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  • in reply to: 2024 Arbitration cases #241414
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    My point is that I don’t feel sorry for anybody who’s a multimillionaire while still under the age of 30. I admit that I’m somewhat resentful of a player, who might strike out three times and who might miss a play or two, but still gets to collect $40,000* for stopping by the ballpark for a few hours.
    (*$6.5M paid divided by 162 games played….about $40,000)

    BTW, we, the fans, are the enablers for MLB’s warped economy. It’s not the owners or the agents or the players.

    in reply to: 2024 Arbitration cases #241371
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    Even if they did make $100M, that’s less than 4% on a $2.55 billion dollar investment. They should sell the franchise and buy CDs that pay 4.5%.

    I know the Cardinals run the risk of upsetting poor Tommy Edman by expecting him to play for a measly $6.5M for working all season long. To make matters worse, it follows the 2023 season when he had to work for an embarrassing $4.2M. Even if the arbitrator rules in favor of the Cardinals, the Cardinals should recant, and give the poor guy that extra $450,000.00. I’m sure it’s the bean counters fault. They’re, no doubt, telling the front office something like ‘Look…. $450,000.00 here, $450,000.00 there…it adds up’. But that’s their job, I guess.

    in reply to: 2024 Budget #241363
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    My guess is because they are worried about short term revenue.

    I don’t think they’re just looking for short term revenue, although that may be part of it. They’re making sure the front office stays within the organizations’ budget. That’s pretty typical of all businesses, but developers, in particular, like the DeWitts, are single-minded, if not fanatical, about budgets.

    in reply to: 2024 Budget #241360
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    I think the reason they backloaded Gray’s contract is because they’re looking at one of Gibson($12M) or Lynn($11M) coming off the books after 2024, with Thompson, McGreevy, or Graceffo as the rotation replacement. Then, after the 2025 season, the total of Mikolas’ $18.5M, Matz’s $12.5M, and either Lynn’s $11M, or Gibson’s $12M, comes off the books. Lynn and Gibson will be pushing hard for their options to get picked up after 2024. That’s a good thing.

    in reply to: Palacios traded for Kittredge #241292
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    If Burly hits there will be a team that’s willing to place him in left field, or first base, or DH.

    in reply to: Palacios traded for Kittredge #241278
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    I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Burleson’s bat yet. He was drafted in 2020, sat out 2021 because of the lockdown, then went from Peoria all the way to Memphis in 2021, then he made 470 PA for Memphis in 2022 before finishing up the season with 53 AB for St. Louis. So it took Burleson less than two full seasons in the minors to get from college ball to the big leagues. Let’s back off and see what this kid can do in the next couple of years.

    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241199
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    Was it really Chaim Bloom and the Rays’ player development staff that brought the Rays their unusual success? Or was it the sweeper?

    https://www.mlb.com/news/sweeper-slider-latest-pitching-trend-explained

    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241140
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    Thanks for posting. I like Girsch.

    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241138
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    One not so obvious benefit of this Bloom hiring is, that if Girsch gets poached by another organization, the Cardinals have an experienced replacement for him already in house.

    in reply to: 2024 Budget #241137
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    The Dodgers are the only organization that acted like a big pig hogging everything it laid it’s eyes on.

    The Phillies got somewhat carried away, but no other organization did. As a result there are still a lot of big names still available.

    Here’s a few top free agents still not signed:

    Snell
    Montgomery
    Hader
    Bellinger
    Chapman

    There are many more very good free agents still not signed with spring training only a month away.

    The only reason that I can think of that makes so many players still available is price, although in years past, price did not stop teams from paying up. It’s hard to imagine that the owners and their front offices have gotten smarter after so many years of being demonstrably stupid and greedy, so they must be feeling the squeeze from their fan bases.

    in reply to: 2024 Bullpen #241132
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    In spite of his age, IMO, Wilking Rodriguez will get a chance at some point next season if he can still throw his 100MPH fastball and his nasty cutter.

    in reply to: 2024 Budget #241075
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    I have a feeling that at the bottom of this you’d find that season ticket sales are considerably down going in to 2024.

    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241074
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    It seems like every time I went to a Saturday game at spring training , I’d see Mo and Girsch roaming around in the stands. That was kind neat. Bloom doesn’t work on Saturdays for religious reasons, but given his success in Tampa Bay, I’d say not being available on Saturdays doesn’t hurt him. I hope that extra set of eyes helps the whole Cardinals organization. And I bet it will.

    in reply to: Tommy Edman wrist surgery #241060
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    SS, 2B and CF roles: the second thru fourth hardest positions on the defensive spectrum.

    Catcher is the hardest. As far as second through fourth, I’d be inclined to go with 3B as the third hardest position on the defensive spectrum, that is, when you’ve got a third baseman that can really go and get the ball.

    the intangibles mean a lot more than perhaps we know.

    This is what makes me wonder about Carlson.

    Performing and competing are not quite the same thing, IMO.

    in reply to: 2024 Budget #241059
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    Well this puts an end to any fantasies about Kershaw popping up in St. Louis wearing a Cardinal uniform.

    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241057
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    in reply to: Chaim Bloom Joins The Front Office #241048
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    I guess there’s no way to know for sure how a hiring like this comes to be. But I’m going to guess that it’s mostly because someone in the Cardinals’ front office knows Chaim Bloom because of the Cardinals’ prior dealings with the Rays organization.

    in reply to: Roster Matrix #241045
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    This is going to be a lot to handle for Midwest League batters….

    Springfield rotation: Hence
    Roby
    Bedell
    Panaigua
    Rajcic
    (Hjerpe, arriving in May)

    Bullpen: Nunez
    Svanson
    Cornwell
    Ralston
    ??

    in reply to: 25% of the bench #240946
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    Dylan Carlson is still only 25 years old, just turned 25 last October. I’m not quite ready to give up on his hitting yet. He could still figure it out. My biggest complaint about Carlson is that he doesn’t seem to play with a lot of enthusiasm. i could say more, but what I’m saying is so subjective that I think it’s better to not to say more.

    in reply to: 25% of the bench #240908
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    My understanding is that Carlson injured his foot in May of 2023, and played through it the rest of the season. If Carlson is healthy and hitting well at spring training, then it’s easy to see Carlson in centerfield when a backup shortstop is needed, and Edman playing shortstop. They don’t need to carry Fermin as long as Edman is there. I’d like to find out if Baker’s power is real.

    in reply to: Palacios traded for Kittredge #240829
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    For what it’s worth… Burleson bats left and Baker bats right. Both have shown they can hit, but not yet proven as DH at the major league level. Baker’s power at Memphis in 2023 was intriguing.

    in reply to: Palacios traded for Kittredge #240815
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    (assuming Donovan is DH)

    Oli likes to use Donovan as a super utility guy that he can move around all over the field. I’m not sure what his rationale is for that, but that’s the way he managed last year. If Oli still wants to do that in 2024, that would open up a spot for Baker as DH. I’d like to find out if Baker’s power is for real, and if it is, Baker ought to be a regular right-handed DH…… unless I’m missing something.

    in reply to: The Cardinal Nation’s 2024 Top 50 Prospect Countdown #240802
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    When I watch those GIFs of Saggese going down and batting those breaking balls, I wonder why he isn’t more highly regarded. His bat control is unbelievable. And he’s only 21 years old, 22 years old on April 10. If he plays second base somewhere, maybe he misses a play once in awhile. So what? His bat makes up for it. The scout Brian quoted wondered why the Cardinals wanted him since there isn’t an apparent opening for him. Duh. They wanted him because he was the best available. Nothing wrong with that. If Saggese maintains his past minors hitting success at Memphis, I don’t see how they can keep him there very long.

    in reply to: Palacios traded for Kittredge #240800
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    With this acquisition there is probably only one bullpen spot available unless there’s an injury, two spots if they decide to take 13 pitchers north after spring training, which could very well happen because of the Palacios trade, and a third spot if they make Pallante’s spot competitive. So, the competition will be among John King, probably Andre Pallante, and Wilking Rodriguez, Ryan Fernandez, and Nick Robertson. It will be fascinating to watch how this plays out. King is the only lefty in the bunch. He had good success for the Cardinals in 2023 after the trade with the Rangers, but is not very highly regarded, it seems. Personally, I’d love to see Rodriguez make the cut although they do have flexibility with him. (For me, W-Rod is sort of a feel good story.) Ryan Fernandez has to be good enough to make the cut, or he goes back to Boston, and the Cardinals wasted $50K by picking him up in the Rule 5. I hope Pallante worked hard during the offseason. His spot is vulnerable, IMHO.

    I’m thinking that Pallante and King make the cut. And they keep Fernandez in the bullpen long enough to figure out if he deserves the spot. If Rodriguez pitches well at Memphis, he gets the first call up when needed. Robertson will get called up at some point in 2024, if he pitches well at Memphis.

    in reply to: Roster Matrix #240747
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    We still have two likely HOF players at the corner infield positions. Gorman OPS’d .805 with 27 HR in 2023, at the age of 23. Contreras posted a 3.4 WAR and an OPS of .826 in 2023. We’re not sure what we’ve got with Winn yet but most agree that he has the potential for a long and expensive career. If Walker’s defense improves, he will be a special player. Let’s keep in mind that Albert Pujols was an outfielder when he first came up. Everybody in the baseball world loves Nootbaar because of his talent and aggressive play. Same for Edman. Burleson has hit, and hit some more, wherever he has played. Donovan is a GG utility player. And
    Victor Scott is up and coming.

    Gray should be a decent TOR guy.
    Lynn will be fun regardless of how good he pitches, and he should be pretty good.
    Gibson should be fine, also, especially if our defense returns to form.
    Mikolas and Matz have a point to prove this year.

    Now if they can just get Kershaw to show up in a Cardinals uniform sometime around the middle of next summer…….

    It’s so much easier, and more fun, to be optimistic than pessimistic!

Viewing 25 posts - 76 through 100 (of 2,612 total)