No chance. Why should he not take advantage of unprecedented leverage this winter in order to give the Cardinals one year at a discount when they made no pre-emptive move regarding an extension? C'mon. This is big boy stuff.

I'm not sure. Trout is an outstanding defender. Adam Jones is also. Fans love to pile on scribes as know-nothings when the MVP, Cy Young and ROY awards are doled out in mid-November. Well, the Gold Gloves are voted upon by managers and coaches. Who is more qualified? I'm sure the same angst will surface in 2 weeks when Miguel Cabrera wins the AL MVP over Trout, who incidentally didn't reach Anaheim until a month into the season.

I have no issue with it. The Type A and B system was statistically based and weighted but I think this system fairer to the player. The previous system compensated a team even if it had no real need or desire to retain a player.

I believe so. I don't envision a high-ticket acquisiton this winter. Berkman and Lohse coming off the books. Arbitration will drive up costs for numerous players. Scheduled raises will make up much of the remaining difference. I've seen some accounts of Cards payroll at $110M. I had it at about $116M before Opening Day.

I'm hearing a lot of criticism but not many alternatives offered. Bourn has a minus arm. Stubbs is athletic but committed 5 errors and makes some curious decisions. Me? I'm not insulted by the McCutchen pick.

I haven't teased anything. I just re-tweeted that Drew opted out of his contract with the A's and is a free agent. He's long been a BFIB fetish. Drew has endured injuries and a sub-par year the last two seasons. His value is tricky. There is some unease about Furcal's elbow, though the club is presenting a confident face about his ability to avoid surgery. I believe a move will be made to address middle infield. The level of commitment is the question. With Wong approaching, Carpenter working out at the position and Descalso (and Kozma) capable defensively at second base, I envision any acquisition to be more SS-specific and shorter term. We'll see.

Opening Day? Probably 33-40 percent. At some point during the season? 75-80 percent.

The Cardinals are a pitching and power team. They are plus defensively at C, perhaps CF and at times at 2B. There isn't significant wiggle room for moves at other positions except adding depth at SS. Holliday became average at best in LF due to physical issues. The Cardinals love to talk about fundamentals and emphasis on fielding and baserunning but their lineup suggests a masher mentality. This season demonstrated that they didn't fare well when not driving the ball out of the park. The pitching was at times undermined by its defense. Lohse, in my opinion, had the most underrated season of any NL pitcher because of indifferent support. The Reds outperformed the Cardinals this season partly because of superior defense. There was a protracted stretch in which the Cardinals allowed five extra outs/bases per game. That's unacceptable. Kozma helped the situation in September but the situation remains an issue.

Schu' is vulnerable to trade. McClellan is vulnerable to a non-tender.

Mozeliak assigned Matheny his coaching staff last winter. It's pretty obvious Mike has someone in mind with whom he would have more confidence in than Miller. That's his right. It is a shame when someone who has given an organization 20 years is suddenly put on the street. I'm not sure offering a Class A pitching coach job is a way to retain someone like Miller. It's the big leagues. It happens. But it's also too bad for Miller.

Others may disagree but I believe Adams' major-league opportunity likely comes with another organization. I see Allen Craig at first base for this club long term.

Good question. Holliday has longstanding back issues that became more pronounced this season. Indeed, they first surfaced in spring training. His critics might weigh the fact that he was physically compromised for at least 2-3 months this year. Holliday has a violent swing that probably has something to do with the condition, or at least aggravating it. As with Furcal and Beltran, the Cardinals might examine being more proactive with Holliday's playing time. A game off every week or two may be beneficial to all of them. Carpenter allows them that flexibility in the outfield. A short-term fix at SS could allow them to do the same with Furcal.

That's a much better situation than the club being disappointed it has to promoted someone from AAA.

Westbrook is written in ink.

The club needs to find another LH pitcher somewhere. I don't think it's a necessity to have a LH starter to replace Garcia. Kelly proved himself capable for 2 months this season. However, there is an obvious need in the bullpen for LH depth. The Cardinals historically have gone cheap there. It may be time to step it up for more of a given than a Tallet or Romero. Rzep' was more of a question than a given this year as well.

Jay is cost-effective and became a plus defender and plus leadoff man. His home-road splits were perplexing. He also played with a weakened shoulder for much of the season. I long thought JJ a complementary OF because he lacked the power to play a flank and the arm to play center. However, he plays a fairly mature game. He's a resilient hitter who has grown into a leadership role in center. I don't know if he would fit with a less rebust offensive team. Here, it works, especially for the price tag.

Affeldt would be outstanding here. However, he may be a bit high-hanging for what the Cardinals are looking for.

Let's see who shows up in Jupiter healhy. As the team is now constituted, Molina and Furcal remain the two most indispensible players in my opinion.

I don't know if Rosenthal is "obvious" for the rotation -- some believe he'd be a terrific closer -- but I do believe Kelly projects long-term in the bullpen.

Lynn has been told to arrive in spring training in better shape than he left St. Louis. The Cardinals went out of their way last week to say nothing is guaranteed the big man. I would think his playoff experience would motivate Lynn, who benefited from a combination of talent and terrific run support this season. It's a rare 18-game winner who is removed from the rotation in August and during the postseason.

Has to show he can stay healthy and that he can develop secondary pitches. His big arm is impressive. I think he better projects as depth next season. If club retains Rzep, it needs a more proven/reliable LH complement.

Albert has been in decline the last three years. However, he has declined from one of the top 10 hitters all-time to a guy who still exacts heavy damage. I noted several years ago that El Hombre had adopted more of a slugger's mentality. The club (well, TLR) chafed at the suggestion but I defy anyone to show otherwise. He has become less consistent, less willing to walk and needed more time to get going each season. All that said, I still consider Pujols one of the game's top 10 hitters. But when you were once universally acknowledged as No. 1, that represents a decline.