A quiet off-season in the front office has many fans uneasy as pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, FL later this week. Although there will not be a whole lot of new faces arriving in Spring Training this year, there wont be a shortage of questions to sort out.

Last season it was the outfield which created the greatest uncertainties, but this season it looks to be the infield that will pose the biggest challenges for Tony LaRussa and his staff. Among those challenges will be to figure out who will play second base after the Cardinals decided to release Adam Kennedy at the eleventh hour. Complicating the situation is the fact that Troy Glaus is expected to miss the first month of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery last month.

Along with the many uncertainties, there are many things to be excited about as well. Albert Pujols, who had off-season elbow surgery, said in January he felt 100% which would be the healthiest he has been going into a season in quite a while. Gold Glover, Yadier Molina has been working out extensively throughout the off-season and has dropped about 10 or 15 pounds. He looks to improve on a career offensive year in which he batted over .300 for the first time. If Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan and Ryan Ludwick can produce the way they have shown they are capable, the Cardinals could have a potent lineup. The Cardinals have not missed the playoffs for three consecutive years since 1997-99. Whether or not the Cardinals can make another post-season run will need to be answered over the next several weeks.

TOP SPRING TRAINING QUESTIONS:

Can Carpenter stay healthy?
The Cardinals playoff hopes in 2009 will center on whether Chris Carpenter is healthy enough to anchor a thin Cardinals rotation. The Cardinals are 68-29 when Carpenter starts in his Cardinals career. With just four starts in the past two seasons, Carpenter is expected to be in the starting rotation on opening day but nothing is a certainty given his recent struggles to stay healthy. The Cardinal's starting rotation is mostly in order but without depth, if Carpenter cannot stay healthy, the rotation will likely crumble like a deck of cards.

Who’s on second?
The Cardinals decided to release Adam Kennedy earlier this week. With a surplus of outfielders, one possible solution the Cardinals may explore is to converting Skip Schumaker into a second baseman. Other possibilities at second are Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Tyler Greene, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Joe Mather and Joe Thurston who had success this winter.

Who will close?
The downfall of the Cardinals last season was their inability to close out games converting just 52.6% of their save opportunities. With Jason Isringhausen out, the top contenders for the closing role will likely be the two flame-throwing youngsters Chris Perez and Jason Motte with Perez being the favorite going into Spring Training. Ryan Franklin and Josh Kinney, who has missed nearly two seasons, could vie for a shot as closer. Another realistic possibility will be a closer by committee approach which we saw last season.

Who will man the hot corner until May?
With Glaus out until May, the experienced Brendan Ryan’s is the likely front runner for third base. Brian Barden, top 2008 draft pick Brett Wallace and top-prospect David Freese, who was acquired in the Jim Edmond’s trade, will likely get a shot at the position as well.