Jocketty- Market has gone crazy

~ The St. Louis general manager refuses to panic about the team's numerous needs.

ST. LOUIS -- Just like last year at this time, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves with several holes to fill.

General manager Walt Jocketty, returning Friday from largely frustrating winter meetings, knows there is plenty of time to stock the roster. Much higher price tags for free agents this week kept him from doing it already.

"The market has gone crazy, but we're not going to go crazy with it, OK?" Jocketty said. "And if clubs want to spend the kind of money they're spending on the players they're spending it on, more power to them.

"But we hope to make better decisions."

The Cardinals made one serious bidding foray, stopping at four years and $40 million for A.J. Burnett, who signed for five years and $55 million with the Blue Jays.

"Believe me, we took a strong effort at Burnett, and that was going to be a very significant financial obligation," Jocketty said. "It got beyond the point where we thought it made baseball sense and business sense to go for it, so we backed off."

The situation was similar with players from the Cardinals' second straight 100-win team that departed as free agents. Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, who made $1 million last year, wanted a two-year, $6 million deal so the Cardinals cut ties.

Reliever Julian Tavarez and infielder Abraham Nunez priced themselves out of the Cardinals' plans. Outfielder Reggie Sanders wanted a two-year deal at age 37 while the team held the line at one season.

"We just didn't feel that was appropriate or something we wanted to do," Jocketty said. "Reggie did a great job for us for two years, but we thought it was time to kind of turn the page."

Jocketty said 14-game winner Matt Morris likely won't be back, either, because of heightened interest elsewhere that will elevate his contract. Morris has been offered arbitration.

"After a discussion I had with his agent, I think it would be probably less than a 50 percent chance that would happen," Jocketty said.

Jocketty emphasized the core of the team that has won 205 games the last two seasons remained. Albert Pujols is coming off an MVP season and the Cardinals also have center fielder Jim Edmonds, shortstop David Eckstein and third baseman Scott Rolen, although Rolen is coming off shoulder surgery.

Last year, the Cardinals had to replace catcher Mike Matheny, pitcher Woody Williams and shortstop Edgar Renteria in the offseason. They plugged in young catcher Yadier Molina, traded for left-hander Mark Mulder and signed Eckstein.

Turnover, he suggested, is a good thing. Jocketty used his strategy after the 1996 season, when the Cardinals were one game away from the World Series and then mostly stood pat, as an example of how not to proceed.

In 1997, the Cardinals did not contend.

"I think you need to turn the roster over," Jocketty said. "I think turning a percentage of your roster over every year is healthy."

Jocketty said Hector Luna, a Rule 5 draft pickup two years ago, is the first choice to take over at second base with Aaron Miles and Deivi Cruz as backup options. Larry Bigbie, acquired along with Miles from the Rockies for disgruntled reliever Ray King, is a low-budget possibility to plug in at left field with So Taguchi and John Rodriguez also options.

The biggest needs are an impact corner outfielder to replace the retired Larry Walker and relief help. The Cardinals have three bullpen openings with the losses of King and Tavarez and Cal Eldred, who retired.

"There are a number of holes," Jocketty said. "But there also should be a level of trust with what we've done the last few years to give us some credit and benefit of the doubt that eventually we'll get this thing put together."