St. Louis Cardinals 2021

Status
Not open for further replies.
#751      

jmwillini

Tolono, IL
Matz is okay, I guess? They need more than a 4/5 starter though. Either a front of the rotation (1/2) starter or a big time left handed bat.
 
#753      
If I know the Cardinals, this is probably the one major starting pitcher we will sign this offseason. If so, that's pretty meh. Would have preferred to bring Kim back on a short deal honestly. I think Matz will be fine, I was just hoping for Scherzer or Stroman, who I think could have had All-Star or even Cy Young potential for us. Maybe this means we have the money for a shortstop but I'd be surprised
 
#754      
Matz isn't very sexy (Scherzer etal) but he's functional. Mid level rotation dude. He's a lefthander which they need. Slightly above average ground ball rate which suits the GG inf. He's had a tendency to give up hrs but they will be a little less in StL (Hopefully). He is one of the better LSP options in free agency. I would have liked a 3 year deal instead of 4 but with 7 other teams bidding on him it had to be. For at least the first couple of years this should be a win.
 
#755      
Matz isn't very sexy (Scherzer etal) but he's functional. Mid level rotation dude. He's a lefthander which they need. Slightly above average ground ball rate which suits the GG inf. He's had a tendency to give up hrs but they will be a little less in StL (Hopefully). He is one of the better LSP options in free agency. I would have liked a 3 year deal instead of 4 but with 7 other teams bidding on him it had to be. For at least the first couple of years this should be a win.

Yeah, that all makes sense to a certain degree but my thinking is at a certain point loading up on 2 WAR pitchers is diminishing returns. Matz is better than doing nothing, but worse than doing something significant. Add on that Matz has a bad track record with staying healthy enough to pitch a lot of innings, and it seems like we committed 4 years to a 1-year stopgap. We honestly need a front of the rotation guy. Waino was awesome this year, but should we really be counting on a 40-year-old to do that again? This guy's thinking on this is kind of where I'm at:

 
#756      
I'm okay with this move, especially by comparison with the money that Stroman was likely going to command. He'll definitely be an innings eater. In the last 3 full MLB seasons, he's pitched at least 150 innings. He has a sinker that averages about 94.5 MPH. He doesn't have a K rate so my guess is the Cardinals are banking on him being able to get outs with the elite defense behind him.
 
#757      
Yeah, that all makes sense to a certain degree but my thinking is at a certain point loading up on 2 WAR pitchers is diminishing returns. Matz is better than doing nothing, but worse than doing something significant. Add on that Matz has a bad track record with staying healthy enough to pitch a lot of innings, and it seems like we committed 4 years to a 1-year stopgap. We honestly need a front of the rotation guy. Waino was awesome this year, but should we really be counting on a 40-year-old to do that again? This guy's thinking on this is kind of where I'm at:

I know what you are saying and I don't disagree with your point of view. Thing is this is the Saint Louis Cardinal organization not the LA Dodgers or the NY Yankees. They ain't gonna spend top dollar in the free agent market. They have made trades for top tear talent (Goldy and Arenado are recent examples) but to get into a bidding war with the top free agents is something that they have not done in a while. I don't expect Waino to repeat. I doubt they do either.
 
#758      

the national

the Front Range
I know what you are saying and I don't disagree with your point of view. Thing is this is the Saint Louis Cardinal organization not the LA Dodgers or the NY Yankees. They ain't gonna spend top dollar in the free agent market. They have made trades for top tear talent (Goldy and Arenado are recent examples) but to get into a bidding war with the top free agents is something that they have not done in a while. I don't expect Waino to repeat. I doubt they do either.
I keep hearing we aren’t done with starting pitching, and we should see something shake from the tree soon. Not sure if this is true but who else could we realistically get at this point?
 
#760      
I keep hearing we aren’t done with starting pitching, and we should see something shake from the tree soon. Not sure if this is true but who else could we realistically get at this point?

Probably some cheap innings eater that can swing between the pen and the rotation depending on health and performance of our presumtive rotation of Flaherty/Waino/Matz/Mikolas/Hudson. Hope I'm wrong.
 
#761      
I'm okay with this move, especially by comparison with the money that Stroman was likely going to command. He'll definitely be an innings eater. In the last 3 full MLB seasons, he's pitched at least 150 innings. He has a sinker that averages about 94.5 MPH. He doesn't have a K rate so my guess is the Cardinals are banking on him being able to get outs with the elite defense behind him.
150 innings isn't really that impressive a number. The most he's ever pitched is 160.1. Stroman, the same age, has topped that 4 times, and pitched more than 200 innings twice. Stroman pitched 179 innings last season to Matz's 150. He pitched 59 in the shortened 2019 season to Matz 30. Matz' best season was worth 2.4 WAR. Stroman has topped 3 WAR 3 times (including last season) and his best season was worth 5.2 WAR. Stroman has never had a negative WAR season, Matz has twice. Stroman is more expensive because he is a significantly better pitcher.
 
#762      
150 innings isn't really that impressive a number. The most he's ever pitched is 160.1. Stroman, the same age, has topped that 4 times, and pitched more than 200 innings twice. Stroman pitched 179 innings last season to Matz's 150. He pitched 59 in the shortened 2019 season to Matz 30. Matz' best season was worth 2.4 WAR. Stroman has topped 3 WAR 3 times (including last season) and his best season was worth 5.2 WAR. Stroman has never had a negative WAR season, Matz has twice. Stroman is more expensive because he is a significantly better pitcher.

While I'd totally get where you're coming from on all this, I'd still prefer Matz over someone like Oviedo or KK. Matz will give you at least 5, maybe 6 innings, whereas you may only get 3, maybe 4 from the two I mentioned. Plus you'd have to think that getting out of a division like the AL East would improve his numbers as well.
 
#765      
And Corey Seagar to Texas Rangers for 10 years, $325 million. The big names are starting to fly off the board. Pitching-wise Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman have also signed deals (Mariners at 5yrs/115mm and Blue Jays at 5yrs/110mm, respectively).
 
#766      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

“The advice I got was to pick a place that will also set you up for success,” Matz said from his home in Franklin, Tenn., during a Zoom meeting. “I’ve always admired the Cardinals organization from afar. I’ve always really admired the way they did things. Right off the bat, being able to throw to an incredible catcher in Yadier Molina. They have incredible defense. The run they went on last year. The excitement of the fans. The great ballpark. These are all the things you start to think about. … The Cardinals felt like a great fit.”

“An ideal fit,” echoed John Mozeliak, the club’s president of baseball operations.

Elsewhere in the marketplace, the Cardinals have told inquiring teams they see Paul DeJong as their starter at shortstop for 2022 with Edmundo Sosa as the challenger for the job in spring training, according to sources. Matz is the starter they sought to add as the fifth and final member of the rotation, their interest shifting to identifying a swingman such as righthander Jake Woodford who can shift between starter and relief roles.

In Matz, the Cardinals saw a pitcher who signed for four years at the cost Scherzer commanded for one and righthander Marcus Stroman is likely to command for two. They’re betting on his upside — and their defense’s ability to boost it.

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

The bold type above shows how insane salaries have become........I'm not begrudging the players as they are the ones on the field , but where does it stop....????

Will we soon , like the next 5 years , have a $ 100 million man PER YEAR ??????

Who pays for this ....I really don't know , but i do know that the regional sports networks are freezing out a lot of fans because of the demands of the carriers , etc ....I don't know enough about it to really discuss it thoroughly , but I'm so glad to have found a website to watch my Blues and Cardinals without having to pay 30-40 dollars a month extra......It's like BTN + and ESPN +......keep pushing the extra $ 5 here or $ 10 there.........

Strange that the Cardinals are announcing now that Paul DeJong is the starter at SS....I thought Sosa hit better and fielded better but with DeJong's salary maybe the Cardinals are advertising DeJong for a mid season trade if there is a season....

JMHO
 
  • Like
Reactions: wpr
#767      

“The advice I got was to pick a place that will also set you up for success,” Matz said from his home in Franklin, Tenn., during a Zoom meeting. “I’ve always admired the Cardinals organization from afar. I’ve always really admired the way they did things. Right off the bat, being able to throw to an incredible catcher in Yadier Molina. They have incredible defense. The run they went on last year. The excitement of the fans. The great ballpark. These are all the things you start to think about. … The Cardinals felt like a great fit.”

“An ideal fit,” echoed John Mozeliak, the club’s president of baseball operations.

Elsewhere in the marketplace, the Cardinals have told inquiring teams they see Paul DeJong as their starter at shortstop for 2022 with Edmundo Sosa as the challenger for the job in spring training, according to sources. Matz is the starter they sought to add as the fifth and final member of the rotation, their interest shifting to identifying a swingman such as righthander Jake Woodford who can shift between starter and relief roles.

In Matz, the Cardinals saw a pitcher who signed for four years at the cost Scherzer commanded for one and righthander Marcus Stroman is likely to command for two. They’re betting on his upside — and their defense’s ability to boost it.

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

The bold type above shows how insane salaries have become........I'm not begrudging the players as they are the ones on the field , but where does it stop....????

Will we soon , like the next 5 years , have a $ 100 million man PER YEAR ??????

Who pays for this ....I really don't know , but i do know that the regional sports networks are freezing out a lot of fans because of the demands of the carriers , etc ....I don't know enough about it to really discuss it thoroughly , but I'm so glad to have found a website to watch my Blues and Cardinals without having to pay 30-40 dollars a month extra......It's like BTN + and ESPN +......keep pushing the extra $ 5 here or $ 10 there.........

Strange that the Cardinals are announcing now that Paul DeJong is the starter at SS....I thought Sosa hit better and fielded better but with DeJong's salary maybe the Cardinals are advertising DeJong for a mid season trade if there is a season....

JMHO
There has always been talk/concern over the salaries given to players. Some have expressed concern that it is too much. (Including me) There has to be a time when this all comes tumbling down. Ticket prices keep going up. I go to fewer and fewer games. I watch less games every year. Stl still draws 3 + million in a full season so I don't think they are "overly" concerned. Even so there has to be a tipping point where ad revenue no longer justifies the exorbitant pay outs by tv.
I've probably said it before but I remember the angst expressed when a light hitting Ozzie Smith was paid $2 mill a year at the same time the home run hitter were getting around $3-4 mill. Whitey correctly pointed out that he saves a 100 runs a year and that is as valuable as driving in 100 runs.
Just before my times was when Stan Musial received $100,000 a year people said it was too much. Ironically that only last 2 seasons (1958 & 59) and then it dropped every year for his last 4 seasons.
 
#768      
With salaries going up its pretty clear owners are making bank. I'm fairly certain baseball is not the one business in America in which owners sacrifice their own interests in order to overpay their employees. Scherzer's deal is nuts because he's 37. But sports are big business and these guys have the rarest of skillsets. Would you rather owners kept more of the profit to themselves?
 
#769      
With salaries going up its pretty clear owners are making bank. I'm fairly certain baseball is not the one business in America in which owners sacrifice their own interests in order to overpay their employees. Scherzer's deal is nuts because he's 37. But sports are big business and these guys have the rarest of skillsets. Would you rather owners kept more of the profit to themselves?
While I never said the owners should keep all the money, I do feel that if someone invests in a business they should get the lion's share of the profit.
Of course times have changed and municipalities are funding more and more of the infrastructure through bonds and various taxes. I also realize whenever a franchise is sold the prior ownership is reaping huge capital gains. What I have been wondering is when does the elevator get to the top floor? This can't go on forever. Then again I have been thinking this since the 80s and it keeps picking up more and more momentum. .
 
#772      

the national

the Front Range
4D85B095-82AA-481C-B774-C93A103C98B5.jpeg

They have removed all picture and references to the current players on all MLB team pages. Very strange…
5BF673D8-E1F1-4CB3-8CDD-2C4FB5A9D3C8.png
 
#775      

jmwillini

Tolono, IL
Okay. I am old, and counting stats are easy to figure. Wins above replacement??? Baseball Reference and Fangraphs don't even agree what it means If you make Dave Kingman (and others) = to Keith Hernandez at 1st defensively, somehow he would be a very good player. HE WASN"T, he sucked as a player and as a teammate.

Counting stats like ERA, BA, OPS are easy, hell OPS+, FIP, WHIP are simple.

Another site that tries to say what a player is worth, Baseball Trade Values, says in a 3 way trade, the Cardinals could get someone named Beer, giving up Goldschmidt and Winn. Would anybody on this site actually make that trade??? Their totals make no sense, but count in salary, but not how close a team is to the cap.

Sure if you are up against a salary cap, maybe you consider that artificial penalty. But please don't tell me that more than 6-8 teams couldn't push towards that total without hurting their talent AND their ability to win. To consider salary into a players trade value to me is a joke unless pushing some artificial barrier.

I keep seeing people saying the Cards can't spend that much. Bullspit. They can, they just don't want to. They are no where near the cap, plus you can push that without a penalty by going above, then below the limit.

Did they spend to get Goldy and Arenado, sure. Of course they got them for next to nothig in players, and the idiot Rockies threw in $50 million, but they are one of the 2-3 worst run franchises in MLB, maybe all pro sports.

Some people say the Cardinals management can't push the cap. Please... They can, they won't.

They can't afford an major upgrade at SS or a #1/2 starter, baloney. Again, they can, with creativity, they don't want to. The make the 1 game playoff and then catch lightning in a bottle is the dumbest business model I have ever seen. Sure it may work once in a blue moon, but not something BIG business would seem to do.

2021, they year everything comes off of the books. So far am $11 Mill pitcher and a resign.

In a way, I feel sorry for Mo, he is doing what he is told. I feel more sorry for Girsch, as he will be the next fall guy.

Maybe Schildt mentioned that he told Shannon that Bill was selling and that's why he was fired, lol... Yes, I am joking, I think.

Please somebody talk me off the ledge. There are good free agents that they can afford that will make them better. Unfortunately, they wont even make an ACTUAL attempt. I am so tired of the "We tried" excuses.

I will cheer as I have for more that 50 years, but I am so tired of Mo and BDW's bs.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.