Cardinals / Eckstein agree on 3 year deal

[JTWood]

We go from one SS who was on a WS-winning team to another SS who was on a WS-winning team. We know he's spunky, and I can guarantee you that those guts will make him a popular player in St. Louis.

Didnt you guys have another infielder with spunk last year? I think he was a 2b man... where did he go?

If you're talking about Bo Hart, I have no idea what happened to him other than that he's been back in our farm system since then. I don't know why he hasn't seen playing time. I would guess that he's still a great fielder and that his bat had a rarified uptick when he was under the spotlight.

[grammysboy]

I had wondered about Bo too. He is a master with the glove, but fell off a cliff with the bat. I assume he still figures into the Cards middle infield plans.

Eckstein is a gutsy player who will find favor with the Stl Louis fans quickly. My only concern is his arm strength which IMO is more suited to 2B. It will be interesting to see what they paid him.

[JTWood]

My only concern is his arm strength which IMO is more suited to 2B. It will be interesting to see what they paid him.

I was surprised to read that the contract was 3 years, so I am very curious about the pay, too.

[j_d_mcnugent]

I hope they are trying to save $$ at SS in order to spend elsewhere

the money they saved has already been spent on mulder. i am not terribly excited about eckstein but he should do ok. i would have preferred two years and an option over three guaranteed.

Didnt you guys have another infielder with spunk last year? I think he was a 2b man... where did he go?

bo hart's batting average took a real nose dive after the first few weeks in the majors. that was back in 2003. since womack had a career year, bo was left in AAA where he hit .299 last year. i am still not convinced he can hit consistently at the major league level but he could be a backup.

[pomplona's finest]

As a Cards fan, I like the idea of having Eckstein manning the SS spot, he has an intensity about him that should be much appreciated.

[reiser]

I reckon the Cardinals had to make that signing. Eckstein has plenty of guts, has very good defense and knows how to get on base. His OBP last season was Top 10 among SS (quite a bit ahead of Renteria) and his K's were the lowest among all SS with over 500 AB's. For fantasy purposes his value also increases. He will likely play 150 plus games and batting leadoff in that stacked lineup will be an excellent late round pickup in a position that lacks real depth.

you know i completely agree...there probably isn't a better leadoff hitter in baseball in terms of PPA, which he leads year in and out. what a nightmare for picthers. he could potentially get his steals up too in St. Louis, as i think some of those opportunities were going to Figgins in Anaheim.

10M, 3 years, pretty good value . i don't believe the Cards are particularly stacked in the farm system either.

the Angels letting him go, and then signing Cabrera just after they got Macier makes no sense to me.

[ensanimal]

for those who needed to know his salary...

David Eckstein - SS - Cardinals


According to ESPN.com, David Eckstein received a three-year, $10.25 million contract from the Cardinals.
He gets a $250,000 signing bonus and salaries of $2.25 million, $3.25 million and $4.5 million. We were thinking $4 million per year, so this isn't quite so bad. Dec. 23 - 8:55 pm et
Source: ESPN.com

[RAmst23]

I really like this signing, and yea this was a pretty obvious move by the Cardinals. I think in the next year or two the Cards may move him to 2B and sign a different SS, just a guess. I love Eckstein in StLouis, he'll follow the Bo Hart, Joe McEwing paths to stardom.

[stevethumb]

fantasy-wise, deckstein's 3 HR and 30 RBI .275 BA will do nothing for your team (and there are no fantasy categories for guts and spunk)....his lone value is the 20 SB he will probably get .. and as for real ball, he is a decent defender who has an arm that makes omar vizquel's look like vlad's ... his #s from last year are quite similar to rfreel's (except freel stole 2x as many bases)

[Lofunzo]

We go from one SS who was on a WS-winning team to another SS who was on a WS-winning team. We know he's spunky, and I can guarantee you that those guts will make him a popular player in St. Louis.

I agree and on any other team, I would hate this move but I bet that he does well in St. Louis.