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Not with Paul DeJong, no. DeJong now has too much service time to be optioned back to Memphis. His option earlier this season came just a week or two ahead of when he would have too much service time to make that move -- and that was part of the timing. Hudson will not yet have the five years of service time, and he has at least one option year remaining in 2023.

It takes talent to get talent, and it speaks to two things: 1) How well the Marlins did to read and react to the Cardinals' urgency to land a cleanup hitter and make the most of that deal by maximizing what they got in return for Ozuna and not having to trade the Cardinals' Yelich to make it happen. Good on the Marlins for making that deal. 2) It's another example of how the industry feels about the Cardinals' ability to identify and develop pitching. That is something that the Cardinals do well, have done well for more than a decade now, and have a reputation for doing well throughout baseball. The Cardinals are concerned that other teams have caught up, and that some have even surpassed them by building the pitching lab or being at the bleeding edge of pitch-craft, and the Cardinals want to catch up. But, they have for the past many years been known for developing pitchers, so much so that several teams have populated their pitching staffs with former Cardinals and the rival Cubs hired the Cardinals' draft leader who brought in the rush of amateur talent that later extended a run of NLCS appearances -- and, full circle, provided the pitching talent that made trades (Ozuna, Goldschmidt, Arenado) possible. It's not a surprise that Gallen -- who was seen as a classic Cardinals college pick -- is succeeded, just as Gonzales, Wacha, Lynn, and on and on ...

There has not been. It was broadcast on TV. It wasn't hard to read lips or know what was said. Umpires are aware of that. If it happens on the field, it's a good bet someone is going to decode what was said.

I asked this question of Matt Holliday, recently. He, like many others, are openly hoping that Albert Pujols gets to 700 home runs. And I asked -- why is the round number so appealing? What's the difference between 699 and 700? I've often wondered that when it comes to Dale Murphy. He has 398 homers. If he had 400, would the gates of Cooperstown open to him as if he's cracked the code to ancient treasures? If so, goodness, how can two homers be the gap that is keeping someone from that honor? Clearly, we like the tidy, cool, round numbers. But for generations we didn't have an issue saying 714 was the most or 755 with was the most. Those aren't round numbers, and yet they held great gravity. Must be aesthetic as much as any thing. So, yes, if Pujols gets to 698 or 699 that will shine out as the fourth-most all time and be a number that captures his career in three digits. 700 will just look .... rounder.

Imminently, does not appear that way. In the next two years, yes. A couple of the leading candidates for extensions c. Spring 2023 will have interesting cases coming back from injury (Flaherty) and coming back from inconsistency (Hudson, Carlson). That leaves open that spring training becomes the time to talk extension with Edman and Montgomery, for example. But, as Walker nears how the Cardinals do what we've seen several other teams do with the pre-arb players definitely enters the conversation.

The way the pitching staff is currently constructed, yes. Absolutely. He's provides length and he offers a chase reliever -- that is a reliever who can be used in middle innings when the Cardinals need to chase down an opponent who has a lead. That's the role the Cardinals have been looking for someone to seize, and he has.

That's true everywhere. That's partly because of subscriptions and the all-inclusive tickets, as well as the suite attendance. Just FYI. So there's a number for a sellout, and then there is a max capacity. Those are different things.

Shortstop will be a position the Cardinals look at this winter and try to decide which direction they go -- either to Edman, to an outside option, or some combination thereof, and yes, part of that will be exploring trade interest in DeJong.

I'm not good at putting percentages on things. So: strong, would be a good story and sure seems likely despite time running out, would take unexpected events, will happen in 2023, sure whatever, still possibly, and increasing as a possibility, not yet a favorite.

It will be a factor. Being on the field is a plank of any arbitration negotiation. That's part of it. Everyday players have a better case than platoon players, and so on with injuries and missed time. Both will see a raise, but neither will see the potential launchpad probably expected coming out of 2021.

In the past 30 games, Nootbaar has a .379 on-base percentage. That plays atop the Cardinals' order, but you're right about it slipping in the past 10 days. It's down to somewhere around .280, so less vaunted, but still high above his batting average, so he's finding a way on base other than just getting hits. He does have three homers in the past 10 games, so there's more than once or twice there, and he had a couple of the loudest/longest outs in Monday's Labor Day dud. Is there an opening for playing for Carlson -- absolutely, and you'll see that with the ebbs and flows of performance.

That was the thrust of the article above, and yes, it seems to make sense. The requirements would be the tricky part, but the trend of the game is going to make such a honor fit right in with the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.

Correct. The 2023 Cardinals will log more airmiles than any previous team. I imagine it won't be close. Just looking at the travel to cover the beat has been eye-popping. I'm going to earn residency at O'Hare, I think.

Sure seems that way, yes.

Yep. That's what awaits this team, and it's why they have to improve and they're looking for that right mix of hitters to spark the lineup better against right-handed pitchers. This is the question facing the offense -- and has been for a while now. It's not a secret. They know. Opponents know. Media knows. We'll all watch to see how address it.

Nothing. Nothing "soured" in their relationship. Carlson struggled against right-handed pitching. He was zooming toward being the player/hitter they expected, handling center field well, and on the upswing from both sides of the plate, especially coming out of the All-Star break. And he hit a skid from the left side. Just a dip in performance at the same time that Lars Nootbaar -- a left-handed hitter who also plays outfield -- was surging. It's math, not relationships. They remain as they were before will be after and always have been ...