JUPITER, Fla. -- Jim Edmonds' aversion to Spring Training is no secret, and in fact has reached the point where it's a running joke in the Cardinals' clubhouse.

This spring, Edmonds is once again being held out of action for a while, but he isn't laughing much. He'll be kept out of most drills for at least two or three weeks thanks to offseason foot and shoulder surgery.

"This is not a good situation to be in," Edmonds said Tuesday following a brief workout. "But it's the situation that I've been dealt. So I just have to do the best I can, work a little bit harder than normal and try to get ready. The ultimate goal always is Opening Day. It's not anytime during Spring Training. Whatever it takes to get ready for that day is what's most important."

Edmonds can't run because of an operation to correct a "hammer toe" condition in the second toe of his left foot. He can't swing a bat because he's still recuperating from a labral clean-up in his right shoulder. He's limited to playing catch and doing low-impact work like riding a stationary bike.

Fortunately, he hasn't felt any effects recently from the post-concussion syndrome that plagued him in the second half of 2006. Edmonds was also bothered by a strained abdominal wall earlier in 2006. It added up to a frustrating and painful year -- at least up until October, when his performance and the team's came on strong.

The fine finish helped garner Edmonds a two-year contract. The Cardinals held an option on him for 2007, but instead the two sides came to an agreement that likely will be Edmonds' last in the big leagues. He said Tuesday that chances are good he will retire after 2008.

"I'm not saying 100 percent, but I'm pretty close to saying that I'm preparing for this to probably be [my last contract]," he said.

"I've got a lot of things going on, and the kids are getting older. You start adding up all the things that are going on, on and off the field. I'm going to have a daughter in high school. My son's going to be two or three. Another daughter in junior high. It's time to be a father."

In the meantime, though, it's time to get ready for the season. Edmonds estimates that he's well behind as far as conditioning his body to hold up to a six-month season.

Then again, he has the next few weeks to work on conditioning, since he won't be working on many baseball activities.

"It's not until well into March that he gets on the field doing stuff," said manager Tony La Russa. "When the green light comes, then we'll work him in."

Getting his baseball skills sharp shouldn't be much of a worry for Edmonds. He's shown a remarkable ability to hit even with minimal spring preparation. In 2004, Edmonds got 27 Grapefruit League at-bats, then hit .286/.367/.595 (average/on-base/slugging) in April. In '03, he got only 10 at-bats in the spring before hitting a torrid .391/.500/.768 in April.

As the expression goes, Edmonds can fall out of bed and hit. If he's healthy. The issue is getting him healthy by April 1, when the Cards play the Mets at Busch Stadium.

"It's a big deal to get in playing shape," he said. "Whatever that may be is yet to be determined. Obviously Spring Training is here for a reason and you definitely need Spring Training. But I've been in situations like this before. I'm just hoping that I can get through it OK.

"I can't say that just because I had 20 at-bats one year that I was ready to go. It just happened to be I put it together the beginning of that season. I'm trying not to put myself in that situation, but we'll see how it goes."

There's no denying that a healthy and effective Edmonds is critical to the Cardinals' chances. As his bat goes, so goes the St. Louis offense. In games Edmonds started in 2006, the Cardinals went 54-42. When you count the postseason, the Redbirds were a 65-47 (.580) team with Edmonds in the lineup. In games he didn't start, the club went 29-36 (.446).

And that's in a year when he was bothered by a laundry list of physical ailments. Think of the difference a healthy Edmonds could make.

"I can't remember last year that well," he said. "I don't even care about last year. I want to try to get to the point this year where I can play and get back to my abilities and have some fun."