I would exercise the following team options:

Mark Mulder--$7.25 million
Jeff Suppan--$4 million

And I would try to resign Julian Tavarez, who will probably be in the $3 million range.

I think Larry Walker, Matt Morris, Mark Grudzielanek, and Reggie Sanders are all free agents who should be let go.  I think Anthony Reyes is ready to be at least a quality back of the rotation starter, so Morris should be set free.  If I were the Cards, I would get in the Brian Giles and Rafael Furcal sweepstakes, respectively.  Furcal could play 2B, or possibly shift Eckstein over to SS, and an infield of Pujols, Furcal, Eckstein, and Rolen is not too shabby.  You'd have a rotation of Carpenter, Mulder, Marquis, Suppan, and Reyes, very solid.  An outfield of Edmonds, Giles, and probably either a John Rodriguez/John Mabry or John Rodriguez/So Taguchi platoon in left.  This doesn't address any farm system problems, but this is a veteran team, and Jocketty signaled with the Mulder trade that they were committed to winning now.  This is definitely a team in the flags fly forever stage for the next couple of years...

so I cant say much on what they should do. However, I do like what marty has lined up. Although I would definately shift Eck to second and leave Furcal at short. The rotation would have a chance to be very good but at the very least would be very solid.

First resign Julian Tavares and pick up the option on Jeff Suppan.

Trade Chris Carpenter (Who thinks he will be as effective next year as he was this year? Sell High). I would explore a trade to the Diamondbacks for a combo of Carlos Quentin/Javier Vasquez or to the Phillies for a Pat Burell/Cole Hamels or Gavin Floyd package. You need a young corner outfielder and both Burell and Quentin could help in 06. If you think you need help with the rotation go with Vasquez but I would rather have Hamels and give him a year in the minors and hope he's ready in 2007.

I would also think about picking up a young corner outfielder in the rule 5 draft like Josh Burrus of the Braves or Josh Hamilton. Hamilton will probably be taken off of the restricted list in the winter and would have to be placed on the 40 man roster right? Would Tampa Bay keep a spot for him?

Go hard after Furcal to play short and switch Eckstein to 2B.

Look into giving both Reyes & Adam Wainwright a shot in the rotation. Mulder, Suppan, Reyes, Marquis & Wainwright. Hamels would replace Suppan in 07. Solidify your bullpen with Tavares and maybe someone like Trevor Hoffman (Pushing Jason Isringhausen to the setup spot, Hoffman is going after the all time saves spot and the Padres are not gonna help him get there next year).  

Yadier Molina
Albert Pujols
David Eckstein
Rafael Furcal
Scott Rolen
That's your infield.

Outfield should look like
Pat Burell -Left
Jim Edmonds -Center
In a perfect world Brian Giles would be in right but what about a Taguchi/Burrus platoon.

With this plan the payroll would be higher than it is now but with the new stadium and 2 great years they should be fine when it comes to cash. Also the Nationals may get sold before the sun dies out and I guess all the teams are going to get some cash from the XM radio contract.

When it comes to the farm system they need to rebuild. If Luke Hoechevar falls to them in next years draft they should get him. Couldn't believe so many teams passed him up in the first place. Otherwise i would look for a new CF to replace Edmonds.
I don't see the farm system getting better since they will get all the late round picks since they finish so well during the regular season.
They will need to find some diamonds in the rough guys or premium talent that falls due to signability concerns.

Sorry this was so long

That's a waste of talent, to me, if you've already got Eckstein; there's no point is shifting one of them to 2B. If you want to say goodbye to Grudz, get someone like Todd Walker (who I think will be available) to replace him, or just give the job to Luna.

Giles would be a good fit for this team, replacing Larry Walker (who will likely retire). Beyond that, there's no good reason to make significant changes. Jocketty should focus on the middle and back of the pitching staff. The Cardinals are still likely to be plenty good next year without a significant makeover, and there's no reason to invest tons o' money in players who likely won't do much more than improve the team at the margins.

I don't see the need to throw a greta deal of money inot the free agent market especially with Rolen coming back.  I believe they will resign Grudz and a platoon in left with Rodriguez/Taguchi works.  Giles is a good fit in right and the pitching needs some help.  

Having said that, I keep Morris and work on the backend of the rotation and the middle relief.

They really need help in the minors so why not pick up some projects like a David Kelton.  Perhaps a change of scenery will do him good.  They will have a tough time rebuilding the system in one broad stroke but it can't hurt to pickup some other projects like DK to fill the higher levels while rebuilding the lower levels through the draft.

I see Giles is going on his 18th team for next year...

1. Trade Pomeranz and Duncan to TOR for Orlando Hudson (obviously don't know much about st louis farm system)
2. I'd try to get Austin Kearns from the Reds while they are still being run incompetantly, maybe Wainright and a lower level guy. (hard to measure Kearns' value).
3. Bring up Reyes to replace Morris.
4. Keep Bullpen intact
5. resign reggie sanders, he's not great, but he wont cost much either
6. Get a good 4th of (Cruz jr sounds good) or Jason Michaels from Philly , if it wont cost much.

Lineup:

Eckstein
Kearns
Pujols
Rolen
Edmonds
Sanders
Hudson
Molina

Rotation:

Carpenter
Mulder
Suppan
Anthony Reyes
Marquis

Pen:

Isringhausen
Tavarez
Eldred
King
Al Reyes
Villone (FA signing)

Should be good for another Central title

As for the farm:

Don't sign guys who cost picks, and invest, invest, invest... with Jocketty around they'll never have a good farm, but should still produce good tradeable talent.

Have to take the option on Mulder. I would hate to do the same for Suppan as I don't think he's worth $4 mill but he's an inning eater so I don't see much better options. I would go and trade for Kip Wells. Hes shaky I know but we all know they could probably get him on the cheap as you are dealing with the Pirates who are looking to sell anyhow.
Resign Sanders and add Giles as long as his salary doesn't get out of hand. Desperate teams tend to raise prices. Walker has retired so those guys should certainly make that ok. I would also look to the D-rays for one of their extra outfielders. Gathright might be a nice utility player.
I'm not at all familiar with their farm system so I plead ignorance there. Just throwing out some ideas.

 I let Morris go into free agency. He's going to be 32, and he had a terrible 2nd half (4-8, 5+ERA, and a .309 BAA). Suppan was one of the better pitchers on the staff in the 2nd half, I think he can hold down #3 with Marquis and Reyes bringing up the back end of the rotation.

 I bring Grudz back for a year. He was a good fit for them this year, and the free agent market's thin for 2B. If the price is right, I'd bring Sanders back for a year too. He missed some games due to injuries, and he's a liability in the field, but he can still hit.

 I like Giles in STL, but I think San Diego's going to make every effort to bring him back, since they can't afford what Ramon Hernandez wants, which is Varitek type money. Jacque Jones is a nice complimentary bat in that offense, can play anywhere in the OF, and he's going to be a lot cheaper than Giles. With Rolen back 100%,3-4-5 in the batting order is set. I'd go with Jones in the OF. He's a nice fit at #6 or #7 in that batting order.

 With Al Reyes out for 2006 with TJ surgery, I definitely keep Tavarez if I can. He's proved his worth as a set up guy the past 2 seasons. The rest of the bully is pretty intact. I might go after a guy like Bob Howry to offset the loss of Reyes this year, and possibly add another lefty set up.  

 The only thing left to left to be signed or brought back is utility players. Mabry and Nunez were valuable pieces this year at multiple positions, I bring them back. Einar Diaz is a very good backup for the money, he should be brought back.

 Drafts in the immediate future should consist mostly of college players who have a better chance of helping in the near future. It's a productive lineup and staff, but the average age for starters is pretty high, even if Walker retires.  

I think they can resign Morris for a relatively inexpensive contract, or at least fair. I'd keep the same starting five rotation for next year. This team's window is not that big so I don't think now is the time to do a ton of retooling. I'd resign Grdz because of his double-play turning. I'd also bring back Reggie because he had a great year for them. I know that Giles would help them now but he doesn't solve the age problem in the outfield. In general, I'd make very few moves because Rolen's return will be big for the lineup. What kind of an outfielder can you get for Marquis? Jacque Jones as a FA outfielder? Hmmm. I think that the idea of trading Jim Edmonds will be in vogue again this year but I'm not sure that would be a good move.

Long time lurker, first time etc.

I would let Morris, Walker and Grudz go.

If I could sign Reggie Sanders for a reasonable one year deal, I'd do it.  I second DodgerBlue's suggestion of Jacque Jones to fill out the outfield -- excellent defense, on base at a good enough clip to be useful.

My biggest risk move would be Nomar Garciaparra; sign him for a one or two year deal.  St. Louis seems to be a panacea for guys like this that are a little rickety and/or old and/or cranky.  Big potential reward.  Move Eckstein over to second, and if Nomar gets hurt move Eck back over to short.

I would see if I could pick up Kevin Brown for one of those David Wells type deals, low entry money but lots of incentives.  It'd have to be low money though, and very short term.  Someone would probably outbid me, but if no one wants to touch him, I'd try.

I'd also look at Tony Armas Jr for a low money deal -- Duncan seems to work well with guys at this point of their career who haven't put it together yet.  I'd keep scouring for the next Chris Carpenter.  See what Toronto would want for Ted Lilly, for instance, or Seattle for Joel Pineiro.  Take advantage of having two solid front of the rotation guys in Carpenter and Mulder (obviously exercise his option).  Keep Suppan as an innings eater.  Have Wainwright and Marquis battle for the number four spot, and try to shoot the moon with a project for the last spot. If it doesn't work, either the Wainwright/Marquis loser, or Reyes, can fill out the rotation well enough.

Re-sign Tavarez.

You can't change LaRussa, so give him some bench weapons that play multiple positions and that can hit a little: Robert Fick, Jose Valentin.

Re-sign Einar Diaz to backup Molina, or sign Todd Pratt.

Rotation:

Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Armas, Marquis

Lineup:

Eckstein, Jones, Pujols, Edmonds, Rolen, Garciaparra, Sanders, Molina.

Number 1 Priority: Outfield.  Walker is retiring.  Edmonds will be back but he's aging.  I'm guessing the Cards will resign Reggie.  I want a young outfielder.  People keep saying Giles but I think getting him will hurt the Cards in the long run.  They need someone young.  There aren't too many good FA outfielders available under the age of 30 so this will likely have to happen via trade.  I think the Cards will trade Marquis for an outfielder (they will likely look to Tampa Bay now that they won't have a bad GM).  John Rodriguez is always a possibility as a starter but I wouldn't trust in that capacity just yet.  

Number 2 Priority: Get Rolen healthy.  The Cards need another big bat in the lineup.  Their hitting was terrible in the NLCS (besides Pujols).  

Number 3a Priority: Shore up the starting rotation.  Pick up Mulder's $7.25M option and Suppan's $4M option.  Carp will be back as the ace.  Anthony Reyes takes one spot.  The last spot is a question mark.  If we don't trade Marquis, he will likely get it.  If the Cards do trade Marquis, they'll probably try to resign Morris.  

Number 3b Priority: Shore up the bullpen.  The Cards need another Calero/Reyes type guy.  Al Reyes is expected to be out the entire 2006 season so this is a large need.  Tavarez fell apart this season somewhat and I doubt the Cards will bring him back especially for what they are paying him now.  Flores will be back.  Tyler Johnson will likely take one spot.  Adam Wainwright could possibly take another.  Izzy will be back.  Thompson will be back.  Ray King has asked to be traded and I think that could very well happen.  I'm guessing the Cards will try to keep Eldred from retirement too.  That leaves one or two spots depending on how many hitters the Cards take and how accurate I am.  There are a lot of interesting free agent relief pitchers that the Cards could take a flyer on (Seanez, Rielding, Strickland, Carrara, Howry, Worrell, Jones, Mecir, Witasick, Hernandez, Powell)  Lincoln may be back later in the year too.  

Number 4 Priority: Second Base.  I would expect the Cards to try to resign Grudz but I doubt they will give him the money that other teams would.  Nunez may be a possibility there or even Luna.  

Number 5 Priority: Get a solid backup catcher.  Diaz needs to go.  He was horrible.  Not too many good options out there though so I'm not sure what the Cards will do here.  

Number 6 Priority: Shore up the rest of the bench.  Bring back Taguchi.  Rodriguez will back.  Luna will be back.  Mabry will be back.  If the Cards go with 14 batters, that last spot is up for grabs.  If the Cards keep Nunez but don't start him, he'll take that spot.  Otherwise, I would guess that Gall, Schumaker, Duncan, and some NRIs will fight it out with Gall being the favorite.  

Admittedly, this may be clouded by my disappointment in yet another playoff collapse (Pujols' homer made it a little less painful thankfully).

#1 Priority - A healthy, productive Scott Rolen.  Cards desperately need another big RH bat (and just another big bat in general).  And I hear he's not so shabby in the field either.

#2 - Outfield - With the loss of Walker, I think the Cards need to use this as an opportunity to get younger.  Edmonds and Sanders are both on the wrong side of 35.  Let Sanders walk and take the draft pick.  Platoon Rodriguez and Taguchi (who is OLDER THAN EDMONDS)/Gall and deal Marquis for a corner OF.  I'd love to get Adam Dunn, despite his strikeouts.  We should have money to spend, especially with the new park opening.

#3 - Bullpen - Absolutely need to get a hard throwing set up guy to replace Reyes.  Cardinals have few pitchers that can make a batter swing and miss.  Deal King away.  He wants to be traded and no one trusts him with the ball anymore. Tavarez is gone.  Keep Flores and Thompson.

#4 - Starting Pitching - Obviously exercise Mulder's option.  Suppan should be good for one more year.  Trade Marquis.  I'd let Matty Mo go.  Not worth the $$$ he'll command as a free agent.  Rotation of Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Reyes, with a veteran Dave Duncan reclamation project or Wainwright as the 5th starter.  If we can keep Marquis and get the young corner OF, even better.

#5 - Infield - The only question mark is 2nd base.  I'm for letting Grudz walk.  I like him and he played better than expected this year, which makes me think we can't expect him to do as well next year.  Re-sign Nunez and put him at second.  Or, if Walt can work his magic, find a Todd Walker-type player to bring onboard so long as he can reliably turn two with Eck.

#6 - Backup Catcher / Bench - Einar Diaz is a waste of space, so get rid of him.  I like the idea mentioned earlier of picking up a Todd Pratt or similar guy to fill in when necessary.  Yady will keep improving but he can't play every day.  Rest of bench looks pretty well set with the other half of the Taguchi (or Gall)/Rodriguez platoon, Luna, and other young guys.

Opening Day Lineup (since La Russa will use 1000 combinations):
Eckstein
Dunn (young corner OF)
Pujols
Edmonds
Rolen
Rodriguez
Nunez
Molina

Starting Rotation:
Carpenter
Mulder
Suppan
Reyes
Duncan reclamation project or Wainwright

1. Bring back Mulder and Suppan.  Start working on an extension for Mulder, maybe Suppan if the money is right.
2.  Trade Jason Marquis.  After the fuss he made about being put in the bullpen during the playoffs, I'd move the guy.  I'd start shopping him for a corner OF with some pop or a 2B.  Guys to target in trade: Aubrey Huff, Craig Wilson, Raul Ibanez, Kevin Mench, Orlando Hudson, Julio Lugo, or Ronnie Belliard.  I know a Marquis for X player trade straight up isn't likely, but I don't know enough about the Cards farm system to include specific prospects.
3.  Sign Jacque Jones.  Don't go overboard any throw huge money at Brian Giles, this team needs to get younger.  Jones can hold down RF for now and take over for Edmonds in CF in a couple of years.
4.  Let Reggie Sanders, Mark Grudzielanek, Matt Morris, and Julian Tavarez walk.  Hope someone wants one of them bad enough to sign them early and forfiet draft picks.
5.  Give Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright the 4 and 5 spots respectively in the rotation.  You'll never really know what you have in these guys until you give them a shot.  I think Dave Duncan can coax 28-32 wins out of these guys combined.
6.  Re-tool the bullpen.  The apparent lack of faith in Ray King means he needs to go.  I'm not really sure what kind of value he has, but move him for the best return you can get.  Give Tyler Johnson and Randy Flores the two LHP spots, let's see what they've got.  Thompson and Isringhausen come back for sure, and maybe Eldred.  I'd make a run at two of the following three: Rudy Seanez, Tim Worrell, and Jay Witasick.  Whichever ones you get give you solid setup men in front of Izzy.
7.  Buildup depth in AAA.  Try to add either 6 year Minor League free agents or some AAAA guys, at least for a year or two to cover the roster in case of injuries.  
8.  Explore trading Chris Carpenter.  As mention by another poster earlier, Carp's value has never been higher.  He had a great year, but I don't want to be on the hook if breaks down again.  I'm not saying deal him at all costs, but if a "too good to pass up" deal comes along, don't be afraid to take it.
9.  Build the farm system quick, quick, quick.  I'd target college pitchers and hitters who could contribute in 2 years or so.  Pitchers in the Huston Street, Craig Hansen, Chad Cordero mold, while not necessarily closers, but guys ready to pitch by the 2008 stretch run.  Those type guys can help restock the upper levels in a hurry, then you can take some risks on high ceiling/high risk HS kids.
10.  Keep on eye out for bench help.  If you can add a better player than Mabry/Luna/Diaz/Taguchi/Rodrigez do it, if not stick with these guys for 2006.

Lineup

Eckstein
Lugo/Belliard/Ibanez/Edmonds
Scott Rolen
Albert Pujols
Jim Edmonds/Huff/Wilson/Mench
Jacque Jones
John Rodriguez/So Taguchi/Orlando Hudson
Yadier Molina

Pitching Staff

Carpenter
Mulder
Suppan
Reyes
Wainwright

Izzy
Seanez/Witasick
Worrell/Seanez
Eldred
Thompson
Flores
Johnson

The Cards have a history of making lemonade from lemons.  The Mulder/Barton trade is going to end up looking pretty rough for the Cards unless they can leverage Mulder into a hitter.  Which Tampa Bay outfielder/prospect could they get for Mulder? They're not going to get much for Marquis, especially from an AL team which benefits less from his hitting ability.  

I HAD BEEN THINKING HUFF/MENCH MYSELF...

I THINK YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING ASSUMPTIONS IF YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY WALT AND JEFF:

1.)  DAVE DUNCAN MAKES YOUNG PITCHING LESS VALUABLE TO YOU THAN TO THE AVERAGE TEAM

2.)  DAVE DUNCAN MAKES OLDER PITCHERS MORE VALUABLE THAN THEY REALLY ARE

3.)  MUST TRY TO WIN ONE LAST TIME WHILE BEGINNING TO RETOOL FOR ANOTHER RUN 3 YEARS FROM NOW... SO YOU MUST WIN WHILE GETTING YOUNGER

4.)  YOU'RE IN A BAD PLACE BECAUSE YOUR BIGGEST NEED IS AN OF, AND THE MARKET IS THIN FOR OF.  RESIST OVER-SPENDING THERE...

5.)  YOU MUST HAVE ADEQUATE BENCH HELP FOR CF AND 3B - EXPECT TO HAVE TO COVER ~200 ABS

6.)  MORRIS WON'T SIGN FOR $1,000,000 AGAIN...

7.)  YOU DON'T NEED A 5 MAN ROTATION THAT WILL WIN 15 GAMES EACH TO TAKE THE NL CENTRAL...

8.)  YOUR MAIN COMPETITION WILL BE THE BREWERS NEXT YEAR...

THAT BEING SAID, PITCHING DEPTH IS ACTUALLY A STRENGTH FOR THIS TEAM.  I ALSO DON'T BELIEVE THAT, WHILE I WAS THEIR MOST VOCAL PROPONENT LAST SPRING, J-ROD AND JOHN GALL JUST AREN'T 500 AB PLAYERS.

SO I THINK 2 THINGS ARE IMPORTANT:

A.)  DEALING WAINWRIGHT (THE LESSOR OF THE 2 PROSPECTS) FOR A YOUNG OF..

B.)  DEALING ONE OF MARQUIS/CARPENTER/SUPPAN FOR ANOTHER YOUNG OF TYPE...

C.)  REPEAT AFTER ME:  "IM NOT GOING TO SPEND A LOT FOR THAT SECOND BASEMAN"

D.)  IF YOU CAN'T FILL OF BY DEALING PITCHING, THEN IT'S OK TO RESIGN REGGIE SANDERS FOR ONE MORE YEAR, ONLY EXPECT THAT HE'LL BE OUT FOR AT LEAST 30-50 GAMES...(AND PROVIDING HE'LL RESIGN FOR A SIMILAR AMOUNT)...  

E.)  REMEMBER, YOU CAN'T SPELL RONDELL WITHOUT "DL"

F.)  DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH HIS DEFENSE WILL HURT US, MATT STAIRS COULD BE A SHORT TERM OF...  HAVE MGL LOOK INTO THAT...

G.)  WHO'S CHEAPER, WES HELMS IS THE NEXT JOHN MABRY, AND AN IDEAL CANDIDATE TO FILL IN AT ANY CORNER...

H.)  SOMEONE WILL OVERPAY FOR RINCON, DON'T LET IT BE YOU...

I.)  HAVE A KEEN INTEREST IN THE MARKET FOR PAUL BYRD...

J.)  JOE MAYS COULD BE A GOOD REPLACEMENT FOR MARQUIS...

K.)  IF JARROD WASHBURN SEEMS LIKE THIS YEAR'S DUNCAN PROJECT, TO QUOTE LACKEY "IT ONLY SEEMS LIKE JARROD HAS ONE PITCH"...  CAN DUNCAN TEACH ANYBODY THE SPLITTER???

L.)  MOTA IS DISGRUNTLED... HE'D BE A GREAT "FIREMAN" WITH JASON ACTING AS THE CLOSER....

M.)  ALFONSECA HAS SIX FINGERS....  REALLY!!!

FINALLY, CONVINCE OWNERSHIP THAT SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN FOREIGN SCOUTING IS PARAMOUNT TO FUTURE SUCCESS...  IN FACT, TAKE A HARD LOOK AT WHAT VETERANS CAN BE COURTED AWAY FROM JAPAN!!!  SO TAGUCHI COULD BE GIVEN ANOTHER YEAR FOR 5TH OUTFIELDER-DOM, IF ONLY TO BECOME AN ORGANIZATIONAL SOLDIER AND SERVE AS FUTURE CARDINAL AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN...

i know he's a pretty good player right now with a good obp but his power decreases every year and not totally due to san diego's park and he's 36 and proly gonna get a 3 year deal, with the last 2 years not being good at all in my opinion...let some other team spend ten million on him

forget fa's Tavarez, Grud, Reggie, Mabry, Diaz, etc.

With the money you save on not resigning them, get Brian Giles

Trade Marquis and King for prospects.

Resign Nunez and make him your 2nd baseman. Plan B, make Luna your 2nd baseman if Nunez regresses

Replace Reggie with a platoon of JRod/Taguchi/Gall for at least trade deadline time. Then make your best move if possible.

Replace Mabry with Mark Sweeney

Replace Tavarez with Mike Timlin or Rudy Seanez

Replace King with Tyler Johnson or go for Scott Eyre

Replace Morris and Marquis with Reyes and Woody Williams if SD fails to pick up his contract. Eventually work in Wainwright.

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