Join columnist Ben Frederickson for a live chat from the MLB Winter Meetings 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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National Sports Pundits are indicating that the Cardinals are looking at signing a top tier SS such as Swanson or Bogeart. The local sports media are saying the opposite. I’d like to see the FO go after Bogeart as he would be a shorter term, though high AAV. Once Winn arrives he can move to 2nd and then we’d have two awesome utility players in Edman and Donovan that can play almost any position. Can you please provide our thoughts on this? -
Last night during our meeting with Mozeliak I asked him to describe where the Cardinals are in the shortstop market, because so many have been describing it for them. He said Edman is the shortstop. He said he likes the middle infield options with Donovan, Gorman and, yes, DeJong. He said the much-discussed on Twitter line about not rushing to deal off DeJong and that the Cardinals have received some trade interest in him.He also said, when discussing the top need of catcher, that how the Cardinals add that catcher could impact what comes next. Part of that meant the cost of trading for a catcher could push Cardinals to supplement the area they traded from. That could be middle infield. If a team wants Donovan or Edman or Gorman, and the Cardinals are willing to deal one of those players to get their catcher, they could then need to add a shortstop.Another thing Mozeliak did was express optimism about Masyn Winn and his future potential at shortstop.So, he covered all his bases. But all things to through catcher and how the Cardinals acquire one. And don't forget Matt Carpenter was the Cardinals' third baseman until Nolan Arenado was trade for that same offseason; things can change, and sometimes do. -
BenFred -
I don't totally understand the idea of trading away Nolan Gorman for anyone less than a certified superstar (Soto, Ohtani, Trout, etc.). He fits everything the Cardinals are looking for this offseason: Left Handed, Power Bat, Cost Controlled, Positional Versatility. Not to mention he's been brought up through our system, and he's only 22 years old. Do you see him leaving this offseason as a trade piece? -
I wouldn't rush to trade Gorman either and I don't think the Cardinals are itching to, but sometimes you have to part with talent to get with talent. Mozeliak has mentioned recently Gorman's young age and called for patience. No surprise there. The Cardinals, like every other team, are also wondering what the new version of shift-less (or at least shift-suppressed) baseball looks like moving forward, and how that could affect defensively limited second basemen moving forward as there will be less cover for them. Gorman showed signs of improvement at second, but I'm not sure he's there long-term in an era where there are these shift rules. Could be a corner outfielder. Could be a DH. Could be a player who becomes more tradeable because of how the game has changed, perhaps. We'll see.
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Trade for David Perron. Kidding, mostly. It's bigger than him. Right now the only hope is the players pull together and figure out how to stop being so inconsistent, or Armstrong won't have much of a choice but to go into retool/rebuild mode. They have it within them to be a good team. We watched it during the winning streak. But their inability to find a lasting norm is concerning as the season goes along, and the chemistry has never looked right for an extended period of time. It's off. And the clock is ticking.
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"He also said, when discussing the top need of catcher, that how the Cardinals add that catcher could impact what comes next. Part of that meant the cost of trading for a catcher could push Cardinals to supplement the area they traded from. That could be middle infield. If a team wants Donovan or Edman or Gorman, and the Cardinals are willing to deal one of those players to get their catcher, they could then need to add a shortstop."
Does this include that they might trade Winn? Then need a ss of the future? Or is the thinking that it might only be one of the guys in the majors? -
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Contreras and Vazquez are different catchers than one another, but could both be good additions for the Cardinals. I like Contreras more than Vazquez, and I like him most out of all the options, but Vazquez is more in that Molina-type style of catcher, and could be a good fit. I do think the trade options are the Cardinals' preferred preference.
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I knew Husso wanted starting role and $$ but I also felt Binnington was a "one hit wonder". To me Husso had the skill. What do the Blues do with a goalie who can't keep his concentration in a game and looks like a fool with his antics who is vastly overpaid player (like many on this roster)
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Binnington is getting piled on and villainized because the team is losing.When his antics accompany wins, he's celebrated.When his antics are in the midst of losses, he's petulant.He was playing some of his best hockey when he made his biggest Binnington moment, chucking that water bottle at Kadri after he got hurt.He needs to play better. He's not alone there. The other stuff is just mostly noise.On a team that too often seems apathetic I've got a hard time ripping him for showing emotion.It's an emotional sport.
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One name of interest that has me puzzled is Christian Vazquez. I’d love to end up with Murphy, Contreras, or one of the Blue Jays backstops, but Vazquez does nothing to move the needle. I’d rather just run with Herrera and Knizner than make a move like that. What’s behind their interest in him?
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Veteran. Postseason experience. Knows how to handle a staff, call a game, coordinate a defense. Better hitter than what Knizner has shown so far. He's not at the top of the list. Should be at the bottom of it. But he would be an upgrade over the current options, definitely in the shorter term.
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do you think the cardinals overvalue their prospects? we have had so many: flarehty, reyes, tavares, carlson, shelby miller...etc who either didn't work out or (so far) haven't been consistent. We can't keep waiting on future talent and failing to supplement Goldy/Arenado while they're still in productive years.
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Sure. That's to be expected from a team that wants to fill from within and makes that clear. The Cardinals prefer to be a pipeline-driven team. They want internally produced answers to work. Compare that to a team like the Padres, that sees its farm as little more than places to stock trade chips. Different approaches from different teams. Cardinals are very clear about how they operate, and want to have as many homegrown answers as possible.
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Despite the talk of the Cardinals getting one of their top catching targets via trade or free agency, I'm not sure that they will get past the puke point in either prospect capital or dollars and draft pick compensation to get their most desirable targets. Who would be the best option in the value market of catchers?
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I don't know what elevated seriousness means, but left-handed hitting is something they're going to continue to look at.Conforto as a hopefully better Dickerson could make some sense. He's known for being a strong clubhouse presence as well.Gallo could offer some Matt Carpenter style what-if without the baggage.Price on Bellinger combined with freefall he's been in seems too high unless his ask changes.Cardinals are in catcher, catcher, catcher mode and other moves will likely be based on how that goes. Which is another reason to not wait around and settle the catcher need so other areas can come into better focus.
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I don't see this Blues team as a real cup contender this year. It's just not there. I'd like to see them trade away some of their aging players for talent that can help them remain good for the next 2-3 years and become great again in the next 3-5. Who on the roster has trade value and what do you think they'd command on the open market?
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BenFred, is it "good" for MLB that teams are signing players to contracts where the AAV is greater than the entire payroll of other teams? Any chance this bubble bursts naturally or in the form of a salary cap/salary floor as part of the next CBA? Will baseball be fine for the next 5-10 years? Of course. But do the economics have staying power other than hoping that there are more owners like Cohen on the horizon...?
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My take? Owners who don't want to compete, and spend what is necessary to do that, should not be owners. They should be forced out by the other owners, because owners who are clinging to valuable franchises while crying poor are doing a disservice to the game, driving away fans and dragging down all boats. You don't have to be the biggest spender to win big, but a decent level of participation should be a bottom-line requirement forced by fellow owners for the good of the game.
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Transfer portal is a dirty, twisted scheme for many players including high school recruits that don’t get recruited due to coaches relying on transfers…
Over 55% of players in the portal don’t land another school - many are promised money and playing time but a much smaller amount actually “cash out/win”..
What a misbegotten mess -
Tampering is rampant.My advice to the kids is, make sure that grass really is greener.And know that the promise of NIL potential means nothing until the check clears.Dominic Lovett is a good example. Where is he going to go where he does more on the field and commands more NIL potential off it than by returning to Mizzou? I don't see it, sorry.
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Here at Winter Meetings, yes. He wants out. The Pirates fired back that he's not getting out, but cooler heads could prevail. His value is highest now. Trading a star player within the division? Probably not something Pittsburgh would love to do. Mo reminded last night that he is not all that fond of traded within the division, but let's not forget he pulled off a good one last trade deadline for Quintana, one the Pirates liked because they like Oviedo's potential.
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When I showed up to my first introduction as the Rick Hummel Intern at the P-D, I stayed up the entire night before studying Cardinals history, expecting to get quizzed. Rick found out I was from Sedalia, and spent the lunch telling me stories about his days at the Columbia Missourian when he would come across my Sedalia alma mater Smith-Cotton. I was floored. He always made me feel like I belonged, and I never once saw him big-time anybody, ever.
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OK, guys and gals. Gotta run for now. I'll get to some more of the questions and comments for the newsletter that comes out tomorrow morning. If you have not yet subscribed, please do me a favor and sign up for it here. The link was messed up for a while. It's fixed now. Thank you for the assist!
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