Dipping Into The Free Agent Pool

The Cardinals are expected to announce their first free agent signing of the season and it is a name that hasn't been on the radar screens, though the position definitely has.

It appears that next season's lefty specialist will be Trevor Miller, late of the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays.  You'd expect that Miller would take on the job that Ron Villone had last year, probably the LOOGY.  He'll be in his Age 36 season next year, which is younger than Villone.  He's got strikeout stuff, averaging around one an inning.  Higher ERAs than you like to see, but it's hard to judge a reliever by his ERA and they have been league average or better.  He's spent a little time in the NL, but he's been mostly in the AL.

Kinda interesting to see his comparables.  At this age, he's most like Mike Myers, who had a strong Age 36 and Age 37 season before ending his career a year later.  The top overall comparison is Jason Christensen, who some people may remember came over to the Cardinals from Pittsburgh in 2000 for Jack Wilson, then spent some time in St. Louis in '01 before being traded to the Giants.  Christensen spent just about a year in Cardinal red, but it wasn't anything exciting.

Without knowing how much this is going to cost the Cardinals, it seems like a pretty good move.  It still allows the Cards to look for another lefty (though they have a few that will compete for the slot anyway) without having to go over the top to get one.  Miller should be better than Villone, which isn't terribly hard to do as long as he doesn't walk people.  Not a big splash, but a solid move.

Also in Derrick Goold's article there was a mention of the Cardinals signing Ian Ostlund to a minor league deal.  His AAA numbers looked pretty interesting on the face of it, but Future Redbirds goes beyond and isn't that enthused about the signing.  But it's a minor league deal, so at worst, no harm no foul.

At least we are starting to see some movement!


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