Live Chats

Join baseball writer Derrick Goold for his live Cardinals chat at 11 a.m. Monday

Bring your Cards questions and comments to Monday’s 11 a.m. live chat.

3rd & 7 37yd

SG, I'm a bit under the weather today so it's Been great that you have had this marathon chat session. Thanks for the wonderful distraction.

by Mark 11/21/2022 9:01:50 PM
Hope you get well.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:01:53 PM
What type of contract is Trea Turner looking for? what dollar amount do you think is realistic?

by Brandon 11/21/2022 9:01:59 PM
It would not surprise me if he got a contract longer than Judge and second-richest to Judge in this market. He's a versatile, talented, durable player who can be an elite shortstop for several years, play other positions, and does a lot of things offensively that will age well, even if he isn't as speedy in the later years of the deal. Lots to like. Hard to say at that level that he's good value play, and yet he will be. Exactly figures? Still developing, but if he wants a home for eight years, he'll find it.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:03:36 PM
There is a tax difference. The first $647,850 is taxed at lower rates. My guess is AW gets a large broadcasting contract in "retirement". He's quite good behind the mic!

by CuJo 11/21/2022 9:03:50 PM
He will be a Hall of Famer -- either as a broadcaster or pitcher.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:04:05 PM
Does Tink Hence have a shot at being in the cards bullpen this year? He preformed well in AZ and that’s supposed to be a finishing school. Or was it just a chance to get him some extra innings or a showcase? I think he only had 8 innings out there

by Brandon 11/21/2022 9:04:17 PM
Andre Pallante made a shot for himself and was there all season. Hence would have to do the same -- and in such a way that they are convinced that they need him now, not that they need to develop him as a starter for the coming season. It sure seems like a good bet that his year is the next year, not this coming year. He seems primed to make that big stride in 2023, get there to Class AA or Class AAA and force his way into the conversation for late season work, but definitely competing for prominence in 2024.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:05:22 PM
Does it make sense not to dive into the starter pitching, and relief pitching this offseason(big dollar wise). To see how pitchers adapt to pitch clock/ velocity, shift bans.

by Ej 11/21/2022 9:06:09 PM
I think pitchers will adjust rapidly. There's evidence from the minors that they will. I get where you're coming from, but the chatter within the game is that hitters will have a harder time adjusting at first.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:06:39 PM
Any chance Dalton Varsho’s name has come up in connection with the Cardinals? Catcher and centerfield is some incredible versatility

by Sam 11/21/2022 9:06:46 PM
Has not. Arizona was reportedly looking at moving an outfielder, but this wasn't the deal/trade that was coming up.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:07:11 PM
Does Arenado have any opt outs in his remaining contract? I hope not, because when the Cards fail to land another hitter to improve the offense, i won't blame him for wanting out.

by Joe 11/21/2022 9:07:14 PM
He does not. The next time his contract comes up will be after 2027, and he will be a free agent. There are no more options, no more opt-outs. He's a Cardinal for the remainder of that time.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:07:44 PM
DeWitt used to be an industry leader, a trailblazer. Why not be the first to offer the 5-year elevated AAV deal? I understand not wanting a 10-year deal, heck even a 7-year deal. But when it comes to $35m or $40m per, I don't really care. And this team has it to spend.

by Vampire Weekend 11/21/2022 9:07:58 PM
He would not be the first. Not even close. Roger Clemens did that, didn't he? Heck, the Cardinals did that with Albert Pujols -- and remember the kerfuffle?

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:08:25 PM
Will Oscar Mercado come to spring with a chance to make the team? I’m not sure why he’d sign with a team that has so many outfield options unless he was told he’d get a legitimate chance.

by Brandon 11/21/2022 9:08:50 PM
Oscar Mercado replaced Ben DeLuzio as the speedy outfielder with a good glove. Did DeLuzio come to spring training with a chance to win a job? Did he come to the majors as a starter? Sorry for answering a question with questions, but that gives you a sense of the place Mercado starts on the depth chart.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:09:37 PM
I see a lot of Bellinger support out there. Maybe I'm wrong but shouldn't the Cards be focused on getting their own pair (O'Neill & Carlson) of "get right" outfielders before bringing another "project" bat into the outfield? Of course, Bellinger did have an awesome 2019 and we know how much weight this club likes to put on performances from 2019... even if the player has fallen off a cliff every year since then.

by JoJo Disco 11/21/2022 9:11:27 PM
They can multitask! Your point is valid, but however talent arrives or surfaces or reboots or revives or blossoms or shows up as a complete and utter surprise -- the better. The more the better, from the team and fan perspective.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:11:32 PM
Why haven’t this organization went out and actually sign a certified mlb SS as in Turner and just move on from Dejong who is finished in the league. The guy can’t hit and just needs to give it up.

by Timmy H. 11/21/2022 9:12:28 PM
Cost, mostly.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:12:34 PM
Mo gets slammed a lot for his Alcantra/Gallen trade and the Arozarena trade but the most glaring problem is not what the players he traded are doing, it's that the players he traded for really never had a big impact. Liberatore looks like a back of the rotation arm at best, but I think the Alcantra trade would hurt less if Ozuna was still a productive part of this outfield.

by Quite Frankly 11/21/2022 9:12:46 PM
This is an important vantage point and the spyglass that is really the most revealing when focusing on trades in hindsight. Marcell Ozuna came to the Cardinals as a hitter with ferocious exit velocity and MVP trappings. He left after being a below-average cleanup for the Cardinals.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:13:27 PM
What do you make of the reports linking the Cardinals and Contreras? It seems like Contreras would offer the path of least resistance at this point given that he wants to be here and what the Jays and A's asking prices are.

by Nolan 11/21/2022 9:14:15 PM
He's a free agent. He's a catcher. They're looking for a catcher. And they're talking to free agents. He's the best bat available at that position. The Cardinals are looking for offensive upgrades. It's an obvious conversation they must have. I've been trying to outline some of the considerations in play for the Cardinals when it comes to Contreras and catchers.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:15:09 PM
DG,

Would a package of Alec Burleson (top 100 prospect) Jake Woodford (MLB ready pitcher with control) and Michael Mcgreevy (ascending prospect) be enough to interest Oakland for Sean Murphy?

by DDMN 11/21/2022 9:15:19 PM
That is a compelling structure for the deal. Good thinking. Good start. Your offer contains a lot of what the A's would seek, though I do not know immediately how they view those three players, specifically. The types lineup if the A's reports do.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:16:16 PM
Morning, With all the money the team have made off the fans this season fans are expecting big name signings this offseason. If the team doesn’t go out do you believe the fans will boycott the team and stadium because they feel like they are having their money stolen by ownership just to pocket it and not put it back into the product on the field like LA, NY, or other higher payroll cities?

by Allen 11/21/2022 9:16:51 PM
I don't get the comparison with NY or LA. You had me until then. Why would you think those teams don't want to make money, too? I was recently asked if ticket prices is the difference between the Dodgers and the Cardinals when it comes to spending -- that tickets are like gas, for example, and just so much more costlier in the bigger city. Well, that's part. The bigger deal is that the Dodgers have a broadcast rights deal that could be worth $8 billion, per the LA times. The Cardinals' deal? Yeah, it can be worth around $1.2 billion, per reporting by the Post-Dispatch.
That's a massive gulch in revenue.
Don't act like the Yankees and Dodgers don't want to make money, too.
As for the boycott ... As long as I've been on the beat, I've urged players to act as consumers and use the power of their purchases to send a message. I see on Twitter and in chats a whole lot of talk about not showing up. Have only seen it happen once. And it wasn't this past year. So, sure there will be a lot of talk of it. But there won't be a lot of action. And what's true for the team is true for the fan base: Action speak loudest of all.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:20:33 PM
Derrick, thank you for these chats. Cards are looking for a left handed hitting outfielder. Two names seem possibilities, Bellinger and Winker. First is high risk high reward but could flourish between Nolan and Goldy. Certainly a risk but he’s adequate in center. Winker might also benefit with a return to NL Central where he thrived with Reds. Read he is below average defender and potential club house problem. Could mature in a clubhouse that has Waino, Goldy, and Nolan. Thoughts?

by Bruce 11/21/2022 9:21:43 PM
You've outlined some of the considerations well. Please also add in health, and what the physical reasons might be for limited production. Big part of both player's situation.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:22:19 PM
Good afternoon, Mr. Goold. Thank you for your time and the chat. The Cardinals have a lot of left-handers that they've said they like (Matz, Montgomery, Liberatore, Cabrera, Naughton, Thompson, Thomas, Romero, and there's also the possibility of bringing back Quintana). I find it hard to see the Cardinals carrying more than two left-handed starters and three in the bullpen. How do you see this shaking out? Which are the most likely trade candidates -- Montgomery, Thompson,Liberatore? Thanks, and I hope you and your family have a safe and Happy thanksgiving.

by DennisR 11/21/2022 9:22:50 PM
Mozeliak quickly roadblocked my question about whether they could trade Montgomery, get a good return, and then get a comparable starter at a lower cost. He wasn't seeing in that same way, not at all.
I don't think there are limits on the lefties, like you describe.
Thompson has a role in the bullpen, as of right now. Cabrera has to find his way back into it. Naughton returns as an incumbent, but he will be challenged. Romero, Cabrera -- those are the challengers. Thomas is more of a long relief and see what role that earns him candidate, and that's a spot that a right-hander or left-hander could handle. Thomas will have a chance to win it in the same way Wainwright did in 2006, for the most extreme example. Liberatore has to assert his place on the depth chart. Big year, big spring for him.
Performance will sort this out. Won't be hard to see the answers.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:25:19 PM
Hi Derrick, thanks for the chat. Notwithstanding the FO's statements about a catcher, LH bat, and reliever, do you think there's any chance that they'll make an aggressive move for one of the three big starting pitchers? Verlander and deGrom should get deals that are high on AAV but short on years, which is what the FA, in years past, has claimed to prefer with FA contracts.

by Pirates legend Malcolm Nunez 11/21/2022 9:25:29 PM
No. They just have, to date, not made any move in that direction. Mozeliak doesn't say much, but he also doesn't misdirect often, especially not when the roster and past spending tells the story.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:26:16 PM
Do you know if the cardinals consider any of their top prospects untouchable/unmovable ( I.E walker, etc… )

by Trade Trauma 11/21/2022 9:26:26 PM
They have no interest in trading Walker or Winn unless they are overwhelmed with what they could get for Walker or Winn. So, no prospect is untouchable. But a deal that would include them is so unlikely.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:27:02 PM
Is Jordan walker going to be ranked #1 on the prospect list after rerankings get released ( whenever that is ).

by Pipeline Prodigy 11/21/2022 9:32:02 PM
He could be. He's in the discussion. Would not be a surprise at all.

by Derrick Goold 11/21/2022 9:32:13 PM
Derrick, I know the PD needs content, but dang. Two times in this morning's article about Oli bee bopping around town Dejong is mentioned. So is your reporting specifically saying that the Cards are saying that they're going to put all resources available to fix DeJong? That there's a flaw in his swing that Albert couldn't fix but now someone else can? That's how I'm reading it. And if so, whew, the boys in red are in trouble with a capital T.

by Ryan P 11/21/2022 9:32:27 PM