[Judge Jude]

Gotta run, but there's a strong hint of this in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch....

[RedViking]

Nice Tip Judge. Here's the article:

Calero could get the next shot at closing
By Joe Strauss Post-Dispatch
updated: 04/29/2003 11:23 PM


The Cardinals bullpen has produced virtually every permutation this month except one. And that one may soon be used. La Russa said he is considering rookie Kiko Calero as closer, not necessarily by default but certainly as one way to restore order.

"It's something we're thinking about," La Russa said. "He's got three major-league pitches that he throws for strikes and he's done the job when he's been given the chance. It's intriguing."

La Russa met with lefthander Steve Kline on Friday after Kline spoke disparagingly of himself following Thursday's ninth-inning meltdown against the Atlanta Braves. Kline referred to himself as a "specialist," said he was a poor fit for closing, and mentioned that a true closer would be consistently working the ninth inning rather than on a match-up basis. Kline's teammates also have sought to reassure him. La Russa was heartened by Kline's three scoreless innings in the Cardinals' 20-inning win Sunday at Florida. Kline gained the decision on a day when he was supposedly unavailable to pitch because of a sore calf.

[courtdale]

Dear lord, he finally starts to show a glimmer or being solid and he's going to start this touchy feely doubting himself crap?! Just what I need after bidding for Fox last week!

[RedRaiders]

Excellent headsup.

[Craig Bezom]

I don't see many saves coming out of him, but he's worth a shot. Remember to always take what the idiot (TLR) says with a grain of salt.

[fuhrdog]

11 walks and 19 k's in 13 innings. Anybody know more about him?

[lassetjus]

i'm desperate for saves... might as well pick him up

thanks for the tip!

looking at his stats, it doesn't look like this guy is lights out or anything due to his walks, but at least he's averaging more than a strikeout per inning. but didn't they say the same thing about macdougal?

[OaklandA's]

Every offseason, Baseball Prospectus lists a few decent players who are basically freely available to anyone who wants them. Kiko Calero was one of the pitchers listed last December. He had a very nice 2002, with 109K/34 BB in 125 IP and a 3.44 ERA in AAA. Here's the link to the BP article:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ne...212perry.shtml

[courtdale]

Where is the wiser money spent as of this week, Person in Boston, or Calero in St. L?? Strictly on Save potential.

[Sal Maglie]

I don't really need saves in my NL only league, but that won't stop me from stockpiling some trade bait.

The question is....Should I drop Trachsel for Calero?

[Don Quixote]

I may take a flier on Calero. My NL pitching is so bad right now that anything positive is not only welcome but could lead to a big improvement in the standings, as I'm down but close in several categories. A half-dozen saves, two or three wins, 20 Ks or so and I'm middle of the pack.

On the other hand, this is Tony Liar Russa we're talking about, a baseball manager with a law degree.

Sal--It depends on whether you need Trachsel's wins (if any, with that lineup) vs. his damage to ERA and/or WHIP. I've had Trachsel on my team, and I say do it.

courtdale--My vote is for Person, only because I think Grady is less likely to lie than The Genius.

[cavebird]

Seemed to be worth a shot in a deep league I am in--unfortunately, furhdog is in it too and read this thread about 5 hours before I did.

[fuhrdog]

I don't have any idea if he will even get 1 save opp but I need all the help I can get with my roster in our league.

p.s. You sure did great in the trades you made. Makes me nervous to offer you a trade

[cavebird]

I wish I could take more credit for them, but I think both of them were offered to me (without much or any input from me); I just knew enough to accept them.

[Bully]

OK gentlemen, it's time to let this thread die, if you know what I mean

[Sal Maglie]

It depends on whether you need Trachsel's wins (if any, with that lineup) vs. his damage to ERA and/or WHIP. I've had Trachsel on my team, and I say do it.

I hear ya Don. So far Trachsel has a total of zero wins in 6 starts and skid tracks is just bad enough to keep up that blistering pace. After watching the Mets in that debachle of a doubleheader last weekend when they made 8 errors and set a record by K-ing 27 times, I have to wonder just how much run support Trachsel will get for his 4.82 ERA. It's not like he's getting any time on my team anyway, because he's firmly parked on my bench for the forseeable future.

[swampdragon]

I have Tomko pitching today and spent FAAB$ on KIKO - C'mon Kline don't screw the whole thing up.