- This topic has 99 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Edman will be 29 in May, and 2025 is his final season of control. I don’t expect he will be here after the end of the 2025 season at the latest. Maybe if Winn or Scott fail to develop as lineup regulars there would be sufficient reason to spend the money. But Mo prefer not to sign a glove man to a significant contract.
Reality is hard to take, isn’t it? Winn isn’t going to be traded and he is the starting SS. This is not opinion.
You have to give Winn his chance as the upside is high. He is only 21 though and it might not be 2024 that he really takes charge. My guess is he struggles over the first half and starts to gain traction later in the season, if he is still on the big league club.
Hope I am wrong and he takes charge right away, but a reasonable thought is he will take some time to mature.
That is one reason I am kind of surprised management has this “win now” approach with signing older pitchers. Seems like if they want to win in 2024 and play the old guard, Edman would be the shortstop and Winn would start the year in Memphis. Then if they are not competing by July, Edman would be shopped for younger guys, and Winn would be brought up. If they are competing, then the plan worked and Masyn gets a full season at AAA to hone his skills all the more.
bikemike, that focus seems only on SS. The problem is that they don’t have three starting outfielders without Edman there. O’Neill flamed out and was traded. Noot isn’t ideally a CF and Carlson can’t hit right-handers. Edman is the CF by necessity.
And Winn was hitting up a storm in Triple-A last summer before his promotion. His defense was already ready. He has shown he can play to that level. He struggled in a 37-game debut with St. Louis, but he is rightfully getting more time than that.
Regarding the 2024 strategy, it sure doesn’t feel like “win now” to me. It feels like a transition year and try to be competitive until they can sort out which of the nine top prospect pitchers close to the majors will be good enough to join the rotation.
….it sure doesn’t feel like “win now” to me.
I also felt a little bump in my ride when I read that. Bikemike qualified that with the pitchers, though. To me, it’s another year where it’s hard to detect an overall architectural theme when looking at the roster build in totality. It might make a person think it lacks strategic thinking, but I doubt it does.
It’s more like a “let’s build at least a glimmer of hope for squeaking into the playoffs” approach. It’s like running a hedge fund in some ways. Buy a few assets that prevent fan interest from really tanking, and trade them for some return if it’s ends up not going so well. And and all the rest that goes with that…..
That’s a strategy, just not one that’s labeled as such and not one most fans would embrace.
I think this is a “let’s try to be at least competitive while we percolate young talent year”. It’s definitely not a “win now” year. I do think they want to make the playoffs just like any other year. But they’re not willing to uncomfortably spend or make risky trades to get there. Which honestly is just a mostly normal Cardinal year. The only way that it’s any different is that they are 100% committing to a 21 year old shortstop with basically a somewhat sketchy backup plan. Yes, Winn could be really good. And if not, yes Carlson, Nootbaar, and Walker could still be a good alternative outfield. But those all have around the same odds as our starting rotation being above average. Yes, there’s a chance.
They let the floor rot out and now have to build it back. Looks trying to get back to “where we were”. I doubt they are trying to raise the ceiling beyond division winner, then hope to get lucky.
You guys said it well as far as the approach management is taking. They are not committing to a full “win now” strategy, nor are they committed to a full rebuild.
On the surface it makes me think we will be a mediocre club – nothing to get excited about today, and not the expectation that tomorrow will be much better.
The Cardinals philosphy for at least the last 10 years has been to build a team just good enough to squeak into the playoffs. This offseason is no different and I expect it to always be the philosophy with the current ownership and front office in place.
Coincidentally we have not appeared in the World Series in the last 10 years.
I’ve see projections of $6.5-$7.1 for Edman’s arb salary this year. So he’s getting into the fat paycheck catagory where Mo doesn’t like to be with a glove man. I can easily believe that he doesn’t want to be there with a UT either, however super he is. Nor would he have any interest in signing UT to a contract for that kind of money extending beyond the years of control. So I think Edman had to be given an everyday starting position or get offed sooner rather than later. So, abracadabra, poof, he’s a starting center fielder. That and SS are the two place where a glove man might be worth the money in Mo’s estimation. We will see how he does in the role.
I’d say $7M is a bargain. I’d also say that Johnny’s the type of guy that shops around so he’s aware that $7M’s a bargain for little Eddie. Johnny’s boss likes a bargain, so Johnny likes Eddie.
I think Mo will like him well enough for the last two arb years if he can sick in CF and his offense does not diminish from where it is. A .307 OBP and .399 SLG means he will be a bottom of the order hitter. There is nowhere to go from there except over the side.
He had a down year with the rest of the team in ’23. If he crosses HP anywhere near his career average in ’24, Johnny may not like how much money the mediator concludes is a fair shake.
Bikemike, you hit the nail on the head again! I want you to replace Mo! Very little to look forward to until you do!
GameCard, we all know Edman is by far your favorite player, but if the team succeeds with Tommy in centerfield and Winn at shortstop you gotta like that.
Winn tore it up in the minors the last two years. He reminds me some of an early-career Yadier Molina. He is already major-league capable defensively at a premium defensive position; just needs to mature on offense.
And that should come – he has the look of a future .800+ OPS player based on what he has done at a young age so far in the minors.
So while we all want to see our favorite players succeed, bottom line is what is best for the team. Management has not exactly been astute in their player evaluations in recent years, but you cannot fault them for wanting to see what they have in this kid.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.