Taguchi wants to stay
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/30/2007
PITTSBURGH — Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi said he has tried not to think about where this offseason will take him, but he knows where he doesn't want to go.
"I don't want to go back to Japan to play," Taguchi said Saturday. "I want to stay here, stay here in the States. I would like that to be in St. Louis."
Taguchi, 38, drove in a couple of runs Friday and had two hits and an RBI in his second consecutive start in left field Saturday. His contract expires at the end of this season, though the Cardinals retain his rights for 2008. With a surplus of outfielders — Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick, to name the youngest ones — Taguchi's return is not a guarantee.
As for his future with the Cardinals, Taguchi, who hit .290 in 307 at-bats as a 38-year-old, said he hopes to come back. “What can I say?” he said, smiling. “But nobody knows. I haven’t talked to anybody.”
Yoshinori Hasegawa, one of Taguchi’s representatives, said that if Taguchi’s option isn’t picked up — there is a $100,000 buyout — then Taguchi would be arbitration-eligible. Or the Cardinals could make him a free agent by not offering him a contract.
In any event, Taguchi said he is pleased the Cardinals re-signed Tony La Russa as manager for two more years. “The players who can play for Tony are very happy. He’s amazing,” Taguchi said.
Cards turn down option on Taguchi
BY JOE STRAUSS AND DERRICK GOOLD
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/06/2007
The Cardinals declined the one-year option for outfielder So Taguchi on Monday night, though new general manager John Mozeliak said that doesn't close the door to the 38-year-old's return.
"We wanted to give ourselves as many options as we can, and by doing this we maintain a greater degree of flexibility," said Mozeliak, who was in Orlando, Fla., for the first day of the annual general managers' meetings. "Which is not to say we couldn't do something down the road. But for right now, this gives us flexibility."
To prepare for today’s major-league draft, the Cardinals have considered releasing outfielder So Taguchi after six seasons. The Cardinals declined to assume Taguchi’s option for next season but had the chance to go to arbitration with him. Taguchi’s agent, Alan Nero, requested his client’s release earlier in the week.
12/05/2007 11:40 PM ET
Cardinals release veteran Taguchi
Move opens up spot on 40-man roster for club
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Cardinals have decided to release So Taguchi, ending the outfielder's six-year tenure as a member of the St. Louis organization.
Taguchi was let go in order to clear space on the 40-man roster, which had been at full capacity. By opening up a spot, the Cardinals are now able to make a selection in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday morning at baseball's annual Winter Meetings.
Taguchi, 38, signed with the Cardinals before the 2002 season after a lengthy and successful career in Japan, where he won five Gold Gloves. The initial transition to American baseball was extremely difficult, however. He struggled in Spring Training and was sent as low as Double-A in '02. Taguchi spent most of '03 at Triple-A Memphis, but in 2004 he established himself as a valuable reserve. He hasn't been back to the Minors since '04.
Cardinals release veteran Taguchi
Cardinals release veteran Taguchi
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