Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Poncedeleon, Austin Gomber, Jack Flaherty, Jeremy Martinez ... all part of today's cuts.
Marco Gonzales moved to rehab.
Alright, working back to Realty office. Let's get to a lightning round.
The Cardinals have sought more dialogue with the Dominican Republic team about his usage/readiness. They provided the DR coaches/staff with information about what he was ready to do, how much he could handle in terms of innings/pitches, and what his schedule had been. The Cardinals were not quite clear on how much they could dictate from there. Yes, some teams are more hands on -- but that, according to two people I've talked with in the past week, comes from the team reaching out to the player, or suggesting to the player what should be done, and then the player is put in the vice. There needs to be greater communication between club team and national team and a clear understanding of who sets the use. There are rules in place for the tournament. But the player shouldn't be in a position to defend or convey his use.
I do see a reasonable scenario yes. It would be Martinez winning that spot.
He will have limitations on him, for sure. They will be proactive limitations and they will be something to watch during the season. The Cardinals will be learning at the same time. This has been a topic of discussion around the front office and with Wacha, but there are not clear answers. It will be fluid and based on how he recovers from April starts and into May, and then how he recovers during those June starts and into July. Don't be surprised if they look for days off for him when they can.
Garcia, sure. Also, Pham would be the backup outfielder in Class AAA, just as Pete Kozma was at shortstop a few years.
Advertising. We're only a few years away from a logo on the front of jersey. Brace yourself. It's coming.
"He's a pure joy to watch in the outfield." -- Mike Matheny on Magneuris Sierra
Post earlier in the chat. Scroll back and you'll see the whole list. It's Leake's start.
This has been discussed. And we've seen teams do this based on the ballpark. Heck, Tony La Russa did it once with Larry Walker based on the ballpark. The Pittsburgh Pirates have talked about it. There's not really that batter-to-batter switches, however. I haven't heard that discussed or seen a team that has talked itself into doing that. Seems like more trouble than it's worth considering the different flight patters you're going to see depending on the hitter.
Paul DeJong, whatever outfielder doesn't win the job in the majors, or whoever is hotter from the Bader, Valera, Wisdom trio.
Don't discount the value of playing first base. That's a real tiebreaker here.
Improvement. They won't make a deal for rebuilding. That's not their gig.
It is confusing. But it's having a family connection, and unlike the Olympics it does not appear like a decision is binding. Family connection goes a long way. Eager to see a time when Cuban players like Aledmys Diaz can play for the Cuban team.
I think you probably hit on the latter. All that's keeping the Cardinals from experiencing the same discomfort that the Boston Red Sox are with Price or the Cubs are with Heyward is this simple word: Yes. They offered deals that would have been just as long and just as pricey (or close to pricey) if either of those players said yes. With Pujols, you can see why the Cardinals were reluctant to go that big for that long. They didn't have the DH safety net. And they wanted to share in some of the risk with Pujols if he was unable to produce at the same level and be stuck out of the lineup as a result. The Angels had no such hesitations. That's being practical. That's not luck. Lots of team have smart front offices. That's the trend.
About the same. I'm interested in seeing how teams view Gyorko during this season, and what it means for the Cardinals and the direction they go at the deadline or this coming winter.
Swift. It looks swift. The path to MLB appears swift. He's quite good.
I wouldn't read into the length of time this is taking. The WBC is a natural delay.
