Great player or 4-5 really good players?

[stlducks]

This question keeps coming up around st. Louis because with Albert being a free agent and carpenter, wainwright, Molina. Westbrook, berkman, lohse, all being free agents in the next year or two, do you resign Pujols and lose some if not all of them or resign all of them and hope that those guys plus holiday, rasmus, theriot and freese can be good enough?

[Sportsforever]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

This question keeps coming up around st. Louis because with Albert being a free agent and carpenter, wainwright, Molina. Westbrook, berkman, lohse, all being free agents in the next year or two, do you resign Pujols and lose some if not all of them or resign all of them and hope that those guys plus holiday, rasmus, theriot and freese can be good enough?

In baseball I've always felt you need more good players than one superstar. This isn't basketball or football. In baseball, one player can be neutralized through pitching around or intentionally walking.

Look ARod when he was with the Rangers. He was probably one of the top players on the planet and they were a last place team.

All of the above applies to position players. When it comes to pitchers, I think it's a different story (you need that stud horse at #1).

[Chrisksaint]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

Hands down i'd rather have 4-5 really good players over a superstar. Gotta have 8 other guys in a lineup get on base and play defense.

[loloben]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

A Pitching Superstar is more important than a hitting superstar. Like sportsforever said, a star hitter can be neutralized and the Rangers were a last place team like A-Rod. Id rather have Carpenter, Wainwright, Molina, Westbrook, Berkman and Lohse than Pujols and 1-2 of those guys.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

Clearly 4-5 really good players.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

You have to go with the four to five really good players.

The Rangers this off season lost Cliff Lee, but gained the improved work of Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando, and Derek Holland. In addition, we have two of last year's best pitchers in the AL with C. J. Wilson and Colby Lewis. The Rangers have a solid ace, a playoff proven pitcher, and three young arms that will negate losing Lee and his constant back problems.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

I see why people are saying 4-5 good players, but in the Cardinals case, not only is Pujols the face of the team, but he is the best player in the league. Without Pujols, there's a good chance they won't be able to do anything with those 4-5 good players anyway. I would keep Pujols, because through cheap free agent pickups, trades, or the farm system, you can replace a Yadier Molina or Kyle Lohse. You won't get another Pujols in this lifetime.

[Dog]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

Give me those 4-5 really good players

[JBH3]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

This question keeps coming up around st. Louis because with Albert being a free agent and carpenter, wainwright, Molina. Westbrook, berkman, lohse, all being free agents in the next year or two, do you resign Pujols and lose some if not all of them or resign all of them and hope that those guys plus holiday, rasmus, theriot and freese can be good enough?

I would feel safer signing Pujols, and letting Carp and Westbrook walk.

Plus Wainwright? He's having a major procedure on his throwing elbow, and his dominant pitch is his curveball which can be very unkind to elbows. What is his effectiveness coming back from injury?

Berkman is a stop-gap measure, and should pretty much be a journeyman at this point much like a Vlad Guerrero or something.

If the 4-5 players were young guys who still have high cielings then I would keep that core in tact. I don't think this is the case with the players you've mentioned, and since you can still pair Pujols with Holliday, Freese, and Rasmus I'd re-sign Pujols.

Then I would mortgage my future and hope to do extremely well in the draft, and develop prospects which can be dealt for MLB-ready talent.

Then I would ride out the Pujols record breaking train, and the day he retires as a Cardinal begin rebuilding through grassroots means......

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

This question keeps coming up around st. Louis because with Albert being a free agent and carpenter, wainwright, Molina. Westbrook, berkman, lohse, all being free agents in the next year or two, do you resign Pujols and lose some if not all of them or resign all of them and hope that those guys plus holiday, rasmus, theriot and freese can be good enough?

4-5 players for sure, but of the players you mention I'd take Albert over that group any day.

Carp is nearing the end of his career, Wainwright is a question mark with his elbow although I think we can keep him anyway, Molina is replaceable and we have some catchers in our system who are supposed to be pretty solid, Westbrook isn't anything special, Lohse isn't anything special, Berkman is nearing the end of his career.

That said if Albert is really wanting 10 years at 30 mil per no way we can justify keeping him, we don't have the payroll for that, DeWitt seems to want to stay in the 100-110 mil area and you can't tie up that much in one player with that payroll.

It'd be awesome if he'd just up the payroll to 125-130 mil (he has the money to do so), not a huge increase but enough to where it would at least be possible to pay Albert and still field a team around him with about 100 mil for the rest of the roster.

[localgod01]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

4 or 5 really good players, though I think Pujols might be the exception.

A Pitching Superstar is more important than a hitting superstar.

That too.

[wwharton]

Re: Great player or 4-5 really good players?

4-5 to answer the general question and the Cards can't be used as the example since they do have Holliday and 2 of the top pitchers in the league (when healthy).

It's also how the question is worded. Are we building a team or just plugging guys in right now? Bc you can build around a great player by developing a couple of good players and then you end up with a combination... or even sign another great player who wants to play with your guy (Holliday). Just plugging them in right now, 4-5 good players any day.