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I agree with Brian. Edman is the better CF and should play over Carlson when he returns. Even with less innings in CF, Edman showed much better range there than Carlson.
Carlson is fine while Edman is out, but I have always maintained that defensively, he is better in a corner position. He doesn’t have the speed or the range that Edman has.
Furthermore, Carlson has to show me he can hit from the left side consistently. Spring stats are meaningless. If he hits well consistently from the left side in the regular season, then I will reconsider my position.
I would venture that the bulk of the success of both is due to other teams.
Both of those pitchers suggest that perhaps the Cardinals front office does not evaluate very well either.
Based on Gibson’s age and on stats that actually matter (of which games won is not such a stat) my answer is yes.
Games won relies on way more than a pitcher’s skill. A good offense and defense will make a pitcher appear better than he actually is.
Frankly, based on what I have seen them do now, I don’t believe the front office ever gave a single thought to signing Yamammoto.
I’m guessing they heard the $200 million or more prediction and said “not in our budget”.
The only way the Cardinals will ever get an elite pitcher is to draft and develop one. Unfortunately, the draft and development genie abandoned them years ago.
One way to get a number #1 starter is to spend money wisely. For example, don’t waste $22 million dollars on old and washed up pitchers like Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
When I was in high school track I came in third in my event at a particular track meet.
What makes that not special is there were only four people competing in my event.
Gray had an 8-8 record in 2023. While W/L record is not a stat that is particularly indicative of skill, there are some credible baseball analysts who have pointed out that his record is unusual for a runner up in a Cy Young race.
The point I am rather ungracefully making is that being second in the AL Cy Young race does not grant Sonny Gray some kind of pitching omnipotence nor does it suggest that he will pitch well going forward.
I have no serious problem with Gray in a vacuum. I have a problem with anointing him a our future ace. His past record suggests he is more of a #2 starter than a #1.
The Cardinals needs a #1 starter and they don’t have one.
LOL
I will not suggest that I know how to run a baseball team.
If you are asking whether about pure intellectual ability, then I might be intellectually superior but I would need more information to know for sure.
Seriously though, just because someone is a GM does not automatically mean they are infallible with respect to putting a team together.
One would have to believe Mozeliak has never made a mistake and I would doubt that is the case.
Brian is right. This rotation is not even a Division winner. It is third or fourth place at best and that is if you squint.
Also, they got Arenado basically for free for the first couple of years. They won’t get that kind of deal from the Padres.
Soto is likely to get $30 million in arbitration. No way the Cardinals want that.
Sure, it’s money and you think the Cardinals want an outfielder they don’t need for money they aren’t willing to pay for what they do need?
Don’t believe what Morosi says.
If they are doing a trade, then trade for Cease or Glasnow. We don’t need another outfielder. We are trying to dump some of what we have.
I won’t deny I wanted Yamamoto but I knew that was pie in the sky thinking for the Cardinals. They don’t do that kind of thing.
We were supposedly in on Juan Soto once before and it was a mirage.
Ask yourself why the Padres want to trade Soto.
As I said, there is nothing wrong with Gray. Signing a 34 year old who has probably pitched his best season and will more likely decline is not aggressive.
Signing one of the Japanese pitchers would fit my definition of aggressive.
I have said my piece. The Cardinals did what they always do. Play it safe and around the margins.
Yes, it is depressing and the strategy is not likely to change anytime soon.
The fact remains that the Cardinals are unwilling to spend big on any one player and will continue to play around the margins and hope to get lucky. That is an unexciting strategy for sure.
If ending 2023 with the worst record in 33 years wasn’t a big enough motivator I don’t know what will be.
Yay! The pitchers who lead in home runs allowed and hits allowed all have an option.
I get trying to make the best of this. I have just lost my ability to cover for incompetence.
It appears the Cardinals’ excessive risk averseness and reluctance to spend money has rubbed off on some people. It is a shame.
Starters who have shown they have the stuff are less risky than relying on arms that haven’t. You can always trade a longer term contract.
I have no problems with hoping on minor leaguers as long as you mitigate that with some proven talent. The Cardinals don’t do that. They just sign the shorter term contracts on the middle tier pitchers and rely on their ever dwindling luck of the draft.
There have always been prospects that have promise. When was the last time the minor leagues produced a No. 1 starter?
It looked like Flaherty might be, but injuries derailed that.
They have been trying to make Liberatore into a starter for a while. He hasn’t worked out.
Thompson has shown something lately but I am not holding my breath. The rest are lottery tickets.
I personally am not counting on any of them.
They are likely done with the rotation and will add some bullpen arms and be done.
There is nothing inherently wrong with Gray. He is 34 years old and will not be good for three years.
The problem is they haven’t done anything for the long term. They are just putting things off for another year hoping to get lucky with the arms in the minor leagues. That strategy hasn’t worked out in a long time.
It’s a very underwhelming move.
They will have to do this all over again next year. Probably plenty of old and cheap guys to get though.
I have mixed feelings about bullpens as a general rule.
On the one hand, relief pitchers are fungible, as they are often nothing more than pitchers with limitations in one form or another that make them not good starter material. It may be the lack of pitch variation for instance.
On the other hand, building a bullpen, imo, should start with choosing pitchers whose pitches are quality and who have had success with the most important rule of pitching, which is getting outs.
My issue with the Cardinals approach of building a bullpen in part with other team’s rejects is that other team’s rejects more often than not aren’t quality pitchers who are good at getting outs. Hence, that is why they are rejects.
If there are quality pitchers in your system that aren’t starter material then by all means put them in the bullpen.
However if you don’t have enough quality pitchers in your system, then you acquire them through trade or free agency. The Cardinals should do more of that and less of shopping in the Clearance Aisle.
I didn’t watch the game. I did follow on Gameday as I was doing other things.
With that caveat, I saw that Marmol commented after the game that the players were competing hard (my paraphrase I’m not looking up the quote).
I have been out there mostly alone in defending Marmol. Mainly because I don’t think he has a lot of choices. There is way more wrong with this team that is out of his control.
Nevertheless, I heard that and my first thought was to be skeptical. I just don’t see how this talented offense can be competing hard and be this bad.
Let’s be honest, when you are this far out of contention, there has to be the thought of not injuring yourself in pursuit of futility. In some part of my brain I can see the reasonableness of that.
I guess what I am saying is that I think Marmol is likely bullsh*tting us and I am not sure I blame him. PR still matters.
Then again maybe they are competing hard and they are just that bad.
