``I think our alternatives are very good,'' general manager Walt Jocketty said Wednesday. ``You don't always have to have big names and pay a lot of money to get quality pitching and quality players. I think people have to keep that in mind.''

The World Series champions remained in contention to re-sign injured left-hander Mark Mulder and Jeff Weaver but think the price might be too high to keep Jeff Suppan.

Mulder, who isn't expected back from September shoulder surgery until perhaps mid-season, is getting married this weekend and Jocketty expects him to settle on a team before then.

``We're still very hopeful,'' Jocketty said. ``He indicated to me he still thought this was the best place for him and we certainly feel it's the best place for him.''

Jocketty said there have been no conversations with the agent for Suppan the last few days.

``I definitely believe that we would slightly overpay him,'' manager Tony La Russa said. ``The difference between slightly overpaying and way overpaying is where the argument is. I'm not disrespecting anybody's decision not to come back, because this is their time to make some money.''

After ace Chris Carpenter and free-agent addition Kip Wells, the Cardinals' rotation likely will include right-hander Anthony Reyes, who pitched eight shutout innings in the World Series opener.

Absent other addition, Brad Thompson and Braden Looper will contend for a spot. Adam Wainwright, who filled in as closer after Jason Isringhausen got hurt, also may start.

``Our young pitchers like Wainwright, Thompson and even Looper may have a higher up side than some of the guys that are on the market, with the exception of Weaver and Suppan,'' Jocketty said. ``As we see Izzy progressing more and more we feel more comfortable taking Adam out of that role.''

On Tuesday, the Cardinals declined to offer
pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel a contract, making him a free
agent. St. Louis said it intends to continue negotiations with
Ankiel and reliever Jorge Sosa, who also wasn't offered a contract.

The 27-year-old Ankiel missed last season after hurting his left knee in spring training, the latest in a series of setbacks.

``The idea of non-tendering him was to re-sign him to a minor league contract so we wouldn't have to go through this process in spring training,'' Jocketty said. ``I'm still hopeful that will get done.''

Ankiel went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 2000 with 194 strikeouts in 175 innings and started the Cardinals' post-season opener against Atlanta. Pitching with a big lead in the third inning, Ankiel walked four of eight batters and became only the second pitcher in major league history to throw five wild pitches in an inning, the first since 1890. He threw nine wild pitches in all over four post-season innings.

Ankiel went 1-2 in 2001 while trying to work through the wildness. After that, he pitched just 10 more innings in the major leagues.

In the spring of 2005, Ankiel threw just three strikes among 23 pitches at a spring training scrimmage against Cardinals hitters and decided to give up on pitching and try and make it as an outfielder.

He showed promise, with a combined 21 home runs and 75 RBIs in 85 games for Class A Quad Cities and Double-A Springfield in 2005.

But he injured a patellar tendon in a spring training scrimmage on Feb. 27 and had surgery May 26. He is expected to be healthy by next spring training.

St. Louis also said right fielder Juan Encarnacion, hampered by a sore left wrist in the post-season, had minor surgery last week in St. Louis.

Encarnacion batted .278 with 19 homers and 79 RBIs in the first year of a three-year, US$15 million contract.

Notes: Former Orioles star Dennis Martinez and the brother of World Series MVP David Eckstein were among the additions to the minor league coaching staff. Martinez will be pitching coach for the new rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League, based in Jupiter, Fla., the team's spring training headquarters. Rick Eckstein, David's older brother, will be the hitting coach for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He formerly was hitting coach at New Orleans, the Triple-A team for the Nationals.