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craiger122003
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http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/a ... l&c_id=stl
More questions in above link heres the best part
I have two questions about shortstops for the coming season. Why did the Cardinals trade Brendan Ryan for a pitcher who is 10-29 and hasn't pitched above Class A in four years of pro ball? I know Ryan struggled last year, but he is still a good backup. My second question is who is the backup if Ryan Theriot goes down? Ryan would've been the best backup choice from the Cardinals' roster
-- Jeremy B., Waunakee, Wis.
A lot went into the decision to move Ryan, obviously. And judging any pitcher on his record is unwise -- especially a Minor League pitcher.
But it became clear over the winter that the club was eager to part ways with its defensively brilliant, offensively inconsistent shortstop. Both manager Tony La Russa and general manager John Mozeliak argued that the decision to move Ryan was baseball-based -- that after acquiring Ryan Theriot, the club had an asset in Ryan, and if that asset could be used to upgrade the organization, the Cards had to do it. It's hard to dispute the notion, however, that Ryan was moved at the absolute nadir of his value -- coming off a down season at the plate, and with the Cardinals already having made him redundant with the Theriot acquisition.
So it's hard not to think that at least some of the decision came down to personalities. Ryan is an energetic, likable person, and a favorite of reporters because he was always accessible and usually talkative. On the other hand, being talkative with the media isn't always something that players value in a teammate, and Ryan's past concentration lapses are no secret. I'm personally fond of Ryan, and I wish him well, but it's hard to take seriously any contention that moving him was 100 percent baseball-based.
As for the return, Maikel Cleto reportedly throws close to 100 mph, an appealing trait to a club trying to stock up on power arms. Still, the move came a few days after Mozeliak indicated that the Cards would be picky about a Ryan trade and wouldn't move him just to move him. While Cleto may well turn out to be something exciting in the long run, the move is a bit perplexing given the previous week's comments.
And at the backup shortstop spot, it looks like Tyler Greene is the man for that job. His skill set is somewhat similar to Ryan's, though, of course, he hasn't shown himself to be an elite-level big league defender yet, like Ryan has.
More questions in above link heres the best part
I have two questions about shortstops for the coming season. Why did the Cardinals trade Brendan Ryan for a pitcher who is 10-29 and hasn't pitched above Class A in four years of pro ball? I know Ryan struggled last year, but he is still a good backup. My second question is who is the backup if Ryan Theriot goes down? Ryan would've been the best backup choice from the Cardinals' roster
-- Jeremy B., Waunakee, Wis.
A lot went into the decision to move Ryan, obviously. And judging any pitcher on his record is unwise -- especially a Minor League pitcher.
But it became clear over the winter that the club was eager to part ways with its defensively brilliant, offensively inconsistent shortstop. Both manager Tony La Russa and general manager John Mozeliak argued that the decision to move Ryan was baseball-based -- that after acquiring Ryan Theriot, the club had an asset in Ryan, and if that asset could be used to upgrade the organization, the Cards had to do it. It's hard to dispute the notion, however, that Ryan was moved at the absolute nadir of his value -- coming off a down season at the plate, and with the Cardinals already having made him redundant with the Theriot acquisition.
So it's hard not to think that at least some of the decision came down to personalities. Ryan is an energetic, likable person, and a favorite of reporters because he was always accessible and usually talkative. On the other hand, being talkative with the media isn't always something that players value in a teammate, and Ryan's past concentration lapses are no secret. I'm personally fond of Ryan, and I wish him well, but it's hard to take seriously any contention that moving him was 100 percent baseball-based.
As for the return, Maikel Cleto reportedly throws close to 100 mph, an appealing trait to a club trying to stock up on power arms. Still, the move came a few days after Mozeliak indicated that the Cards would be picky about a Ryan trade and wouldn't move him just to move him. While Cleto may well turn out to be something exciting in the long run, the move is a bit perplexing given the previous week's comments.
And at the backup shortstop spot, it looks like Tyler Greene is the man for that job. His skill set is somewhat similar to Ryan's, though, of course, he hasn't shown himself to be an elite-level big league defender yet, like Ryan has.
