ST. LOUIS -- Manager Tony La Russa loves competition in Spring Training, and he's going to have plenty on his hands when he gets to Jupiter, Fla., next month. This year's Cardinals camp will feature battles for playing time in the outfield, middle infield and third base. And then, there's the topic that had La Russa, not to mention Cardinals fans, talking all winter: the ninth inning.

The Redbirds fly south with no fewer than four candidates, and probably five, who might emerge as the club's closer when the season opens on April 6 at Busch Stadium. And, that doesn't count one flight of fancy that gained a little headway at times this winter, the now seemingly dashed notion that ace Chris Carpenter might follow Dennis Eckersley's lead and pitch in the ninth.

It's a highly unusual situation, especially for a manager who has said that if he were starting a team from scratch, he'd be inclined to start with a closer. But, instead of a big-name, highly-compensated hammer, this year La Russa will be choosing from a veteran jack-of-all-trades (Ryan Franklin), two big-armed prospects (Chris Perez and Jason Motte), a second-year righty with a starter's arsenal (Kyle McClellan) and a man who has seven Major League appearances since the 2006 World Series (Josh Kinney).

"We haven't had that," La Russa said when asked about a competition for the closer's spot. "So the good thing about that is [with] some of these young guys, it won't be a whole lot different, because they're competing for a spot on the club.

"This is a brand new year. The worst thing they can do is come into camp thinking that [Triple-A] Memphis has got no chance to see them. Come in there losing an edge, they wouldn't make the team. So, when you think about whether they try to be the ninth-inning guy, same difference. Pitch as good as you can."

Perez and Motte have garnered the most attention, with Perez considered to be the favorite as camp opens. He was the de facto closer in August 2008 and part of September, and he's been groomed for the job since he was drafted in 2006. He has the classic combination of pitches: a fastball that touches the high-90s and a hard slider.

He also sometimes has shaky command and has yet to establish his slider or a curveball as a consistent second pitch. La Russa's preference would be for the University of Miami product to apprentice for a while longer, but Perez is eager to be handed the reins whenever the time comes.

"I learned a lot [as a rookie]," said Perez, who has lost weight this winter in an effort to get into better shape. "Especially having to spot my fastball a little bit better. In the lower levels, if I fell behind 2-0 or 3-1, I'd be able to kind of get it by the guy. Up here, it doesn't work. I'm learning the importance of getting ahead of the hitters and being aggressive. My stuff is good enough to get them out. I just have to execute."

Perez likely has the highest ceiling of any of the candidates, but he's one of the most raw of the group. Yet, his fellow youngster, Motte, needs even more refinement.

Motte lights up the radar gun to an even greater degree than Perez, or at least he did in his brief audition last year. His command is a bit better, but he also has a little less movement on the heater. And, his second pitch is a far bigger question than Perez's. But in a cup of coffee in 2008, it worked. Motte struck out 16 against three walks in 11 innings.

"I came up here and just tried to do what I did down there," he said. "That's what Tony and [Dave] Duncan told me. Don't go and change anything. Don't do anything different. If it worked down there [in the Minors], just keep doing it. So, I came up here and pretty much did what I did down there all year. I just tried to go right at guys, and that's about it."

Franklin established himself as the answer to a trivia question when he led the Cardinals in saves in 2008 with 17. However, he was also charged with eight blown saves, and struggled mightily at times. Franklin allowed seven home runs in the ninth inning or later.

As much as he'd like another shot at pitching the ninth in 2009, Franklin is well-known as a supportive and agreeable teammate. He won't rock the boat if he doesn't get the job, and he'll do his best to work with the youngsters. To some extent, he's the default candidate -- if neither Perez nor Motte seizes the job, Franklin is a known quantity.

"The way I look at it is, I've got some experience at it now," Franklin said. "If they want me to do it, I'll feel more comfortable doing it. But, if they want me to go out there and throw the eighth or seventh, that's fine. Whatever is going to help the team out."

It's been noted that most of Franklin's struggles came when Jason Isringhausen was healthy and on the roster -- i.e., when Franklin was doing Isringhausen's job while Isringhausen was around and theoretically could have been doing it himself. Franklin didn't dismiss that entirely.

"I didn't feel like it [complicated matters], but it might have," Franklin said. "I was filling in for Izzy, who has had an outstanding career. It was tough to go out there when I felt like it was his job. Which it was."

One of the few relievers who didn't get a look in the ninth in 2008 was McClellan, who thrived in a setup role until fading under the heavy workload down the stretch. McClellan will be stretched out early in Spring Training, building up his innings in case he's needed as a starting pitcher.

La Russa said, however, that that doesn't preclude McClellan from being considered to close. Yet, it's likely that if the field staff considered McClellan a viable closing option, he might have seen at least a few appearances in that capacity in 2008.

"I'll start with the first for now, and we'll go from there," McClellan said with a laugh. "I think Tony knows what I can do based on last year, so I think I'll come in and stretch it out. ... If there's an opportunity where they think I might fit in that role, we'll go from there. With the role I was in last year, I think if they said, 'Hey, we want you to be the ninth guy,' I think I'd be comfortable with that as well."

And then there's the man who has received the least mention outside the clubhouse -- but who the Cardinals certainly seem to be taking seriously. Kinney was a huge part of the Cardinals' run to the 2006 world title, but he has pitched infrequently in the bigs since then.

However, Kinney was very effective late in 2008 in his return from two elbow surgeries. Now that he's healthy, he's eager to get back to pitching.

"[Closing] is too far ahead for me to think about right now," Kinney said. "I just want to prepare myself to be ready for spring. If I'm healthy, then I know I can pitch. That's the key for me. I don't care about a role right now. It would be nice, but I think that's down the road. If it's closing, it's closing. If it's pitching the seventh, it's the seventh. I don't care. As long as I'm healthy, I'll be all right."