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I agree Blingboy,
1. The Cards do not have much to offer in trade vale to capture top notch pitching.
2. Ownership’s past behavior indicates they are unwilling to spend in Free Agency to get the type of pitchers needed.
3. It does not appear there are arms in the minor league system ready to step in a fill the gaps in the rotation. I believe the Front Office admitted as much earlier this year.This places the burden on the Front Office to identify and deliver high value / lower cost pitching similar to the way Tampa Bay does. This is a big ask for the number of quality arms needed to make this team a contender. In addition, the track record of the Front Office acquiring long-term pieces to the pitching staff over the past three to five years or so has not been great.
Tampa designated RHP Yonny Chirinos … you gotta think he can help the Cards this year and next. You get him for the rest of this season, arb eligible in 2024 and a Free Agent in 2025.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chiriyo01.shtml
The “talking heads” continue to mention Edman as a player that could be moved. I just do not see that being a viable option at this point. Winn appears to be the shortstop of the future. Will he be ready to play at the Major League level in 2024? I sure do not want to rush him the the majors … I want him to be ready to go.
If Edman is traded, is the club forced to retain DeJong as an insurance policy in the event Winn is not ready? Not sure Fermin is a starter … more likely a bench player that can provide good defense.
It will be interesting to see how the Front Office navigates the waters between now and the start of next season. So many holes in the pitching staff to fill in 2024, improving the team defense and improving the offensive performance of the outfield. All this with potential of eating portions of long-term contracts that have not worked out in order to clear roster spots. I sure hope the Cardinal’s Analyitics Group is capable of identifying players that can contribute and fit within ownership’s financial framework. No short order for sure.
Didn’t Flaherty and Montgomery indicate they intend to file for free agency? If so, your either trade them now or plan on giving each a qulifying offer at the end of the year. However, I am not sure either is capable of providing enough value to justify a Qualifying Offer based on their career numbers. Good pitchers, just not sure they are worth that much money.
I would agree with Brian. Scouting and development does not seem to be the problem. Areas of focus in recent drafts does appear to be a concern as well, but could be a result of where the Redbirds fall in the draft.
My bigger concern has been with the Front Office’s ability to identify Major League talent capable of contributing over several seasons. I recognize that any front office will have some misses. However, ownership has be be concerned with the approach when almost all of the signings do not work out. At some point, you need to step back and realize what you are doing is just not working and your need to change your approach.
The evaluation that goes into free agent signings has been disappointing at best over the past five to seven seasons. The organization has had some short-term wins, but no game changers over several seasons … Leake, Fowler, Cecil, Miller and Dickerson all fell short of expectations. Most of the pitchers acquired before the 2022 season are gone and the lone remaining player on the active roster cannot be considered a positive contributor (Matz, Naughton, Wittgren, McFarland, VerHagen and Brooks). It could be worse … the Cards pursued and lost out on Heyward and Price.
Oher areas that deserve re-evalution of contract extensions and what younger players to retain.
I read what Mo wants to do, but I cannot help to have doubts and/or concerns. The track record of this Front Office in evaluating players has been “iffy” in my book. I know they did a great job last summer upgrading the pitching staff. However, the last two off seasons have been disappointing at best.
Agree 1TD … I saw Gibson finish badly and hoped I would never see one of the Cardinal greats go through that again. Unfortunately, it appears that will not be the case.
Kinda thinking that the end of last season was not a mechanical issue as explained.
Is our Rule 5 guy still on the DL? Is he expected to miss the entire season? Or, is there a chance he will be joining the team in the near future?
IMO, the Cards rushed Walker to the majors. I know he had a great year at Springfield and shined in Spring Training. However, I have seen this happen before. This does not guarantee success at the Major League Level.
Walker has done an admirable job at the plate against RHP. However, I agree he needs more time learning to play the outfield. I am nit a big fan seeing him learn to play at the Major League Level.
Additionally, I am not confident Carlson or Burleson are going to be reliable every day players. Hope I am wrong.
Cannot disagree ZTR. However, the problems are so numerous. I think Ownership has to start with the Front Office and go from there. I mean, they have to change their approach to evaluating players and how to structure the roster. What a mess!
Nice to see:
– Cards win their third straight
– Cards come from behind to win
– Pitching staff shut down the Nats after a rocky start
– Hicks had his third straight good outing in closer roleCould Hicks be emerging as the closer?
Understand your frustration. However, IMO, blame rests more with Front Office. They have really dropped the ball here.
The only reason PDJ is on the roster is his contract. The Cards are notorious for not releasing players and just eating significant contracts. They are willing to eat large portions of contracts if they can get some prospects in a trade. They held onto Leake until Seattle was willing to give up prospects in return for Leake and cash. They did something similar with the Angels for Fowler.
I am willing to bet they are trying to work a similar deal with PDJ. I’m not convinced there will be anyone willing to offer much (like the other deals). If this fails, he will be in the Major League roster through the end of this year. Then I predict the Cards exercise the buyout and move on.
Just think of what this approach means for Matz’s tenure in St. Louis. We could have him in our bull pen for two seasons after this one.
Guys, you do not have to go to Colorado to buy gummies. They can be purchased in Illinois. They might cost a little more, but you save on travel expense.
Wait … have we stumbled on what the issue with the Cards Front Office could be?
I am in agreement with ZTR. The change needs to start at the top. You cannot let this Front Office make any major moves given all that has happened over the past five seasons or so. They have misjudged hte abilities of a number of young players, botched several free agent signings and misjudged roster competitiveness. I see more of the same if you leave them in charge.
Ownership needs to bring in another person to lead the restructuring activities. Ideally this can be done soon so the new person can evaluate what the organization has and what it needs before the end of the season (both on the field and in the front office). I am advocating an approach similar to that used by Gussie when he hired Whitey. It will not change how the team finishes this season, but has the potential to set up a productive offseason.