Chris Carpenter

Just because a player is no longer 25 and out of his "prime" years does not mean his career is done, at least not anymore.

Thanks to years of research and new strength and conditioning programs, players have been able to extend their careers, making them last longer and be more productive.

The opening month of the season is a time for optimism around baseball, as everyone is still in the running at that point. Still, there are clearly teams that will not be in that position for long, and they need to look ahead to what moves they may make at mid season to strength their team moving forward.

There are a number of intriguing options who may find themselves on the trade block sooner rather than later, with no name larger than Prince Fielder, who has been at the center of trade rumors for what seems like years now.

The prizes of the 2011 offseason were Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth as far as position players, and Cliff Lee on the pitching side, in what was for the most part a very weak free agent class.

The 2012 class, on the other hand, could be one of the most interesting to come around in years, and you can bet that the Albert Pujols saga will continue on into the season and into next offseason.

Beyond Pujols, however, there are a number of difference makers in this class, and many teams could build for a championship run in 2012 with the guys they sign following this season.

Starting Pitchers

Heading into the season, the Cardinals rotation looked like one of the best in all of baseball. That all changed on February 24, however, when it was announced that Adam Wainwright suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery and would sideline him for the entire season.

This is Part 2 of a two-part series in which I will analyze a current Cy Young Predictor formula.  I offer a replacement formula to account for the change in philosophy for the Cy Young voters with the growing influence of new-age statistics (sabermetrics) and use this new formula to project the Cy Young race in 2011 and beyond.

When it's used to describe pitchers, the term "crafty" is a pretty subjective one. 

Does it apply to all soft-tossers who get results?  Or maybe it should only apply to pitchers with impeccable control and consistently low walk totals? 

Based on common usage patterns, you might assume that the term describes all pitchers who play or have played for the Oakland A's. 

Is this the smartest move for the St. Louis Cardinals to make?

Moving Carpenter throughout the league would open up viable cap room ($15 million), but his contract expires this year, meaning if he hit the dirt, they would just not re-sign him.

When it became known that Adam Wainwright was injured and may need Tommy John surgery, virtually every sports media outlet was all over it.

like any serious sports fan, questions from every angle must have come to your mind:

"How exactly did he get injured?"

"How will the Cardinals adapt to his injury?"

"Does this affect Albert Pujols?"

However, one person that may be of particular concern is Chris Carpenter.

With that being said, don't be surprised if he moves on. Take a look.

With the Pujols situation looming large in Cardinals camp, the last thing they needed was something as catastrophic as this.

Co-ace Adam Wainwright has returned to St. Louis, just a few days into spring training, to have his right elbow examined. Many believe it to be a possible ligament injury.

The St. Louis Cardinals offer plenty of fantasy baseball value in 2011, from front to back of the draft board. But the Cardinals have also had some issues with consistency over the past few years, and a couple of questions surrounding some key players.