Cardinals Notes: Duncan, Lilliquist, Beltran, Berkman, Oswalt

The latest coming from a season of change in St. Louis includes several thoughts on Dave Duncan, who is taking a leave of absence to be with his wife, newly promoted Derek Lilliquist, a look forward past the signings of Berkman and Beltran and how the team will deal with its surplus in cost-controlled pitching, and an earlier rumor that the Cards might be looking at Roy Oswalt:

• Cards' Duncan taking leave from team - Ken Rosenthal | FoxSports
  "Dave Duncan, one of the game’s most respected pitching coaches, is taking a leave of absence from the St. Louis Cardinals, general manager John Mozeliak said Thursday night."
• Twitter / @Cardinals - "Cards to announce Derek Lilliquist as pitching coach, Dyer Miller as bullpen coach"
• Cardinals Pitching Coach Dave Duncan Taking Leave Of Absence - Baseball Nation
  "The Cardinals seem to have plenty of talent, but returning to the postseason in 2012 figures to be that much harder with a new manager and a new pitching coach (just-promoted bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist)."

• Duncan, an alltime great, may not return - CBSSports.com
  "Lilliquist is the right choice. He is known as a great communicator and a great competitor. Besides that, he has been in the organization since 2002 and knows all the pitchers. He was the point man in Jupiter who tended to all their rehabs before he joined the mjaor-league staff last year, in time for the World Championship, and he was the pitching coach for six weeks when Duncan left to be with Jeanine last summer."
• The Best of Dave Duncan - Viva El Birdos
  As Dave Duncan steps down from his role as the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching coach to be with his wife Jeanine, here's a look at his greatest hits.
• beyond beltran and berkman - Viva El Birdos
  "this isn’t meant as a criticism of the cards’ decision-making this off-season; it’s just a reminder that a ton of work remains to be done, and fairly soon. what are the cards’ options? it seems as if the biggest needs are at catcher, short, and center field. freese, holliday, and craig account for three of the corner positions, and the fourth is covered if just one of adams, cox, carpenter, or taveras is able to stick; that seems like a reasonable bet. i’m willing to entrust 2b to descalso / wong beyond 2014. so we’re looking for up-the-middle players who can hit, and who will be available within the next couple of years. anybody out there who fits the profile?"
• St. Louis Cardinals Interested In Roy Oswalt? - MLB Daily Dish
  "But with Albert Pujols leaving St. Louis, the Cardinals have had a huge chunk of payroll to play around with, and that's apparently left them turning over nearly every stone. The team has already re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal and added Carlos Beltran to the outfield, and management may view the rotation as a potential area for upgrades given an essentially set lineup of position players."