2018 St. Louis Cardinals

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#28      

KBLEE

Montgomery, IL
Well they lost 87 in 2010 and 89 in 2014 so I guess they were just regular bad those years...

You specifically said they had 90-100 losses for 5 seasons. Using that logic, the Cardinals lost 80-90 games the last 2 seasons.
 
#29      
It was actually 3 seasons (2011-13).

Let’s be fair. The Cubs stunk for the better part of the last 2 decades. I think even the most optimistic Cards fan would have to think it’s going to be a tall order to keep up with what the Cubs are likely able to do in the next ten years though. The payroll flexibility and the front office they have in place are going put them in a pretty good spot. They have position player depth at the major league level that is going to allow for some deals from strength. I look for the Cubs to make some deals over the next several years to rebuild the minor league system and avoid the bottoming out has happpened to so many teams. Anyways, it’s just great to have the Cubs and Cards a rivalry that matters.
 
#30      
So when the Cardinals signed Leake in '15, there was no draft pick attached to his free agency. The Cards then are able to dump that contract when things didn't work out. It looked like it freed up money until.....

the Cards sign Mikolas. He also has no draft pick attached. This move takes the savings from dumping Leake but shortens the term. A shorter term is nice. He and Leake are/were bridges to our home raised talent but does it show an indifference to winning this year?

I would argue that the Leake savings should have gone to Archer and some prospects to The Rays. Instead the Cardinals hang on to draft picks and prospects. Meanwhile, Mikolas only brings more uncertainty to a starting rotation with Wainwright's age decline, Wacha's shoulder and Reyes being untested and coming back from TJ.


I'm doubtful our rotation can compete for a division title but this group with Ozuna hopefully keeps us in the playoff pictures while our rotation works through their issues. Genius if it works but advanced metrics has us playing on the margin rather than going all in on a starting rotation.
 
#31      
Looks like Addison Reed and Twins have reached a deal. Good article today by BenFred in StL Post Dispatch about Cardinals not really addressing their pitching.
 
#32      
Mo says Gregerson was signed to fill closer role when season begins. He's obviously so much smarter than Luhnow and the crew in Houston.

I hope this is posturing on another deal that's possibly cooking. I'm not saying it won't work but it takes a bounce back season from Gregerson.
 
#35      
I think we are going to live or die with young pitching. It could be really exciting if it goes well.
 
#38      
#41      

Ryllini

Lombard
Grichuk traded to Blue Jays

I’m fine with this move. We clear some of our outfield depth and add to the pen.

I still don’t believe upper management with they say Gregerson will be the closer. I think that was said to see if a team like Tampa would blink and lower their asking on Colome. I don’t think it will work. There will be more moves. I think we are seeing a bit of a market corrections in regards to free agents. The owners don’t seem to fond of shelling out gigantic, long term deals.
 
#42      
Here's what the guys from MLBtraderumors.com had to say about the two players that the Cardinals got:
Leone, a 26-year-old righty, has bounced around the league some but is fresh off of an excellent 2017 season. In 70 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.56 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. He’ll join an increasingly deep relief corps that perhaps will still be boosted by another late-inning arm.

Leone has had similar success previously — in his 2014 debut with the Mariners — but struggled notably in the ensuing two seasons. All said, though, there’s plenty of reason to think he’ll continue to represent a quality asset. In 2017, he delivered his average fastball at 94.9 mph, recorded a personal-high 14.5% swinging-strike rate, and tamped down on the homers that had come to plague him.

Better still, the cutter-heavy Leone was equally effective against both righty (.208/.267/.357) and lefty (.181/.261/.366) hitters. The Cards will have the ability to control him for four more seasons. Leone reached arbitration as a Super Two, agreeing earlier this winter to a $1.085MM salary for the 2018 season.

Greene is a notable part of the deal as well. Still just 22 years of age, Greene has long been credited with interesting tools. He is said to possess a big heater, quality change, and useful slider. That said, there’s still quite a bit of polish needed and questions persist as to whether Greene will make it as a starter.

Last year, Greene struggled to a 5.29 ERA in his 132 2/3 innings at Double-A, managing only 6.2 K/9 against 5.6 BB/9 on the year. That showing obviously did not help his stock. Still, the Jays placed him on the 40-man roster at the end of the season in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

It seems reasonable to expect that Greene will be given another chance to work out the kinks as a starter in the upper minor. But he might also take up a place on the Cards’ relief depth chart.
 
#46      

Illwinsagain

Cary, IL
Cardinals bringing back former closer Edward Mujica on a minor league deal that does not include an invitation to the major league camp.


I guess the Redbirds are focusing on quantity vs. quality for the bullpen. I understand their thought process, there are years that I thought the bullpen would be a strength and they weren't. Also years that I was concerned, and it turned out fine. Motte and Rosenthal came out of no where (at least for me) and became very good closers for a couple years.
 
#47      
Nightengale reports Holland turned down 3 years for 52 million to return to Rockies. Same deal they gave Davis. Got tripped up looking for a fourth year.
 
#48      
Holland was miserable for the last month and a half of 2017. Posted an 8.47 ERA in his last 19 appearances. Sure, coming off injury and pitching all year in Coors has to take it out of you. So he had reason to be out of gas at that point. But there are enough warning signs there that I can see a lot of teams not wanting to give him "Big Time Closer" money.
 
#49      

the national

the Front Range
Holland was miserable for the last month and a half of 2017. Posted an 8.47 ERA in his last 19 appearances. Sure, coming off injury and pitching all year in Coors has to take it out of you. So he had reason to be out of gas at that point. But there are enough warning signs there that I can see a lot of teams not wanting to give him "Big Time Closer" money.

To me, he feels like a rosenthal type. Is insanely good but slipped due to injury. No fault of his, but he’s got to be relistic about his career. He was crazy to turn down a he Rockies offer
 
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