What Were they thinking?

Tim Crothers

July 06, 1998

The Cardinals signed Stanford pitcher Chad Hutchinson to a four-year, $3.5 million contract last week, the most money ever given to a first-year player by the team that drafted him, even though he was only the 48th pick. Why so much? St. Louis G.M. Walt Jocketty admits he was motivated by time pressure because Hutchinson, Stanford's top quarterback, was preparing to return to school this week to get ready for football practice. (He'll now give up football.) But the Cards also used the signing to send a message to first-round pick J.D. Drew, who still isn't budging from his $11 million contract demand. Jocketty believes that with Hutchinson in the fold, the Cardinals can play hardball with Drew because they've already signed a premier pick.