Join Jeff Gordon for his live STL sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday
Bring your Cards, Blues, Mizzou, SLU and MLS questions and comments, and talk to columnist Jeff Gordon in his weekly live chat.
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The pandemic is being blamed for the Cards cutting payroll, but how much different would this team really look in a world without COVID? Wong's option would likely of been picked up, but the team was never going to sign Springer or trade for Arenado or Lindor. Maybe Molina and Wainwright would already of been signed, but is it crazy to think the 2021 roster would look pretty much the same in both realities? -
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Hi JG . I don't think money has been the Cards problem sat all. I live here in the Tampa bay area. The Rays payroll I believe was 75 million last year and the Cards about 167 million. The rays stay competitive due to a very deep front office and analytics department. Maybe the problems of talent evaluating and playing time is a front office problem ? They seem to know when to trade for a player at the right time ...
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The Rays are a model franchise for running very, very well on the cheap. They also churn their roster and draw pitiful crowds. The Cardinals have enjoyed roster continuity, which can help the marketing side if the players perform. It can also backfire when guys fade or get hurt in mid-contract.Guys like Molina and Wainwright would not have lasted in Tampa and those two have helped move a lot of product here. DeWitt's goals including moving lots of product. The Rays would not know what that looks like.
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I'll pass on that. Gorman has lot of swing and miss in his game. He saw some higher level pitching in the Springfield camp and that weakness remained clear, according to various reports. I am a big fan of Gorman's monstrous power, but this team needs him to be more more than the Next Kyle Schwarber. Putting the 2021 expectation on him seems unfair and unwise. Now, if he does graduate and if he can make steady contact, great. But he should not come to the majors until he can handle sliders, curveballs and changeups while also maintaining commnad of the strike zone.
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The Cardinals will have to invest in 2022 because folks will get used to NOT spending money on tickets after these two season. What percentage of season ticket holders won't come back? Some folks will remain leery of traveling or gathering in large crowds as the pandemic easses. Some folks will want to come to games, but they won't have the disposable income. So '22 will bring many unknowns. I expect the Cardinals to have a new and more exciting look that season.
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Would you give Carp a good look at lead off now that Wong is gone and Edman was so-so last year? Maybe his approach and comfort there would make him a + major league hitter again. Or maybe give Fowler a legit shot so he could show why he was successful there in past years?
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Happy Friday Mr.Gordon. The Cardinals have a plethora of right handed batters in the outfield that need at bats so they can properly be assessed so they don't lose another Arozerana. Would it be a possibility that they take a page from TLR and move an outfielder to second or third as was done with Skip Schumaker? What would they have to lose at this point? 2021 is going to be a wash at best.
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The minor league cities will be governed by the local rules in place at the time. Those rules will evolve as conditions change. Will all of these assumed minor league teams be able to operate with empty or mostly empty parks? Are they willing to lose a lot of money this year? That remains to be seen. This could turn into a the sort of mess the NHL is dealing with this season.
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Mr. Gordon,
I'm curious and haven't been able to find an answer on the internet- Corey Crawford signed for 2 years and $7.8 million with NJD, and then retired before even so much as a practice with the team. Did that void his contract, or did he just steal almost 8 million bucks from the Devils? -
I believe he just retired. That's how it was reported. He did not claim an injury. He had to pass a physical to sign the deal, then he didn't go to camp -- so nothing happened to him after he signed. All of that suggests he won't collect any money from the Devils. This is different from Alexander Steen, who didn't technically retire because of an injury lingering from last season.
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There is a lot of swing and miss in baseball. Tyler is not alone in that. But it's fair to doubt his everyday potential. He did play excellent defense in left field, so he might be a long-term No. 4 or No. 5 outfielder. Carlson playing every day is the one constant for the outfield. Also, Fowler should play a lot early on due to his salary. Beyond that, things should remain fluid.
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There are a lot of unsigned players in baseball, including a lot of high-end talent. Molina is an above-average catcher these days with plus game-management skills. But can he get a second contract year or even a good one-year guarantee during a pandemic? We'll see.
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Gordo today is another one of those days that remind us that time waits for no one. I had the privilege of seeing Mr Henry Aaron in person towards the tail end of his brilliant career. By all accounts from what I have heard an even better person than ball player. With my all time favorite player (#20 Lou Brock) recent passing and of course the great Bob Gibson shortly after there are very few iconic players from that era (my youth) remaining. I thankfully still have my memories. Thank you for the chance to comment.
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What about 2022 has you believing the Cardinals will do anything differently? There are many of us who have been saying the Cardinals needed a major addition before 2020 happened. Bryce Harper could be a Cardinal right now, but they will never spend that money. You keep talking about winning the Central, but you seem oblivious to the teams in California. Keep believing in a system that time has passed by if you want, but if you want to watch a COMPLETE team stay up a little later this year to watch the games out west.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers spend boatloads of money year after year after year after year after year and finally won a championship. Good for them. As for the rest of the teams on the West Coast, I don't see anything revolutionary in their operation.As for Bryce Harper, time will tell if that contract was a massive mistake for the Phillies.
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What kind of package could the Cards get if they were to trade Flaherty to the Dodgers? Or Angels? With our ability to churn our pitchers, and the more and more likely of Flaherty leaving via free agency, would it make sense to get a ransom from the Dodgers while they are in a arms race with the Padres and Mets?
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I believe the time to move Flaherty could come, unless he was willing to let the Cardinals buy into a few of free-agent years with some Miles Mikolas Money. But right now Flaherty is a low-cost talent on a team trying to stay relevant in the midst of cost-cutting. If the Cubs were spending big money to build a juggernaut this and the Cardinals clearly saw no hope in the division, then maybe they might try to flip Flaherty for a can't-miss power bat, if such a thing existed in the market.It's tough to evaluate any hitting prospects for any team because none of have played real games in a year.
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Jeff, a belated Happy New Year. I agree this is not shaping up to be a great Cardinals team during the DeWitt era, but let's face it, the NL Central is so bad, it doesn't have to be. I think it can win the division. I'm fine with management being cautious with the finances this season and see what it has in some young players. Some veteran players come off the books after this season. Build toward a strong team in 2022. Also, maybe Gorman is ready at that point. Does all that make sense? Call me crazy, but if the Cardinals are mediocre for one season and can still make it to the postseason, I'm fine with that.
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Jeff, how much of the Blues' early inconsistency would you blame on the team losing so many of its foundational players? J-Bo, Petro, and Steen may not have been the team's 3 best players, but they were some of the most respected leaders in the locker room. With so much of the previous leadership core now vacated, is the team going through a bit of a identify crisis when it comes to what voices speak the loudest on the ice and in the locker room?
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That is definitely a factor. This is an exciting and talented team, but it has to clean up the details as the coaches say, Coaches knew what they would get from Pietrangelo, Bouwmeester and Steen -- especially on the penalty kill, where the Blues have been running a fire drill.
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