While the Cincinnati Reds haven’t been too active this off-season, with the exception of re-signing a player or extending others, what have the St. Louis Cardinals, second-place finishers in 2010, been doing? About the same thing as the Reds, actually.

The Cardinals re-signed their mid-season acquisition Jake Westbrook, giving them a projected 2011 rotation of Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Westbrook, and Kyle Lohse. That’s a solid rotation, although not without its questions, especially in terms of staying healthy for both Carpenter and Lohse.

As for the team’s offense, which seemed a bigger issue in their season-ending collapse, the team has added Lance Berkman, apparently to play left field. Berkman last played left field in 2006. He last spent significant time in the outfield in 2007.

The team also traded for former Chicago Cub Ryan Theriot to take over shortstop duties for Brendan Ryan, who pissed off Chris Carpenter several times last year because he was more relaxed than the uptight pitcher. Theriot is slightly better at the plate and slightly worse in the field, so this particular move is unlikely to bring any overall change to the team, other than to make everyone even more careful around the holy Carpenter.

Of course, the biggest news concerning the Cardinals has been something they have yet to do: sign Albert Pujols to an extension. His current contract runs out at the end of the 2011 season, and with the crazy money free agents who are far less capable than Pujols, he stands to make a metric crap-ton of money.

Jayson Stark had a nice article examining the Cardinals Pujols situation last week. The Cardinals are facing some payroll issues.

They already figure to be on the hook for about $68.4 million, just for six players, in 2012, assuming they pick up options on the nearly equally indispensable Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina. Now if you add another $30 million for Pujols, they’d be closing in on $100 million for just 28 percent of their roster — this for a team that had a $113 million payroll last season.

That’s a tough place to be. I’ve seen a team who devoted an unseemly high percentage of its payroll to one player. That didn’t end well (2000-2008 Reds, I’m looking at you). The Cardinals are going to have to increase their payroll, get very creative with contracts, or look at a future without Albert Pujols.

I have a hard time envisioning the latter, as do most Cardinals fans, I’m sure, but it’s one that would make me happy.

Jay Bruce has signed a 6-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, according to ESPN.

Bruce had been forthcoming about his desire to stay with the Reds just last weekend at RedsFest. “This is the place I want to be,” he said then. “We’re in a great position as far as the team, and the front office is doing all the things necessary in order for us to continue to win. That’s what I want to be a part of. I’d love to be here.”

And he will be. The deal is reportedly for 6 years and $51 million. There is also a club option for a seventh year, which would bring the contract’s total value to $63 million. The guaranteed contract eliminates the need for salary arbitration for Bruce this year, as well as keeping him with the club for several years into what would have been his first free agent foray.

With career highs in all the best offensive categories (25 home runs, 70 RBI, .281 average, 35.3 Not Out Percentage, and .493 Slugging), Bruce established himself well in his age 23 season. There is definitely potential for growth and improvement, too.

This deal could prove to be a bargain if Bruce continues to improve. Even with the same production as 2010, I think it’s worth it. Bruce’s excellent, gold-glove level defense in right field isn’t something that’s likely to degrade, either. Unlike the other two signings this off-season by the Reds, it is refreshing to have a reasonable expectation of improvement for a player. I look forward to seeing Bruce patrolling right field for the foreseeable future.

Yesterday, towards the end of the day, the Cincinnati Reds made their only move of the 2010 Winter Meetings. They re-signed Miguel Cairo to a 2-year deal.

The contract is 2 years for $2 million, so an average of a million dollars each year. The length of the contract is…odd. Cairo will be 37 next year, and 38 when he finishes the deal. I know he’s signed only as a backup infielder, but color me skeptical about the production he’s likely to put up by the end of things.

Cairo was a great bench guy last season, filling in admirably when Joey Votto was injured. But in many ways, it was a career year. He had an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .763. The only time in his career that he’s performed better as a hitter was way back in 2001 at age 27 when he put up a .782 mark. His not-out percantage (NOP) of 35.3% was the second-best of his career, too. Both were well above his career averages of .678 OPS and a a NOP of 31.7%. What I’m saying is that Cairo will play more like he has during his career, possibly a little worse, and expecting him to contribute offensively as he did in 2010 is not rational.

A one year deal would have been fine. Signing him to 2 years seems to me to be more of a risk than it’s worth, especially with the younger, cheaper players available in the farm system.

Lost in our posts about RedsFest was the fact that the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a contract extension with Bronson Arroyo.

The deal is for 3 years and $35 million, keeping Arroyo under contract through 2013. Earlier in the off-season, the Reds had picked up Arroyo’s $13 million option for 2011. This contract replaces that and adds on two more years. Also, John Fay has reported that a portion of the extension includes deferred money that will keep paying Arroyo until 2021.

Presumably, between the deferred money and the contract reworking, the Reds have shaved several million dollars off of payroll for next season. With the raises their arbitration-eligible players are set to receive, this will allow the club to meet their $80 million payroll target.

As for the extension, I was initially very skeptical about it. Of course, at first I misunderstood it’s details, assuming that a 3-year extension meant Arroyo had added 3 years to his the end of his current option. Finding out that it simply overwrites and replaces 2011 makes it better. A 3-year deal is always less risky than a 4-year deal, even with Arroyo’s spotless injury history.

Arroyo will be 34 starting next season, which means he’ll be 36 when this contract is up. Even with the Reds surplus of young pitching, I think this deal makes sense. All of the other starters are young and inexperienced. Given Arroyo’s track-record, I think it’s a reasonable expectation for him to maintain what he’s done next year, before dropping off a bit for the next couple years. By then, the young starters should be established and able to take on the veteran leadership for the next crop of pitchers.

Also, it does cement the Reds position of having what every major league baseball team desires and what I don’t believe the Cincinnati organization has ever had: a surplus of good, young starting pitching.

The San Diego Padres have signed Aaron Harang for a one-year deal in 2011 with a mutual option for 2012. The press release on Padres.com has lots of cool facts about the Harangutan that made me say, “oh yeah, I remember that” and/or “he pulled _that_ off? Even with the team that was behind him?”

Since joining the Reds in 2003, Harang ranks among National League leaders in wins (T13th, 75), starts (5th, 213), innings pitched (5th, 1343.0) and strikeouts (5th, 1,125). In 2006, he led the NL in wins (16), complete games (6), starts (35) and strikeouts (216). The right-hander followed his 2006 performance with another 16-win campaign in 2007, finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.

Born in San Diego, Harang is a 1996 graduate of Patrick Henry High School. He attended San Diego State University, where he majored in graphic design. In Cincinnati, Harang was one of the club’s more active members of the community, having been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award (2007, 09), Branch Rickey Award (2007) and Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award (2007, 08, 09).

I’m glad to see the big guy signing on in a place that seems to be such a good fit. That last pitching appearance of his was a pretty emotional one for me. To think: no more goth.