They are not, and probably not. There is at least one 60-day move coming in the near future to free up another spot. There could be more.
I'm not sure what to say. They don't have enough pitching depth. On the roster at the moment they do not have enough KNOWN pitching depth. They have HOPE for pitching depth, they have POTENTIAL pitching depth, but they lack KNOWN pitching depth.
So, then Arenado would be a shove, because that was a move that took on the largest contract now in club history. And Goldschmidt would be a shove because that was a deal that brought in an MVP-level hitter, ala Holliday, and then signed him to a record extension at that time, ala Holliday (though Holliday hit free agency first).
No, they're pitching light.
They have not been thrilled by the asking price on trades, and have no interest in moving the players you mentioned despite teams asking about them. Not sure how Bader snuck into the question, but they're commitment to him is clear. He's their center fielder.
They don't know yet. And it's not. Wrong part of the arm. Mikolas had a forearm/elbow injury. Flaherty has a shoulder issue.
All of the above, now. VerHagen was signed to compete for a spot in an extended rotation, like the one the Cardinals thought they would open the season with. Brooks signed a minor-league deal to compete as a starter. Both are aware of the swingman role that possibly awaits them if they're not in the rotation. That was part of the appeal for the Cardinals was the versatility of both of them.
Moving well. Clearly healthy. Added on some strength, which is probably a durability goal -- to help fight the fatigue of the long season. Swing looks like it's got some simplicity to it, and that was the goal. Again, it's early. Games will be the best measure.
That is an opinion shared by some within the walls of the Cardinals' offices, yes.
This helps. So the "shove" is only at the trade deadline. The Cardinals' track record suggests it would be out of character for them to make such a move. They prefer the moves made over the winter, recently, clearly. You're right about the trend. Look at what the Braves did. But you might be surprised to look back on those moves. Rosario was on the IL, had to go to the minors. Pederson was on a team shedding salary and he was a platoon player. Those moves are pretty similar to Happ and Lester -- when viewed through the lens of when they happened, not how they ended up. Just keep that in mind. But you're right about solid postseason teams doing something at the deadline and it doesn't have to be the Scherzer, Turner jackpot the Dodgers pulled off.
It should be tomorrow, after Hudson. But I need to confirm that. This spring is different because of the condensed schedule, but yes do keep track of pitchers who don't appear on the main stage. Was always curious about why they did that with Martinez and whether that led to the troubles he had to start the season, right from his opening day appearance, and Flaherty has also had a spring where he had rare Grapefruit appearances.
Already have, yes. It's a concern for all club. And so are the uncovered innings. The injury is the oblique muscle, if that helps. You'll see some hitters with that issue, too.
Trick question. Dickerson is an OF/DH. I guess how they're related is Dickerson is to Lars Nootbaar as Mark Ellis was to Kolten Wong. But that's about it and in the Ellis/Wong case there was only one position that they both played. Lars and Dickerson now have four positions where they could appear as alternates, so there is more opportunity there, plenty for both. I don't see much similarity, honestly.
The Cardinals certainly have taken note of where they've had a lot of success. Look at how they keep reaching abroad for pitchers. They are confident in that scouting.
He is. Watched him pitch on the back field the other day. Interesting stuff. Is being readied for the minor-league season and innings are going to be scarce in that regard.
