Join columnist Ben Frederickson for a live chat at 11 a.m. Tuesday
Ben Frederickson will answer all of your Cardinals, Blues, St. Louis City, Mizzou and SLU questions in Tuesday's 11 a.m. live chat.
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There is always a lot of intrigue around Tarasenko. And while the Blues will not admit it, there are worse things than having a fully motivated Tarasenko returning with a desire to prove all of his doubters wrong, whether that's the Blues because of a perceived captaincy snub or those who don' think he will be the same kind of player after this latest shoulder setback. The Blues have the leverage, not vice versa. They have realized they can play well without Tarasenko, and while they would love to have him be a part of a contending team, and are better off with him in that role, they are not going to change their plans to appease him. I don't think the Blues have any interest in leaving him unprotected in the expansion draft, but they don't have to make that decision today, and things can always change. -
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I know this probably won't be a popular comment for Cards fans but if it's me, I just leave this as they are for this year. Maybe make a move at the trading deadline if you're in it. Even if you go out and get an Arenado or Lindor, it's not going to put butts in the seats if your not allowed to have butts in the seats. Play the kids this year and let's try and develop some of this young talent.
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Truly playing the kids would mean something like . . . Knizner replacing Molina at catcher, Gorman replacing Carpenter at third a year ahead of his projected MLB arrival, a revolving cast of young/unproven arms in both the rotation and the bullpen, and sitting Fowler for a combination of Carlson/Bader/Thomas/O'Neill and Williams. There could be as much harm done as development gained. The team would not be very good.
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Ben,
Earlier the Blues/Cards were discussed. As a fan of both I know where I'll put my money. My wife and I often discuss going to a game in St. Louis to see the Blues. She has no desire to see the Cardinals. We often discuss with my in-laws going to see the Blues, not the Cards.
When both are on TV I always watch the Blues. Mostly I put the Cards on the radio as background noise when I'm in my shop. I don't have to pay close attention because not a lot happens.
Once upon a time if you would've predicted I'd follow the Blues closer than the Cardinals I wouldn't have believed you. But 5 or 6 years ago that started changing and frankly I don't see MLB or the Cardinals doing anything to change it.
Don Mattingly couldn't have spoken truer words! -
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Correct. An extension will probably hinge on how well he pitches in 2021. At least it should.The trusty arbitration calculator at MLB Trade Rumors suggests Flaherty will make between $2.3 and $3 million for 2021.Flaherty had one stellar season and one step-back season during the pandemic. If he returns to form in 2021, and I think he will, then I think the extension talks will heat up that following spring. Flaherty is under team control through 2023. The Cardinals have time.
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Does the DeWitt have a real sense of the very real, prevalent and growing discontent among the fan base? Mo always gives the impression that he thinks the fans should be more grateful for slightly above-mediocre teams that don't score any runs in their only playoff series. Does DeWitt have the same view of the fanbase?
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I think both DeWitt and Mozeliak have a nuanced view of fan approval. They know some are just happy to be at the ballpark, and will follow the team through ups and downs. They know some are never going to be satisfied. They know some are in the middle. I don't think the Cardinals are worried about fan backlash to the point of not being able to draw, and history has confirmed their opinion on that.
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Hey, Ben: No question right now. Just wanted to take a moment as this year comes to a close to say how much I have enjoyed your work since you have come to the PD. I no longer live in STL, but I subscribe to the paper solely for the outstanding sports coverage of my teams (Cards, Blues, Mizzou). I enjoy your columns as you like to challenge the powers that be or the status quo without sinking into ad hominem attacks or bluster. And I've really enjoyed the way you have embraced the chats and engage with the audience. Happy New Year!
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Could you see either St.Louis or KC getting an NBA franchise and market it the same way the Arizona Diamondbacks do and make it more of a regional/state team as opposed to one City? The odd City out probably St.Louis because it has a hockey team could get the G-league/minor league team. Your thoughts?
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After recently shutting the door on the idea of NBA expansion, commissioner Adam Silver re-opened the possibility of growing the league in recent remarks. The $1 billion entrance fee that would be required for onboarding teams and its ability to help combat the pandemic's financial blues is a big reason the mood could change. What it would not solve is two problems for St. Louis. One being the league doesn't seem all that interested in planting a flag here. The other being there is not a deep-pocketed owner working to change the league's opinion about St. Louis. If Kansas City -- another longshot -- found a way to get a team, I don't think it would want to market it to Missouri. It would be a KC team, like the Chiefs and Royals. The Chiefs welcomed former Rams fans who wanted to pull for the Chiefs, but they did not move games here or actively recruit STL. If KC came up with the owner, the cash and the tax breaks to get a team, it would not want to share it I don't think.
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Ben...in this chat you asked for advice as a newlywed and moving into a new house. I recommended you stay away from Home Depot and any significant home improvement projects as they are an HGTV created trap for misery.
Now I see your tweet about the ceiling fans and Home Depot. No denial this chat is full of wisdom and is the gift that keeps on giving? -
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Ben I don't think the question is whether Molina and Waino will help. I think the question is whether the 20 million Yadi wants for 2 years will be worth it over the 5 to 6 million you could pay Suzuki or Castro. Do you really think Yadi is worth the money? Waino possibly but will see if he can pitch a full season and his money expectations are more realistic. Thanks for the chats.
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What Molina wants might not be what he gets.I'm all for the Cardinals negotiating, but if they get outbid by a million dollars or something close to it for their Hall of Fame catcher, that's inexcusable.Same for Wainwright.He worked the past two seasons on one-year deals that included low guarantees and lots of incentives.Are we really supposed to believe he wants something drastically different now?We're not talking about Albert Pujols money here. We're not even talking about Matt Carpenter money.
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I for one, hate the new alignment for the Blues. As a working stiff there is no way in the world I am going to stay up to watch their road games on the west coast. What in the world was the NHL thinking putting us with west coast teams? It's unfair to us and frankly unfair to them with their road games starting at five pm. Ludicrous...can anything be done or are we stuck with this for this season only?
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I hear you, and I think it is pretty disrespectful to the Blues and their fans. The Blues have been one of the best teams in the league for quite a while now, and the fans have dominated every event the league has sent STL's way. You would think the Blues might not be the team that draws the short straw in this alignment. Even more frustrating are the people insisting Blues fans have to be OK with this. Um, no, they don't. You can still love hockey and not like having to set 15 alarms the next morning. What about all those kids who fell in love with hockey when the Blues were making their championship run? I guess they'll check the highlights in the morning.
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I've passed the new soccer stadium site a few times and it seems pretty small even for only 22,500 seats. will the field size be the standard 75 by 120 yards? it would be a crying shame if they had to shrink the field to a smaller size. soccer isn't meant to be played that way. maybe the seating will be more vertical like in Seattle?
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The stadium's primary focus is for soccer, so it will be up to snuff with all MLS qualifications in terms of field size and playing surface. Here's the latest story on the stadium development, with shots of the in-progress stadium.
Outline of new St. Louis MLS stadium begins taking shape
STLtoday.comBy late next year, the workforce on site should peak at about 800 people before trending down as the stadium approaches an August 2022 completion date. -
There is a disconnect between FO and Cards fans who have a higher standard than simply making the playoffs from a very middling division vs being able to compete for championships with the resources the Cards have at their disposal.
Problem has been how the FO uses those resources, evaluates players and mismanaged assets.
If fans or media want to give them a pass or pat on the back for winning games and being competitive in a division with lesser teams - so be it, we will continue to hold them to a higher standard and demand more accountability.
All the bad signings, unnecessary extensions and just fundamental mistakes on evaluations of players and their abilities would make any intelligent fan who follows the game question their methods.
The FO is getting another pass by all the downsizing moves from the Cubs, Reds, Pirates now..hope they figure out a good move or two because, like the lineup, they have way too much swing and miss in their deals -
Who is the "we" in your scenario?And who is giving the Cardinals a pass?The media has members. Be specific.It's convenient for Cardinals fans to blame the big, bad media instead of the Cardinals.That allows them to keep cheering for their team and assign the blame to media members.It's a tired act.
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Why is Yadi so special Ben? He's made a $155 million! Can't he take a slightly lesser contract for the fans? He has been overpaid the last three years at 20 million per year and he's gonna be 39. Yadis a professional baseball player well past his prime so maybe we shouldn't treat him like the family pet! Let's see what he can do elsewhere and see what happens to him when a Manager tells him NO YOUR NOT CATCHING TODAY because you're not in charge. See what that does to his inflated ego and I want to see how a large market treats that ego. I usually don't post but I couldn't let this go.
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He is going to take a lesser contract.No one, including Molina, thinks he's making $20 million per season next season.The market will determine his value, more or less.If the Cardinals get outbid for him at what is going to be a bargain, I'm curious what their reasoning will be.
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I read an article outlining the current state of affairs of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, bringing back all of the memories of the discussions before the Rams left town here. How much do you think they could use the abandoned markets, especially since Khan has ties to the area, to try and get the city of Jacksonville to pony up some money for a stadium after Stan turned down tax payer money to foot the bill of his own stadium?
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Khan seems to be eyeing London a lot more than St. Louis.Besides, Trevor Lawrence will save the Jacksonville Jags.Or so I'm told.But yes, that whole vibe has a St Louis smell to it, doesn't it?St. Louis should be wise enough by now to not get fooled into being a phony stalking horse.
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I don't get some of the fan angst over Tarasenko's comments. He was widely praised after the Cup for being the kind of high end player who was team first and didn't want the spotlight. Which makes you a leader, but not necessarily the face of the team. There are many form of leaderhip and while I think the Blues made the right call, I don't blame 91 for being disappointed either. Only one guy can get the "C".
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I suppose some think Tarasenko should not have made his disappointment public.I don't think Ryan O'Reilly read that and got mad.If he did, he would not be a good captain.This is a juicy story on December 29 and probably a non-story once Tarasenko clears things up in camp.
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For a team that is normally financially responsible and looks at perceived value vs long term risk, doesn’t the risk of one year of uncertainty give the potential to have significant value given the slowness of the market and what I assume is decrease demands of players? Sure seems like there could be some real finds out there that could pay dividends for several years at minimum risk this year
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If Molina, Wainwright, and Wong all end up not coming back this year, what is the identity of the Cardinals team? If they want to be a run prevention type team, it wouldn't make sense to slow play affordable, known defensive talent. Do they want to be something else and how do they go about transitioning to that if that is their desire? Also, does it make sense to try to shift while playing half of their games in a pitcher's park?
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I suppose we can now close the book on the Mizzou FB season. It was a very pleasant surprise. Unless they suffer significant attrition to the staff and roster the future looks much brighter than any of us imagined.
People can debate the bowl situation and cancellation, but I think Dave Matter covered it very well. Covid had latched onto both teams before the holidays and I don't think it would've been fair to either team or their fans to send what would've been left of the rosters to play an actual game.
The players went through some trying times and deserved any down time with family/friends they could get. Mental health is vital. -
And there is no proof the Christmas break led to the shutdown, no matter how hard Iowa fans wish it so.The non-playoff bowl games are a joke this season.Let's just admit it.It would have been nice for Drinkwitz to have a winning record, but he made forward progress, more than expected, in a trying year.Most importantly, his recruiting is really encouraging.That's big, because some of those freshmen will need to make an impact sooner rather than later.
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They say you need at least one NBA skill to stick in the league long enough to develop the other skills.Maybe that's Goodwin's rebounding, or Pinson's and or Collins' passing ability/speed, or Javonte Perkins' scoring?They're all kind of fringy NBA types to me at the moment.But their future is not yet decided either, and none of them are losing a year of eligibility this season if they choose to return.
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