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I agree that Gorman is worse long term at 2B than Walker is as a RFer. Walker has all the physical tools to be a very good outfielder and just needs reps. He’s getting those this offseason. He was already much improved by the end of 2023. On the other hand, Gorman does not have the physical makeup to be a better than average 2B. He pulled off being so-so there last year. But he’s very unlikely to ever get much better than that. So if Goldy does leave us at the end of 2024, Gorman should be the new starting first baseman. That also allows either Donnie or Edman to play 2B. I’d bet on Edman if Scott is ready to start in CF.
Gorman is an average 2B. He should be at 3B but Mo pulled the trigger on the Arenado trade after already having Gorman in the organization. The thing that worries me about Gorman is his bad back. He probably needs a less demanding position or more DH time to stay healthy.
Our best 2B is Edman but we have to have him in CF since Carlson can’t hit. Our land of misfit toys.
Several folks seem to be assuming that Goldy is headed out the door at the deadline or next winter. I will believe it when I see it and I hope I don’t see it.
The FO is trying to focus on the long term, when they play Walker in the OF.
They are also trying to give Winn the long term opportunity at SS, and Herrera the opportunity for a catching time share. If these fall in place, how do you not like the lineup core going forward?
These three young players above will have a four season window with Donovan, Noot and Gorman (starting in 2024).
Those 6 players above also share a four season window with Willson and Arenado.
A possible eight regulars, with a succession plan of Edman, Carlson and Scott in CF. DH? Wide open if Goldy walks.
Raise your hand if you think this is going to happen.
BenFred: Cardinals are 1 surprise move away from dropping hammer on National League Central https://t.co/9OTcZZVZZs
— STL Cardinals News (@STLCardsNews) February 3, 2024
Boras is playing it to perfection as he knows how to do. The idea of BDW being a dark horse is absurd.
Sell unreasonable hope, then write another column about the great disappointment when it doesn’t happen. Two for one!
I kept expecting the P-D paywall to come slamming down, but it never did. There is some meaning in that.
“My whole offseason plan has just been making sure physically and mentally I’m in a spot to be prepared to try to throw 200 innings,” Thompson said, per Lynn Worthy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Saw this on some blog. I assume it’s an accurate quote but I don’t have a P-D sub any more.
In other words Thompson is prepping exactly the same as last winter. How did that work out? I wish he’d spent the winter putting everything he has into 15 pitches.
I’m not sure I get why there’s more benefit in throwing fewer pitches. Thompson could easily become a reliever in season if needed, but if he’s needed to spot start he won’t be able to ramp up from 15 pitches very easily.
We have an interesting staff. We have a complete staff with every box checked. The assumption that not one of Mikolas, Lynn, Matz, Gibson, Liberatore, Thompson, Pallante, or Graceffo, will step up and pitch like a number two starter is far from assured. Excessive negativity is not the same thing as reasonable expectations. I suspect that four of the above-mentioned players will perform above his career norms while four will suffer injury or regression.
Pick any four of those names, and insert his apex season and we look pretty good(unless you pick Pallante, Graceffo, Liberatore, and Thompson; this would mean things went horribly wrong or unbelievably well).Saw where Cory kluber retired. Looking at his numbers, aside from last year he wasn’t that bad. Seems like he shouldn’t have retired unless no one was looking at him. Which would be a shame. I would have rather the Cardinals looked at him as opposed to a few of the guys they brought in.
The assumption that not one of Mikolas, Lynn, Matz, Gibson, Liberatore, Thompson, Pallante, or Graceffo, will step up and pitch like a number two starter is far from assured.
Its not assured and it seems real unlikely. I give the best odds on Matz stepping up, and that mostly depends on him staying healthy all year, which seems unlikely. I don’t think any of the late career guys, Mikolas, Lynn, Gibson, will sustain that kind of a resurgent burst for any large part of the season. Liby, Thompson, Pallante and Greceffo all would have to pull out of a stall, and since none of them ever even established dominance at the AAA level, I think it unlikely.
I doubt we have a dynamic duo at the front of the rotation. We should regularly get competent starts that put us in a position where we have a chance to win.
That is likely their plan. Be competitive enough to win a weak division and hope for an unlikely run in October, which has basically been the plan for the last 10 years.
Since I am always looking for a ray of sunshine, I will mention that the DBs had a good run with an 84 win team.
“Competent starts” is a very good way to make it to buyer status, which invites a “dynamic duo” transaction, like Monty was for us.
That is likely their plan. Be competitive enough to win a weak division and hope for an unlikely run in October, which has basically been the plan for the last 10 years.
Very true Brian. This has been the life of a Cardinal fan for too long. A hope and a prayer. I don’t think Walt Jocketty liked to build teams that way. As much grief as I give Mo and his crew it was really BDW who changed the the way the Cardinals do business when he chose Mo and Lunhow over Jocketty. The idea was to have a more robust farm system to give the big leage team a steady supply of cheap talent but has it really turned out that way? I prefer the old aggressive Cardinals of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s instead of the timid, conservative Cardinals of today hoping to squeak by in a weak division.
GSCOTTAR – I’m going to disagree 100%. And I’m sure im going to be in the minority on here. I don’t like the Walt Jockety plan of attack better at all. The Cardinals are still aggressive – but they pick their shots. They were aggressive with Goldschmidt, Arenado, and Ozuna. They tried to be aggressive with David Wells and Stanton. Some of those Jockety pitching staffs and bullpens were terrible. They just got extremely lucky when they drafted Pujols in the 13th round. Now one plus Jockety had that he took advantage of that doesn’t really exist today is he was able to acquire some good players at the deadline for peanuts. In today’s game, every player has tons of data on them. Not so much then. So he traded for Holliday, Edmonds, and Will Clark on the cheap. But there were tons of other poor free agent signings and the ill-advised disastrous Muldur trade. I think all people naturally try to remember the past with a bit of a halo effect. The glory days. But I think today’s Cardinals are much better run overall. They still make mistakes like everyone else. Actually, most of their mistakes occurred when they tried to be too aggressive. And now the age of analytics has caught fire around the league giving every lowly team a similar advantage because all they need at a minimum is a subscription to Fangraphs. But overall, there’s a least a solid plan going on for the Cardinals. Even if we don’t always agree with it. The Cardinals still turn out tons of value from their minor league system. Last year aside, they still play good fundamental baseball and are nearly always a top 5 team in the NL. And the team still does a really good job of honoring its players and traditions. That’s why they are so highly rated in TV ratings and why 3 million people visit every year. We can’t be the Dodgers. Would I like to be the Braves. Hell yes. But aside from those two, I think we have the next best run NL team.
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