He requested his release. He was looking for a Double-A opportunity. He felt he wasn't going to get that with us, which is true. |
I do think I can complement an organization with my diversity of experience. In that regard, I feel I'm very prepared. |
I met with Landry Carr with the U.S. consulate and let him know we really wanted to get this thing moving. I wasn't looking for any favors. I was as polite as I could be and let him know if there was anything we needed to do to speed things up, I was there to help. |
I think he can be viewed as a full-inning guy, but knowing what I know about Tony and [pitching coach Dave Duncan], I think they'll try to maximize his worth as best they can in the situations they feel strongest with. But he wasn't signed as just a specialist. |
I think that (situation) has become encouraging. I don't know the exact date that we're going to try to really test it 100 percent, but I think it's sooner than later. If I were going to define that, I'd say probably this week. |
I think we've identified what we're trying to accomplish. Where we are today is trying to send out feelers and get a sense for the major league's free-agent market as well as get a temperature of what all clubs are trying to do. |
I'm extremely flattered and honored for this opportunity. But I'm also realistic. It's just an opportunity to be interviewed at this point. It's hard to put the cart in front of the horse. I'm making sure I'm doing due diligence to get to a level of comfort and awareness with the organization. |
I'm very flattered for this opportunity. It's an early part of the process, but it's also a unique opportunity, and it's a chance everyone in this business in my position is eager to get. |
In his mind, he needed to get himself to Double-A, with his age. We respected that. |
It may seem like it, but it's not a strategy. Is there a risk to running that model year after year? Sure. |
Larry wanted to come in and play and really show us that he could have an impact on this club, and unfortunately he just hasn't been able to do that at this point. |
Now that we've got these problems resolved and got everybody in camp, with one exception, we're looking forward and not backward. |
Obviously, given what we saw we think he has an opportunity to make the team. Give him a full spring training as a true position player and maybe some winter ball, it's something that we think he has the ability to play in the big leagues. |
The guy that was [previously] the head of the U.S. consulate, he was much more forgiving with baseball players. So even though there were some things going on there, they tried to help expedite professional baseball players. So yes, those rules existed, but now they have to be stricter. |
The most effective model is a balance of both. A source of young talent to inject into your major league team is always beneficial. ... It's highly desirable. And I think as we move forward, you're going to see more of an infusion of players drafted and signed by the Cardinals. |