Cardinals Dynasty

The other night I was just thinking about teams, and the balance of veterans and prospects, closers and starters, and I though to myself, wow, the St. Louis Cardinals have a really developed franchise, and maybe are on the verge of a Dynasty. Think about it. First, their manager Tony La Russa, one of the greatest managers ever, has 522 career wins as a manager. The next aspect is the cardinals pitching. They show promising players such as Carpenter and Wainright, and have the salary cap to sign other aces in free agency. Their bullpen features one of the best current closers in Ryan Franklin, and youngsters such as Anthony Reyes, once a top prospect. They could acquire relievers by next years trade deadline also. The Cardinals have unarguably have the best player in the game in Albert Pujols, and other all stars like Matt Holiday and Yadier Molina. Pujols surely can hit for power, provides a plus .300 average, and has 30 home runs in all of his first 9 seasons in the major leagues. Holiday also provides power, but not as much as Pujols, but Holiday is known for his contact hitting. Yadier Molina is one of the best defensive catchers in the game, and if he works with teammates like Pujols then he could do better on the other side of the ball. Speaking of defense, I think the Cardinals have one of the best defenses in the MLB. Pujols is a gold glover, it seems like Ankiel is a good candidate, and Brendan Ryan is the one of the best fielding shortstops in the game. Versatility is key to some good defense, and Mark DeRosa provides so many options in the field. DeRosa can play every position except for catcher and pitcher. Promising youngsters such as Colby Rasmus provide a good future for the Cardinals. Compiling all of these factors, they are like pieces of a puzzle for a Major League franchise.