Cardinals Waive Adam Kennedy

[yount19.u]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3894968

 

$400,000 could be cheap insurance for the Brewers if Weeks struggles again.

[lisheran]

left handed bat for a nice price

[pitchleague]

isn't that what we have Craig Counsell for? I like Kennedy but he only plays 2B. At least Counsell can play 3B and SS in a pinch.

[Tisko]

Why didn't the Cards do Kennedy a favor and waive him earlier in the season? Were they shopping him?

[apirk]

I remember reading about the Cards looking to trade him, but they couldn't find anyone to take him. "He has been nothing short of terrible since joining the Cardinals.

[areacodes]

From the StL Post-Dispatch from yesterday:

 

The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa, represents a 180-degree shift from the position staked out by the club in December after failing to find a trade partner for the veteran second baseman.

 

...

 

Even after general manager John Mozeliak designated Kennedy as this year's starter, La Russa found it difficult to embrace the arrangement.

Kennedy requested the team trade him shortly after it signed infielder Felipe Lopez last August following his release from the Washington Nationals. When the Cardinals failed to re-sign Lopez and non-tendered infielder Aaron Miles, Kennedy appeared to be unchallenged at the position. La Russa, however, saw an ongoing potential for a camp distraction.

So it looks as if there was something going on between LaRussa and Kennedy and that once the Cards couldn't trade him, there was nothing left to do besides cut him. You'd think that if they knew about this they would have done something about 2B, but maybe Mozeliak thought things could be patched up and LaRussa/Kennedy wouldn't have any part of it. How many players does that make that have a beef with LaRussa?

[chuckiehacks]

Kenendy must have been too anti-steroid for LaRussa. Or maybe he didn't see the appeal of a good merlot.

[Tisko]

It just seems like the classy thing to do for the Cardinals would of been not release him so close to spring training. At least give the guy a shot at finding employment elsewhere, plus the longer he has to look the larger the chance he finds something and the less money the Cardinals have to pay him. This all just seems odd to me.

[Bruce Ciskie]

It just seems like the classy thing to do for the Cardinals would of been not release him so close to spring training.

 

The more we see the Cardinals operate, the less classy they seem.

[apirk]

They could have released him the day after their season ended and he still wouldn't have a job. The guy has been flat out terrible and there are much better 2B options out there that haven't been signed. I know it is easy to blame LaRussa but both Kennedy and Rolen were not his fault. Say what you will about LARussa but most of these "feuds" are because he benches players that are not playing well and are hurting the team. Kennedy complained all last year because he was splitting time with someone who was playing better baseball. I'd think with all the Weeks complaining on here people would get this.

[Tisko]

It's not a question of whether he would find a job or not. The issue is that the Cardinals didn't even give him an opportunity to find a job. Plus knowing what we know about the FA market now vs. what we thought it would be like in Nov. is a tad different. Would anyone predicted that so many top notch players would still be unemployed a day before pitchers and catchers report?

[TooLiveBrew]

Kennedy complained all last year because he was splitting time with someone who was playing better baseball.

 

Great point, apirk. LaRussa pushed his GM to get him an option at 2B that doesn't suck. For as much as I don't like LaRussa, I have to side with him on this one. Kennedy will probably get picked up somewhere, and the Cards can find his type of production readily. Heck, isn't Orlando Hudson still unsigned?