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Bccran, I have been a fan starting in the 70s through now. Yes I have different expectations than you and I don’t think a team should be just trying to be good enough to just get in and get lucky. Personally I don’t really count the 2011 team as a championship but that’s just me. I’ve always felt the wild card is a sham. I believe in the season. That’s why I believe in trying to build winners not losers. If they don’t want the season to matter anymore, they should just shorten the season to 100 games,make the playoffs a round robin including everybody, and just let their history die.
I have never said that I don’t cheer for the Cardinals to win the WS every year. I do. But I’m also realistic in that I realize that the chances are going to be far less than 50-50. I don’t set myself up for disappointment, frustration, and anguish as some do.
I count the Redbird ’11 edition as one that took the field to play for roughly thirty seven 7th games. Pujols, Molina, Carpenter, Berky, Holliday along with Furcal at the deadline made the 6th game Jake Westbrook W possible…Haha! All those 2 out hits were obviously brought on by the good baseball gypsies once the former HOF RHP declared, “We’ll get it done in six.” In any case, he should have known better.
The Goldschmidt window will close soon.
Arenado still has some years left to be elite.
There are quite a few young players that should blossom this season.
I think this season and next season present a great opportunity for a WS apoearance – but the team has needs. Clearly need a SP 1 and probably need an OF bat.
It is usually a big benefit to have home field advantage in a playoff series – so the team needs to come out flying and start piling up wins early and often.
It seems that the consensus feeling here is the Cards will win the NLC and then bow out in either of the next two rounds. Continuing, the WS is a distant dream because our SPs don’t match up favorably with the other elite teams in the NL. All of this may be true.
IMO the Card’s biggest disadvantage is the rotation presently not having a genuine #1 starter. Seemingly, the FO continues to feel that that role will be filled by someone already in the organization. This season that appears to be a pipe dream. The FO appears to believe that getting into the playoffs at least gives us a shot, “a long one” , at the big prize. The guys upstairs have an aversion to spending on exorbitant contracts, whereas the other elite teams don’t bat an eye at them.
There are some teams that consider not winning a WS pennant a failed season. Some team’s fans consider just making the playoffs a big deal and are thrilled by it. I guess the casual fans in STL are somewhere in between.
Past seasons and old WS rings don’t help with what we have today. “oh, we won the most titles in the NL”, etc…. blah, blah, blah. What matters now is the ’23 season and how the Cards can improve enough to be serious WS contenders. Failing to get a “stopper” in most people’s minds is proof that the FO is comfortable with just being a playoff team and mediocrity and that St. Louis fans will show up anyway.
Expectations for ’23 are low…. very low regarding the players being fit for championship rings. What I hear is that we have hopers, dreamers and realists. On opening day…. I’m a hoper and a dreamer and really excited that games are being played. A World Series win?…… it could happen. The Goldschmidt/Arenado window is closing so the FO should be mindful of that.
To put a finer point on it, we need to have a solid #1 when post season starts. Hopefully a #1 and a #2. That doesn’t mean we have to have them on opening day. And if we do have them on opening day by way of acquisition, it doesn’t mean they will still be able to pitch by then. Since it is about 8 months until we need him, or them, there is the chance what we need will emerge from what we already have. That possibility cannot be ignored. It follows that lack of an acquisition does not automatically mean we are doomed. We have to wait for games to be played and see what happens.
Even though we play in a weak division I just don’t like the approach of forfeiting the first four months of the season by playing .500 baseball then hoping to win the trade deadline. Why is it so wrong to build a strong team in April? Piling up wins is important with the current playoff format. It would be nice to get that first round bye.
Deadline deals to reinforce the rotation is just shuffling deck chairs. You have to give, to get, and equal value going out doesn’t make the club better.
Try and tell me how Baders 2022 postseason wouldn’t have lead our club in production the next time you type “the bats went silent”.
Purchasing pitching during the offseason doesn’t require equal value going out.
Well, Wacha is still out there. Maybe his shoulder won’t act up again. He’s been holding out for a two year deal, similar to how Contreras held out for a 5 year deal.
gscottar…Good point about padding the W total. In my view the current format relegates the weakest division winner to no better than a WC. HFA in a best of three isn’t much of an edge in baseball.
jj said:
Purchasing pitching during the offseason doesn’t require equal value going out.
Not belabor the topic, but Bill DeWitt Jr. made this very point during Winter Warm-Up, though not specifically about pitching, but player acquisition in general. They prefer to spend money over giving up prospects.
But market prices were too high for them so nothing happened. Now they will be back to having every prospective trade partner demanding Walker or Winn.
Now they will be back to having every prospective trade partner demanding Walker or Winn.
It is possible that their value will never be higher.
So prices were too high for them and they’ve shown they are not willing to come off their prized prospects or even Nootbaar / Donovan types.
I guess we can look forward to eventually getting another Matz type, on a reliever AAV, as our big pitching acquisition.
Speaking of Matz, before he blew out his knee he was sidelined with a sore shoulder, and we know how sore shoulders can go. At least we’re not on the hook for $30M a year in case things go south for him again.
At his best, 2018 and 2019, he was a 5 inning starter, but he took a regular turn all year. I’ll take it if we can get it. We kind of know what a 5 inning guy means for the pen though. So that would need to work too. It could, depending on how many 5 inning guys they have to cover for.
The best way to find out about the Card’s chances in ’23 is for someone at ST (bcc) sneak into the sick bay and speak to the Docs directly. There arm arms and shoulders and legs that will need to be in tip-top operational mode…. or else. I’m hoping that the pitchers stay off the IL all season… but what are the chances of that happening.
Also for bcc… tell Mozeliak that we need a top notch starter.
14 – At Winter Warm Up Mo said he was well aware of the Cardinal fans’ desire for a top of the rotation starter. That the signings were way higher than anticipated, however, and out of the realistic realm. He went on to say that he wanted to see how Jack Flaherty is going to do and that moves could be made over the summer if necessary. Made sense to me.
It makes good sense to me. I’m not an advocate of offering up tremendous amounts of money over an extended period of time for any pitcher. Too risky of a proposition. Of course, I wouldn’t propose a court ordered injunction to prevent them from doing so either, simply for the reason that it’s not my money…Haha!
As has been posted, Hudson may be a surprise this season. Some may forget that he was 16-7 before the pandemic and TJ.
The Cards might be in decent “depth” shape with Hudson, Pallante, Liberatore, Woodford, and Thompson. Probably better than having starts from Naughton, Oviedo, and Hicks.
Oliver – he has an electric 95 mph sinking fastball. If he starts it at the knees, it goes low. Produces a high walk rate if batters lay off of it. Needs to start it a little higher.
And when Big League hitters fail to lay off and chase, they hope to see something that starts “a little higher”…Then, when they guess rightly, their eyes light up like they hit the jackpot before they uncoil and launch a 400 ft. projectile…Haha! I’m joking, but I’m not. We both know that a “little” higher” is easier said than done and can quickly turn into a veritable catastrophe.
I think Hudson will have a tough time getting back to his pre injury days. plus with the new time clock which is going to speed him up, and will be uncomfortable. Also, Libby needs a bunch of aaa innings to work on his stuff; he will be a 4-5 starter, maybe. And Matz…??? shoulder soreness always tends to show itself after some innings… he cannot be counted on past the all star break. by then the younger guns will/should be getting more and more work. Thompson, Woody & Palante.
As we have seen the last 4 or five seasons… some may say more…. the FO is counting on four starters who have big question marks around their necks. Coming back from injuries and we wonder if they will return to their past prime performances. Then there are the young arms. Who can step it up? It seems like this is deja vu from last season… and the season before… and before that…. There has been a lot written about Flaherty’s 2023 season… it will be the same old hopes for his past success.
You know the rest of the usual suspects. My point is that we could be more optimistic about the ’23 season with a little more solid depth in this department. Time is running out.
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