Cards decline to exercise Mulder option

By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

The Cardinals notified lefthanded pitcher Mark Mulder that his option for the
2009 season will not be exercised, and with that move the club did more than
conclude a contract.

It ended what became a cautionary tale.

Since signing a two-year, $13 million deal with the Cardinals, Mulder spiraled
through two seasons with a persistent and perplexing shoulder injury. The
Cardinals banked on him being a healthy and effective pitcher again, but
because of injuries the club did not get a win from the lefty during the
contract. Mulder came to personify a habit the Cardinals had of hoping for a
recovering pitcher's health.

Lessons have been learned.

"When we look at next year, I'm going to be very cautious not to allow us to go
down the same path that we did last season with players and injuries," general
manager John Mozeliak said. "You have to have some assurances. You're only one
injury away in this game, and I think we have to do what we can to minimize
that (exposure) as much as possible."

The Cardinals had until Nov. 15 to notify Mulder of their intention to buy him
out of the $11 million option for 2009. Mulder's agent, Gregg Clifton,
confirmed Monday that he recently received official notice from the Cardinals
of their intention to pay the $1.5 million buyout.

Scott Spiezio and Matt Clement also had options for 2009, and neither will be
exercised. Both were released this past season.

Similar to Mulder, Clement was coming off shoulder surgery when the Cardinals
signed him last winter. He did not recover enough of his strength to pitch in
the majors this season. After two rehab assignments and a brief experiment
throwing almost sidearm, Mulder did. He pitched 1 2/3 innings total. On July 9,
he made his only start of the season. He made 16 pitches against Philadelphia
before his twice surgically repaired shoulder collapsed.

He has not thrown a pitch since.

"We had very high expectations that Mark would come back and throw to the
capabilities he had when we acquired him from Oakland," Mozeliak said. "That
didn't happen."

Mulder won 16 games in 2005 for the Cardinals and then began a slow erosion of
his mechanics, his success and his health. Shoulder trouble limited him to 17
starts in 2006 and surgery in September ended his season. That winter he was
courted by the Cardinals and Texas, eventually signing for a return to St.
Louis. His deal, rich with incentives, guaranteed him $13 million, including
the $1.5 million buyout of the option.

His agent called the return "unfinished business," and the lefty said at the
time that "nobody in St. Louis has seen what I'm capable of doing."

The shoulder kept that from happening.

Mulder lost all three of his starts in 2007 before a second shoulder operation
was needed. The first operation refastened the labrum, but repair to the
rotator cuff did not take and needed to be addressed in another procedure. When
he returned from the second operation, he had his moments — including a couple
of successful minor-league starts — but he encountered persistent difficulty
getting his arm to rotate consistently enough to pitch.

His shoulder resisted his preferred delivery, causing his elbow to buckle and
his pitches to lose velocity, movement and control.

dgoold@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8285