Hey, nothing like a few good August and September starts to get the front office all abuzz. Joel Pineiro did just that in 2007 and has now turned it into a 2-year-$13 million deal.

I must insert the old standby line right here: And they were bidding against who?

Pineiro is one of the great teases in the last decade or so. He came out with a bang in 2001. His best years were in ’02 & ’03. And it’s been all downhill since…until he was acquired by the Cards. He made 11 starts for the Cards and certainly pitched well, although 11 homers allowed in just over 60 innings is cause for concern. But considering his horrendous 2004-2006 seasons, is that the guy you throw a mutli-year deal at? For that much?

“We base it really off of not only what we saw — we believe his velocity is back up to what it once was — [but also] it just seems like he’s in a great state of mind and healthy and ready to contribute,” said interim general manager John Mozeliak.

Maybe it’s the price of doing business. After all, Marquis got one more year from the Cubs.