St Louis Cardinals 2026

#1,427      
Pirates tried to give the Cardinals the game with errors on 3 straight plays but to no avail..........

Ferguson was a misspent $ 250 ,000 .....worst pitcher in recent memory.......
 
#1,429      
thx for sharing that clip ..........Musial was my dad's favorite player ....when Stan came up to bat the radio volume was turned up and everybody stop talking to listen to see what his AB resulted in......he was truly " The Man " in our Cardinal fandom......

he really really was ..............
 
#1,430      
Leahy has an ERA of 1.37 in last 12 starts........WOWSA.........
 
#1,433      
Libby with another mediocre outing. 5.2 innings 4 ER. 2027 bullpen or traded is my forecast.
 
#1,434      
Just for funzies wanted to re-visit this little gem:

1000022381.jpg


So, here's the stats for Noot since the trade and Baez since the call-up:

Noot: 71 PAs, 10 Ks, 10 BB, 3 HR, .230/.338/.443 slash line, .781 OPS, 115 OPS+, 0.3 bWAR

Baez: 58 PAs, 22 Ks, 3 BB, 5 HR, .170/.224/.491 slash line. .715 OPS, 97 OPS+, 0.0 bWAR

Credit where it's due, more HR. Definite whiff on the strikeouts.

The point here is not to criticize Baez. I still think there's a good chance he figures it out and has a great career. I've always been a believer in him. I've also recognized that it's not going to always be easy. He's always struck out a ton and MLB pitching is pretty good! He's going to challenged to make huge leaps in his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.

The point is that as much as we like to fantasize about every prospect being a star, if we get one star and a handful of decent major leaguers out of our current top 30 prospects we'd probably be one of the more successful franchises in the league. These outsized expectations are exactly why we have fans raging against guys like Noot, who are not stars but are good, low cost roster pieces on a team that doesnt need them to be stars. In fact, it's probably going to be the same fans who cried every time Noot had a bad at bat that'll be the first to call for Baez to be traded.
 
#1,435      
Just for funzies wanted to re-visit this little gem:

View attachment 51336

So, here's the stats for Noot since the trade and Baez since the call-up:

Noot: 71 PAs, 10 Ks, 10 BB, 3 HR, .230/.338/.443 slash line, .781 OPS, 115 OPS+, 0.3 bWAR

Baez: 58 PAs, 22 Ks, 3 BB, 5 HR, .170/.224/.491 slash line. .715 OPS, 97 OPS+, 0.0 bWAR

Credit where it's due, more HR. Definite whiff on the strikeouts.

The point here is not to criticize Baez. I still think there's a good chance he figures it out and has a great career. I've always been a believer in him. I've also recognized that it's not going to always be easy. He's always struck out a ton and MLB pitching is pretty good! He's going to challenged to make huge leaps in his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills.

The point is that as much as we like to fantasize about every prospect being a star, if we get one star and a handful of decent major leaguers out of our current top 30 prospects we'd probably be one of the more successful franchises in the league. These outsized expectations are exactly why we have fans raging against guys like Noot, who are not stars but are good, low cost roster pieces on a team that doesnt need them to be stars. In fact, it's probably going to be the same fans who cried every time Noot had a bad at bat that'll be the first to call for Baez to be traded.
lol..............thx again for validating why you are on ignore......I bet you argue with yourself when your alone.......anyway , your comparison of Nootbaar and Baez is pretty rich , even for you...........you want to compare an oft injured 5-6 years service time pro to a rookie with less than 100 AB's in the MLB.......

Well , go ahead.......has Nootbaar ever made MLB history on anything ???...........Baez has and probably will have double the stats of noot when all said and done.....so go ahead and drool over your Nootbaar picture ......he'll probably be overseas playing in the not to distant future............

you have had many smh posts but to bring this up again is proof you are only here to argue.........back to ignore .....................
 
#1,436      
lol..............thx again for validating why you are on ignore......I bet you argue with yourself when your alone.......anyway , your comparison of Nootbaar and Baez is pretty rich , even for you...........you want to compare an oft injured 5-6 years service time pro to a rookie with less than 100 AB's in the MLB.......

Well , go ahead.......has Nootbaar ever made MLB history on anything ???...........Baez has and probably will have double the stats of noot when all said and done.....so go ahead and drool over your Nootbaar picture ......he'll probably be overseas playing in the not to distant future............

you have had many smh posts but to bring this up again is proof you are only here to argue.........back to ignore .....................
Ignore....seems to not work....anyway....since you.....keep seeing....my posts??????????.....lol.....whatever....

You missed the entire point of course which was not to bash you which is why I didn't quote tweet it and kept out your username. The point was about reasonable expectations and what it means to provide value as a major league baseball player.
 
#1,437      
Noot was a corner OF. IB/3B/LF/RF are premium offensive positions. An .800 OPS or something very close to that is pretty much the price of admission. Noot could never get there, and being injury prone didn't help his cause either. Still would be an excellent 4th OF on a good team. I wish him well, always seemed to be a good dude.
 
#1,438      
Ignore....seems to not work....anyway....since you.....keep seeing....my posts??????????.....lol.....whatever....

You missed the entire point of course which was not to bash you which is why I didn't quote tweet it and kept out your username. The point was about reasonable expectations and what it means to provide value as a major league baseball player.
by comparing a 6 year pro to a rookie with less than 100 AB's ?????????..........I read your posts maybe once or twice a month for a good lol................everyone knows you were quoting me in your post......thanks for the laugh this morning..........

you keep bringing up the same subjects trying to prove idiotic reasoning on losing arguments.........I bet if their was a poll on who you want as a Cardinal player now would be 80-90 % Baez and I think you know that.........He just set an all time record never done before EVER , and you are here posting comparisons to Nootbaar ?????......c'mon man.....think before you post.......
 
#1,439      
As far as the manager goes, you get what you pay for. I would have thought with new upper level mangement taking over, that the front office would have made a clean break with the on the field operations starting with the manager. But that apparently is not the Cardinal Way. Having said that, I will give kudos to Marmol for his job so far this year, particularly up to the all-star break. We all know that there have been issues with the pitching since circa 2023. This pitching staff lacks depth and apparently has hit the wall.
i think Oli is under instruction as to how the front office wants this group to be developed. once the "team" as invisioned is
in STL (maybe a year or 18 months away) you'll see a manager selected that can win. right now he is holding down the fort.
 
#1,440      
by comparing a 6 year pro to a rookie with less than 100 AB's ?????????..........I read your posts maybe once or twice a month for a good lol................everyone knows you were quoting me in your post......thanks for the laugh this morning..........
Uh........pretty sure you were the one...........who started that..........comparison?????????????????????........everyone knows that.........

you keep bringing up the same subjects trying to prove idiotic reasoning on losing arguments.........I bet if their was a poll on who you want as a Cardinal player now would be 80-90 % Baez and I think you know that.........He just set an all time record never done before EVER , and you are here posting comparisons to Nootbaar ?????......c'mon man.....think before you post.......
I mean, I would choose Baez in that poll too. You're clearly not getting what I'm saying. Probably my fault. I just never understood the either/or relationship here between Noot and Baez. That's something you seem to have conjured up. Do good teams not carry a 4th outfielder anymore?

I'm not even that big a Noot fan. I thought the trade was fine, especially since we're apparently punting on 2027. I just don't like the toxic fan tendency of choosing one or two or three players to blame for the team's failures and calling out every bad play or bad game by those guys. Like we saw on the basketball side with Humrichous. You love it though. I mean, railing against Pallante for you must be what like breathing air is for us. Lol.........good times......

Animation Energy GIF by Phazed
 
#1,441      
Hope so. I'll believe it when I see it.
I think the birds minors leagues are set to produce a very good 40 man by 2028-29.
With one or two free agent additions (a front line starting pitcher, closer and middle
of the lineup bat), i think they could be division and NL competitive. it would also help
if MLB had a hard cap.
 
#1,442      
Uh........pretty sure you were the one...........who started that..........comparison?????????????????????........everyone knows that.........


I mean, I would choose Baez in that poll too. You're clearly not getting what I'm saying. Probably my fault. I just never understood the either/or relationship here between Noot and Baez. That's something you seem to have conjured up. Do good teams not carry a 4th outfielder anymore?

I'm not even that big a Noot fan. I thought the trade was fine, especially since we're apparently punting on 2027. I just don't like the toxic fan tendency of choosing one or two or three players to blame for the team's failures and calling out every bad play or bad game by those guys. Like we saw on the basketball side with Humrichous. You love it though. I mean, railing against Pallante for you must be what like breathing air is for us. Lol.........good times......

Animation Energy GIF by Phazed
smh.....you start an argument then gaslight or move the goalposts until your argument is to deflect that I started the comparison......I'M done with you dude.......your opinion means nothing to me and I try really hard to see other posters opinions.....not your's anymore.............like talking to a child........

BTW , loved that nootbaar play catching a flyball and not knowing how many outs there were......opponent scored a run from 2nd base on a sac fly.....really smart 5-6 yr pro play........
 
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#1,443      
smh.....you start an argument then gaslight or move the goalposts until your argument is to deflect that I started the comparison......I'M done with you dude.......your opinion means nothing to me and I try really hard to see other posters opinions.....not your's anymore.............like talking to a child........

BTW , loved that nootbaar play catching a flyball and not knowing how many outs there were......opponent scored a run from 2nd base on a sac fly.....really smart 5-6 yr pro play........
bored christopher walken GIF
 
#1,444      
I think the birds minors leagues are set to produce a very good 40 man by 2028-29.
With one or two free agent additions (a front line starting pitcher, closer and middle
of the lineup bat), i think they could be division and NL competitive. it would also help
if MLB had a hard cap.
Yes, there definitely is tons of promise there and I can see the vision. Currently as I see it, to compete by 2028, hopefully from prospects but if not from free agency or trade, this is our wishlist:

3 OF (2 starters and a 4th OFer - and I'm counting Baez as a prospect still so ideally he fills one of these needs)
3B
C (defensive - Herrera can play some C and some DH but his defense isn't there for everyday C)
2-3 SP, of which 2 are top of rotation guys (Maybe just 1 TOR if McGreevy or someone else takes big strides)
1-2 RP

On the catcher need, I think we're good. Rainel Rodriguez is obviously the standout, but even if his defense never catches up (which is a possibility) and he ends up a 1B, Leo Bernal is supposed to have MLB ready defense and between those two and Crooks you have to hope one of them pans out as an everyday catcher.

OF, it starts to get interesting. The optimistic vision is that by 2028 Baez has figured out MLB pitching and cut down on Ks and either Ragsdale or Peete is ready to play and can play CF (Ragsdale is the better hitting prospect and played some in the minors but has primarily played RF, which won't work because Walker plays right which is also Baez's best position, but he'll be in left). Maybe Frias is ready but he's definitely a corner OF so unless Baez just doesn't pan out they'd probably slow play him until at least 2029 as Frias definitely is not a CF and it doesn't make sense to have him in the majors just to be a bench bat. If the team really wants to compete in 2028, there may be a need to spend some money on an MLB-ready CF.

3B - I'm not sure who in the system would be ready to be an everyday 3B on a competing team in 2028. Maybe Jesus Baez? He just got promoted to AA this year, and I think they'd probably start him there next season, so that'd be a pretty agressive promotion timeline. I think this is more likely to have to be a free agency pickup. This would be a good candidate for you middle of lineup bat, if such a 3B happens to hit the market that offseason.

Relief Pitching you probably end up filling internally. A chunk of these pitching prospects are going to end up in the pen and chances are a couple of them will be good. Hjerpe seems like he's destined for the pen. You obviously want Cjntje to end up a starter, but if he doesn't he has the kind of stuff that would play out of the pen.

Starting pitching is where I think they're just going to have to bite the bullet and spend if they actually want to win. Assuming Liam Doyle is everything we hope he is, then you've got your #1 spot locked up. Good teams have at least 2 aces and a very solid #3 for that playoff rotation. Let's also assume one of the current crop of starting pitchers develops into that very solid #3. I think you can easily fill out the back end of that rotation internally. So that leaves that #2 pitcher spot. 2nd Ace. I think you have to spend to get that, so we're talking what, maybe $30-35 million AAV on a 5 year deal to make that happen?

You also have to factor in arbitration paydays for players as they gain service time and get bigger arb awards, and contract extensions for anyone we lock up. Burleson hits free agency after 2028, and Walker, Winn, and Herrera are on track to hit free agency after 2029. So decisions are going to need to be made there too. Walker is going to need a big extension, or we're going to have another OF spot to fill.

So yeah, we're in a good spot if enough of these guys pan out. But even if they do, there's going to have to be some money spent.

Anyway, sorry about the long post. I actually enjoy thinking about and talking about this stuff but I'm sure some of you find it annoying. To those of you in that camp, my sincerest apologies. I know I can be pessimistic at times in regards to the outlook, but trust me, it comes from a place of love for this franchise. I grew up and fell in love with the Cardinals during the waning days of the A-B ownership, when things were not that great. I'd go to games for free because my local library would get tickets donated and give them away as part of its summer reading program. I can't help but see a similar trajectory. Don't get me wrong, I loved Brian Jordan and seing a 40-year-old Ozzie Smith after hearing and reading so much about his former exploits was very exciting to 10-year-old me, but I don't long for the days when our staff Ace was Mark Petkovsek.
 
#1,447      
i think Oli is under instruction as to how the front office wants this group to be developed. once the "team" as invisioned is
in STL (maybe a year or 18 months away) you'll see a manager selected that can win. right now he is holding down the fort.
I don not disagree. However, keeping Marmol in place at a bargain basement price just reemphasizes the cheapness of ownership. Furthermore, The front office and ownership have a ready made fall guy if things take a turn and head south in the future. I still stand by comment that if you the Cardinasls are in a reasl rebuild, it should happen first with the guy at the helm.
 
#1,448      
VS II ...............

The left-handed-hitting speedster struggled in the first third of this season in the majors, batting .194 with a .276 on-base percentage and more strikeouts (44) than total bases (40) in 155 at-bats.

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I knew he was bad prior to demotion to AAA earlier this year but didn't realize this bad...............I really really didn't.............
 
#1,450      
VS II ...............

The left-handed-hitting speedster struggled in the first third of this season in the majors, batting .194 with a .276 on-base percentage and more strikeouts (44) than total bases (40) in 155 at-bats.

------------------------------


I knew he was bad prior to demotion to AAA earlier this year but didn't realize this bad...............I really really didn't.............
Let us remember this is the guy whom the Cardinals trotted out to centerfield for the majority of the 2025 season. I had fanboys on other sites telling me in May or April of this year that the Cardinals should just let him play center in 2026, because he was going to bring back Whitey ball.
 
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