Join columnist Ben Frederickson for a live STL sports chat at 11 a.m. Tuesday
Ben Frederickson answers your Cardinals, Blues, St. Louis City, Mizzou and SLU questions in Tuesday's 11 a.m. live chat.
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With the skyrocketing cost of pitching accelerating, why wouldn't the Cards make an offer to Alex Reyes? Sure he has had plenty of injuries and may not be elite pitching prospect any longer, but the Cards are on the hook to Ver Hagen for $3 million in 2023 and he did less than nothing in 2022. An incentive laden deal with Reyes could add an arm that is needed. With the Yankees poised to make an offer to Rodon, he is likely beyond their reach until they can manufacture a trade to their liking.
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Hopefully we can see Tyler O’Neill stay healthy and have a bounce back season. Cards really need outfield production this year.
I saw an interview last year where he said he fasts before each game because he wants to feel hungry, to feel lean and fast. Most other players described their pregame meal as some form of carbs and protein (ex: rice and steak). Wainwright said he eats a PB&J an hour before every game. Any idea of TON plans to continue the same pregame fasts this season? -
I'm not aware of that interview. That idea, to not eat before games, sounds really, well, misinformed to me. Kind of like Michael Porter Jr. not eating meat -- until the NBA straightened him out. The Cardinals have been pretty blunt about O'Neill needing to change some things in his training, and he's working with the staff this offseason to do just that. We'll see if it pays off with him being on the field more regularly. If he's out there and healthy, he's going to get his numbers.
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Illinois may be as good as Kansas when all is said and done this season, but they're not nearly as consistent. Losing to Penn State at home after beating Texas on the road is . . . well, it's early college basketball. Just depends on which version of Illinois shows up in STL. If it's the one that lost to Penn State, Mizzou has a chance, sure.
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Hi, Mr. Frederickson. Thank you for the chat. Can we get whatever the Brewers' front office is drinking shipped to Mr. Mozeliak? Looking at what Milwaukee got for being the middleman in the Sean Murphy deal, it looks like the Brewers got the best out of the three parties. I'm glad the Cardinals got Contreras. But if Sean Murphy was indeed the Cardinals' first choice, then it looks like Mr. Mozeliak got outfoxed again, similar when the Cardinals got Marcell Ozuna and the Brewers wound up with the Cardinals' first choice, Yelich. What are your thoughts, please? Thank you.
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I don't assume what a team wanted from one team in a trade is the same as what that team later accepted from another. Because that's not reality. There seems to be some confusion about what the ask of the Cardinals was, whether it was Donovan AND Nootbaar and Graceffo, or Donovan OR Nootbaar and Graceffo. Maybe that makes it different for some hypothetical GMs. Not really for me. Contreras was there, wanting to come here, and costing the Cardinals nothing but money (they have plenty) and the comp draft pick. I would have signed Contreras before vetting a Murphy trade. But you all knew that.
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BenFred, I understand the hoopla over Contreras, but, let's be honest, he is not the difference to get us to the WS. I will know the Cards are serious if they can trade for a frontline starter by the deadline and/or trade for someone like Reynolds, who could bat in the 2 hole and really protect our big guns. Preferably both. I do not know about Walker, but I just do not have the faith that the outfield, as currently constructed, can produce enough to get us past the really good teams we will see in the playoffs, all of whom are improving themselves.
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I've never presented Contreras as the single addition that will get the Cardinals to the World Series. Murphy shouldn't be described as that either. Mozeliak was once again asked about "going for it" during the prime of Goldschmidt and Arenado during Winter Meetings.His response . . ."You still have to have a process. You still have to understand, you can go 'all-in' and it's no guarantee to win. You're trying to do it so it's sustainable. Giving yourself your best chance is obviously what you want to do, but you are not going to be able to -- there is not one or two moves that are going to guarantee you anything."
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My high school football number. It's a sign. I'm not cutting bait entirely until Christmas, at the earliest. There aren't any comments ripping Jordan Binnington for his emotion today, after the stellar and fiery performance in the OT win last night. Gee, it's almost as if we celebrate Binner's emotion when he's playing well and rip it when he's playing poorly, and that his play -- not his emotion -- is the swing factor when we talk about his fire. Hmmmm.
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Hi Ben- curious about something I heard on MLB radio Sunday. They suggested that the cardinals were discussing a trade with Toronto for Jansen and were offering Helsley. I didn't hear who, if any, source they cited but I was wondering if that was true. If so, seems odd the cards would move on from an all-star closer for 2 years of a decent but not great catcher.
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I have a good idea of the source.From DG during Winter Meetings, as found in the newspaper and online at STLToday.com: "The Cardinals received a lot of interest in Nootbaar. He was also coveted by Toronto in talks about a trade for catcher Danny Jansen. The Cardinals and Toronto also discussed deals centered around a closer, with some discussion of Ryan Helsley, a source described."So, there ya go.Derrick and I talked more about it when I stopped by his Best Podcast in Baseball.If I were the Cardinals, and Jansen was my guy, I would have made this trade.It's not at all a knock on Helsley, it's just how I tend to feel about relievers.They're volatile. They're not usually long-term answers. And the Cardinals do a pretty good job of filling big holes in the bullpen from within.I think the Cardinals got a better answer at catcher, though, especially for the immediate future, which had to be the priority considering the window that's open with Goldschmidt and Arenado.
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Hey Ben, thanks for the chat.
I'm happy about the Contreras signing, and looking foward to the fire that he'll bring to the team, they have plenty of business-like guys, it will be good to have another guy with an edge to join Arenado and Noot.
My question: didn't O'Neill have a bit of a shoulder issue at the beginning of last season? An impingment or something? I wonder how this may have been a contributing factor to some of his offensive issues, besides the leg injuries. He didn't have any 450 foot blasts like in 2021, and his exit velo was down in general. He looked a bit out of whack from the start. Did this come up with any conversations you had with him or the front office or manager this year? -
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Ben, thanks for doing these chats. I'm sure many subjects get old quickly. Speaking of getting old, what's it going to take to get the Blues to end the stupid "Country Roads" singalong? I was at the game last night and again, we get to sing an ode to West Virginia. Why oh why? At least the Blues took us home with a win last night. BTW, if there's a tougher NHL player out there than Braden Schenn, I'm all ears.
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It's not even an ode to West Virginia. It's an ode to the western part of Virginia, I think. The tired "tradition" can stop any day now. If I ruled the world -- insert laughter here -- I would have dropped it by now. It's not creative, not unique, and now it's played out on top of the other two. Schenn is a gamer. Games like last night make you feel better about this team but also crazy. They can be so tough one night and so blah the next.
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Part of the fear of trading away talent is the unknown that the player could pop elsewhere. It drives the need for more opportunities to be given to see what becomes of that player before another team finds out and benefits. Who is the Cardinal in need of opportunity before another team could find out and benefit from it?
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Moises Gomez hit 39 homers last season. He's not the conventional Cards prospect, where they have had all this time to fall in love with him and talk him up. He came from outside the org, from off the radar. Maybe his strikeouts are his big weakness and he can't hit for power like this in the majors. But man, I'd sure like to find out. That's my player at the moment. Can I give you a front office name, too? Randy Flores. What he has done in drafting is impressive and word is out. Baseball is continuing to realize Flores is going places, whether it's with the Cardinals or with the team that comes to poach him. The Cardinals should be wise about not losing him and making sure he is being rewarded for his work, now and later.
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Hey Ben - thanks for the time! Is there a chance the Cards could still deal for a guy like Jansen from TOR? I don't think they believe Knizner can be counted on and it would be nice to give Contreras more AB at DH to keep his bat fresh. Jansen seems like the "cheapest" C on the market.....
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Cards added Contreras to start between 120-140 games. Don't think they will be trading for another catcher. They see him as the every-day guy, and he wants that, too. If Knizner or Herrera is swapped in a trade, and backup is needed, I think it would be a lesser known name.
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BenFred, I think some of the anti-Contreras sentiment comes from a negative perception many Cards fans may have formed about him, including myself. In the past, he has come across as a showboat and a bit arrogant, especially when he hit a HR. The most telling part of his news conference for me was when he said that he wanted opposing fans not to like him, like he was doing it on purpose. In my view, I think his enthusiasm can be misinterpreted as showing up the other team, which can lead to resentment and retaliation. Hopefully it can tone it down some but maintain his energy. And I hope he stops wearing that big necklace, or maybe I’m confusing him with Baez.
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