Man, the Ozuna deal offered all sorts of lessons. Make sure the guy is healthy. Make sure you have accurately projected your own prospects. Make sure you're not settling, getting talked off the guy you really want, or letting the trade partner dictate the timing of a deal. And, perhaps more than anything, make sure the big spends (free agency or otherwise) are for proven difference makers, not hopeful ones. Hindsight makes it easy, right? I thought the Ozuna deal was a good one. It wasn't awful, but considering what he didn't turn out to be, how soon he was gone, and what the trade pieces are doing elsewhere, it's probably the one Mozeliak regrets the most. In fact, I know it is. He's said it.
Mo's been doing this a long time. He has a sense of how his words are going to be consumed by the fans. He said it and then repeated it. If it's Contreras and nothing else, disappointment will be the reaction, fair or not.
Don't mistake answers you don't like for questions that are not asked. Too many do.
I asked a couple weeks ago. No decision made yet.
Zero, but I don't like predicting which guys will be injured. That's a grim guessing game. The Cardinals rotation is not strong enough, I don't think, at the top to be a deep postseason team. That's if all are healthy. Factor in the reality that health issues will pop up, probably starting at spring training, and things could get worse.
Binnington was first off the ice today, per JT, indicating he starts tonight. And he should. Blues are starting a defining stretch of home games, and they should do it with their number one option in net.
I'd assume the latter. Odd spot for a captain to be in, with O'Reilly. And the Tarasenko thing has been brewing for some time now, back until he first requested a trade. David Perron was the most recent boomerang Blue, and he didn't come back the last time, either.
I'll take the press-box route. A little disappointed the home opener is so delayed. Week 4?! Seems to me like the XFL should have prioritized kicking off Game 1 in a place that went above and beyond to support the last version of the league. But, it's a Texas-based thing first and foremost. And the team will be hustled in and out even for home games, as the home base is in Texas for all teams.
There were reportedly a handful of teams or so that were tracking the Correa situation as his market dropped due to the physical concerns, but not sure if Cardinals were in that group or not. As I said earlier, they really only seemed to be vetting shortstops vigorously when they were considering the trade for Murphy, one that could have cost them a middle infielder and required a back-fill. If you weren't hot and heavy on Correa before the physical snafu, probably harder to talk yourself into it, even at a reduced price, once concerns popped. The Twins wanted him back from the jump, have a good feel for his health and saw the concern drive him to a price point they desired. So they pounced. Makes sense.
If Tarasenko and O'Reilly can get back and prove they're mostly good to go, I don't think their trade stock will be damaged too much. They're proven guys with championship experience on expiring contracts. They are appealing rentals as long as they're good to go, especially if it's a team that is hungry for playoff experience. High draft picks and/or high prospects. That should be the goal. Armstrong has indicated the team needs to be around 10 games above .500 by the deadline to give sense it can have a decent chance of doing postseason damage.
I think fans care a lot more about winning and postseason success more than Mozeliak's interactions with media members. And they certainly should. But sometimes his responses about the postseason slide come across as a personal defense. The questions that trigger him in that way are the same ones a growing amount of fans are asking. How the questions are answered are irrelevant. What matters a lot more is if the Cardinals are truly as OK with the increasing postseason irrelevance as they sometimes suggest. I don't think they are, but what they do about it says a lot more than what they say about it.
I don't think I said he was a complete afterthought? Maybe the Cardinals were one of the teams tracking it. Doesn't make much difference now. I said it before, during the Turner hype. If the Cardinals were going to spend what it took to land one of the big free-agent shortstops -- Turner, Correa, Bogaerts -- they would probably be admitting they were looking to upgrade there. They stiff-armed it, talking up Edman instead. I'm not saying they were right to stay away, just that it doesn't surprise me that they did.
I'd be quicker to point the finger at an offense that has developed a bad habit of going dark in the postseason, but to each his own.
That would be a better question for Bowden. He clearly got the response he wanted with his Cardinals, um, update? Of course the Cardinals are looking at trades. Just like they're looking at remaining free agents. I don't think they're done. I guess I need to figure out how to word it more spectacularly, and sprinkle in some anonymous sourcing.
Most relievers come through the minors as a starter, and his future (rotation/bullpen) is not set in stone yet, not even for this upcoming season. Relievers are getting paid more all the time, especially good to elite ones. The path for pitchers on the fence between starting and relieving is not perfect but it's pretty set. Get in where you fit in, make your case with performance when you get the chance, and then use leverage acquired to influence as you gain more say in the process, whether that comes through free agency or a relationship built with the team. The Cardinals, for example, recently gave Jordan Hicks more of a starter look. Didn't look great. They're not inflexible on the idea.
Not sure what you want me to say that is different than what I've said before. If it's Contreras and nothing else beyond minor moves, totally fair to be disappointed. But I'm going to wait and see what gets done before the games start counting before saying he's done. Some prefer to call it early. I'll wait.
To be fair, Steve Cohen has never pleaded poverty. Guilty to criminal insider trading, yes. Poverty? No.
Man, the Ozuna deal offered all sorts of lessons. Make sure the guy is healthy. Make sure you have accurately projected your own prospects. Make sure you're not settling, getting talked off the guy you really want, or letting the trade partner dictate the timing of a deal. And, perhaps more than anything, make sure the big spends (free agency or otherwise) are for proven difference makers, not hopeful ones. Hindsight makes it easy, right? I thought the Ozuna deal was a good one. It wasn't awful, but considering what he didn't turn out to be, how soon he was gone, and what the trade pieces are doing elsewhere, it's probably the one Mozeliak regrets the most. In fact, I know it is. He's said it.