It's possible. Cardinals believe he could contribute in September at the current pace of recovery.
Not even close. It falls well behind Batman and Robin -- that carnival of silliness.
I agree. Matheny pushed for it this past winter. He wanted to see it in spring training. The Cardinals felt it was best to keep Piscotty in the outfield where he was improving as an above-average fielder and where they believe his future would be. They also felt that he should work on one change at a time. They didn't need to distract him from the work he was doing at the plate by having him also learn a new position. I get that. Makes sense. So when he started showing consistency and comfort with his new swing/approach then the move to a new position happened. It did seem odd to wait. But there was a reason behind their delay.
It's in the running. Still not Batman and Robin.
It mostly has to do with what appears to be a reluctance on one side to do a deal like that within in the division. Lind makes a lot of sense for the Cardinals. Would be a good fit. Has an option for next year. And when Mozeliak has talked about avoiding a block for 2016, it did appear that was a way of saying there was less interest in a Lind or Howard -- the ones who have commitments beyond this year.
No. They're in the organization by Aug. 31. They're eligible.
Applause. There is a fondness and appreciation in St. Louis for him.
They sure do have quantity. I would suggest there isn't certainty.
It is not. Nor has it been reported that way since he started the rehab process.
It would be a great conversation. This cannot be dismissed as a reasonable discussion. I don't think there's a clear answer to your question. Given the track record, it would likely be the Cardinals, who have held tightly to their starting pitchers until the most recent deals.
It's been stated many times in this chat that Lyons has advocates as a reliever within the organization. Would not be a shock at all to see him inherit Randy Choate's role next spring.
Next summer. Pujols & Angels come to Busch. Cardinals go to Safeco.
That's exactly how it works. Only nowadays it's done by text and email. Mozeliak keeps a yellow legal pad with a lot of the trade talks and intel that he gathers from conversations with other GMs and even from talks with reporters who are covering other teams, and so on. On those pads, he charts offers and possible offers, and then makes the call to discuss. Lots of calls. There are many trades discussed that never ever come to fruition. Some are quick. Some take a lot of time to talk through and still go nowhere.
There has been no urgency for talks at this point. When both sides outlined the schedule of possible talks during spring training it was always viewed as a time to get to know both sides, play, get some months with the team, and then, once the trade deadline passed or even August completed, see where things stood. That's pretty standard. Mozeliak says his "door is always open" to discussions, but his calendar isn't always free for such things. The deadline is a big deal and it shapes the coming months and maybe the coming years, and then after that point the focus can shift to talks with Heyward, Lackey, and other will-be free agents, just as they have in the past.
Sure. But why move him if he's doing well at catcher?
He's going to get the chance to show he can do that. Very interesting times in Cincy. They're going to have to course correct, and they have a lot of blocky contracts that are going to challenge the moves. I'm eager to see how Jocketty handles something that is new to him.
Yes. Always has been. I do think this is an evolving situation, though. He hasn't come out and said what he wants in a new deal -- or if he just wants to see what is out there in the world of free agency. I understand why. Free agency is something players have to earn (six years in) and most don't want to pass it up, even if they like the spot they're in. Holliday was like that. I see a lot of parallels between Holliday 2009 and Heyward 2015.
That is the rough plan, yes. It's not clear which. But they intend to at least manipulate the starts so that they are each getting more than five days between them and thus shaving starts in August so that they're available in September and October.
The exact number hasn't been set. But he needs to do these things: Make an appearance, recover, and then pitch the next day; pitch multiple innings and recover well; appear in back-to-back games. That would plot out as at least four appearances. Similar to the final 10 days of spring training. Matheny said the only change to that plan would be if the team decides they need him sooner and can do the last of the challenges on the job in the majors.
