Cardinals Sign Matt Clement

As you all may have heard, the Cardinals have brought in Matt Clement to compete in spring training for their starting rotation. Clement had a very rough time with Boston after leaving the Cubs, never reaching the top of his potential and either being hurt or pitching badly.

Last year, the Cardinals tried a strategy of replacing their World Series-winning starting rotation with guys who could be called "projects" and others who could be called "retreads." In the "projects" column, there was Braden Looper, a career closer who had a closer's good stuff but did not have a closer's killer instinct. In the "retreads" column was Kip Wells, longtime failure as a starting pitcher, with the Pirates and the Rangers, after beginning his career very young as a White Soc. I am guessing the Cardinals thought that if he could just pitch with a decent team behind him, Dave Duncan could turn him around. Wells failed miserably.

Clement is another "retread'; it has been a long time since he pitched well in the majors, and before that, most of his career amounted to working on becoming what he could be in the future, not already being that pitcher.

But when LaRussa has been the manager, both in St. Louis and in Oakland, he had a talent for recognizing relief pitching talent and getting the most from it. Since the mid-80s with retreads like Rick Honeycutt, Gene Nelson, and even Eckersley himself (he got him from the Cubs in exchange for three minor-leaguers who never saw the major leagues), LaRussa has taken unsuccessful starting rotation veterans and given them homes in the bullpen.

So I think that is certainly the plan B here; if Clement were the pitcher again that he was before he hurt his arm, the Cardinals would definitely use him as a starter. If he lacks endurance now, LaRussa will be finding him a home in the relief corps, using that sweeping slider to get right-handers out in the middle innings.