After an off-season full of speculation surrounding infielder Felipe Lopez signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, the deal finally became official on Friday.

The club agreed with Lopez on a one-year, $2 million contract with incentives on Friday, despite recent reports that the Cardinals weren’t looking to add another infielder before Spring Training.

Lopez played forty three games with the Cardinals in 2008 where he hit .385 with four home runs and 21 RBI.

Talks between the two heated up about a month ago but slowly fizzled out until the past couple of days. Lopez fired his former agent, Scott Boras, around three weeks ago, likely as a result of the talks between him and the Cardinals dying out.

Many reasons factored in to the Cardinals’ interest in Lopez. The main reason seems to be the uncertainty around short stops Brendan Ryan’s wrist injury. The Cardinals are hoping to have Ryan healthy by Opening Day, but he’s still unable to throw a ball properly or swing a bat. Lopez will fill in for Ryan until he’s healthy and then likely play all over the infield, and possibly some outfield.

The other reason is for insurance at third base. David Freese will be taking his first stab at a starting role this season and it’s unsure whether he’ll succeed or not.

But Lopez could very well end up being the outright starting third baseman once Spring Training is over. He hit .310 in 2009 with the Diamondbacks and the Brewers and clubbed nine home runs and 57 RBI.

For all intensive purposes, Lopez is a glorified Mark DeRosa, who was let go after starting at third base for half a season in 2009 with the Cardinals. He’s a guy that play all the infield position, plus the outfield, and brings a much needed left-handed bat to the lineup with the ability to hit right-handed as well.

He defines versatility – something La Russa always wants in his clubhouse. He essentially fills in for DeRosa as the utility guy, but with less miles on him.

What does this mean for the Cardinals’ lineup?

Lopez doesn’t just give the Cardinals versatility on the defensive side. The club has several options offensively now with Lopez in the lineup.

If Freese was to start, he’d likely be a season-long mainstay at the No. 6 hole in the lineup, but Lopez can hit just about everywhere. He can be a solid No. 2 hitter in front of Pujols, which wouldn’t be a bad idea with his career .338 on-base percentage. He can also hit fifth or six, as he’s shown that he can produce offensively and hit for power, or he can hit toward the end of the lineup if La Russa wants security there.

The best fit for the Cardinals and what would make the most sense would be to hit him second in front of Pujols. Aside from his high on-base percentage and batting average, Lopez also provides speed, something the Cardinals didn’t have much of last season. Although he had just six steals last season, he’s had three seasons where he stole 15 bases or more, highlighted by a 2006 season where he swiped 44 bases.

More runners in scoring position in front of Pujols and Matt Holliday equates to more runs producing opportunities, which will hopefully lead to many more wins.

This would also bump Colby Rasmus down to the sixth spot where he may be a little more comfortable. He said last season that he felt better hitting lower in the lineup.

The Cardinals already had one of the better lineups in the National League and have now effectively increased their chances of repeating as NL Central champions with the signing of Lopez.

Just about everyone on the team has reported to spring camp in Jupiter, Fla. Here’s a couple of headlines surrounding the first week:

-Mark McGwire arrived when pitchers and catchers reported early last week and answered questions regarding steroid use. He was noticeably calm with the reporters, but said he’s ready to be done with the steroid issue and focus on the 2010 season.

-Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday have reported and began working out. Holliday said he doesn’t plan on taking it easy in spring training and is ready to “dive right in.”

But much of the buzz was around Pujols’ elbow, which he says feels fine. Pujols has been bothered by his shoulder since 2003 and the thought of Tommy John surgery has always been looming in the back of Pujols’ mind, but a pair of surgeries in the past year or so have made that possibility highly unlikely. Pujols had his ulner nerve transposed and also had bone spurs removed from his injured elbow. Pujols is now saying that there’s a “95-percent chance” that he won’t need the reconstructive surgery.

-Pujols also said that he’s tired of the contract talk already this early in to the offseason, and is just wanting to focus on the 2010 season.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Pujols told Matthew Leach of MLB.com. “It’s been the talk for the last three years, and it’s getting to the point that it’s getting irritating to talk about my contract. Let’s wait until something happens, and then we’re going to have all the answers and you can throw every question you want. As of right now, I don’t want to talk about it because I’m so sick and tired of everybody talking about my contract or writing about my contract every time.

“Both of the sides have talked. Whenever they’re ready, we are ready. Whenever I’m ready, then I’m ready. I can’t control that.”

- Brendan Ryan, who will be nursing an injured wrist during Spring Training, said he plans to be healthy and ready to play by Spring Training, which was manager Tony La Russa’s hopes all along. Julio Lugo and Tyler Greene will likely split time at short stop this spring, essentially trying out for the No. 1 backup role. Greene could also see some time at third base, and Lugo will be testing the outfield this spring.

-After welcoming in the birth of his baby daughter, right-handed pitcher P.J. Walters has reported to camp. Walters spent his eight games with the Cardinals in the bullpen last season where he’ll likely end up this season if he makes the squad.

The Cardinals open Spring Training with a game on Mar. 4 against the New York Mets.

The Cardinals went with a number of lineups last year, often trying different people at virtually every spot of the lineup except the No. 3 hole. However, for the most part, the lineup stayed the same. It will most likely be the same way this season with really only one new face being added to the mix.

Here’s my predictions of how the lineup will shape up this season, as well as my breakdown of each player:

1.) Skip Schumaker, 2B – Schumaker did well adjusting to new roles last season. After moving from the outfield to play second base for the first time, he was thrown in to the lead off spot after the Cardinals found themselves without a “true” leadoff hitter. Schumaker adjusted well, hitting above .300 with four home runs and 35 RBI. This marked the third straight season that Schumaker had hit over .300, and the second straight year that he played 153 games. With the new contract that was given to him, the Cardinals are looking for the same type of production out of him at the top of the lineup this year that they saw last year. The only real knocks on Schumaker as a lead off guy is that his on-base percentage isn’t as high as other leadoff hitters and he doesn’t steal many bases. However, with a .364 OBP and just two stolen bases, Schumaker still scored 85 runs, the second most on the team. His run total will improve with the off-season improvements made by the guy who hits behind him, Colby Rasmus.

2.) Colby Rasmus, CF – Rasmus put together one of the top seasons among National League Rookies last season. He hit played in 147 games, hitting .251 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI. He struggled mainly with left-handed pitching last season, so he didn’t start many games if a lefty was on the mound. He was also hindered with an injury, which slowed down his production. But Rasmus has been working with new Hitting Coach Mark McGwire this off-season and has vastly improved his hitting against lefties, making a more potent offensive option hitting in between Schumaker and Albert Pujols. But like Schumaker, Rasmus didn’t provide much speed on the base paths last season at the top of the lineup, only stealing three bases. That’s certainly something he and Schumaker will have to improve upon if the Cardinals want to win. More runners in scoring position for Albert Pujols can only mean positive things.

3.) Albert Pujols, 1B – To put it simply, the team doesn’t win without him. Pujols is coming off his third MVP season where he led the Major Leagues with 47 home runs and was third in RBI with 135, despite being third in the Majors in walks with 115 walks, 44 of which were intentional. He also led the Majors in runs with 124. With a full season of protection by All-Star caliber outfielder Matt Holliday, it’s scary to think what kind of numbers Pujols will put up in 2010.

Food for thought: In his nine Major League seasons, Pujols has never hit below .300, less than 30 home runs, or drove in less than 100 RBI. He also surprised everyone last season when he tied his career-high stolen base mark of 16 stolen bases that he set in 2005. With these 16 stolen bases, Pujols actually led the team in steals.

4.) Matt Holliday, LF – After receiving a lucrative deal that was actually more expensive than the new Busch Stadium, Matt Holliday is going to be expected to justify every bit of that seven-year, $120 million deal. But if his 2010 season is anything like the 63 games he played with the Cardinals last season, I don’t think he’ll have anything to worry about. He hit .353 with the Redbirds with 13 home runs and 55 RBI. He hit 24 total home runs and drove in a total of 101 RBI in 2009. Holliday is the first real protection that Albert Pujols has had in a while, and it seemed to work out extremely well last season for the Cardinals.

Food for thought: Holliday played in 30 less games as a Cardinal uniform than he did in Oakland, but actually hit more home runs and drove in more runs in St. Louis. In his 93 games with Oakland, he he hit 11 home runs with 54 RBI. He hit 13 home runs and 55 RBI with the Cardinals. I think it’s safe to say that Holliday likes to face National League pitching.

5.) Ryan Ludwick, RF – He’s the kicker for this offense. As mentioned in my previous post, if he can perform like he did in 2008 where hit .299 with 37 home runs, the Cardinals’ 3-4-5 could easily be one of the best in baseball. He struggled at times last year, though, only hitting .265 over the course of the season, his lowest batting average since being traded to St. Louis from Cleveland. He’ll have plenty of RBI opportunities hitting behind Rasmus, Pujols, and Holliday.

6.) David Freese, 3B – With Mark DeRosa departing for San Francisco this off-season, David Freese appears to be the heir-apparent to take over at third base. The young infielder was the projected starter at third base last season, but was passed up for Brian Barden and ended up playing  just 17 games with the Big League club before spending the rest of the season in Triple-A. He had one home run and seven RBI while in St. Louis, showing that he can hit Major League pitching. He suffered an injury in spring training and decided to have surgery mid-season, which shortened his Triple-A season to just 56 games. While at Triple-A Memphis, he hit .300 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. Freese, who was traded to the Cardinals prior to the 2008 season in the deal for Jim Edmonds, will have to put his off-season legal troubles behind him and focus on baseball in 2010. He was arrested on December 12 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

7.) Yadier Molina, C - Molina isn’t known for his offense, but quietly hovered near a .3o0 batting average last season. The defensive specialist clubbed six home runs and 54 RBI in 2009, solid numbers for a catcher. He won’t be relied upon to contribute too heavily on offense, but he seems to make strides in hitting each year. An slight increase in production from Molina wouldn’t be out of the question for 2010.

8.) Pitcher – Tony La Russa is one of the few, if not the only, managers in the league that hits the pitcher eighth. There’s actually a method to the madness, though. He does this in order to have a decent hitter hitting ninth to essentially created a second lead off spot to possibly get three runners on base for Albert Pujols.

9.) Brendan Ryan, SS – Ryan sort of came in to his own at the end of the 2009 season offensively, and ended the season with a .292 average with three home runs and 37 RBI. Ryan appears to be the only base-stealing threat that Cardinals have right now, given his pure speed. He also stole 14 bases last season on 21 attempts. But it’s his hitting that has made the seen the most improvement this off-season. Like Rasmus, Ryan is a beneficiary of Mark McGwire’s arrival as hitting coach. Holliday, Schumaker, and Ryan had already been working out with McGwire in the off-season before McGwire was hired, but Ryan is taking full advantage of McGwire’s knowledge. Several reports have stated that Ryan has been hitting every day this off-season with McGwire and has improved twice as much in hitting.

The Cardinals will look to repeat as NL Central champions again in 2010. With an improved Colby Rasmus and Brendan Ryan, as well as a full season of Matt Holliday, the Cardinals are the sure favorites to win the division.

Growing up a kid in the Midwest, baseball was my passion. Every summer was filled with excitement as the boys of summer hacked away toward another World Series title.

A St. Louis Cardinals fan, I was captivated by the 1998 home run chase between Mark McGwire and Chicago Cubs’ slugger Sammy Sosa.

The excitement when the ball left Mark McGwire’s bat was equivalent to a young child waking up to see a ton of presents under the tree on Christmas Day.

I guess that’s right, because for me, baseball was like Christmas.

When McGwire broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record, I remember where I was, where I was sitting, and how emphatic my reaction was, as I proceeded to run around the house with my older brother chanting, “Big Mac!”

But on Monday, I got a lump of coal in my proverbial Christmas stocking.

After much speculation and denial, McGwire finally admitted to using steroids.

He told the Associated Press Monday that he took them “occasionally and during the 1998 season.”

Because of my love and passion for the game of baseball, it’s a tough pill to swallow anytime someone admits to using performance enhancing drugs.

But it’s especially hard when one of my own, a St. Louis Cardinal, admits to it.

Although I’m not surprised that this news finally came out, I’m definitely let down. I feel betrayed as a fan not just of the Cardinals, but of baseball in general. Not to mention one of my fondest childhood memories is now fully tarnished.

Baseball takes another punch to the gut from the steroid era, with more sure to come.

What was once America’s pastime has now become the source of jokes for sports fans, often being called a cheater’s sport. Some would say that most of the good players of the sport in recent years didn’t even play fair.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty true.

I wasn’t as shocked by McGwire’s admittance as I was with some other players’, but that doesn’t mean this hurts any less.

It’s time for anyone who used performance-enhancing drugs to finally start respecting the game of baseball and admit to using them, or else America’s pastime will never be able to move past the darkest era of its history.

Follow Cole on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ColeClaybourn