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3rd & 7 37yd

Right now the Cardinals are estimated to be at just under $175 million payroll for 19 veterans, counting the anticipated arbitration awards. So with no other veteran additions (or subtractions), the team will be headed to $180 million. And odds are they will another veteran or two by the end of spring.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 6:51:55 PM
I've watched and played hockey for a number of years, although not an expert I think I can watch a game and tell when a player is dogging it. Parayko is a fine defenseman, but certainly not worth the $7.25m he currently makes. Tarasenko looks like he has mentally checked out. Not sure how Pitlick keeps collecting a paycheck. Night after night numerous players can't hit the net on close in shots.
This team needs a jolt, an infusion of energy. When you watch Bitton skating all over the ice like his hair is on fire he sticks out compared to others on the team that look like they are just going through the motions. What can Army do? What should Army do?

by Rob in St. Charles 12/9/2022 6:52:29 PM
The only quick move available to Doug Armstrong is to change the head coach and/or the assistants. As noted earlier, making big moves ahead of the NHL trade deadline is almost impossible these days. And it's not like there are a bunch of future superstars on their AHL team.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 6:54:03 PM
I'm ok with giving Carlson and o neil a chance to rebound with walker on way but they still have OF clutter

by Darkman75 12/9/2022 6:55:19 PM
They do have some clutter there and that will be sorted out in time. Ideally, the Cardinals will not have to play Yepez much, if at all, in the outfield. Alec Burleson could use more time at Triple-A and it remains to be seen how long it will take Jordan Walker to start realizing more of his massive potential.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 6:56:48 PM
Thank you for adding that for the sake of the fans you hope you're wrong and the Cardinals will add something significant to the roster. The fans just want the team to win. I know some obsess over the payroll, but the fans I know first and foremost just want the team to be a legitimate contender for the World Series again. I sympathize that the writers for the Post deal with a lot more direct fan frustration over the Cardinals lack of drive to be more aggressive than the team does. As a fan, it was easy to ignore when the Cardinals were outdone by the large market teams in the winter and when the Cardinals were too shy to make big moves in the summer because young talent is so vital to the team's future. Now, there are so many franchises that are hungrier to win than the Cardinals and it's getting too hard to ignore.

When Albert left, I would have never thought in a million years that the team would fade away from real World Series contention so quickly and stay in the background collecting playoff appearances, but never really taken as a serious threat to win the whole thing. That is very UnCardinal like. If the baseball gods grant good health for the rotation this year, they still don't have the weapons to really go anywhere this year and let's be honest, next year as well. If the market is not there now, then I would suggest they really build up their starting pitching depth, so they can focus on getting on ace at the deadline and not have to use their resources to get quantity of starting pitching at the deadline for the third year in a row. They can ignore the fans all they want. That's their right. It still doesn't change that their approach is flawed and isn't fair to the fanbase.

by Brian 12/9/2022 6:58:01 PM
The Cardinals are the most consistently successful franchise, by a lot, outside of the big coastal markets. That's why they keep drawing 3 million fans. We sense a lot of fan rage in these chats, but there is not much evidence of that rage at the ballpark.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:01:11 PM
Jeff, because the NL Central is the weakest division in baseball and it looks like the Brewers may be taking a step back this year. Nobody in the Central really improved themselves overall except the Cards signing Contreras so does Mo feel the team can win the Central and hope for the best in the playoffs? I know a lot can happen between now and the trade deadline next August.

by Rob in St. Charles 12/9/2022 7:01:25 PM
Yes, a lot will happen between now and the trade deadline. There could be more moves between now and Opening Day, then the development (or lack thereof) of their top prospects will have a significant say what moves follow.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:03:25 PM
I like Hobbs. I think he's a great fan. Please don't beat the drum on Tage Thompson. We won a Cup for crying out loud. Do we really need to see someone complain about what they gave up to get a great player the team needed to win a championship? That's just weird. I just don't understand today's fans. Generations have died and never saw the team win a championship. I just smh

by Brian 12/9/2022 7:03:37 PM
Yeah, there was the Stanley Cup run due significantly to that trade.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:04:02 PM
Do you think the Cards would have any interest in signing Michael Wacha whose 2022 record was 11-2, 3.32 ERA with Boston?

by Pam 12/9/2022 7:04:07 PM
Sure, the Cardinals love the guy as a person and he found some things as a pitcher. Ah, but I'm guessing a team with a more obvious rotation hole will win that bidding.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:04:50 PM
$17.5m came off the books with just Pujols/Dickerson/Yadi leaving… so where is payroll going up? And why does it feel like the cards are done spending money?

by Tackleberry 12/9/2022 7:06:12 PM
There will be nine returning players getting raises through arbitration awards. Then there is the Contreras contract ($17.5 million), new deals for Giovanny Gallegos and Chris Stratton and (gulp) an increase in the final year of Paul DeJong's contract.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:09:36 PM
If Army gets young NHL ready players for ROR and Vladi instead of draft picks then it's a retool. If he gets draft picks it's a 5 year rebuild. He's not going to want to do that. There's players in Many organizations like the Kings , Rangers who have a bottleneck and maybe we can find a player who is just not getting opportunity. Like Karlson on Vegas and Kibilick for the Wings. Dig what I'm screaming?

by Roy Hobbs 12/9/2022 7:09:49 PM
The Blues will retool, not rebuild, because a rebuild will kill the attendance. Having Thomas and Kyrou in place will make the process earlier.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:10:46 PM
Who do you see winning the 2B job between Norman and Donovan? Or do you see a platoon here?

by tbird728 12/9/2022 7:10:47 PM
I see Brendan Donovan getting most of the second base with Nolan Gorman spending a lot of time at DH.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:11:14 PM
I'll take the Stanley Cup for the first time in our history over keeping Tage Thompson. It cost to get O'Reilly and he was a big part in getting the first Cup.

by Tom 12/9/2022 7:11:16 PM
Yep.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:11:20 PM
Do you think Wilking Rodriguez will make the 25 man roster and contribute next season?

by tbird728 12/9/2022 7:11:26 PM
Short answer: No. Long answer: He figures to see lots of action in Memphis. If that goes well, then he could be an injury replacement on the fly. A lot would have to happen, good for him and bad for others, for him to walk into a big league roster spot out of spring training.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:13:00 PM
Any body concerned that Contreras caught only 72 games last year. 39 dh and 2 ph. 10 hr at home 12 on road (wrigley impact).

by JoMo 12/9/2022 7:13:10 PM
Sure, those are issues. He will get a fair number of DH at bats next year. So Ivan Herrera has a new lease on organizational life. As it stands now, his development is critical. The Cardinals will need more from the No. 2 catcher than they go last season.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:14:33 PM
Just as a heads up, the next player that will divide this fanbase in chats each week will be Nootbaar. I personally didn’t see enough to make the verbal commitment Oli and Mo have made to his playing time in ‘23. He had a great July/August but he also had a terrible September. We watched O’Neill/Carlson/Bader have excellent full seasons in ‘21 and they all disappointed in ‘22.

by Quite Frankly 12/9/2022 7:14:47 PM
Lars is no sure thing. But there is promise there, promise in Walker, offensive promise in Yepez, offensive promise in Burleson, offensive promise in Gomez . . . so there will be plenty of competitive for at bats as the season unfolds. And if somehow they all flop, then the Cardinals will be shopping for outfielders ahead of the deadline.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:14:53 PM
by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:16:20 PM
While Tage Thompson’s breakthrough has been impressive and predicted by some I have no regrets on that trade for ROR and our Cup and would have made that trade any day at the time.

You?

by Stella Blues 12/9/2022 7:16:28 PM
No regrets. I saw a fanbase that feared it would never win a Stanley Cup finally rewarded for its perseverance.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:17:17 PM
Your assessment: Is Dansby Swanson at a projected $20 million per year a significant improvement on Tommy Edman at $750,000 per year?

by PAL 12/9/2022 7:18:05 PM
Sure, adding Swanson, moving Edman to second base and using Donovan as a utility player would make the Cardinals stronger. Do I see the 2023 payroll topping $200 million for Opening Day? No. But I always enjoy pleasant surprises.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:19:26 PM
Quintana slot in at number 6? He was game 1 starter in the playoffs. He's not number 6. With this pitching group, he's number 1 or number 2. Five pitchers had better stats in 2022 as a Cardinal? I think not.

by 5gman 12/9/2022 7:19:28 PM
Quintana pitched more than six innings twice as a Cardinal. His prominent role here was dictated by injuries to others. When the Cardinals are healthy, Flaherty, Montgomery, Mikolas, Wainwright and Matz would all be ahead of him in the pecking order.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:22:51 PM
Gordo I watched Tage Thompson (5 goals, 6 points) and the Sabres dismantle the Blue Jackets a couple nights ago. He is a very talented skater with 100+ mph shot. If he isn’t already he is on his way to being one of the best players in the NHL. I have ZERO regrets nor second guessing. The Blues would not have won the Cup without ROR and that is something I was resigned to never seeing in my lifetime. I would make that trade 100 times out of 100. My only question is: As a later first round pick did the Blues or the league for that matter have any clue Thompson would become this good? Thanks and I look forward to your comment.

by Arnold 12/9/2022 7:23:08 PM
Are we really really questioning the O'Reilly trade? The man won the Conn Smythe as the team won its first Cup ever. No trade, no Cup. How any sane Blues fan could ever question that trade is beyond me. You know, it's possible for a trade to be good for both sides, and I'd say that was the case here.

by Matt L. 12/9/2022 7:24:25 PM
The Ryan O'Reilly for Tage Thompson (plus picks) trade should always be viewed positively for the Blues. It in effect got us our one and only Stanley Cup - FINALLY. I'd do it 100 times out of 100 to get that Cup. Amazing how fast people forget

by Lincoln Potter 12/9/2022 7:24:29 PM
Everybody knew that Thompson had a NHL-level shot coming out of college. What people didn't know was, would he get strong enough and play with enough pace to succeed at this level? It took him until the age of 24 to realize that potential. That is not unusual for bigger forwards.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:24:30 PM
Jeff, I contend that the Cards are equal to or only slightly better with the addition of Contreras considering Molina’s defense and Pujols production in the second half. That said, if no more external adds, then the team is counting on upgrades from Carlson, O’Neil, and Gorman, and/or a big splash from the hotshot Walker. And none of this improves a rotation baked with 3-4 type pitchers. Pardon me if I don’t clear my 2023 Oct calendar quite yet for the next World Series. Too harsh?

by Jack 12/9/2022 7:25:18 PM
Yes, the Cardinals are counting on young players to progress and key veterans to stay healthier than they were a year ago. And if those things don't happen, the organization has a significant prospect pile to trade from while making in-season improvements.

by Jeff Gordon 12/9/2022 7:27:16 PM
I haven’t heard Scott (super agent) Boras making any collusion charges yet this year!! Maybe he is happy this offseason!!

by Arnold 12/9/2022 7:27:17 PM