Cardinals Hot Stove

#151      

the national

the Front Range
I love Bader because he brings a bounce to the game. It always feels a bit more exciting when he’s back there in center defensively. I can’t remember the exact date but the stl beat writer was on Saturday sports talk with lauren Tate and was saying that Bader was difficult to coach because he consistently sought out advice from his personal trainer over the coaching staff. The staff had a major issues with this and it made Bader not as coachable in the box. Not sure how true that is (anyone else hear similar things?), but Bader needs waaay more disciple to be an effective hitter.
 
#152      
If this is the the roster that we’re going with pencil us in for 81-90 wins and getting rocked in the postseason by a team that’s actually built for a WS run.
 
#153      

Illwinsagain

Cary, IL
If this is the the roster that we’re going with pencil us in for 81-90 wins and getting rocked in the postseason by a team that’s actually built for a WS run.
I am likely drinking the kool-aid, but I am hoping that the outfield improves without Ozuna and with Fowler catching more bench, once Carlson comes up. I think it is safe to say defensively they should be better. Ozuna's and Fowler's numbers for last year are not all that impressive and their defense has been below average. Also, if Carp only plays against RH and Edman plays against LH and late game defensive switch, the defense and base-running both improve. It would be a very solid infield defense. If Carp doesn't come around, Edman can become the regular at 3rd. If the 49ers can go retro and make it to the Super Bowl, why can't the Cards go back to Whitey Ball (ok, not not stealing 300 bases/year, but closer).
A good starting rotation, with excellent defense and some small ball. The relief pitching is always a crap shoot, no matter how much attention is paid to it. But there are enough parts that have shown good things, that it is reasonable to assume that it will be a strength again. Again, kool-aid drinking.
 
#154      
The market on Ozuna wasn’t very strong and basically equal to the QO from the Cardinals. I’m assuming all clubs valued him about the same.
Mo was hoping to have gotten an All Star in Ozuna and it just didn’t work out. Im still pretty disgusted that Brewers got Yelich after Cardinals told he wasn’t available.
I do think the front office is planning on Carlson sooner than later so didn’t want to block him with a more expensive Ozuna.

In the Marlins defense on that one, their original plan was to trade Ozuna and Stanton, and to rebuild around Yelich. Once they traded all the other pieces (including Realmuto to the Phillies), Yelich came back and demanded a trade as well. That deal may have reinforced Mo's reluctance to make trades earlier in the offseason.
 
#155      

the national

the Front Range
In the Marlins defense on that one, their original plan was to trade Ozuna and Stanton, and to rebuild around Yelich. Once they traded all the other pieces (including Realmuto to the Phillies), Yelich came back and demanded a trade as well. That deal may have reinforced Mo's reluctance to make trades earlier in the offseason.
I had not heard that previously, but seems resonable. At the time I thought we got the best value in the trade cycle for Ozuna and then Yelich was traded and couldn’t believe it.
 
#156      
Not exactly hot stove but I wasn't sure where else to post this...Cardinals have announced their candidates for this year's Cardinals Hall of Fame class: https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/fans/hof-vote

The candidates are:
-Steve Carlton
-Keith Hernandez
-Tommy Herr
-Matt Morris
-Edgar Renteria
-Lee Smith
-John Tudor

The two players with the highest votes will be elected. Voting begins on March 1st and will conclude on April 17th.
 
#157      
I like voting for 1 pitcher and 1 position player each year. Steve and Tommy get my vote this year.
 
#158      
Mikolas set to miss as much as the first month of the season after getting a PRP injection to help in the recovery of a flexor tendon issue he is having in his arm. He will not throw for at least 3-4 weeks and then will be re-evaluated to determine if he can begin a throwing program that would eventually ramp up to going through minor league spring training before returning to the rotation.

This news opens up another spot for either Carlos Martinez or Kwang-Hyun Kim, who had already been competing for the 5th starter's spot, as well as guys like John Gant, Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Austin Gomber, or even perhaps Alex Reyes. Though many of those latter names I mentioned such as Gant, Helsley, Cabrera, and Reyes would be guys that would be starters for the short term before being used in the bullpen over the remainder of the season.
 
#159      
I don't see Reyes as a starter this year. Perhaps he would start a "bullpen" game where they only plan to have him pitch 2 or 3 innings. Next year he will be in the starting rotation mix again.
 
#160      

Illwinsagain

Cary, IL
I don't see Reyes as a starter this year. Perhaps he would start a "bullpen" game where they only plan to have him pitch 2 or 3 innings. Next year he will be in the starting rotation mix again.
I don't see Reyes as a starter beginning the year. I would love to see him start in the BP (assuming his control comes back), then mid season, send him to AAA, when Hicks comes back, to stretch him out as a starter for the last couple of months of the season. Though, I have no idea if this is even possible, or good for his health. He was so electric 4 years ago, I am likely looking for too much.
 
#161      
I don't see Reyes as a starter beginning the year. I would love to see him start in the BP (assuming his control comes back), then mid season, send him to AAA, when Hicks comes back, to stretch him out as a starter for the last couple of months of the season. Though, I have no idea if this is even possible, or good for his health. He was so electric 4 years ago, I am likely looking for too much.

Normally this would be the plan. After so many seasons lost to injury I think STL is going to be hyper cautious with him. At this point they want to see if he can make it through an entire season.
 
#162      
I hope he succeeds. If not in STL, then somewhere.

It’s been nearly seven years since they drafted him 28th overall, and while he still raises that knuckle on his curveball to give it a “spike,” the beard is new, the role is new, and the arm feels as close to new as it has in a few years for lefty Rob Kaminsky.

A lot has changed on his way back to the Cardinals.

“Deep down,” he said, “I knew I was going to end up here.”

Five years after the Cardinals traded Kaminsky to Cleveland for slugger Brandon Moss, the New Jersey lefty has returned to his first organization as a non-roster invitee with a chance to hurl himself onto the reliever depth chart. Kaminsky, 25, is one of a handful of lefties, including Kwang-Hyun Kim and Brett Cecil, scheduled to throw an inning after starter Jack Flaherty in Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Mets.

The day Kaminsky became a minor-league free agent, the Cardinals reached out with an offer. The team he left as one of the top lefty starter prospects welcomes him back after he reinvented himself this past season as a reliever.

STLToday
 
#167      
Is that something Carpenter has been working on? (I hope). Or just a coincidence?
I cannot say definitively, but I have read that going to left is point of emphasis. His second AB was a blooper, also to the left side.
 
#169      
Back to normal.
Cecil 1IP 2ER 2H 2BB

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