Saturday, July 25, 2009

How Very Jocketty Of You!

It may not work out, but overall I like the trade for Matt Holliday. And it reaffirms a sometimes wavering belief that the Cardinals' front office does want to win.

I hope this makes Albert happy.

I was hopeful going into this season that the strategy was to field a team good enough to be in the race, then make moves at mid-season to really bolster the team's chances.

It's an intelligent, if not brilliant, way of operating. You don't get stuck with unmanageable budget constraints that tie your hands if your off-season moves "don't work out too good."

Walt Jocketty, former GM, was the master of this, obtaining Mark McGwire, Will Clark, and Larry Walker in late season maneuvering. John Mozeliak, current GM, has learned well.

The past few weeks we've obtained Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo and now Matt Holliday via trades. Maybe these pick ups aren't quite McGwire, Clark and Walker, but they do confirm the team is trying to win now. Strike while the poker is hot.

The cost is potentially high, losing prospects in trades. But prospects are as likely to fizzle as they are to shine. I'd rather try to win now than to try to "maybe win" later.

Opportunities to win must be cashed in. We all know how hard it is to win a championsip, so why not go for broke?

I like it.

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