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stlcard25 – Thanks for all the time and energy you put into this ranking. You handled it beautifully. Thanks again. It was interesting, fun, and it stimulated lots of us to think and learn more about Cardinals’ prospects. Merry Christmas!
It also makes sense for the Mariners to acquire Arenado. They’re not at all strong at 3B. Arenado could very well be the piece that puts the Mariners over the top. Maybe the Mariners can’t afford to take on as much of Arenado’s salary as the Cardinals are demanding. Or, maybe the Cardinals have a better offer from another team. It’s hard to believe that Dipoto is not jumping all over the prospect of acquiring both Donovan and Arenado. And even though the Mariners have already acquired a left-handed reliever, they could very possibly get Romero in the right deal. If ever there was a deal that was worth the cost for the Mariners, this would have to be it.
Nigel T – Thanks for posting. I have posted similarly about Arenado but not as thoughtful or as concisely. I’d hate to see him go even though it makes sense. I think if he were traded to a contender, we would see a resurgence in his offense. He could be the missing piece that pushes another team over the top. I don’t know what they will do with Wetherholt if Arenado isn’t traded. But if Arenado stays, I will be happy to see him retire as a Cardinal.
I hope Arenado gets to go some place where he can win a ring. I think he thrives on winning and he thrives on fan support. Wherever he goes he will be loved. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see his bat return. Seattle looks like the perfect fit for him. A package of Arenado and Donovan fills two of the Mariner’s needs, 2B and 3B. Maybe the Cardinals are asking for too much, or maybe the Mariners are asking for too much cash. Who knows? But if something doesn’t pop soon, Donovan will be in Kansas City.
net gain of $25,000 to Bill and the team
That cost has changed. It now costs $100K to sign a Rule 5 player and $50K to buy him back if he doesn’t work out for the acquiring team.
Something about the Rule 5 is weird. If the player is good enough to get drafted in the Rule 5, the fans want him back. But if he’s not good enough to stick with the acquiring team, it makes the player’s former team, and maybe the fans, too, wonder if it’s worth it to give back half of that $100K that they got for the player in the Rule 5.
I’m going to see if I can find the phone number for the Rays front office. I’m going to talk them into giving ME 15 millions bucks. I bet they’ll do it. These Winter Meetings have turned into a clown show. Now lets see what happens this afternoon with the Rule 5.
Fangraphs has Matz 25′ value at 8.9mil
Then the Rays must be thinking that they got a pretty good deal. I always admired the Rays for being a well run organization. In trying to understand, I can only say that ‘anyone can make a mistake’. This is a move that may actually cause attendance to go further down for the Rays.
I feel pretty much the same way about Arenado’s defense. I’d bet it’s worth 3 to 5 wins over the course of a season. That’s enough to make a difference. Seattle could probably make a deal with St. Louis to get both Arenado and Donovan for a fair price. But it seems like Seattle is always willing to settle for second or third place in their Division. So, even though a trade like that would solve their biggest problems, they don’t try to pull it off.
I figured that was going to come up, and I get your point. We don’t want to disrupt the kid’s progress. But we have at least three legitimate second baseman plus Wetherholt, and we have no heir apparent for third base, especially if Donovan is traded.
Late last night Oli joined the panel of pundits at the Winter Meetings for the MLB channel. He talked about Victor Scott and how much improvement Scott made last season and how hard Scott has been working this offseason. Oli said that he expects Scott to be much improved offensively in 2026. We’ll see. Then, one of the panelists asked Oli what position Weatherholt would be playing. Oli’s responded somewhat evasively by saying that Weatherholt can play several positions. But, at the end of his response, Oli said ‘Third base’ with an hint of uncertainty. Obviously, Wetherholt is not going to be playing third base unless they trade Arenado.
If Wetherholt can play third base, that would solve a lot of problems.
Most assessments by HOF voters are based primarily on the player’s stats. The stats of players who were using PED’s are invalid. They don’t count. As much as I wish they’re achievements were real, the truth is that their achievements are not real, and their fame is not real. If these known PED users are inducted into the HOF, then McGwire, and others, should be immediately inducted.
Add bb’s thoughtful and enlightening comment to what Kyle and BW said makes following Elissalt all the more interesting.
I had almost forgotten about that. Thanks. It makes me smile to think that Whitey finally got in the HOF.
A lot of ‘if’s’ with Elissalt, but a lot of promise, too. It will be interesting to follow his progress.
Thanks.
I stand corrected.
As a friendly reminder, the Cardinals with Whitey at the helm and Ozzie at SS, won the World Series in 1982.
I remember whitey Herzog’s blockbuster trade at the Winter Meetings in 1980. He traded
Garry Templeton, a switch hitting SS who batted 300+ his whole time in the minors and who demonstrated exciting speed and defense, Sixto Lezcano who had come to St. Louis as the centerpiece of another blockbuster trade, and Jose DeLeon who could be classified as no less than a #3 rotation starter, for Steve Miura who was a #3 or #4 rotation starter, Al Ohlmstead who was a decent left handed pitcher, and Ozzie Smith who was hitting .222 at a time when hitting .300 was the gold standard. I remember a reporter shoving the mic in Whitey’s face when he got off the plane back in St. Louis, and asking him about the trade to which Whitey replied, ‘I thought he was untouchable’. My thought at that time was, ‘ Are you crazy. We wanted you to make a good trade, not do something dumb like this’.I could see them trading Romero and Donovan for pitching from the Mariners. But it had better be a big return. It’s going to be a long summer if they trade Romero. He’s the best bullpen pitcher we have right now. A smart move for the Mariners if, as reported, they are also looking for a third baseman, would be to figure out how to include Arenado in the deal. I’d hate to see Nado go. But I’d be happy to see him get a ring. With a newly found optimism, I bet Arenado’s offense would return.
47. Max Rajcic – Probably should have been ranked in the 30’s.
48. Brian Holiday – ‘Holiday’ with one,
‘L’, not two L’s like Matt Holliday.
49. Keiverson Ramirez – Wish there would have been some discussion about this former DSL kid. I’m guessing that he is undergoing a period of adjustment after being shipped stateside.
50. Alec Willis – Listed at 6’5”, 220 lbs. Drafted out of high school although, reportedly, not intending to sign if drafted. Ultimately signed with Cardinals for $1M. Proved to TCN that he was still with the organization by allowing BW to take his photo during 2025 ST.No, Rat. The Winter Meetings start next week in Orlando, Dec. 7-10, Sunday through Wednesday. They will be held at the Swan and Dolphin resort hotels which are ‘twin’ hotels that face each other right inside Walt Disney World. On the last day of the Meetings, Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Rule 5 draft will be held. For what it’s worth, the hotels are owned and managed by Marriott even though they are on Disney property.
