Laird to the 15-Day DL
After getting hit in the hand while attempting to bunt Sunday afternoon, it was expected that Gerald Laird was headed to the disabled list. Some of the other moves being considered are causing some Cards fans to scratch their heads.
Laird is going to the DL and Memphis back-up catcher Tony Cruz is coming up.
The Cards also decided to go ahead and activate Skip Schumaker from the 15-day DL. He will be available to play in San Diego tonight.
The Cards are also expected to move a pitcher to Memphis. The overwhelming thought is that Mitchell Boggs will go down.
According to the staff report from the Post-Dispatch:
Other options to be designated for assignment would include Ryan Franklin and Miguel Batista. However, the club has assured Franklin of his position and does not appear to be inclined to designate Batista.
Here’s the Post-Dispatch story.
Just to inject some opinion here … I do wonder why they aren’t sending Franklin down to at least give him some work and get some confidence. He won’t get work St. Louis without fans stroking out.
Also, Batista could get some work and poetry inspiration in Memphis…
Obviously there must be some problem with Boggs we don’t know about it.
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A look at this site: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/boggsmi01.shtml
Kind of shows might be what is up. Boggs stats show that work could be done.
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You can’t send Franklin (or Batista, for that matter) down to Memphis without designating him for assignment, at which point he would have the right to refuse (which he would do) and be released from his contract. Proven Veterans(TM) are those players who have expired all their options, which, in Franklin’s case, happened years ago.
Another reason why having a bunch of marginal players who also are Proven Veterans(TM) is stupid; it’s much harder to get them off the roster.
The only way you could send Franklin to Memphis would be if he was placed on the disabled list, and then went there as part of a rehab assignment.
For now, gross incompetence on the job is not classifiable as a disability.
Otherwise, we’d have millions of government workers in that situation.
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If Franklin wanted to continue playing baseball in a professional manner, he would have to accept the Memphis assignment. Otherwise, I don’t see Franky making a beer league squad.
And maybe Franklin does need to go to the DL. I am sure screwing up as much as he has makes him have a mental lapse that reflects in pitching. Maybe a “Crap, I am going to pitch a big fat one to that crappy 2Bman and I am never going to hear the end of the boos” moment. Not to agree with others, but it is possible that he needs a mental break.
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Well, even Strauss said today on Twitter that you can’t send a guy to the DL for mental health reasons (in a nicely snarky reply). But I think the Cards are going to be stuck with Franky — because the Cards aren’t going to cut him/keep paying him. That would be like admitting they were wrong. Didn’t Mo say a couple weeks ago he could still work his way back to closer?
And now we have Mo saying that Boggs is going to Memphis to start.
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Well … So are you saying Franklin is just going to be a wasted roster spot the rest of the season? Sucks.
Wish you were watching. They just discussed it a bit. I guess they are just wanting Boggs to get work and be able to pitch longer. Sounds like they want him in the former McClellan role. Sanchez and Salas must be the closers.
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The Cardinals are far from the only team wasting a roster spot on a player with a bad contract who cannot contribute in a good way. This is baseball, where players have certain rights, and general managers are stuck with the short-sighted decisions they make — like Mozeliak giving Franklin a two-year contract extension for an All-Star half-season in 2009.
And Franklin doesn’t have to accept anything, especially a demotion to the minors. No player has any obligation to fall on his sword for the good of the organization.
Let me put it this way: can you see a Teamster or proud member of the AFL-CIO voluntarily and individually taking a cut in pay and a demotion for the good of the team? I sure don’t. Well, the MLBPA is the strongest of the sports unions, and even if Franklin sighed and was willing to go to Memphis, you better believe the union heads would be on the phone to him. It’s a short walk from voluntarily taking a minor-league demotion to a team pressuring a player to take a “voluntary” one.
So, yes, the Cardinals are stuck with Franklin clogging up a roster spot. Just as the Cubs are with Soriano and Ramirez, and the Mets are with Carlos Beltran, and the Astros are with Carlos Lee, and so on.
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