Kuzul

With the news coming down today that Chris Carpenter will likely miss the entire 2013 season, the Cardinals rotation suffered a major setback.

It was expected that Carpenter would return to form in 2013 and be a co-anchor with Adam Wainwright. This latest setback will most likely end Carpenter’s career. 

With Carpenter being lost, the Cardinals are going to have to replace an expected 15-18 wins in the rotation.  It is a good thing the current Cardinal roster is filled with the talent to possibly fill those shoes.

In addition to quality starting-pitching talent lining the roster, the Cardinals could also look to free agency to fill the void left by Carpenter.

One thing is certain, John Mozeliak is already evaluating all his options—with his track record of success, chances are he’ll makes the right call.

The Cardinals organization, the fans and baseball in general will miss Chris Carpenter.  When healthy, Chris Carpenter’s stuff is as good as anyone in the majors.  But it’s not looking good that he’ll make it back to the mound again.

If this was it for Carpenter, it was a good ride.  Three All-Star appearances, a Cy Young and playoff dominance, including his Game 5 gem in the 2011 NLDS, will shape his legacy.

All that said, here are three reasons things will be just fine without Chris Carpenter in the rotation.

Begin Slideshow

Yadier Molina has become the current face of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  After Albert Pujols packed up last offseason and headed west, Cardinal fans turned their focus to hoping Yadier wouldn’t follow Albert out of town.

Talk about an PR nightmare if the Cardinals brass didn’t lock up Molina on a long-term deal. Thankfully for the fans in the best baseball town in America, John Mozeliak and company did just that. Molina signed a five-year/$75 million extension during spring training in 2012.

Molina responded well to his hefty contract by having a career year in 2012.  Molina hit .316 with 22 HR and 76 RBI, all career highs.

Yadi has been on the upswing at the plate almost every year since his miserable 2006 where he batted a paltry .216.  But now that Molina has had a career year at the plate, is this going to be the expected norm moving forward?

Yadier was a beneficiary of a lineup that features Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Allan Craig and David Freese.  Granted Molina batted sixth for most of the season, so he did not have a lot of protection behind him.  

But what he did find from that excellent lineup in front of him was runners on base on a regular basis when he stepped to the plate.  Molina batted .330 with runners on base with 64 RBI.  With runners in scoring position, he batted a very solid .321 with 51 RBI.  

What I gleaned from those numbers is that Yadier loves to hit in the moment.  He found a way to get on base and drive the ball when it counted.  Molina posted a career-high .373 OBP in 2012.

So the question is: Can Yadier have a similar season or better in 2013?

My guess is he can have a similar season to his 2012 output if he stays healthy.  Molina has taken on a much larger leadership role with the Cardinals and as such is setting the example of what is expected when you are a Cardinal.  His hard work and dedication has paid off at the plate and in the clubhouse.  

That is not to say he didn’t do those things before, but Cardinal fans saw a different Yadier last season.

He will start the season at 30 and turns 31 in July, so he should be right in his prime and it is showing. Molina will never be Johnny Bench or Mike Piazza at the plate, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him crank out 25 HR and 85 RBI next season and keep his average around .300.

The bar has been set high on what will be expected from Molina in 2013.  But Molina should be poised for the challenge and will hopefully help the Cardinals to another extended October appearance. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Shelby Miller has been the Cardinals organization’s top prospect for the last three years or so.  Finally, in September, Cardinal fans were graced with Miller’s presence on the big stage.

Shelby pitched fairly well in his first stint with the big league club. 

He posted a a 1.32 ERA in his six appearances with one start sprinkled in.  In his one start against the Cincinnati Reds, he allowed only one hit and no runs.  Granted, the Reds already had their playoff spot secured and the regulars only took about two at-bats, but it was sparkling nonetheless.

Miller had his worst minor league season in 2012, posting a 11-10 record with a 4.74 ERA while surrendering 24 home runs in his 27 starts.  But when Miller got to the big show, his better-than-average fastball mixed in with decent off-speed stuff showed that he could pitch at the big league level.

So the question is, can Shelby Miller be an ace for the Cardinals in years to come?

My guess is that he can.  He reminds me a bit of what Adam Wainwright looked like when he came up for the Cardinals in 2006.  They have a similar frame with an above-average fastball.  As Wainwright developed, he proved he could be a workhorse, eating up innings along the way.  He also sharpened a wicked curveball that Miller will hopefully inquire about in spring training.

However, Miller averaged just over five-plus innings in his full seasons in the minors, so that will need to be improved as he develops at the major league level if he wants to be an ace.

All that said, if Miller can continue to develop and keep his strikeouts up as he historically did in the minors, he could be the foundational pitcher to lead the Cardinals into the future.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The 2012 campaign for Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright had more twists and turns than the famous Lombard Street.  One minute he was looking like the ace of 2009-2010 as he showed in August.  The next he was struggling to get to the sixth inning and giving up home runs in droves.

Wainwright dominated August with a 5-1 record and a 2.75 ERA and helped the Cardinals get their stretch run toward the postseason started.  You never would have known that his April was downright putrid when he went 0-3 in four starts and gave up five home runs in 19.1 innings.  

But one thing the Cardinals and their fans know for sure about Wainwright (besides his practical joker side) is that he is ready to get after it in 2013.  He’s a guy who has a tremendous amount of confidence and knows he is the ace of a pretty solid Cardinals staff. 

Wainwright himself sees himself a Redbirds uniform in his future for a long time to come. Since he is under contract for 2013, the Cardinals should lock him up long term before he goes out and wins 20-plus games and his value skyrockets.  Here are three reasons why the Cardinals should lock up Wainwright on a long-term deal.

Begin Slideshow

As desperately as the St. Louis Cardinals needed Chris Carpenter to be the Carp of old on Friday night, he just couldn’t come through.  The Cardinals came in on a six-game losing skid and were looking to their ace to right the ship. 

Carpenter came out and gave up three runs in the first two innings, and the Cardinals found themselves playing from behind once again.  It seems the days of the dominant, Chris Carpenter slump-busting performances may be a thing of the past.

While Carpenter has had some tough luck in his 1-7 start to the season, the vast majority of his record is a result of him missing locations and not making quality pitches when he needed to. 

Since May 15, Carpenter has an 0-5 record in seven starts, 48.2 innings pitched allowing 55 hits, 25 earned runs (4.62 ERA) and opponents are batting .282 against him during that span. 

One thing that has always been a credit to Carp is that he doesn’t make excuses.  After last night’s game, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Carp had this to say,

“I’m not going to sit here and fret on what’s going on. I’m not scared to call myself out or question myself if I’m not doing what I need to do. There are all kinds of silly things you can analyze in a game, but if I sit there and do that, I’ll have no chance to pitch the next time. I’ll drive myself crazy.”

Hopefully, for the Cards sake, Carpenter can find the rhythm that brought him three All-Star appearances, three top-three finishes in the Cy Young voting and a Cy Young award. 

If he does, the Cardinals will have a great chance to find themselves playing into October.  If not, it could turn out to be a long summer.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The ticking of the clock is growing louder and louder in St. Louis and throughout the baseball world. With each tick, everyone is wondering the same question, “Will the Cardinals show Albert Pujols the money?”

It’s been widely reported that Albert Pujols has set the deadline of Feb. 19 for negotiations to be completed, whether he has signed an extension or not. As the deadline looms closer, the fretting among the Cardinal Nation has turned into full-on chewing fingernails to the bone.

Could the Cardinals really let Albert Pujols get away?  It’s a hard scenario to envision, but Pujols seems quite serious about his deadline and if the Cards don’t have a deal in place by the deadline, he is almost certain to test free agency at the end of the year.  Players of Pujols’ caliber would be foolish to not test the market if the opportunity arises.

Another potential blow to the process is that Pujols won’t waive his no-trade clause, as reported by Buster Olney of ESPN. Pujols has earned his no-trade status by completing his 10 years of major league service and five years of service with the same team.

So if the Cardinals can’t get a deal in place, they would be left holding the proverbial empty bag with nothing to show for all Pujols gave to St. Louis except a few draft picks.

There are few teams that would be able to afford Pujols should he reach free agency.  But the one that would crush the Cardinals fan base is the Chicago Cubs. With new ownership in place and a ton of money coming off the books after 2011, the Cubs would be in a ripe position to bid on Pujols’ service.

If nothing else, they will be certain to drive up the price for the Cardinals and any other teams in the bidding process. 

Other teams rumored to have the ability to sign Pujols are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Texas Rangers. Cardinal fans can only hope the process won’t get to that point of wonderment. 

The production the Cardinals would lose should Pujols walk is a daunting task to replace. During his 10-year career, Pujols has averaged:

If Pujols decided to walk away from the game today, his career numbers would probably get him in the Hall of Fame. At 31, Pujols probably has four or five monster seasons left, with numbers close to his career averages, and three or four pretty decent seasons if he can avoid injury.

The rumors floating out there say Pujols is looking for 10 years, $300 million. Whether or not those numbers are accurate remains to be seen, as both sides have done an almost air-tight job of keeping the negotiations out of the press. 

If the Cards pony up somewhere around $30 million a year, it would be my guess they would not go over eight years. Pujols would be 39 when an eight-year contract would expire. It’s hard to envision paying someone $30 million who would be in his 40s when the contract expires.

The Cardinals have always tried to keep their payroll around $100 million a season. They will need to come off that stance should they sign Pujols for his desired amount and still remain competitive. Last off-season, the Cards shelled out $17 million a season for Matt Holliday, and adding $30 million to Pujols will take 47 percent of their payroll in their current model. 

To remain a contender, their payroll is going to need to be in the $125 million a season range. With Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina due for big raises in 2012 from possible free agency, the Cardinals are going to have to open the purse a bit to keep their core intact.

As the final ticks count down, the Cardinals faithful can only hope that Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and GM John Mozeliak hear the bell tolling for them to step up and show Pujols the money. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com