Join Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold for his live chat at 11 a.m. Monday
In this special edition of the chat, Derrick also takes questions about his Hall of Fame ballot.
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Yeah. A good signing. Low risk for the cost, high upside with the defense. He's not the headliner other signings would have been. He's not the surefire playoff-starter other signings would have been. He has the potential to be either, and in that way it's a Cardinals-type move. Logical. -
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This is part of the added revenue streams that I mentioned without detailing it earlier in the chat. Any conversation about cutting up the revenue pie is going to have to wrestle with how the money comes in from gambling sites and how that's changing, what with sportsbooks going up at/outside ballparks. For sure.To me, the health information is something that is going to get overlooked in this CBA, and I'm surprised by that. I tried to quickly find the link to the story I wrote on that a few years ago. Couldn't find it as swiftly as hoped, but medical privacy was a question I asked Tony Clark about a few springs ago as teams expanded what they're monitoring on players to try and stay ahead of injuries, from heart rhythms to brain baselines, and so on. That's a far deeper question than the one on how injuries are going to be disclosed for the sake of betting, but one leads to the other, and how the union addresses medical privacy within the walls of the clubhouse as well as publicly I am fascinated by ..
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Ryan Tepera is one reliever that the Cardinals explored signing, and he remains out there unsigned and would be a likely candidate to resume talks once the lockout is over. Archie Bradley makes sense as a groundball-getter, but before the lockout the Cardinals did not approach his agent with interest. That could be an eve of spring training move, honestly. Collin McHugh makes sense. The Cardinals did talk to Joe Kelly early in the offseason about a reunion, but did not make any overtures as the CBA deadline approached. He's got a lot to like as a fit for their needs. Adam Ottavino is another former Cardinal who is a free agent, and he has completely reinvented himself as a reliever from the days the Cardinals had him as a first-round pick. Andrew Chafin, a groundball-getter who saw an increased flyball rate this past year, is a lefty to keep in mind and a name to remember as the lockout ends.
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Not really one to bring betting in the chat -- but odds are slightly higher for the Cardinals than any other hat, but only slightly. Sure seems like it could be Phillies, Cardinals, or Blank. His 17-year career by year:Phillies -- 7 (844 games)Cardinals -- 6 (661 games)Other -- 6 (533 games)
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Anyone you left off your ballot due to 10 vote maximum?
Perhaps Billy Wagner? Although you haven't voted for him in any year, from what I can find.
However, many of his stats are stronger than Hoffman who went in in his 3rd year. Wagner only one season ERA above 3. Career WHIP 0.99 (one of only two players ever with 900+ innings and WHIP below one); Career ERA 2.31. Only pitcher in history with more K's than total bases allowed (when applying a minimum 1000 K's criteria). Of course, he's got 180 fewer saves than Hoffman and Wagner's postseason stats are atrocious. To me, if Hoffman gets your vote -- and he did in the last two years he was on the ballot -- then an explanation of why Wagner doesn't is warranted.
Thanks so much for being willing to share and defend your votes (and non-votes). -
Billy Wagner was definitely in the conversation. I have not voted for him before, and I go through the same process every year of trying to figure out ways to consider relievers that don't short-change them based on their limit innings. Wagner has less than 1,000 innings in the majors, but is saying that like saying that Dale Murphy has less than 400 homers when he's really two shy, and he should be a Hall of Famer? Here's where I came this year: It was hard for me to vote for Wagner and not also recognize how close Joe Nathan is to him. Seriously, take a look at the numbers. Strikeout rate favors Wagner ahead of all relievers, but is that the edge, or are outs outs and how the pitcher gets them a measure of how he maximized his talent?Wagner had an impressive career. And thus far, it's the career that others have to get over to get in the Hall for me. But I am open to any argument that changes my mind. I welcome it.
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How much of what the Cards do with their roster is in response to their NL Central competition? And in a year where they have, by their own doing, ramped up expectations how much of what they do is in response to the rest of the NL? I ask because they haven't done much so far and maybe that can be explained by the current weakened state of the Dodgers roster... for now. But if the Dodgers make a big move do the Cardinals answer?
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Happy Monday, Derrick! And thank you for sharing your HOF ballot along with your thoughts that went into it. My only personal disagreement would be the vote for Schilling. And how close was Billy Wagner to making your ballot?
But more importantly - as a baseball card collector from the early '70's - how concerned should I be that Topps has sold out to Fanatics? -
Wagner was one of the players considered right to the end, and will be again next year.As for the baseball cards -- cautiously encouraged. Emphasis on cautious. It's great to have the Topps brand carry on and I hope Topps oversight does, too. What Topps has done over the past two years has been so impressive, turning baseball cards into pieces of artwork and letting creativity unleash itself on that medium is just -- it's been so exciting to watch start, grow, and then absolutely shine with artists like Efdot and others. I hope that we continue to see that.Also, I mean, Topps gave me the highest compliment possible with a card in the Allen & Ginter set, and I hope to see that continue -- non-traditional cards like Jesse Sanchez's in 2021 or Andy Cohen's in 2020 are great to chase, too.
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There seems to be no contact between the players and owners over the CBA. Are there negotiations going on that are not being made public? It seems as though there is either an easy solution to the negotiations and they will reach agreement whenever they feel it is time or there is no easy solution, in which case these negotiations will bleed into the regular season. Which do you see as more likely today?
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Good question to end on here, because I just realized the time.There were planned discussions about topics on the fringes, outside of the core differences, and conversations about some of the details that could be done and moved on from just so they did not get raced through at the end in the rush to start spring training. Health and safety discussions, for example, are things that need to continually be discussed as the virus continues to shape and change what can be done city to city.There were not substantive negotiations that weren't known about publicly, not from what I can and report based on conversations I've had. It's an odd question for me to answer because if I said yes and I hadn't reported on them until this moment then my bosses would read this and wonder what gives, why didn't I report that they were happening secretly when I knew about it? Why did I wait for someone to ask in the chat to reveal this bit of news?The two sides expect to meet in the near future, formally, and that information is public.
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Alright. It's been a good strong chat, lively chat. Covered a lot of ground chat. Touched on the Hall of Fame ballot, but so much else. Really got wrapped in the questions -- and there were some long, long ones that I just couldn't get to all of them -- that I forgot to start a poll. Well, there's always next week.Baseball continues to hibernate as the New Year starts, but not the chat.Talk with you next week. Stay healthy. Stay informed. Happy New Year.
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