Renteria Didn't Appreciate Cards' Shows Of Appreciation
By Bernie Miklasz
December 16, 2004
HERE'S A QUESTION for our fantasy baseball general managers in
the audience:
Would you pay $10 million a year for a player who last season ranked
fourth in
batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, sixth in slugging
percentage,
third in RBIs, fourth in runs, and fourth in stolen bases among
National League
shortstops? And this player didn't win the Gold Glove, either.
A four-year, $40 million deal seems rather excessive for that
level of
production. But this is baseball's winter of inflation. Even player
agents are
mystified, pleasantly so, at the wild rate of spending by teams this
offseason.
The Boston Red Sox were willing to pay the $10 million a year to
that player,
Edgar Renteria.
And though the Cardinals virtually matched the offer, Renteria is
headed to
Boston.
When the Red Sox swept the Cardinals, Renteria made the final out
of the
World Series. Little did we know that as he trotted toward first base
after
tapping a ground ball to the mound, that Edgar wouldn't stop running
until he
reached Boston.
Statistically, Renteria had a good 2004 season, but it wasn't
great. Other NL
shortstops were better; Renteria even lost the Gold Glove to the
Dodgers' Cesar
Izturis. Whether the Red Sox will receive full value for their $10
million
annual investment remains to be seen.
Of course, Renteria's value transcended statistics. Renteria was
special. He
played hard, had an old-school attitude, never wanted to come out of
the lineup
and cared deeply about winning. His personality was an adhesive that
brought
teammates together. Renteria was affectionately known as "The Captain"
inside
the Cardinals clubhouse.
That leadership will be difficult to replace, especially with the
Cardinals
bidding adieu to two other stand-up guys this winter: catcher Mike
Matheny and
starting pitcher Woody Williams. And the middle of the Cardinals'
sure-handed
defense is dissolving with the defections of Renteria, Matheny and
second
baseman Tony Womack.
Why Renteria went for Boston's green is, for now, a mystery. We
will have to
wait to hear him offer a full explanation. Cardinals general manager
Walt
Jocketty seemed befuddled by comments attributed to Renteria in which
he implied
that the Red Sox made him feel more wanted than the Cardinals.
"I don't know what else we could have done to make Edgar feel
appreciated,"
Jocketty said. "We'd been trying for a long time to get him signed. We
tried in
spring training, and he didn't want to talk about a contract at that
time. We
tried again at midseason, and he didn't want to negotiate then. We've
stayed in
contact with him. (Manager) Tony (La Russa) talked to him several times
this
week. We made every attempt to negotiate a deal. I don't know what else
we would
have done to show him we want him back."
The Cardinals offered Renteria four years, $36 million but
increased the
value to $39 million with deferred money. So, technically, Boston did
put a more
substantial offer on the table. But Boston GM Theo Epstein's payroll
was $130
million last season, and might approach $140 million or so in 2005.
Jocketty has
been limited to an $85 million payroll by Cardinals ownership, and he
has
several holes to fill. If Renteria wanted the Cardinals to blow away
Boston in a
financial duel, it wasn't going to happen. Not with the resources
Jocketty has
available to him.
"It's a tough loss," Jocketty said. "It's difficult to replace a
shortstop
like that. But we tried to go the extra mile with Edgar. Now we have to
come up
with an alternative."
Free agent Orlando Cabrera is an attractive fit, but he's been
piggy-backing
Renteria, waiting for Renteria to set the market for shortstops. With
Renteria
getting $10 million, Cabrera's price went up. The Cardinals shouldn't
panic and
overpay Cabrera. One option is to go for a stop-gap shortstop, Barry
Larkin or
Julio Lugo, and allocate more money to the search for a second baseman.
Larkin
is 40, but had a terrific 2004 for Cincinnati. And he's respected for
his
leadership presence. Larkin's durability is an issue, but the Cardinals
would be
comfortable with Hector Luna stepping in for 40, 45 starts at shortstop
next
season.
Placido Polanco is an appealing choice at second base, but a
source said his
asking price has gone up in recent days. Two other second-base
candidates,
Cleveland's Ronnie Belliard and Baltimore's Jerry Hairston Jr., will
become free
agents next week, if, as expected, they aren't tendered a contract
offer by
their teams.
The Cardinals have a superb catcher in Yadier Molina, so that
isn't a
problem. (Just a quick related comment: I really respect Mike Matheny.
I just
wish Cardinals fans had more respect for Molina, who already is a
sensational
defensive catcher.)
More problematic is Jocketty's quest for a No. 1 starting
pitcher. He might
be better off to wait until next summer, when a number of pitchers will
be
placed on the market by teams wishing to pick up a couple of prospects
before
losing the starters to free agency.
The waiting is the hardest part. Because of ownership's strict
budget,
Jocketty is under pressure to deliver major solutions at moderate cost
during
baseball's pre-Christmas spending spree. But I'm satisfied that
Jocketty made an
honest effort to retain Renteria.
The Captain will be missed, but if the Red Sox stumble and fans
and media in
New England start howling during one of Renteria's slumps, I wonder if
he'll
miss St. Louis. Edgar could have stayed in his comfort zone for $39
million, but
took the $40 million in Boston. If things don't go as well as planned,
at least
he'll have an extra million to spend on headache remedies.
Back to 2004 Articles Page