Trevor Miller comming aboard.....Thoughts.

I like the pick up. He isn't really what I thought we were gunning for, but he fits nicely as the "Lefty Specialist" that we needed. He's certainly going to run us more than a re-signing of Villone, but might be in the same ballpark as what it would cost us to sign Rhodes. Miller earned $1.6MM last season and his option for $2MM in 09' wasn't picked up. That would lead me to believe that he will likely receive a contract from us of either 1-2 years at or below the $1.6MM that he earned last year, per year.

That's not a bad scenario, but with the signing of Miller it leaves me to wonder what direction our Cardinals are looking to go with their next lefty reliever. I seen Miller as someone kind of in the middle of what we wanted, or atleast of how we were heading. I expected a top lefty reliever and a cheap/old "lefty specialist". He's 35 and is likely to receive more than $1.5MM per, so he isn't exactly the cheap/old "specialist" I was expecting. Not to say that he's not a solid option, because he is if used in the proper role.

Do we go out and pick up the Ohman or Beimel that we still want, and that we know will be at least double what we're going to pay for Miller, or do we take a different path and sign someone that will be in about the same ballpark as what we pay Miller. The latter is someone that is more of a risk to place in the role that now needs to be filled, since we have now signed the "lefty specialist". That person is Arthur Rhodes. As I mentioned in the last entry, he also has a nice line against righty hitters too. The concern however is his age, and the ability to bounce back as frequently as might be needed. He's going to cost, likely, the same or slightly more than Miller but still be a cheaper option than Ohman or Beimel......Better option though? That's still yet to be seen, because he very well could be the better option over the two more coveted lefties available.

You just have to weigh your risks with his age/health and their price/length demands.

A followup to this move being a signing of Arthur Rhodes would not bother me at all, though I realize that many across Cardinl Nation will bash it and label it as another "bottom of the barrel" or "scrap heep" signing. Everyone will be overly critical of his health due to his age, while completely ignoring his numbers from 2008. I myself show concern over his age and health, but he showed good health over the course of last season, appearing in 61 games, and was quite dominant in his stint for the NL team.

I heard some rumblings that Ohman has been offered a nice contract from the Braves to come back there for a couple more year, so Ohman might be getting a bit pricey but that's not to say that Atlanta is going to sign him.

Arthur Rhodes just might be the right choice when you factor in Money & Length. The hangup might be health and recovery time however. If it's between Beimel and Rhodes for the role that needs filled, I find myself leaning toward Rhodes actually.