The United Cardinals Bloggers are submitting their ballots for the 2nd Annual Cardinal Blogger Awards. Since I'm in a time crunch this morning, I'm going to keep the explanations to a minimum. After all, we don't have much of an explanation from the voters why David Wright won a Gold Glove over Troy Glaus. Ballot after the jump.

1) Player of the Year: Albert Pujols

He won his second MVP, although by his own logic he should give it back. The numbers don't lie, Albert Pujols was the Player of the Year.

2) Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Lohse

Who was the one pitcher that kept the Cardinals afloat all season? Not Adam Wainwright, not Chris Carpenter. Kyle Lohse.

3) Game of the Year: September 9 vs. Chicago

Cubs lose, enough said.

4) Surprise Player of the Year: Ryan Ludwick

We knew Ryan had the potential to be good. But this good? No way.

5) Disappointing Player of the Year: Chris Duncan

It's no longer just about the lefties with him. It's every pitcher. The fact that he has a career-threatening injury is disappointing as well, because he still has the potential to turn his career around.

6) Cardinal Rookie of the Year: Kyle McClellan

Kyle was the most reliable reliever despite being the greenest. Without him, the bullpen would have tanked even more.

7) New Cardinal of the Year: Troy Glaus

Glaus showed that he not only has some pop left in his bat, but he has a great glove as well. Wasn't expecting that at all.

8) Most Anticipated Cardinal: Colby Rasmus

I think we've all beaten this horse to death.

9) Best Individual Blog: Bird Land

Derrick Goold has made the transition from pure sports writer to sports blogger better than most other writers out there.

10) Best Team Blog: Viva El Birdos

Hands down, still the best in Cardinal CyberNation despite the departure of Lboros.

11) Best Professional Blog: Bird Land

See above.

12) Best UCB Project: Roundtables

Even though it was the longest project we've ever had, it definitely was the best.

13) Most Optimistic Blog: Rockin' the Red

Might as well put a vote in for myself at some point. I tend to look at the glass as half-full, although there are times when some criticism is needed.

14) Funniest Blog: Cardinals Diaspora

Really funny but insightful as well.

15) Best Blog Post/Series of the Year: Biggest Plays of 2008, Fungoes

Fungoes is one of the most insightful blogs out there.

16) Rookie Blog of the Year: Pitchers Hit Eighth

Backs opinion with numbers. The way a blog should be.

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The Cardinals have signed 35-year-old lefty reliever Trever Miller to a two-year contract, according to Ken Rosenthal. Thanks to MLB Trade Rumors for the scoop. Unfortunately, this seems like the best we're willing to do in regards to shoring up the bullpen, and it's not a whole lot.

Trever is a soft-tossing lefty who stays in the range of 74-86 mph. Last year, he had a really good K/9 rate (9.14), but that was partially negated by a pretty ugly BB/9 (4.15). He's a step up from Ron Villone, but his total impact on next year's team is questionable. At two years, we'll have Miller until he's 37-years-old, when we just might have a lefty prospect that's ready to step into his role in the bullpen.

It's good to see we've really hit the ground running this off-season.

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"Giants add LHP Affeldt to bullpen."

There goes that idea. The Giants were able to sign Jeremy Affeldt to a pretty affordable deal too, locking him up for 2 years and $8m. It's hard to tell if that number is inflated or right in line with the rest of the market given the nation-wide economic crisis, but it's for the same per-year value that the Yankees handed Damaso Marte already. Not to say that the Yankees don't necessarily have a good read on what's reasonable or anything...

The amount of quality lefthanded relievers on the market is shrinking. Will Ohman is being pursued by the Braves and "at least ten teams" for a deal similar to Affeldt's. The Cardinals were strongly interested in Ohman before the trade deadline, so it's possible that he's been their top choice all along. Personally, I think Jeremy would have made more sense for our ballclub, especially if the numbers are going to be similar, but that's just this blogger's opinion.

Dennys Reyes, Arthur Rhodes, Joe Beimel, Brian Shouse, and Eddie Guardado seem like the strongest options, in addition to Ohman, that our team is considering right now. Shouse and Reyes are the best groundball-inducing relievers, with GB:FB rates of 3.19 and 2.57, respectably.

Whoever we choose to pursue, don't expect it to take very long to do it. Per Derrick Goold:

"The ball is rolling," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. Lefthanded relief "is a market that will move quickly. It's kind of like the draft, where catchers go fast. There is a limited supply and they typically don't last until January."

And congratulations to Albert Pujols on a much-deserved second MVP award! It's about time he gets his just due.

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The free agent season has begun, and the Cardinals remain poised to be in conservative mode once again. The biggest rumblings within the organization are now regarding a lefthanded reliever, according to Derrick Goold:

The agent for Atlanta reliever Will Ohman, whom the Cardinals pursued at the trade deadline, said he had talked with the Cardinals on Thursday about their interest in the lefthander. He expected to hear from them again this weekend. Other lefty relievers the Cardinals are believed to have interest in are Reds reliever Jeremy Affeldt, who is likely to command a multiyear deal, and veteran Arthur Rhodes.

It's been discussed here before, but Jeremy Affeldt makes a ton of sense for the Cards this off-season. He's not a Type A free agent, meaning we would save our first round draft pick, and he will not cost us an arm and a leg like Brian Fuentes would. He gets ground balls (1.97 GB:FB), has good velocity (94.6 mph fastball), and he can get strikeouts (9.19 K/9 last year). As to what he might cost, I'd suggest 2 years at $3-3.5m per year, a little less than what Ron Mahay was able to get from the Royals last year. We can afford that, especially given our need at lefthanded reliever now.

Dennys Reyes, discussed here, would be my second choice at reliever, over Will Ohman and Arthur Rhodes. He might be a bit pricier than Affeldt, as he has had a pretty dynamite past three years with the Twins. For my money, I'd offer Affeldt a 2-year/$7m deal and sign a second tier LOOGY for under $2m. Is that Rhodes? Brian Shouse? I don't know.

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I'm incredibly glad the Cardinals didn't go through with their Matt Holliday flirtation, but they're going to do something soon to shore up the bullpen and middle infield. As expected, there isn't much of a market for Adam Kennedy, and the Cardinals are surprisingly uninterested in re-signing Felipe Lopez to a multi-year deal.

Where does that leave the Cardinals? Interest in Orlando Hudson exists, but I have the feeling that they'd like to get an impact middle infield bat through trade rather than free agency. The reliever market has barely been touched yet, but I'd still like to see the Cards come up big with a Jeremy Affeldt/Dennys Reyes combo. If the Cardinals really want another impact outfield bat, why not Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, or Pat Burrell? They would almost certainly be about the same cost-wise, without having to give up the prospects. Dark horse candidate for the rotation - Randy Johnson. The Cards are not shy to give an incentive-laden contract, and Johnson - who needs just 5 win for 300 - would be willing to accept one. Would he be willing to move to St. Louis, though? Not so sure.

Be back tomorrow with more.

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As promised, I'm back today with a few ideas that will allow for more reader interactivity on this site. Have you ever wanted to write your opinion on what the Cardinals should do during the off-season? Do you have some good ideas for trade rumors or possibilities? Like to write baseball-related haikus or sonnets? Ever wanted to step into the world of blogging and have your thoughts heard? I want all of these, and I want them for you and from you. At Rockin' the Red, I am extending the opportunity for you readers to have your thoughts, ideas, and works of art displayed here in your very own post.

Here's how it will work:

(1.) You can write an essay, a simple one paragraph discussion, a five paragraph short story - any type of composition that is Cardinals or baseball related. Topics are your choice.

(2.) Submit it to me via kujo@rockinthered.com.

(3.) If it meets all the specifications (and there aren't many of them), I'll post it and notify you when it's up.

My goal is to let this blog serve not only as a sounding board for my opinions and thoughts but also as a sounding board for the rest of Cardinal Nation throughout the country and world. It allows you to have your voice heard and allows me to add some new ideas into the lifeblood of this blog.

My only specifications:

(1.) It must be relevant to Cardinals baseball or baseball in general. Maybe it is a firsthand account of a Redbirds game in Memphis, or maybe it's a story of a bond you shared with your father at Busch Stadium. A haiku about Fredbird. Anything will do.

(2.) Profanity must be limited as much as possible. I will deem what shall be considered obscene or unsuitable for this blog.

(3.) Make a strong case. If you're writing about trade possibilities, defend why you think Player A will be traded for Player B, and why General Manager C will be dumb enough to trade for Player A. Coherence and brevity are good indicators of a strong argument.

I really hope some of you participate in this opportunity. You can submit stuff as many times as you want, and your post will be on the front page for all to see. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to e-mail me at kujo@rockinthered.com. I hope to see some good work soon!

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I apologize for not posting regularly for the past two weeks. Quite frankly, school's become a bigger part of my life recently (in a good way), and it's been hard to find time to just sit down and write about the Cardinals. I am still a Cardinals fanatic, still hate the Cubs, and still wish we hadn't traded Steve Carlton, so hopefully any questions about my fanhood can be dispelled. To be fair, this is dead time in Cardinal Nation, as MLB as a whole gears up for the upcoming winter GM meetings.

I promise you that I will be back soon, posting daily about the Cardinals. I have a few ideas in mind, including an idea that will let readers take on a more interactive approach to blogging. I'm going to dangle that little carrot in front of you and hope you come back tomorrow to find out what it is. Until then, enjoy election night and know that the country will be in better hands no matter who wins.

Hasta manana.

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