You should add Hudson to that list, but you're pretty spot-on.
It would be a big hit for the Cardinals if Pujols didn't go into the Hall wearing a Cardinals cap. But, ultimately, he will be wearing a red jacket as a Cardinals HOF member. Pujols has a difficult choice when his career is over because he has some personal-services language in his contract with the Angels that might coincide with his national HOF election. And most of his career numeric highlights will have been achieved with the Angels. I can see him wearing a blank cap and we'll have to live with him being a Cardinals Hall of Famer.
If there comes a day this year when Fowler is judged to be a mistake, I'm sure Mo will address that. He is not that point yet and isn't likely to take out an ad in the paper saying that anyway. .
A labor stoppage wouldn't have any effect on McGwire's HOF candidacy His only shot is if Bonds and/or Clemens gets in via the regular vote. Then the ban on PED-associated players officially would have been lifted. McGwire, however, would have to be elected on a veterans' ballot and that would be a few year off before his era is considered again.
The owners aren't going to go with a 26th regular-season salary. That will take care of that discussion.
Then promising Lane Thomas, a promising righthanded-batting outfielder, comes on down.
If you could get Keuchel on a one-year deal (unlikely), you do it. Gomber is in bullpen anyway. No need to sign JMart to a three-year deal. He's not a long-term player here.
I do not. I don't Pujols' body will allow him to play any more than the three years he has left on his deal.
I'm just saying he might well be employed by the Angels in some capacity at that point of HOF induction.
First, I would hope the St. Louis fans cheer wildly and for a long time when Pujols appears this June for the first _ and perhaps only _ time as an Angel before his career is over. What happens with the HOF is at least nine years away.
Their tie to Fowler has nothing to with a "long game." It is just their belief that he had one good season and one lousy one and, surely, in their minds he is closer to the former than the latter. This depends much, though, on his maintaining good health, which he hasn't been able to do yet here..
Ozuna had better be locked in in left field. There are $12.5 million reasons why.
And thank you. DeJong, a former medical student, is not lacking for any mental or psychological strength and he'll be able to handle anything thrown at him. Now can he swing the bat well enough and field well enough? We'll see. But he won't crumble. If he doesn't succeed (unlikely to be the case), it will be because he wasn't good enough.
For one thing, NBA teams have half as many players as a baseball team. But if you took a poll of those owners, a number of them would tell you they didn't handle it very well financially.
Carpenter should not play second on a regular basis. Third, or, if necessary, first.
That's a very good question. I assume you're referring to Carpenter, as one of the above.
I think those two aren't necessarily related. If the Cardinals like what Carpenter's done this season, regardless of Goldschmidt's decision, I think they would pick up the $18.75 million option. But, multi-year deal for Carp? Doubtful, at this posting.
That player was Tyson Ross, who has gone to Detroit. Webb's value is that he generally has been very effective against lefthanded hitters. But he'll have a fight to make the club.
I think the Cardinals would take some of those numbers you cited if Fowler had his normal high on-base percentage. We're not talking about a middle-of-the-lineup player here. We're talking about a possible platoon player but one who can play three outfield positions. There is a way to make something out of right field with Fowler/O'Neill/Martinez and even Lane Thomas.
It seems that you can eventually break down Albert Pujols' career into 3 segments. (1) The prime years with the Cardinals (2) The aging years with the Angels (3) The post-playing career which is yet to be determined. The team got a lot of good-press and smart-guy reputation by not re-signing Pujols. The question is whether that initial narrative may soften over the years? If Pujols never appears on Opening Day in a red jacket, if he goes into the Hall of Fame with an Angels or blank cap, what has the franchise lost in terms of it's own narrative of great players over the decades? If the on-field risk was too great (and it seems that it was), did the team miss out on securing its own legacy and proud history? It was easy to say the team made a great call in 2013. Seems like it's not as easy and clear when they are 3rd in the NL Central and you see Mike Mussina enter the Hall with a blank cap.