Shildt got fired because he strongly disagreed with the guy two pay grades up from him. He overplayed his hand as keeper of the Cardinal Way. As for how the players handle Marmol's decisions and explanations, I imagine he will might a player here or there the wrong way. But as long as Marmol is fair and plays the guys who play best, ultimately that's all most mature athletes want from their manager.
I mentioned a few names earlier. I expect Doug Armstrong to add his backup. He has a budget in mind for that and he may have to wait out the market to get a guy at the right price. Or maybe not, because some goaltenders may not to risk ending up without a gig.
Touched on that earlier, noting the Krug/Perunovich redundancy and the need to balance up the D with Top 4 defender who can kill penalties and match up against top forwards. Can't say that this is surprising.
I love Walt. He was arguably the best power forward of his era. But . . . but in No. 91's case, he does have the Stanley Cup to go with his longevity and counting numbers.
I wouldn't expect a bigger move at catcher unless it was determined that Yadier Molina can't muster a successful comeback.
It was not trending that way. As John Mozeliak noted, Edmundo Sosa was hardly playing in his role. So that is where Paul would slot in. Also, his power surge aside, he hasn't found consistency at the Triple-A level.
DeWitt is obsessed with consistent success, yes. And the Cardinals are right back in the playoff chase as usual. Crowds are big, business is good. As for the pitching, due to the lockout the Cardinals did not know that both Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes would show up unable to pitch in spring training. Once they learned that, it's fair to say they should have signed a few veterans to add depth. But on balance, they have gained surprising good production from their young pitchers this season. Obviously Dakota Hudson need to find some command and Steven Matz needs to pitch like he did last season or else this team will need to add two starters before the trade deadline. And there is not a lot of great help on the market right now.
It's a pretty common sports malady. I haven't researched how many prime-age athletes had their careers abruptly ended by it.
The Cardinals have made significant in-season improvements this season. He sees a strong organization here with excellent young talent rising in the ranks. Yepez, Gorman, Donovan, Thompson, Fernandez, Liberatore -- there is some talent there among the in-season additions. Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker are in the Futures Game -- this is not a franchise in distress. But if he leaves, leaves and the Cardinals will have $30 million-plus per year to spend on players in their prime.
With each passing day, the record seems less likely.
So he was willing to sign for less here AND accept a backup role? That seems unlikely.
I'm aware of him, He's on one of my fantasy baseball teams. Like I said earlier, if becomes clear that Molina can't play anymore, it's fair to expect an upgrade at catcher before the deadline.
He is a great athlete, but he has to learn to play the outfield first before considering that. And that process is in its very earlier stages.
It's been a heck of run. That's what made watching him struggle this year so hard.
Getting O'Neill back will shore up the middle of the lineup. And the Cardinals no longer have a middle relief problem with Hicks back, Cabrera returning and both Fernandez and Thompson doing impressive work. Even Oviedo and Packy Naughton have stepped up.
Zadorov is a third-pairing defender who has played sheltered minutes due to his defensive limitations. He play the body, but he us not great on the puck.
If O'Reilly has a great year and he is still the matchup center AND a power play threat, he will want to get paid.
That was obvious when he made the monstrous Brayden Schenn and Ryan O'Reilly trades that brought St. Louis the Cup.
Right not it would be Lars Nootbaar who, unfortunately, has died offensively. Tyler O'Neill could play there in a pinch, or the ever-valuable Tommy Edman.
The current front office has also loaded up the best supply of young talent the team has seen a long time. And the Farewell Tour signings that Bill DeWitt Jr. signed off on is making the team a lot of money.
Shildt got fired because he strongly disagreed with the guy two pay grades up from him. He overplayed his hand as keeper of the Cardinal Way. As for how the players handle Marmol's decisions and explanations, I imagine he will might a player here or there the wrong way. But as long as Marmol is fair and plays the guys who play best, ultimately that's all most mature athletes want from their manager.