Cards on the Table dollars and cents

Let’s take a look into the Cardinal’s finances and the “money coming off the books”.

Here is the link to my source for the figures
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2004/12/st-louis-cardinals_111971260115041890.html

I went through and here are the departing players:
Mulder $6.5 Mil $1.5 Mil buyout this year
Flores $1Mil
Izzy $8Mil
Villone $600K
Springer $3.5Mil
Miles $1.4 Mil
Izturis $2.85Mil
Looper $5.5Mil
Total: $30,850,000
Kennedy $4mil
Total after Kennedy: $34,850,000

Raises:
Carp +$3.5Mil
Pineiro +$2.5Mil
Lohse +$2.875Mil
Greene +$6.5Mil
Wellemeyer +$3.05Mil
Yadi +$1.5Mil
Wainwright +$2.1Mil
Franklin +$250,000
LaRue +$100,000
Ankiel 08=$900,000 Arb. Ank wins +$2.4Mil Cards win +$1.45Mil
Duncan +$386,000
Thompson +$236000
Miller +$500,000
Ring =$475,000
Ludwick 08=$411,000 Arb. Lud wins +$3.839Mil Cards win +$2.389
Schu +$140,000
Total (before Ankiel and Ludwick arb.) = $22,222,000
Total if both win= $28,461,000
Total if both loose= $26,061,000
Total if Ludwick wins and Ankiel looses (what I think happens) = $27,511,000

So, the Cards have $7.339 Mil to equal last year’s payroll (assuming that my arb. guess is correct)

Ben Sheets post surgery in June ?
Spring Training trade taking on more salary?
Dry Powder for the Deadline?
Or, was it all really just a bunch of talk?

I am excited to see the competition but I won’t be surprised if any of the following happen: we sign Grudz to a 1yr deal, make the big trade for Roberts from Baltimore, trade with Atlanta for either their SS or 2B (their SS started in the Majors at 2B), or trade for Left handed relief from Toronto. I figure the core of any of the above trades would be from our OF depth most likely Ludwick or preferably Ankiel. Depending on Carp's spring a FA Starter might be in the picture as well.

We shall see.