Salutations. Welcome to the penultimate Cardinals Chat of 2020. Carlos Martinez made his winter ball debut. Captain America had his 80th birthday. The Cardinals have signed two minor-league players. Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are still free agents. And we still don't know about the universal DH, the date for opening day, or how many games will be played in 2021. But, hey, hockey ... You've got questions. I'll do my best to provide answers. There's really no need for a long prelude. Let's open up the inbox and see where today takes us ...
Depends on who you ask. If 10 is most disappointed and 1 is not disappointed at all, the most vocal will be 10.
Interesting comparison. The Cardinals definitely agree with your optimism. Gallo is definitely a more established hitter, and he covers center.
We recently were going through the list and couldn't come up with one that now does. That's change from a few years ago, when there were a handful of players that spent the winter in STL. I can't think of one, honestly. Some may spend a few weeks here. Miles Mikolas recently spent November here in STL. But living full time ... At a recent charity event, the reporters present couldn't come up with one.
Hasn't come up. Matt Carpenter has a ranch in Texas, and he has returned there for his workouts, and at last check he's doing what he did last offseason and the summer stretch without baseball -- working at third base, working as an infielder, and working on the swing he and Lance Berkman talked a lot about a year ago.
You, too, are an optimist. Eventually when people ask about Nolan, they'll mean Gorman.
Same reason. Cardinals have been on the phones/email/texts trying to conjure up trades -- that is something that had their attention, more than it seems they let on. But they're looking for cash-neutral deals. Those are tricky when everyone wants to shed cost -- as we've seen with the tender deadline and the options not exercised. The financial situation and the lack of clarity on when the season will start, how long the season will be, or whether there will be a DH in the NL has slowed everything the Cardinals are/would be involved in. Once those questions start getting answers, then some of the groundwork the Cardinals have done with these trade discussions can gather momentum. Or, there is one school of thought internally that the Cardinals are positioning themselves for trade talks during the season as tickets are sold, as revenue resumes, and they can talk less about cash-neutral and more about adding salary. But, that would mean bucking the trend of recent trade deadline inactivity.
He got 35 percent this past year. I'd like to see him close the gap on Omar Vizquel's 52 percent and even surpass the shortstop. That seems reasonable, if a touch optimistic. He's deserving of 75 percent, so here's hoping he makes significant stride in the next two years so that by year six or seven on the ballot he's Cooperstown-bound.
Um ... Cy Young Votes-type year? Yeah, that would do it. Maybe a year like a No. 2 starter has? That might do it. Might. That also might mean he's traded at the deadline.
They made read them. That does not mean they will respond the way you hope.
Ha. You said Arenado Deal. Who knows anymore. With the Colorado Rockies front office, it's impossible to know what they would want at this point, or even what direction they're going. It would make sense for the Rockies to ask for Gorman. It also makes tons of sense for the Rockeis to chase Harrison Bader. But what do I know. I'm just a baseball writer, and the Rockies are in a bind. Arenado still has the power to force a trade, and it's what he decides to do and how much he wants out that will determine how much the Rockies can ask in return. As of right now, there isn't much motivation to offer Colorado a lot, not to take on that salary and that unknown, not at this time.
Not so much rumors. Mostly only things that I can report and have. Teams that have expressed some interest in Wong include Boston and the Angels, who have had longstanding interest. There were between six and 10 teams that initially reached out to check in with Wong, and as you've seen there hasn't been much movement sense. The biggest reason for that -- D.J. LeMahieu. He's the top second baseman available in the market, and Wong is considered the next. So it's wise for Wong's group to see what LeMahieu gets and who is left after he signs to create better offers.
Why would he jump at an offer now when he can see what Realmuto gets and also have one fewer team on the board looking for a catcher? This isn't a one-way street when it comes negotiations. It's two sides setting the pace. And don't assume that it's a "couple of million dollars." It's about a second guaranteed year, too. That's significant.
A player who has at least one more year of control, plays a premium position, and is an everyday hitter who is already or about to be a star. How about that? Know anyone like that?
I just posted a lengthy look at all of the numbers for players tied to the Cardinals who are playing in winter ball. It's available at StlToday.com, and there is a link to the story shared earlier in the chat. Thank you for asking.
