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Both the 2023 and 2024 stl rosters had 28 blown saves. The 24′ club had 19 more saves, in 19 more save opportunities.
“stay competitive”?
Not without Helsley. Saves = winsThe failure rate early on in save opps, for most relievers, is significant. Big adjustments necessary.
Ryan was no exception. In his first 197.1 IP over five seasons, he had 49 save opps, 35 saves and 14 blown saves (71% saves). It took five seasons to get to 53 save opps in 2024, going 49-4 for 92% saves.
Perfect time to cash in his trade value. Or, keep his mid-salary and compete. TBD.
Perfect time to cash in his trade value. Or, keep his mid-salary and compete. TBD.
The smart move is on the former but since Mo is still in charge….”shrugs”.
If trades involve guys like Arenado, Gray, Fedde, Contreras,
Mikolas, Matz, or Helsley, I’m anxious to see the new guys coming in.JJ – I agree that the loss of Helsley is probably the most damning for trying to stay competitive. But they still should trade him.
This team absolutely could be “competitive” next season. It’s really not that hard to imagine. But being competitive and winning against the big boys are probably two different things. The odds just seem so low. Therefore, trade Ryan and get better in the long run.
Our slogan should be “remember 23′”!
When you can’t pitch well….. It’s hard to compete.Agreed. But with the arms we have, and the arms we have coming up, if managed well, could yield a considerably better and more financially stable rotation than what we have or would have if we spent $25m retaining the old guys.
I’d like to keep Helsley as well, but 30+ relievers aren’t a good investment. If you can pop a top 100 prospect or a couple of nearer, more ready guys in a trade, I’d do it.
Part of next year’s reset thinking has to be how long a “look” you’re willing to give. It seems to me some of these guys have had pretty long “looks” already (ex Gorman, Walker) and decisions need to be made – keep them and play them regularly or get rid of them and move on. It’s great to have potential tools but you have to be able to use them. In any case, erase the term “platooning” from the Cardinal vocabulary.
They need to get the broke down Lambos out of the garage so they don’t have to park their daily drivers out in the rain.
In any case, erase the term “platooning” from the Cardinal vocabulary.
Most teams platoon. You just don’t want this chinese fire drill like the Cardinals have. You have to be consistent with it.
Platooning will likely increase next season. Everyday players who face both sides well, are expensive acquisitions. We are headed the opposite direction.
Platooning is how Oli can get everyone playing time. Goldy out, Burly/ Baker in as an example.
If 2025 is about development, then giving bad handedness splits the opportunity to improve should be a front burner item.
And of course the best way to improve your hitting of left handed pitching is never be allowed to face left handed pitching.
I just don’t want to see long stretches of AAA players posing as major leaguers but – if a lot of next year is an audition for pieces for Bloom’s 2026 coronation season then that’s what we may get.
Winn’s audition at the end of 2023 really paid off in 2024 but Walker got a much longer look and simply flamed out.
We have a basket full of young players who were avg / below avg at the major league level. Some will improve and some will just be over matched.
2025 looks to be a year to separate the wheat from the chaff….I hope the decision makers know how to tell the difference.
giving bad handedness splits the opportunity to improve should be a front burner item.
The idea that you would bring a player up and then attend to this in the ML lineup is absurd, but that is Cardinals player development.
They bring up a player who can neither hit nor field, but he can launch center cut Texas League mistakes so everyone’s eye roll back and they fantasize having a RoY. Bloom needs to bulldoze it all into the river and start over with people who know what they are doing.
Depends on how far they go with the reset….
If they trade their major players like Gray, Helsley, Contreras, and Arenado they are not going to be any good. Because they aren’t going to go sign anybody worth a crap to replace them…but they what does it matter they missed the last 2 post seasons with these guys might as well trade them and try to get better picks while doing the reset instead of 1/2 baked trying to win.
If you trade Helsley for prospects, you need to trade Fedde for prospects…
As far as platoons, it would be great if the Cardinals had an analytics staff that actually understood platoons. Some of our left-handed players don’t have noticeable splits, but they will sit because they are left-handed against a left-handed pitcher…While guys that are right-handed and do have obvious splits will play against right-handed pitching. I guess there is a reason the analytics staff is not well-regarded around the league…
Re: Fedde
I agree LA. Next comes the “someone has to throw those IP in 2025”. I agree there too. Who?Helsley and Fedde bring good trade returns. Mikolas and Matz are dumps to save thirty cents on the dollar, maybe.
“Someone” is likely the leftovers. Fedde isn’t a leftover, do it.If the rebuild is only about saving some money then the Cardinals could keep the roster as is and go forward because the payroll is currently around $140M, which is $35M less than 2024.
If the rebuild is also about restocking the farm and going with younger players then some of the pricey vets will go. That’s just the way it is. I’m not worried about the 2025 W-L record because I am trying to think of the bigger objective here.
If you trade Helsley and Fedde, you can pick up the option on Gibson and hope he pitches well enough to be a trade candidate at the deadline.
With Matz, it’s a contract year, maybe he will pitch well enough to be traded at the deadline. Maybe they will move him to the bullpen and he can pitch the whole year.
I would try to sign Michael Lorenzen to a 2-3 year deal, if I traded Helsley & Fedde.
I don’t see DeWitt eating salary to trade Mikolas, Gray and Arenado. And I don’t think there would be any takers for Mikolas if they did.
I think it has to be a balance of both lowering payroll and restocking the farm if you are doing a “reset”.
There are two primary questions to ask:
1) What is the budget for 2025?
2) How much further erosion in the fan base is tolerable and for how long?Clubs that tank have to be good for several years before they start winning back their fan base. The fan erosion is much quicker and more dramatic than the fan return. Based on that, I would think they want to minimize the length of the “reset.”
Mention of Lorenzen got me thinking about trying to sign anybody. Its going to be a hard sell. Unknown mgr and coaches after 2025. Unknown what a ‘reset’ will actually mean. Unknown where they might get shipped to at the deadline. Team will probably stink. Signing here would suck, wouldn’t it?
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