December 14, 2004 4pm CT
Renteria Returning
By Brian Walton
From a source very familiar with the discussions between the Renteria camp and the Cardinals, I was told today that Edgar will be returning to the Cardinals in 2005. No doubt about it, book it, a sure thing.
As I had suspected all along, the deciding issue was not money. Even though the Red Sox “offer” last weekend proved to be false, or at best inflated and premature, there was no doubt that Detroit and perhaps other teams were prepared to pay more than the Cardinals. Full Story
For Edgar, the most important issue always was comfort with his surroundings – his teammates, coaches, medical staff and the like. He turned the negotiations over to his agents, but all along, in his heart, he knew he would remain a Cardinal. Renteria’s final decision bears that out.
His agents are currently in the process of informing other interested teams of Edgar’s decision that he will not entertain their offers, but instead will be re-signing with St. Louis.
Edgar will continue to have for many years an income the size of which he could never have dreamed as a child growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia. The Cardinals will have the continued services of a cornerstone player that Manager Tony La Russa calls “The Captain” of his squad at an amount that they can live with. Walt Jocketty and La Russa remain the “good” cops, while Chairman Bill DeWitt can be the “bad” cop who ultimately closed the pocketbook. But, there are really no losers here.
Sometimes, stories can end happily. Now, let’s get on with the rest of the off-season!
