St. Louis Cardinals 2022

#851      
Didn’t Lester’s numbers improve significantly after they got him?
Yes, but looks like it was largely due to better defense and ballpark. 5.43 FIP at WAS, 5.40 with STL. BABIP went down quite a bit after the move though, which is likely due to the better defense behind him. Hopefully that can happen for Quintana too and he can improve on his already good numbers so far this year.
 
#853      
Alright let me clarify my earlier comment. I don't hate the move. I said it's a typical Mo move. Lester and Happ last year. 2020 was a strange year due to Covid. 2018 was Bud Norris. He was not a starter when they got him but that was the only year he didn't make a start. Greg Holland was another old man on the hill who didn't work out. In 2016 it was Mike Leake. Yippee.

I am tired of looking for more. And there are more many MO-re
 
#854      

BillyBob1

Champaign
Yes, but looks like it was largely due to better defense and ballpark. 5.43 FIP at WAS, 5.40 with STL. BABIP went down quite a bit after the move though, which is likely due to the better defense behind him. Hopefully that can happen for Quintana too and he can improve on his already good numbers so far this year.
I believe Yadi helped too.
 
#857      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

Ben Frederickson
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak hinted weeks ago that he was more open to making trades within the National League Central than many assumed.
He wasn’t kidding.
While the Cardinals wait to find out how their involvement in the Juan Soto Sweepstakes turns out, they finalized what looks like a solid trade late Monday night that helped address a need Soto can't fill. Pitching. And they did it without parting with any of the trade chips a Soto deal — or perhaps a bigger deal for even more pitching — could demand.
Some thoughts on the rare in-division swap that added southpaw starter Jose Quintana to the Cardinals rotation and plugged right-handed reliever Chris Stratton into manager Oliver Marmol’s bullpen . . .

• First off, best of luck to Johan Oviedo and Malcom Nunez. Oviedo has flashed signs of putting it all together at times, sometimes as a reliever, sometimes as a starter. Hopefully for his future he will get a shot to start regularly for the Pirates. If not, he could have a solid role as a reliever for seasons to come. The way the Cardinals threw him into the fire last season, stunting his development for a spell, it became hard to believe they had long-term plans for him. Turns out they did not. Nunez probably has a better chance of biting the Cardinals later. He’s an impressive bat in a farm system that is producing some impressive bats. He just had a noisy June where he led all Cardinals minor leaguers in average, RBI, slugging percentage and homers. Now that the designated hitter is around for good, I'm done saying any player who can hit is "blocked." A bat can get you to the majors now, and the rest can be figured out later. But Nunez was not considered to be one of the Cardinals' top prospects, and he checks in at No. 11 on the Pirates list now, per MLB.com prospect rankings. He has to pass through the Rule 5 draft this coming offseason if he was not added to the 40-man before then. The Pirates can protect him easier than the Cardinals could have.
 
#858      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

As Major League Baseball‘s Aug. 2 trade deadline nears, the Juan Soto sweepstakes is in full swing as the Washington Nationals are looking to trade their superstar outfielder. Last week, the San Diego Padres were considered the frontrunner in trade talks, but that might no longer be the case as the Los Angeles Dodgers are in hot pursuit.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale reports that while the Padres and St. Louis Cardinals have been considered the frontrunners to land Soto according to most media outlets, the Dodgers have actually been more aggressive in the latest trade proposals.
 
#859      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

The Juan Soto trade rumors just won't stop. Now, there's a surprising dark horse team that has entered the race for the amazingly talented Juan Soto.

MLB Insider JP Morosi has reported that you shouldn't sleep on the San Francisco Giants acquiring Juan Soto. They are apparently making a very late push for him.

We had all thought the Giants were going to sell Carlos Rodon, Joc Pederson, and others at the deadline. Perhaps that might not be the case. The Giants aren't far back from the Wild Card standings. There's plenty of time for them to make a late push.

If they acquired Juan Soto, they would immediately jump into playoff contention with a bat that could launch endless home runs into McCovey Cove.
 
#860      
I don't think the Giants will get Soto, but if they do a nightmare scenario - where the Giants beat the Cards out for that last wildcard spot, the Cards miss the playoffs, and Arenado opts out - would be within the realm of possibility.
 
#861      
I don't think the Giants will get Soto, but if they do a nightmare scenario - where the Giants beat the Cards out for that last wildcard spot, the Cards miss the playoffs, and Arenado opts out - would be within the realm of possibility.
This is a perspective that I have not seen discussed. Namely Arenado opted out because he feels the team isn't trying hard enough to compete. At least not to the degree that NYY and LAD try. A lineup with Goldy, Nolan and Soto in the middle of it would be a real powerful lineup.
 
#862      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

7:41am: There is a “growing sense” that the Padres are the likeliest landing spot for not only Soto but also Josh Bell, tweets Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. There’s some momentum in those talks, he adds. Similarly, the Post’s Jesse Dougherty tweets that the Nationals are beginning to narrow the field.
 
#863      
I don't think the Giants will get Soto, but if they do a nightmare scenario - where the Giants beat the Cards out for that last wildcard spot, the Cards miss the playoffs, and Arenado opts out - would be within the realm of possibility.
If that happens, then maybe we'll get to see why the front office was so hesitant to give up Walker sooner rather than later...

For the record, I want the Cardinals to trade for Soto, but pessimistically I don't think they are/were ever truly going to. Being a "frontrunner" is all theatrics to try to show the fanbase they want to compete with the big boys, but once Soto goes somewhere else Mo will say the Cardinals had the best offer but the Nats chose a different one.

I really hope I'm wrong!
 
#864      
This is a perspective that I have not seen discussed. Namely Arenado opted out because he feels the team isn't trying hard enough to compete. At least not to the degree that NYY and LAD try. A lineup with Goldy, Nolan and Soto in the middle of it would be a real powerful lineup.
He kinda said something earlier this season that he wanted the club to focus on winning the division, not getting a wild card, that got interpreted as a warning. Just to make the idea more puke-worthy, he's from LA and to the extent the Dodgers have any needs, an everyday 3B is it (they currently platoon Justin Turner and Max Muncy).
 
#865      
This is a perspective that I have not seen discussed. Namely Arenado opted out because he feels the team isn't trying hard enough to compete. At least not to the degree that NYY and LAD try. A lineup with Goldy, Nolan and Soto in the middle of it would be a real powerful lineup.
Here's a quote from a couple weeks ago that sort of hints at that:

“I don’t want to win the wild card anymore. Obviously, you get to the playoffs it’s great. If we get in, great,” Arenado said, per the Post-Dispatch. “But you want to win the division. It’s important to win the division. I’ve never won it. I would like to be a part of that.”
 
#866      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
0c7d43b0b5ef0d7653b42056213fd8eb.gif


trade day deadline is a roller coaster ride , for sure
 
#867      

I like Carlson but if we're seriously letting his inclusion be the hold up, we were never serious about getting Soto. It kinda feels like a set-up. Have the ownership/FO friendly local media write countless articles about how great Carlson is, why we shouldn't trade him, get the fans worked up in a lather about how disastrous it would be to lose Carlson, and then when you can't land Soto, "well, we just weren't willing to part with Carlson."
 
#869      

Cardinals Finalizing Deal For Jose Quintana​

By Anthony Franco | August 1, 2022 at 8:37pm CDT

The Cardinals are finalizing a deal to acquire starter José Quintana from the Pirates, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link).
More to come.
Lets see.....Former.....White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Giants, Pittsburg....and now Stl .
 
#870      
Here's a quote from a couple weeks ago that sort of hints at that:

“I don’t want to win the wild card anymore. Obviously, you get to the playoffs it’s great. If we get in, great,” Arenado said, per the Post-Dispatch. “But you want to win the division. It’s important to win the division. I’ve never won it. I would like to be a part of that.”
So slow. Juiceman beat you by a minute. :LOL:
 
#873      
A nice article on Soto written by Jeff Gordon.


Nobody should be surprised that the San Diego Padres landed slugging outfielder Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals.

They were desperate to win right now. Soto was the biggest prize in baseball’s marketplace this summer, so the Padres were always going to win the bidding.

Of course the Padres were going to outbid the Cardinals, whose business model calls for perennial contention that generates steady revenue. That makes president of baseball operations John Mozeliak more measured with his trade proposals.

Also, Soto would have been a luxury item for the Cardinals. They have plenty of outfielders now and more on the way. They need pitching, pitching and more pitching.

Preller feels no such reluctance. So here is what the Padres reportedly spent to get Soto:

Left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, who is 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 games this season at the age of 23. He currently is sidelined with a sore elbow but the issue is not considered serious. His Cardinals comparable is either Matthew Liberatore, who has yet to settle into the big leagues, or Zack Thompson, who is enjoying some success in relief. Gore is further ahead.

Infielder C.J. Abrams, a speedster who graduated to the big leagues at 21. His Cardinals comparable is Masyn Winn, who is tearing up the Class AA level as a 20-year-old. Abrams is further ahead.

Outfielder Robert Hassell III, the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft. At 20 he hit well at the advanced Class A level this season, but he doesn’t quite measure up to Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker – who is dominating at that Class AA level at the age of 20. Both players are still trying to realize their power potential.
Outfielder James Wood, a 6-foot-7 masher who is hammering the ball at the Class A level at the age of 19 while also making consistent contact. He is further along than his 19-year-old Cardinals comparable, 6-foot-4, 220-pound Joshua Baez.

Pitcher Jarlin Susana, an imposing (6-foot-6, 235 pounds) 18-year-old signed off the international market. He has 44 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings at the complex level this season. He is further along than Cardinals comparable Alec Willis, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound 19-year-old on the comeback from arm issues at the complex level.

Unmatched Padres desperation lands Juan Soto in San Diego
 
#875      

217sports

Springfield
Yeah thats a terrible article from Gordon. "Perennial contention" hasn't produced a world series in over 10 years. The Cardinals have aging stars in Goldy/Arenado vs the Padres young guns. They should have done what it takes to extend using those guys' prime rather than another first round exit if they even get in the playoffs.

And it doesn't look like it would have taken Walker based on what the Padres gave up.