On Friday afternoon the St. Louis Cardinals signed infielder Nick Punto to a one-year deal worth approximately $700K.  Punto, who can play both middle infield positions as well as third base, will likely serve as the backup for Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker. However, knowing Tony La Russa’s affinity for “gamers,” I’m sure that he will receive far too many starts.

The Cardinals’ middle infield now consists of three players who are under 6-feet tall and coming off seasons in which each posted less than a 1.0 WAR.  In 2010, Theriot, Schumaker, and Punto hit a combined .262 (1,314 ABs) with eight home runs and 91 RBI.  After Albert Pujols, Schumaker is considered to be the Cardinals’ second-most productive infielder headed into the upcoming season.  I know, frightening.

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• In a stunning eight-player deal, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Matt Garza, Fernando Martinez, and Zach Rosscup to the Chicago Cubs, and received a slew of prospects in return- Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, and Hak-Ju Lee.  Although the players that the Cubs parted with are just prospects – all but Fuld are yet to reach the Major Leagues – I sincerely believe that they surrendered too much for Garza.  And after reading Dave Cameron’s analysis of Garza over at FanGraphs, I’ve only become more convinced this was the case.

• Although they are not nearly as despicable as the staff of the Chicago Tribune – don’t get me started on Phil Rogers – the Chicago Sun Times sports writers are still pretty inept.  On the morning following the announcement of the Garza trade, the Sun Times published a photo of Joaquin Benoit on the cover of the sports section instead of the newly acquired Garza.  A slip up of this magnitude speaks volumes about the crack-squad of writers and editors that they willingly employ.

• This week we learned that the St. Louis Cardinals and their prized slugger, Albert Pujols, resumed talks regarding an extension before the 2011 season.  But even when the Cardinals lock up the all-mighty Pujols, will it be enough? I-70 Baseball explores the trades made by the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, and offers some insight as to how the 2011 Cardinals team will compare.

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[courtesy of @CincinnatiReds]

On Monday afternoon, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named the 2010 National League MVP after receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes.  For those who watched Votto closely this season, the prestigious recognition comes as no surprise considering that he was the most impressive hitter in the NL and arguably in all of baseball.

Nobody covers the Reds like my man Clint over at Diamond Hoggers, and here is what he had say after Votto was announced as MVP:

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Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I went strong for a little over an hour. Topics for discussion included but weren’t limited to:

-Thoughts on the Justin Upton trade rumors
-We skim through the free agent class and the moves that have taken place thus far around baseball
-Thoughts on the NL Rookie of the Year
-Thoughts on Felix Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young Award
-Final thoughts on the AL/NL MVP awards

Stan Musial Award (MVP)

National League:
First Place Vote – Joey Votto (Cincinnati)
Second Place Vote – Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado)
Third Place Vote – Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
Fourth Place Vote – Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego)
Fifth Place Vote – Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado)
Sixth Place Vote – Aubrey Huff (San Francisco)
Seventh Place Vote – Jason Heyward (Atlanta)
Eighth Place Vote – Roy Halladay (Philadelphia)
Ninth Place Vote – Jay Bruce (Cincinnati)
Tenth Place Vote – Ryan Zimmerman (Washington)

American League:
First Place Vote – Josh Hamilton (Texas)
Second Place Vote – Miguel Cabrera (Detroit)
Third Place Vote – Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay)
Fourth Place Vote – Paul Konerko (Chicago)
Fifth Place Vote – Robinson Cano (New York)
Sixth Place Vote – Delmon Young (Minnesota)
Seventh Place Vote – Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay)
Eighth Place Vote – Jose Bautista (Toronto)
Ninth Place Vote – Joe Mauer (Minnesota)
Tenth Place Vote – Adrian Beltre (Boston)