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If anyone in the Cardinal organization has a brain they will focus on making Libby the best possible reliever he can be. There is a mountain of data to suggest he is much better in the pen than as a starter. There was a mention in a recent Derrick Goold chat of the Cardinals trying to turn Libby into the 2016 version of Andrew Miller. I don’t know how feasible that is but it would be a much more worthy objective than trying to make him a starter.
I know Libby has nothing to do with the Rule 5 draft but his name came up when discussing Thompson so it made me think of it.
Even if he only turns into a solid 3rd starter that’s much more valuable than a middle reliever/multi inning guy.
If we’re looking at where the Cardinals are today roster wise it’s pretty straightforward, I think, except on the fringes of the pen.
Starters
C: Herrera (R)
1B: Burleson/Baker Platoon (L/R)
2B: Donovan (L)
3B: Arenado (R)
SS: Winn (R)
LF: Nootbaar (L)
CF: Siani (L)
RF: Walker (R)
DH: Contreras (R)Bench:
Backup C: Pages (R)
Utility: Saggese (R)
1B/PH: Burleson/Baker (L/R)
4th OFer: Koperniak (L)Lots of ifs here which is the nature of going young but this should be a greatly improved offense over the 2024 version and there’s really not a downgrade defensively. Goldy hasn’t been peak defensive Goldy in a couple years (0 DRS in 2024) and Burleson isn’t a bad defender at 1B. Koperniak can’t play CF but Noot can. If Koperniak tears the cover off the ball in spring training then move Noot to CF and put Koperniak in left with Siani in the 4th OFer role. Saggese allows them to retain the flexibility they’ve had with Donovan in the OF if needed but I’d rather see a more settled roster this year for the young guys’ sake. Give them a role and let them fill it every day.
SP:
1. Gray
2. Fedde
3. McGreevy
4. Pallante
5. Mikolas/Matz/LiberatoreI actually like this rotation. Pitching wasn’t really the issue last year. With an average offense they win 90+ games last year with the pitching staff they had and this one isn’t any worse with the potential to be much better. Pallante worries me because he’s Mikolas with a lot more walks and better batted ball luck but maybe he’s actually figured out the Glavine Secret for inducing weak contact. I think the likely outcome is Mikolas in the 5th spot providing bulk innings at the back end of the rotation. They’re going to need someone like that to help offset the two young guys in the middle of the rotation.
Bullpen:
Closer: Helsley
LH Setup: Romero
RH Setup: Loutos
Middle: Fernandez, King, Leahy
The two of Mikolas, Matz, Liberatore that don’t win the 5th spotThis is a very strong bullpen. How the 5th starter spot turns out would shuffle some pieces. If it’s Matz and Liberatore (my opinion it’s the likely outcome) in the pen then trade King and bring up another righty from the minors or use it as a shuttle spot for fresh arms.
Notable names that are missing:
Nolan Gorman – He has two options left. Unless he just destroys the ball in the spring and shows some zone recognition you send him to AAA to work with Ludwick. There’s still a good player here with what is said to be a great work ethic. That’s something you try to fix. He’s made himself into at worst an average defensive 2B and could always move back to 3B if they moved Arenado. The swing and confidence have to be fixed first though.
Victor Scott II: – Love the speed. Love the glove. He doesn’t have an MLB quality swing or physicality. I’ve wanted them to trade him basically since they drafted him if they could find a sucker to take him. Short of a total swing and approach rework I don’t think he’s ever anything but a defensive replacement and pinch runner. Even if he can rework the swing he’s at best an average MLB bat. There’s no underlying power to tap into here and I don’t think think he has the eye to become an ultra selective on base machine that would allow him to tap into his speed on the bases.
I have mentioned Luis Robert many times as a trade candidate for CF. He is a high risk high reward guy. I repeat high risk high reward. He could be top 5 MVP or he could be hurt all year with a .650 OPS.
Robert has never played at a top 5 MVP level. It’s fine to fall in love with tools at 20 or 21 but he’s 27 now and shown what he’s likely to be going forward. Siani was twice as valuable as Robert last year even without a bat.
