TUESDAY: Another note from Strauss – it seems the Cardinals are moving on from Springer.
MONDAY: According to MLB.com’s Matthew Leach, the Cardinals declined to offer arbitration to Russ Springer, Braden Looper, and Jason Isringhausen (as well as their other free agents). The Looper decision comes as a surprise, as he earned only $5.5MM in ’08 and would’ve been a solid addition or trade chip for ’09. He’s a Type B free agent, but the Cards won’t get a pick now. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Looper is seeking at least a three-year deal. Springer is a Type A, so now he’s much more attractive to other teams.
Strauss has a few other Cards notes. He says the Cardinals are not one of the teams interested in Randy Johnson, but may have interest in Andy Pettitte. Also, the signing of lefty reliever Trever Miller is being held up due to health concerns that surfaced at the physical.
