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When we were good in the sixties, we had McCarver behind the plate, Flood in center, Javier at second, Groat at short (not a great fielder but made the plays). We were solid up the middle.
When Herzog came in 80, the first thing he did was to get Porter to replace a pretty good hitting catcher and a solid closer in Sutter. Then, he got Ozzie and McGee to solidify that middle.
Recently, we had Wong, Molina, and Jay who could get the ball. Peralta didn’t make mistakes.
We need for first, third, left field and right field to provide some stability and offense. You can live with a 220 hitter who can save you a run a game on defense. But, if you can’t save a run, you need to produce a run per game.
Ozuna is a fairly inadequate fielder. But, he does generate some runs. Martinez can generate some hits and runs. Goldschmidt needs to step up a bit. At this point, I think we need to bite the bullet on Carp. I don’t see him as a producer, and he isn’t very good at third. He costs runs and doesn’t produce. Admit the mistake and replace him. Maybe he’d be OK elsewhere.
It would help if we could teach enough to eliminate the shifts. Get away from pull hitting, period. But, slap, whatever. Bader is too valuable on base. We need to find ways to get him on base. Bat him eighth so that they will walk him to get to the pitcher. Might bat him leadoff, even with his average. If he gets on, there is a chance to score, a good chance to drive the pitcher nuts.
Right now, in runs driven in per at bat, Wong should be hitting about fifth. Even with his problems hitting into the shift (and Ks), he does generate runs.
Lance Lynn was in a similar position a few years ago and the Cards ended up holding onto him. However, the Cards were lucky that following winter when Lynn made a bad decision for him and turned down the qualifying offer. The Cards took Luken Baker with the comp pick and Lynn is with his third team since leaving.
I think there has been enough of a change in the market (coupled with the fact that Wacha hasn’t been consistently good enough) that he wouldn’t get a QO anyway. So, I conclude like you that Wacha should be a trade candidate even if the Cards end up positioning themselves as a buyer.
Lance Lynn was in a similar position a few years ago and the Cards ended up holding onto him. However, the Cards were lucky that following winter when Lynn made a bad decision for him and turned down the qualifying offer. The Cards took Luken Baker with the comp pick and Lynn is with his third team since leaving.
Lynn would sound pretty good right now. He was leading the AL in fWAR a couple days ago.
I know that’s not your point but I was shocked to see that. Good on Lance.
4 years ago who would have thought that Lynn would be more valuable in his walk year than Wacha would be in his walk year?
From Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic:
The Cardinals’ trade carousel
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak recently told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “I do feel like sometimes we’ve traded to trade. I don’t know if that’s been in our best interests.”Mozeliak, in a telephone interview on Monday, declined to identify specific deals he might regret. The truth is it’s still too early to judge many of the Cardinals’ recent trades, and even some who appear to be mistakes — first baseman Luke Voit and international signing bonus pool money to the Yankees for relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos, for example — might not turn out so bad.
Still, Mozeliak will be under renewed scrutiny at this year’s deadline. The best way for the Cardinals to improve might simply be to play better. But the team would benefit from the addition of a starting pitcher and possibly a reliever now that closer Jordan Hicks has a torn UCL. A fourth consecutive failure to reach the postseason would be the franchise’s longest drought since 1988 to ’95.
The Voit trade, like most trades, had multiple layers. The Cardinals needed bullpen help at last year’s deadline, and they already were carrying José Martínez, another defensively challenged player who, unlike Voit, was capable of playing outfield as well as first base. Shreve proved a bust and has spent all season at Triple A. But Gallegos has been an asset this season, striking out 49 and walking only six in 34 2/3 innings.
Mozeliak’s two other trades at the deadline — outfielder Tommy Pham and international bonus space to the Rays and Triple-A outfielder Oscar Mercado to the Indians for five minor leaguers — also look dubious at the moment, considering the stellar performances of Pham and Mercado with their new clubs.
Those moves were designed, in part, to create more playing time for Harrison Bader, who is batting .209 with a .712 OPS this season, and Tyler O’Neill, who is in Triple A. The Cardinals also wanted to get more left-handed in their farm system, which they did by adding pitcher Génesis Cabrera and outfielder Justin Williams (in the Pham trade) and outfielder Conner Capel (in the Mercado deal).
Cabrera, who has a 6.17 ERA in five major-league games this season, is the team’s No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, while Williams is No. 13. The other player obtained for Mercado, 19-year-old outfielder Jhon Torres, ranks No. 5 and possesses perhaps the highest ceiling of any player the Cardinals acquired. But to this point, he is struggling in the Class A Midwest League.
Mozeliak also has traded infielder Aledmys Díaz and outfielders Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk in recent seasons, all for returns that, to this point, have yielded little impact. His biggest moves — acquisitions of outfielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt — also have produced mixed results. Ozuna has been better in Year 2 than Year 1, but the regression of Goldschmidt and third baseman Matt Carpenter stand as the Cardinals’ biggest concern.
For all that, the Cardinals are only a half-game back in the wild-card race and just 2 1/2 games out in the NL Central. They keep churning out players from their system, a testament to their scouting and player development. But at some point, they will need better major-league results.
Lol if MO feels like he is trading just to make trades he needs fired yesterday what a CLOWN we got running the show….
Those comments are tantamount to incompetence and an admission of weakness. Negotiators need to be aggressive, savvy, and have vision and insight. Those comments portray the exact opposite. For example, I find it humorous that people back the narrative that Mo was told Yelich wasn’t available. Well sure, to Mo, he wasn’t! The guy doing your bidding matters — a helluva lot. Meek Mo is better off when he babbles to say nothing.
That’s a man with real job security. Then again, anyone paying attention knows he’s made many trades just to be doing something.
There are aspects of the job he’s good at, and there are others where he’s terrible. The problem is that the “building a team” aspect is pretty important. He’s not good at that.
You mean the Cards aren’t on this list?
Here are the odds to win the World Series as we approach the halfway point, per https://t.co/XmOkFiggEp:#Dodgers: 17/4
#Astros: 5/1#Yankees: 11/2
Atlanta #Braves: 27/2#Cubs: 14/1#Twins: 14/1.
The Twins, by the way, opened the season at 75-1 odds.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 27, 2019
Maybe instead of asking whether the #STLCards should trade for Max Scherzer, we should ask whether the #Nationals should trade for Marcell Ozuna. Washington now has the better record among the two teams.
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) June 29, 2019
Interesting point although Ozuna is now on the IL.
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