Missouri denied that report, which came from a gambling website. A lot goes into a bowl decision, like when the Orange Bowl insisted on Kansas instead of Mizzou, even though Mizzou beat Kansas and had the higher ranking.
Many teams feel the same way about Contreras. It's not just a Cardinals' assessment. If possible, this team does not want to take a massive step back on pitch calling and pitch framing.
As anybody who has been on the inside of the Pro Football Hall of Fame process and they will point out flaws. A candidate needs to have a strong media advocate who can sway the group. That is more important than actual merit.
So you've not been to Vanderbilt. Missouri redid the the South End zone to make it a club setting and before that it added the club level atop the student side. It's like a lot of SEC stadiums, just smaller Like with everything else, Missouri does not have the fan/donor revenue that the top SEC schools have. If have some millions to donate, the athletic department will take your call.
It can still produce champions, just as massive spending (Dodgers, Mets, Padres) can produce regular playoff disappointment. That's baseball.
The path will be tougher this season due to the balanced schedule. But, yes, it is worth noting that the other teams in division lack the commitment to contend year after year.
There is a vast "want to" disparity in baseball. There was a way to fix that with a CBA that enforced spending minimums, but neither side wanted to build the sort of system the NHL has.
Yes, there was contact. But Svechnikov never touched the crease. As the rules are written today, he was entitled to that space he skated through even if Binnington was there.
So as you can see by that metric, the Cardinals are easily the most successful franchise among the mid- and small-market baseball teams.
When Missouri entered the SEC, it was competitive in both football and basketball and it brought the St. Louis and Kansas City markets into the fold. The Tigers fell off that level, by a lot in basketball, and now the SEC is muscling up with Texas and Oklahoma. So Missouri will have some heavy lifting to do in the years ahead.
Tucker held up OK in his tiny work sample and he does have a future. Is he ready to play 22 minutes a night, match up against top lines and take mostly defensive zone starts? No. Could he be the next Nikita Zadorov? Maybe.
Matthew DeFranks, coming over from the Dallas Morning News.
The Orioles invested a year of rehab time on him and have him for low salary, so I don't know what their trade motivation would be. And if the Cardinals are going to move assets, why would they take the risk and get somebody destined to miss time in '23?
The Cardinals have a slugger coming back from multiple injuries already, in O'Neill, and there is no multi-year agreement tied with him. Haniger for the right price would be interesting, but the lack of quality in the outfield market could inflate is value. There are projections of three years, $45 million for him. That does not sound like the right price for the Cardinals.
The immediate question about Winn after his Arizona Fall League performance was his fielding. His arm is crazy strong, but some scouts winced at his fielding mechanics. He will need some work with Jose Oquendo this spring. He has plus speed, so, like Edman, that would be a key piece of his offensive profile. Can he get on base enough? That's an issue to watch.
I believe Kobe Brown will be fine. But he could get in a lot of foul trouble trying to guard the post because, like you say, the team is thin up front. Ronnie DeGray III needs to get into the rotation for that reason and he has. Kansas loves to play fast, Missouri plays fast and that game will be fun. This Jayhawks team might be better when it plays small and that is what Missouri does. Can the Tigers win? Yes, but it would take a crazy-hot shooting game by then and an off performance by KU. Missouri's passing ability gives it a chance. The Tigers make a lot of extra passes to get good looks.
Could they get to a Plan C or Plan D? Sure, but that would be a massive disappointment. Mozeliak set his goal and he wants to meet it, even if he has to overpay some as he's done in the past.
Ah, the Greenhouse Effect in Venus. Almost as bad a California.
It is foolish to trade away prospects for one of the available catchers when Contreras could be signed. Further, if you examine the defensive metrics for catchers, Contreras isn't near as bad as you and Goold say he is, plus he has a rocket arm. This team needs a catcher, a frontline starting pitcher, a power hitting outfielder, and a shortstop to allow Edman to move back to second. They'll likely add the catcher, a middle of the road outfielder (another Corey Dickerson type), and that's it. 2023 will bring about the same results as 2022, nice regular season, and a quick post-season exit.