The Winter Meetings are Dec. 6-10, to be held virtually. And, no, the owners and the players have not resolved the DH issue just yet. There's a lot on their table as with the 2021 rules to resolve and bargaining for the next CBA likely to get contentious.
Most of those guys you mention could cost a lot more. Dahl would be a bit of risk-reward buy because of his injuries. When heathy, he has played at a high level. At his age he still has some upside. His 2019 road splits weren't great, but he hit for similar power both home and away that season. And his ability to play center field would be a good fit.
I can't imagine the players want to sit out an entire season and collect zero dollars. So the players will be motivated to play, even with much of their pay being deferred. As for the teams, there are a good number that are NOT eager to play without fans or with fewer fans this season. But in many markets, shutting down for a year could create a bigger long-term problem than operating at a loss.
Baseball will be back closer to normal in 2022. I expect that we'll see some fans in 2021, thanks to the vaccine, but there is no way to project what revenue will look like. So I don't expect the Cardinals to make any big investments, peruid. The team might grab a bargain early, but otherwise I see the front office waiting as long as humanly possible to invest in new talent.
I agree. But when we are reduced to writing Denny Felsner retrospectives, I believe fans will reach a breaking point.
I believe it's just a matter of time before Nogowski gets the short haircut as well. He is still another Class 4A guy. He is a decent minor league ballplayer, but he has never hit for much power while playing a position that demands power.Both Rangelo and Nogowski are trying to build stock in winter ball. There are going to be fewer Class AAA jobs available for older non-prospects, so these guys will have to find work overseas or take low-paying gigs in independent ball.
Unless this team adds significantly more offense at third base after subtracting Wong's bat and glove, then, yes, the move will be difficult to justify even with its cost-cutting benefit.
Goaltenders are their own breed. They spend a lot of time working on their own stuff. They are not natural captains. It seems like Ryan O'Reilly will be the easy pick. I'd endorse an "A" for Colton Parayko as he assumes a leadership role on the back end.
I can't imagine there is a general manager alive who will get within 3 million miles of that Carpenter contract for 2021. Nor can I see a trade fit for Fowler.
IF the Cardinals knew there was going to be a DH in 2021 and beyond and IF the team had money to spend on classic DH-type like Schwarber or Rosario, then they could go that route. But since neither is the case, we're likely to see the DH role (if there is one for the NL in' 21) split up among several players using it as a break from fielding duty.
We'll see what the Cardinals roll out in 2021. The nerdboy projections usually frown on the Cardinals and yet they are usually stay in the postseason chase. The realistic goal for the 2021 Cardinals is to get to 2022 without losing too much money and without doing too much to tarnish the brand. Other NL Central teams seem to be setting similar goals, so we may be for a pretty unremarkable division race.
The Dodger could pay Pederson $7.75 million to platoon last year because the franchise has crazy resources and the ability to fund massive payrolls with veterans stacked on top of veterans. Not every team can do that. As for Bader and O'Neill, Tyler made great strides in left field but that Gold Glove would carry over to center field.
I see the Peralta fadeout for Matt.
Where this team is losing fans is the pandemic. The attendance for last season was zero. The attendance for 2021 will be greater than zero, but a lot less than 3 million. Year after year after year after year after year of chat room and message board whining by Cardinals fans never translated into attendance decline.
I'd be surprised if any player got an extension while management has been ordered to slash payroll signficantly.
The NHL has proven capable of playing stadium games in warmer climates. But to play a lot of outdoor games in warmer climates, I do not see how that is feasible. It takes a lot of work to set up one of those games and pull it off with decent ice.
But would be an upgrade over Austin Dean? Yes.
The Cardinals have made if VERY CLEAR that the staggering losses in 2020 and the uncertainty for 2021 will impact the payroll in a bad way. I don't see how the team can slash more payroll while adding even a semi-pricey hitter. Maybe the Cardinals will prove me wrong, but I don't see the team bidding against the Red Sox and Yankees for such players.
It's been pretty calm today. Nothing like the old Rams Game Day Chats, which turned into Thunderdome week after week after week.
I see Carlson playing every day and Fowler starting out as an everyday outfielder. Bader will play a lot because of his glove and O'Neill will have to earn his at bats. I imagine this team will bring in at least one veteran outfielder as protection.
