"In the House" with Matthew Leach
Matthew Leach is the Cardinals' beat writer for MLB.com. This is the 29-year old Florida native's third year on the beat, and before that he worked for MLB.com in New York City and for NASCAR.com in Seattle. You can e-mail him at matthew.leach@mlb.com.
Alex Rice: Do you look for the Cardinals to improve on their 85 wins last year?
Matthew Leach: Before the season started, I would have said yes. So I guess I really need to say yes, still. I think there are legitimate concerns about this team, but I think in the end they will score plenty of runs, get quality starting pitching and good enough relief pitching.
AR: To follow that, do you project the Cardinals to win the NL Central this season? If not, who do you think will take the division, and why?
ML: It's hard to say. I don't see the Cubs or the Astros as super-teams, as some have seemed to indicate. So it will depend largely on which of the three teams stays healthy.
AR: What do you think the Cardinals' greatest weakness is for the 2004 season? Is it still the bullpen, as it was last year?
ML: Well, in Spring Training I wouldn't have said so, but as of right now there seems to be real reason to be concerned. Still, this is a deep unit and it should get sorted out pretty well. I am pretty concerned about the bench, which is short on legitimate offensive threats.
AR: Many fans expected the Cardinals to land a big name starting pitcher this offseason. Was signing Jeff Suppan and bringing back Chris Carpenter enough?
ML: Don't forget Jason Marquis, who I expect to have the best season of any of the new additions. I think most of the name pitchers got more money than they were worth this year. It would have been nice to add a guy like Colon, but the money wasn't there. The rotation is a question mark, but I'm optimistic that it will look pretty good by the end of the year. Also, don't forget that there are two exciting prospects in Triple-A -- Dan Haren and Adam Wainwright.
AR: Do you think that the Cardinals will be keeping Matt Morris after the 2004 season? Why?
ML: My hunch is that it will be a challenge. They'd certainly love to have him back, and I don't think he's looking to leave. But with the amount of money already committed to some key players, it will be hard to bring back both Morris and Renteria. And I think it will be easier to bring in a frontline starting pitcher, believe it or not, than a shortstop of Renteria's caliber.
AR: How about Edgar?
ML: My hunch here is that they will bring him back. But I want to emphasize that I really don't know for sure. They could both be back, they could both leave. It's a long way off, and one thing that will factor in is how the team fares this season.
AR: What did you think about the Cardinals letting OF Orlando Palmeiro go to the Astros? He said that he would have liked to have stayed in St. Louis; should the Cardinals have pursued him harder?
ML: Palmeiro is a nice player, but I don't think it's a crushing blow. They have some pretty useful left-handed outfielders in Memphis, and I expect to see one of them before long. The greater loss, in my opinion, was Eduardo Perez.
AR: Did the Palmeiro situation work out best for the Cardinals in the end, since they got a young Colin Porter off of waivers from the Astros?
ML: That's part of it. Porter is an interesting player. At age 28, he's not a future star, but he's a guy who could be a nice, cheap option off the bench for a few years.
AR: Out of Adam Wainwright, Blake Hawksworth, and Chris Narveson, who do you think is the Cardinals' best pitching prospect? Or is it someone else in the system?
ML: Hawksworth has the most buzz, but I feel strongly that pitchers in the low minors are extremely risky -- even more so than hitters. That's why out of the guys you mention, I like Wainwright the most. He's already dominated Double-A and he's off to a strong start in Triple-A. If things break right, though, all three of these guys can be excellent pitchers.
AR: In your opinion, who was the Cardinals' biggest acquisition of this past offseason?
ML: Jason Marquis. He has fantastic stuff and seems to be learning how to pitch. But I thought several of the additions were solid pickups.
AR: Which team got the better end of the deal in the J.D. Drew trade, and why?
ML: We don't know yet. It depends on how Marquis and Wainwright turn out. But one thing to remember is that no matter how they turn out, the Cards only had Drew and Marrero for this year. Both were eligible for free agency. They got six years of Wainwright, three or four of Marquis and two of Ray King for one year each of Drew and Marrero. Plus they signed Suppan and Sanders with the money saved. That's hard to argue with.
AR: Do you look for J.D. to excel in Atlanta in 2004? Will he have his "break-out" season, which the Cardinals and their fans had been waiting for?
ML: I think Drew already had something a lot like a breakout year in 2001. He was phenomenal that year, only slowed by some bad luck. And he was an outstanding hitter when he played last year. The answer to every Drew question is always the same: if he's healthy, he's one of the best players in the NL. We'll see if he stays healthy.
AR: Lastly, do you view Tony LaRussa as a "lame duck" this year? Will 2004 be his last season as the St. Louis Cardinals' manager?
ML: I think only the manager himself knows whether he'll be back, and I doubt he even knows for sure right now. "Lame duck" is definitely not a term I would use. It wouldn't shock me if he decided he had had a long enough run here after this season, and it wouldn't shock me if he were to return.
AR: Thank you for your time.
ML: My pleasure.
Editor's Note: Alex Rice is a 15 year old high school freshman, who aspires to be a sports writer and he's not off to a bad start.
He has his own website at http://www.thecardinalsfansite.net
At the Birdhouse we want to encourage and support young writers and fans like Alex, if nothing else we figure it keeps them off the streets. So stop by and visit Alex's site and sign his guest book.
Thank you
ray
