Charlie, Amazing to see the Cards make it to the World Series without the genius that is Tony L. They are one of the few organizations in MLB that will be disappointed with JUST a Series appearance and not a win and the only one in that group that doesn't buy their titles.
Next year could be even better. Rosenthal could close or join the rotation. Their set-up guy throws lightning bolts and could close. Wacha for a full season and and Shelby Miller if he was being rested and not damaged. Wainright might have to be a middle innings guy.
They have the best catcher in baseball. They traded for the best defensive cf in the game. I love the look of their kid 2b-man, when he isn't getting picked off first. Adams looks like a potential beast and their second baseman hit like a third baseman anyway, so why not move him there. Classy, savvy organization!
All of which, brings us to SS. Johnny Peralta -- the heir to Ozzie. They signed him for four years and as at least one MLB player tweeted -- ' Guess it pays to use PED's.'
Now many folks will respond just like people in some other sports we're well acquainted with -- ' They're whiners, not winners. Drugs never made a bad player good'.etc.etc.etc.
I have some fan-based knowledge of the Peralta signing. Last year my semi-beloved Blue Jays signed Melky to a two-year contract. The same Melky that SF refused to dress for the World Series after his monumental steroid-enhanced season. The Cards have gone down the same road as the Jays.
The difference is Toronto has always aspired to class; reached it on rare occasions and fallen woefully short most times. St. Louis has always been MLB's symbol of it, unless you equate class with unlimited pay roll.
The kind of karma that bit the Blue Jays might take a hunk out of St.Loo next season and like TO, they will have earned it.
Level the field as much as you can, by doing what you have to. Is that unreasonable, unworkable, beyond the grasp of MLB? Or any other sport, for that matter?

I THINK HE WAS PROBABLY THEIR MAYBE BEST OPTION COLORADO WAS WILLING TO PART WITH TULO BUT AT A VERY VERY HIGH PRICE AND TULO HASNT SHOWN HE CAN PLAY FULL TIME.. AFTER TEXAS GOT FIELDER THEY ALSO WERE WAY TO HIGH ON ELVIS AND HE WOULD HAVE CAME WITH A TEN YEAR CONTRACT....I LIKED DREW UNTIL HE ASKED FOR 6 YEARS AT 100 MIL...WE COULD HAVE GOT J J HARDY FOR 1 YEAR BUT THE PRICE WOULD HAVE BEEN SHELBY MILLER NO THANK YOU.....I JUST HOPE HE IS A SOLID DEFENDER HITS 250 WITH 15 HRS...NO I DONT LIKE THE PED DEAL....BUT THEY HAD ABOUT 50 MIL COME OFF THE BOOKS THIS YEAR SO I GUESS THEY COULD AFFORD TO GAMBLE WITH 13 A YEAR...I GUESS ONLY TIME WILL TELL FOR SURE..I HOPE IT WORKS OUT.....

Maybe the only solution is to designate either the AL or NL as 'Clean' and the other as 'Anything Goes'. In the AG league, just as the name suggests -- you can shoot it, snort it, swallow it and then have at it.
Pitchers may eventually hit 150 mph and batters will hit it 800 ft. Of course some of them will have 12 toes and three eyes. Better baseball through chemistry. Roger Clemens will be league commissioner.