Cardinals Hot Stove round the corner

Speculation regarding the make-up of the St. Louis Cardinals 2010 team roster have already begun.

Now comes the early start to a hot-stove season that promises to have plenty of Cards baseball discussion. Last off-season, the main topic was pitching. This season, it could be a group of free agents large enough to change well over half of the lineup.

Of course, manager Tony La Russa has to go through his own "process" in determining whether he will return, which would almost certainly dictate whether pitching coach Dave Duncan will return.

For now, however, it might be better for Cardinal Nation to enjoy the balance of the playoffs. The Redbirds are no longer in the running, but we are still bigtime baseball fans.