- This topic has 12 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Anyone have conjectures in this area? I just heard that the 1st two heads to roll are probably going to be Girsch and Blake.
In summer of 2022 Girsch was signed to an extension that is thought to go through 2024, at least. I don’t know what, if anything, the reported front office and player development makeover will amount to, but I think it will just be a few more wonks and clip boards, maybe some more gadgets and lab coats, if it is anything at all.
I don’t blame anything on Blake. He was given the job with a resume consisting of two years as the Cardinals ‘pitching strategist’ and some mostly small school college coaching experience. He is probably adequate at doing whatever the role is in the system. I’d agree he could get scape goated though.
Does it really matter? Until Mozeliak is terminated and they clean house this won’t matter. They will just replace one incompetent with another, and on and on this thing of theirs will go. Prove me wrong.
Over the last several years, we’ve seen a manger here and couple coaches there get canned. These moves have come across to me as not much more than Mo having to do something to show he’s identifying problems and making corrections. A couple of years ago, I seem to remember Mo making some comments about not being thrilled with some of the data analysis or something similar that fell under Girsch’s realm. I thought that might be a setup, but then nothing happened.
I agree with TexasCard though, that these and any future similar moves won’t move the needle. You can’t keep jettisoning your best coaches and prospects and they don’t know why it’s happening. I think Mo might be damaged goods now. Even if he saw the light and wanted to upgrade the quality of his manager and coaches, what guy like Bochy or Maddux would want to work with him after how we’ve seen how Mo has shaped those roles? Those kind of guys don’t respond well to “shut up and color and if we want your opinion, we’ll ask for it.”
Yep, for any meaningful change, BDW is going to have to be the enforcer. I just think it will be too hard for him to do what he needs to do with Mo still in the picture.
I don’t think a reluctance to work in that sort of environment is limited to potential managers or coaches. I believe word around the league among players and their peers is such that it’s going to have a negative impact on potential FA signings. I can’t imagine any player failing to notice the potential of becoming a scapegoat for the failures of this organization’s leadership. It’s become a clear pattern in the last several years.
Unfortunately there’s probably some truth to that 1tough.
But there’s one thing I still don’t get. The heat is on the FO and field staff, but no one seems to want to call out the players. Most of the experienced players performed below both their career and 2022 numbers.
They’re highly paid professionals at the apex of their industry. Why let them off the hook?I point at the FO overvaluing the 2023 impact Wainwright, Flaherty and Hudson could have from the rotation. These players were all tendered contracts last winter, by choice, totaling 25mil.
I can’t imagine the wonk room endorsing those players for those funds, so I can only suspect ownership made monetary and legacy decisions.
Waino was a legacy hire, but Flaherty and Hudson are nothing but obstinate refusal to admit that a 1st rounder has highly suspect present or future utility.
As to calling out players, yeah, that runs up against a lot of resistance from the apologists who want to believe the state of the ML team and MiLB org results from a few isolated mistakes and some bad luck. The players are fine, everything is fine, BDW just needs to hand Mo more money this winter.
I don’t know if Mo will run into FAs giving him the cold shoulder, but after last season Maddux and Albert had the chance to take an exit ramp and they took it. There’s pretty much just minions left now. How’ that working for you, Mo?
Bccran…I agree that a highly paid professional player shouldn’t be let off the hook, so to speak, or should be free from any sort of criticism stemming from lackluster performance by those which hold leadership positions. However, it’s my view that the best way to hold the player accountable is to either simply sit him down and provide an opportunity for someone else to step in and fill the void, or explain to the player in the confines of an office or clubhouse that his performance is falling well below expectations. It’s also my belief that the absolute WORST way to hold a player accountable for a lackluster performance is to do so in the presence of a large collection of media personnel. Especially when the criticism could justifiably be considered as designed to deflect blame away from the lackluster performance of leadership.
I guess we will soon find out what the free agents think of our organization because we will be targeting some free agent pitchers. As others have stated I don’t know how much will really change if we replace our third rookie manager with a fourth rookie manager but I am warming to the idea of bringing Molina in as bench coach. Yes, it would have Marmol looking over his shoulder but that might not be a bad thing, plus Molina is not a yes man. Sometimes the dugout and clubhouse needs someone who isn’t afraid to cause a little friction. I think they call it the rusty nail effect, which is why they brought in John Lackey back in 2014.
I agree with this article.
Getting the role right would be important, but if Molina puts on a uniform in 2024, the Cardinals will instantly become a more competitive club https://t.co/EGyAvCwhLv
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) October 29, 2023
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.