Stove League is in full swing and the rumors are swirling at a rapid pace. At this rate, the Cardinals will have about 10 shortstops to fill their void before the week is out.

Here is a breakdown of some of those rumors and the pros and cons with each rumored player as they pertains to the Cardinals’ needs.

Troy Tulowitzki

The Cardinals are supposedly kicking the tires on trading for Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and the possibility of bringing him to St. Louis to fill the huge hole at shortstop. 

Pros: Tulo is by far the best shortstop in the National League when healthy.  He can hit for power and has an excellent glove with great range.  The guy is game-changer and a middle-of-the-lineup presence any team would want. 

Cons:  The Cardinals would have to package a pretty sweet deal of pitching and other prospects to get Tulowitzki.  I don’t think he is worth it in the long run.

J.J. Hardy

This deal may be dead at this point, but as any baseball fan knows, deals can heat back up again at the drop of a hat.  One possible scenario to heat things back up would be for the Cardinals to perhaps offer Lance Lynn in exchange for Hardy after the Cardinals turned down the Orioles‘ offer of Hardy for Shelby Miller. 

Pros: Hardy is coming off the best year of his career.  He raked in all kinds of awards this season, including being an All-Star, Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger.  Hardy swatted 25 home runs and drove in 76 runs while being a plus defender.  

Cons: Hardy will be 31 next season and will only be under contract through 2014. It would obviously be a bad trade for the Cardinals if they couldn’t find a way to extend Hardy beyond 2014. I would like to see the Cardinals get a core shortstop if they trade a highly valuable arm and frankly Hardy doesn’t meet that criterion.

Jed Lowrie

I am a fan of making this deal happen.  However, Athletics manger Bob Melvin says it’s not likely to happen.

Pros: Lowrie had a career year in 2013.  He hit .290 with 15 home runs and 75 RBI and knocked 45 doubles. Lowrie showed he can play when he stays on the field. Plus, Lowrie would be the cheapest option of the three shortstops mentioned. He made $2.4 million in 2013 and is arbitration eligible for 2014.  He’ll get a raise, but it will still be less than what Tulo and Hardy make.

Cons: Lowrie has only had one season, 2013, where he played more than 97 games.  So who knows what a team will get if they somehow acquire Lowrie. Will he be the guy who played 154 games or the guy who can barely stay on the field. One other con is the question raised earlier about a core-type player.  Lowrie is a better option than Hardy in that department, but his injury history could seriously cramp his core status. 

It will be exciting to see what the Cardinals will do to fill their shortstop needs for 2014.  With their deep pool of talent to shop with, the Cardinals are in the drivers seat to make whatever deal they deem suitable.

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Now that the Cardinals have had about a week to recover from their Game 6 World Series loss, they have firmly turned their attention to the 2014 squad.

So far we know that Trevor Rosenthal will be the closer to start next season and Carlos Martinez will get a shot as a starter.

Also, the Cardinals have extended a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer to Carlos Beltran, which will result in a compensatory draft pick should Beltran decide to sign elsewhere.

So until Beltran finishes feeling out the free-agency market, the Cardinals are a little up in the air as to what they will do with the outfield.

Assuming Beltran walks, here is the blueprint for what the Cardinals will need to do for a successful offseason.

Acquire an Everyday Shortstop

The shortstop position was not a very productive one for the 2013 Cardinals. Pete Kozma got the lion’s share of the duties with Daniel Descalso being sprinkled in occasionally. Both are severe liabilities at the plate and are slightly above average in the field.

There are those who suggest Troy Tulowitzki may be a fit for the Cardinals. I don’t see it, especially since Tulo is due a guaranteed $130 million through 2020 with a team option for 2021 at $15 million.  Cardinals GM John Mozeliak isn’t one to spend that kind of money on a guy who can’t stay healthy, so I’d be very surprised to see Tulo in a Cardinals uniform.

What makes sense is picking up someone like Jed Lowrie from the Athletics, who is due a substantial raise because he is arbitration eligible and had a great season in 2013. He is a solid defender and has shown he can hit when he is healthy. The Cardinals could probably get him for a few pitching prospects, which the Cardinals are rich in at the moment.

Plan on Oscar Taveras to Start in Center Field

With the good chance that Carlos Beltran leaves via free agency, the Cardinals have the pieces to replace him fairly quickly. No one wants to see Carlos go, but it seems close to inevitable at this point. So, I see Allen Craig moving to right field, Matt Adams to first base and Oscar Taveras to center field. Taveras hit over .300 in his limited time at AAA Memphis last season and is knocking on the door for big league playing time.

Jon Jay just isn’t a long-term solution in my opinion. He was serviceable at best the last two seasons. He has no power and doesn’t have much speed on the bases. Taveras has both of those qualities and hopefully will translate onto the big league scene. Jay is a decent defender, but the Cardinals need more punch from the center field position.

Keep David Freese

I know what you’re thinking, why keep David Freese? Are you kidding me? The guy killed the Cardinals in the postseason by stranding approximately 832 runners.

Granted Freese couldn’t hit the ball if he was swinging a log this postseason, but he does provide some value. Everyone knows All-Star Matt Carpenter can play third base and that Kolten Wong appears to be the heir-apparent to the second base spot. But, by keeping Freese around, it provides some punch off the bench.  Plus, in the off-chance Wong is a flop at second, Carpenter can move back to second and Freese take back over at third.

If Shelby Miller is Traded, Get a Core-Type Player in Return

There have been rumors that Shelby Miller may be traded, especially given the fact he only pitched one inning this postseason.

Miller had a fabulous rookie year, going 15-9 and posting an excellent 3.06 ERA in 31 starts. So why would the Cardinals even consider trading their 2009 first-round pick? Well there are two possible answers to that question. First, Michael Wacha may have stolen his spot with his lights-out late-season pitching. Second, Miller’s value is high as a proven commodity.

So if Miller does get traded, the Cardinals need a core-type player in return. Frankly, that means getting an above-average everyday shortstop or third baseman. With Miller’s success in 2013, his young age and low salary, he should command some serious trade offers.

All in all, the Cardinals are set up very well to defend their NL Central crown in 2014 and play deep into October. A few moves by the team and it would not be out of the question to expect the Cardinals to make a return to the Fall Classic.

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With the MLB trade deadline less than a week away, Cardinal fans are wondering what magic general manager John Mozeliak has up his sleeve.

The last two seasons, Mozeliak has pulled the trigger on moves that directly impacted the Cardinals stretch run to the postseason. 

With the Cardinals in the market for another starter and possibly a utility player, it’ll be interesting to see who will land in St. Louis at the deadline.

Here is a little fact or fiction regarding the current St. Louis Cardinal trade rumors.

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As the July 31 MLB trade deadline inches closer, the St. Louis Cardinals will have a few decisions to make to improve the best team in baseball at the time of writing.

Last season, the Cardinals scored their 2013 closer, Edward Mujica, at the trade deadline. He has paid dividends ever since. During the 2011 season, the Cardinals also made a few trades that bolstered the bullpen, which helped the Cardinals win the World Series.

So what will the move(s) at this deadline look like for the Cardinals?

Well, they have already started making moves with the trade of Mitchell Boggs to the Colorado Rockies on July 9.

#cardinals trade Mitchell Boggs to Colorado for additional international bonus money. Adds to purse available for international amateurs.

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 9, 2013

While the Cardinals don’t have any glaring holes to fill at the moment, I would expect they would make a few deals at or before the July 31 deadline.

What the Cardinals Will Do

Now that the Cardinals have shed themselves of Boggs’ inconsistency and poor performance, expect them to follow suit with lefty Marc Rzepczynski. Rzepczynski has pitched very poorly the last two seasons for the Cardinals and hasn’t been able to get anyone out when called upon. 

In 2013, Rzepczynski posted a 7.88 ERA at the big league level. During his time in Memphis, Rzepczynski has put up a 3.03 ERA, but it’s Triple-A baseball; he should be better than that.

Perhaps a change of scenery would do Rzepczynski well, and he could fill a lefty specialist for another team.  

The Cardinals have moved on with the emergence of lefty Kevin Siegrist. Siegrist has yet to allow a run in his 11 innings of work and has struck out 15 batters as well. Additionally, Siegrist has stifled hitters, holding opponents to an .057 batting average. 

What the Cardinals Should Do

With the release of utility man Ty Wigginton, the Cardinals need to find a more productive utility man for the stretch run. Wigginton was just this side of completely awful during his time with the Cards.

#cardinals release Wigginton, bring up Rob Johnson to offer backup for Molina (knee). #stlcards

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 9, 2013

St. Louis Post Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz summed up the Wigginton signing best in his daily video blog.

In essence, Wigginton probably needed a few more at-bats to get on track, but I am of the opinion that those at-bats wouldn’t have yielded anything more than what we’ve seen so far.

So it’s up to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to find that bench guy who can pinch hit, play multiple positions and provide a spark off the bench in whatever capacity he is called upon to do so.

I think Mozeliak is one of the smartest GMs in baseball, so I have complete faith he’ll find someone to fill the role Wigginton was signed to fill. Plus, if history is any indicator, Mo will find someone who will help play a role in pushing the Cardinals into the postseason.

Summary

No team is exempt from holes in the roster, but if anyone can make the case, it is the Cardinals. They simply don’t have any gaping holes to fill, and with such a strong farm system, they can fix from within when needed.

While I do expect them to make a deal for another utility man and dump Rzepczynski for some minor leaguers, I don’t expect any major trades to come down.

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Once the Cardinals finish up their West Coast swing through Arizona and San Francisco, they’ll find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a duel against their fiercest competition for the NL Central crown, the Cincinnati Reds.

Over the last few seasons, this has developed into a bitter rivalry.  David Schoenfield of ESPN said in 2011 the Cardinals and Reds has become the best rivalry in baseball.  

There have been some tense and exciting moments over the last few seasons between these two teams. From Brandon Philips igniting the fire with his inflammatory remarks over Twitter a few years back to the infamous brawl that ended backup catcher Jason LaRue’s career, this rivalry has taken on a life of its own.

Now fast-forwarding to 2013, the NL Central race will most likely come down to the Reds and the Cardinals.  

The Cardinals have not started off the 2013 campaign the way they had hoped.  Ace Adam Wainwright did not pitch well on Opening Night in Arizona and the Cardinals fell, 6-2, to the Diamondbacks.  

After playing well in game two of the series and taking down the D-Backs 6-1, the bullpen killed the Cardinals in game three, blowing four leads before losing in 16 innings, 10-9.

On Friday, the Cardinals’ left their bats in Arizona and were blanked by the Giants, 1-0.

The Reds, on the other hand, have started out the season well. They have posted a 3-1 record and taken two-of-three from the offensive juggernaut known as the Los Angeles Angels, to go along with thrashing the Nationals in their series opener, 15-0.

Last season the Cardinals held a slight advantage against the Reds with an 8-7 record. This season, the Cardinals will need to improve upon that record if they want to win the NL Central. They will need to create separation from the Reds by winning the head-to-head competition.

Game 1 Pitching Matchup

The first game of the series features Jaime Garcia against Mat Latos.  Garcia pitched very well against the Diamondbacks in his first start this season.  As he starts the home opener for the Cardinals, fans should know that Garcia has a 8-2 record in his career against the Reds in 11 career starts.

Latos will have to face his demons in Busch Stadium.  He is 1-3 there with a 13.50 ERA  Hopefully for Cardinal fans, that trend will keep up.  

Game 2 Pitching Matchup

In Game 2 of the series, the Cardinals will send Lance Lynn out to face Bronson Arroyo.  Lynn hasn’t seemed to overcome his postseason demons from last season.  He only lasted four innings in his season debut and gave up four runs, walking three and serving up a home run.  

Arroyo has made 31 career starts against the Cardinals and posted an 8-13 record with a 4.56 ERA. In 2012, he was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA when pitching against the Cardinals.  

Game 3 Pitching Matchup

Jake Westbrook will lead the Cardinals into the final game of the first 2013 series against the Reds. He’ll be opposed by Homer Bailey.

Westbrook owns a 3-2 record agains the Reds in his career in nine starts.

Bailey hasn’t pitched very well against the Cardinals in his career.  He has a 3-7 record with a 5.00 ERA in 13 career starts.  That said, Bailey shut down the Nationals’ lineup in a 15-0 shellacking on Friday night.  He allowed two hits and no runs in six innings of work.

Predictions:

Game 1: With the Reds hitting the ball like they have a vendetta against it, it will be tough for Garcia to keep them in check.  

However, he is quite capable of doing so and with the Cardinals’ success against Mat Latos, game one should go to the Cardinals.

Game 2: I don’t have much faith that Lance Lynn will get out of the fourth inning against the Reds’ prolific offense.  He hasn’t had much luck in 2013 between spring training and his first start of the season.  

If the Cardinals’ offense doesn’t show up against Bronson Arroyo, it could be a long day for the Cardinals and their bullpen.  Game two goes to the Reds.

Game 3: If Jake Westbrook can get his sinker to do what it is capable of and the Cardinals can get to Homer Bailey early, it could be a good day for the Redbirds.  

With the way Todd Frazier (.471 batting average, three home runs at time of writing) and the Reds’ bats have come out of the gate, it will be a tough assignment for Westbrook. 

This one will be a tossup.  Whichever club strikes early will probably get the win.  Neither Westbrook nor Bailey are prone to make it past the sixth inning, so it will come down to the bullpens.  Both clubs are expecting their bullpens to be a strength this season, and this will be an early test.  

With the history that has been built over the last few seasons between these clubs and the lack of love for one another, it should be a great series to watch.  

Hopefully there will be some fireworks to set the tone for the rest of the season when these two clubs hook up down the road.

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As the spring begins to wrap up, things that were once question marks are becoming clear for the Cardinals.

Going into spring training, there were a few position battles to be had.  However, as spring training wore on, a new everyday spot became available at shortstop with Rafael Furcal never getting healthy from last season.

As the Cardinals hold auditions for a fifth starter, a second baseman, a fourth outfielder and a shortstop, there are some excellent competitions.

Fifth Starter Spot

The fifth-starter competition has come down to Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly.  Neither one has really blown the socks off Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny, to date.  Miller has posted a 2-0 record with a 4.63 ERA in his four appearances.  To his credit, he does have the two wins and has struck out 11 in 11.2 innings, plus batters are hitting only .234 off Miller this spring.

Joe Kelly likewise has been very mediocre.  He has not posted a record in his four appearances and has a 4.91 ERA this spring.  He has only struck out two in his 11 innings while hitters are batting .302 against him.  

Matheny says he hasn’t made his decision yet, however, I expect Miller to get the nod to start the season as the Cardinals’ fifth starter.  

Second Base

The Cardinals had a merry-go-round last season at second base.  Everyone from Tyler Greene, Daniel Descalso and Skip Schumaker had a chance to take the position, but no one could do it.

This spring the Cardinals have looked at Matt Carpenter, Daniel Descalso and briefly Kolten Wong.  Matt Carpenter was the Cardinals super utility-man last season.  However, of all the positions he logged time at, second base wasn’t one of them.

Carpenter has impressed this spring.  He is hitting .400 with a .491 OBP and eight RBI this spring in 16 games.  He has also fielded his position well according to Matheny.  

Descalso has actually hit this spring, which makes the competition a bit harder.  Descalso has an excellent glove, but his weak bat has limited his playing time.  He is hitting .327 with two home runs and five RBI this spring, but it probably isn’t enough to get him the starting job.  

With Carpenter’s performance in the field and at the plate, expect him to be the opening-day starter at second.

Fourth Outfielder

This has been my favorite competition to watch.  With Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and Carlos Beltran already cemented in their starting roles, the fourth outfielder spot was up for grabs.

All Cardinal fans have been excited to see what top prospect Oscar Taveras would be able to do this spring.  Taveras has had exciting moments, including a grand slam against the Marlins. Taveras has been very solid this spring posting a .296 average with two home runs and 10 RBI in his 16 games.

Shane Robinson knew he would be up against Taveras and his hype this spring.  Robinson came prepared and brought his A-game. Robinson has pounded the ball in the Grapefruit League, posting a .465 average with three home runs and 12 RBI in 16 games.  

With Taveras only having played at AA thus far and Robinson having filled the fourth outfielder spot last season, I expect Robinson to be the opening-day fourth outfielder.

Shortstop

This spot wasn’t supposed to be up for grabs because the Cardinals thought Rafael Furcal would be healthy.  But with Furcal out for the season after having Tommy John surgery, the position was unsettled.  The Cardinals brought in veteran Ronny Cedeno for a look, but he didn’t work out and was released.  

Now the position will fall to either Pete Kozma or Daniel Descalso.  As mentioned earlier, Descalso has had a pretty solid spring.  Kozma has also done a nice job this spring at the plate.  He is batting .318 with two home runs and seven RBI in 15 games.  

Given Kozma‘s late season success in 2012 and that carryover into spring training, I think it is his spot to lose.

Descalso can play shortstop, second or third, so it is likely he’ll be the utility man going into 2012.

Now the Cardinals just need to find a spot for Matt Adams and their bench should be complete.

It should be an exciting 2013 for Cardinal fans.  With the battles for open positions coming to a close, the Cardinals should be in contention all season.  Here’s to another playoff run.

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As the St. Louis Cardinals reflect on the unfinished business of 2012, they have to feel proud and disappointed at the same time.  Being one win from the World Series was not something Cardinals fans thought would have been possible in mid-August.

However, the Cardinals showed their teeth like a back-alley Rottweiler and made their push into the playoffs.  Now as 2013 is upon us, the Cardinals are poised to improve on their 88-74 record from last season.

The Cardinals have a lot going for them.  Keith Law of ESPN ranked their farm system as the best in baseball. They are rich with talent and have flexibility when it comes to settling on a rotation with all the young arms in the cupboard.

It is my opinion that the Cardinals opening day rotation will be as follows:

1. Wainwright
2. Garcia
3. Westbrook
4. Lynn
5. Miller

That leaves the bullpen in a strong position.  Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal are being given an opportunity to nail down the fifth starter spot, but they will most likely end up in the bullpen.  The bullpen was a sore spot last season. But with the addition of Kelly and Rosenthal to the bullpen and adding them to Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, the bullpen should be a strength this year.  

The 2013 version of the Cardinals offense should also be a bright spot.  It has been suggested by Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Disptach that the Cardinals also boast baseball’s best offense coming into 2013.  The Cardinals return five hitters—Beltran, Freese, Holliday, Craig, and Molina—who all hit 20 or more home runs last season.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that Beltran, Holliday and Craig will all crush 30 or more home runs this season.  Knocking at the door and chomping for an opportunity to bring some offense to St. Louis is phenom Oscar Tavares.  

Tavares has impressed so far in spring training.  He is hitting .292 with six RBIs in seven games.  He crushed a grand slam last week against the Miami Marlins and has shown he deserves a longer look. Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch makes the case for Taveras to make the opening day roster.

The only real issue hanging out there for the Cardinals is the middle infield.  It has been reported that Rafael Furcal is not progressing with his elbow injury.  Playoff hero from last season, Pete Kozma, may be the everyday guy at shortstop to start the season.

Second base is wide open as well. Prospect Kolten Wong is getting a long look, but so far hasn’t hit well in spring training.

Thus far Wong is batting .200 in his 15 spring training at-bats.  Hopefully he’ll turn it around, otherwise he’ll be at AAA Memphis to start the season.  At this point, either Daniel Descalso or Matt Carpenter will find their way into the lineup starting at second before it’s all said and done.

So to sum it all up, once the middle infield is solidified, the Cardinals don’t really have any holes. Which leads me back to the article heading.  What will the Cardinals record be this season?

With a much better than average starting rotation, a lineup that should produce a ton of runs and a bullpen that can hold a lead, the Cardinals should finish 96-66 and win the NL Central.

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