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Join columnist Jeff Gordon for his live St. Louis sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday

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3rd & 7 37yd

That contract for Flaherty met the arbitration projections from independent analysts. It's a lower number, almost half what Montgomery got, due to the injuries. But if he stays healthy this year and pitches to his ability, he will get crazy money in the market.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:11:49 PM
Bobo, ever seen a more inept defensive scheme than what TCU showed Georgia In the BCS Championship?

by Jack 1/13/2023 7:14:54 PM
It reminded me of the Rams fiascos of yesteryear. We heard that the scheme was just fine, the game plan was must fine, but players missed assignments and left gaps uncovered.
There is truth to that. Also, Georgia played at a very high level, unlike at Missouri, and the game snowballed against TCU is big, big way, A lot has to happen to produce a score like that.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:17:28 PM
Looks like Stubby got passed over for bench coach once again? What gives?

by Kevin in DC 1/13/2023 7:17:39 PM
Joe McEwing is a guy the organization has liked for a long time and obviously Oliver Marmol was comfortable with this move.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:18:16 PM
Does Flaherty’s 1 year agreement soothe any ill will from past arb disagreements and give an opening to extend him at some point?

by Kevin in DC 1/13/2023 7:18:19 PM
I doubt it. It was nice to avoid arbitration, even if it mean giving Jack slightly more than the numbers crowd projected him to get in arbitration. Flaherty has come this far to get this close to free agency I would expect him to bet on himself and his ability to stay healthy. I expect him to test the market.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:21:09 PM
O’Neill and Carlson both deserve a chance to show that they can replicate 2021 based on injuries. And Nootbaar showed enough (to the team) to warrant a longer look. All that is true, but what is also true is that is an entire outfield of question marks again. You can’t have all three spots be an unknown whether it is performance or health. I don’t care how close Walker is, he is 21-years old.

by South City Steve 1/13/2023 7:21:41 PM
You can put a question mark next to just about anybody in baseball. How many players check one of these boxes: Getting older, suffered injuries, suffered prolonged slumps, suffered big statistical fluctuation year to year. Or maybe one of these boxes: lacking experience, lacking years-long track record in the majors, suffered regression after initial surge, failed to make quick adjustments.
So the naysayers line up: Nolan Arenado is due for regression. Same with Paul Goldschmidt. Tommy Edman will wear down at shortstop. Brendan Donovan was one-year wonder. Tyler O'Neill will get hurt again. Dylan Carlson is a washout. Lars Nootbaar is unproved. Jordan Walker is over-hyped. Nolan Gorman got exposed. Juan Yepez has hit his ceiling. We'll hear all this stuff until April, then we'll see what is really the case.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:32:36 PM
I thought Profar might be a good pickup for the Cards, as he could play both OF and INF. Trade DeJong for a reliever and some cash relief to the Red Sox.

by Kevin in DC 1/13/2023 7:32:53 PM
Why would anybody trade for Paul DeJong?

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:33:15 PM
Re: guard play.
Honor has been Fantastic. East is solid. Better than expected handling the ball and the pressure.

by Joe 1/13/2023 7:33:22 PM
East can make teams that don't defend well look really, really bad. Kentucky has great talent, but those guys are not committed to defense right now. As Missouri runs into great athletes who use that ability to guard well, then it will get tougher for East.
As for Honor, he played in the ACC and he's ready for it. Usually he doesn't try to do too much.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:35:30 PM
I'm glad the Cardinals would never sign Bauer. Baseball players are not role models or saints, but we don't need abject evil people who plan to continue their sick acts.

by Tom 1/13/2023 7:35:32 PM
Yeah, that's the other side of it.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:35:49 PM
When Correa's dollars came down to 6/200, didn't you feel like the Cards should've gotten in. Contract lines up with Arenado's and Goldy's upcoming extension. Just made too much sense. Those two aren't getting any younger.

by Ryan P 1/13/2023 7:35:58 PM
That was never going to happen. That was not a need position. Having more pop at shortstop would be great, but the team hopes to add that at catcher and in the outfield this season. Going forward, as discussed earlier, pitching needs will be expensive to fill if the team doesn't develop several good arms. And until he proves he is not a top prospect, the Cardinals will leave a path for Masyn Winn.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:39:00 PM
They would never sign Bauer—and risk tarnishing the squeaky clean image of the almighty Cardinals?

by Stan the Fan 1/13/2023 7:39:06 PM
I can't imagine the Cardinals want him to live with that guy day after day after day for the better part of nine months. Maintaining team culture has been one key to the Cardinals outperforming peer franchises.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:41:06 PM
Gordo, doesn’t the Georgia smack down of TCU unmask the gap between the powerhouse (SEC) teams and the rest of the country? Will the 12 team playoff solve that? Maybe Saban was right that a 2 loss Bama team was better than Michigan and TCU.

by Stan the Fan 1/13/2023 7:41:10 PM
Georgia proved quite capable of losing to so-so teams this season when it had a bad day. It did not have a bad day against TCU. And by getting to the title game, TCU proved the superpowers can't expect to roll through the expanded playoffs.
As for Alabama, Nick Saban needs to simmer down. The Crimson Tide was closer to being a four-loss team this year than it was to being a national champion.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:45:42 PM
Cards signed Zuniga to major league contract; hard throwers, lack of control, lefties hit him hard. Took Rodriquez in Rule 5 draft. He has to stay on 26 man roster all season or be back with the Yankees. What is your assessment of them? Reyes injury history is troubling and he could be a change of scenery find for another team. But are Zuniga and Rodriquez that much of a sure thing?

by Cards fan exiled in DC 1/13/2023 7:46:02 PM
No, they are not sure things. They fall in the category of "let's take a look at some guys in the spring." Maybe they show something, maybe some other guys get hurt and maybe the team has both an unanticipated need and an unexpected solution, at least in the short term.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:47:44 PM
Glad you posted that article. Which was my point in the beginning. It was up to Manfred's interpretation , which if you haven't been paying attention, is suspect at best. Hope Bauer rails on him in court and gets some of the owners money in the suit. Braun knowingly PED uses and throws a guy directing under all four tires of a bus gets 50 games and Bauer, gets what, 194?? Lol

by Ryan P 1/13/2023 7:48:20 PM
If Bauer persists with litigation, he better never take the stand himself.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:48:41 PM
Jeff, Rams assistant coaches are leaving in droves and now McVay might want out. Leave it to the Malibu munchkin to lead this sorry franchise into the abyss following a championship. No team winning a Super Bowl has fallen so quickly. Will you be sending a get well card to Malibu anytime soon?

by Jack 1/13/2023 7:48:58 PM
No.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:49:02 PM
Relatively mellow Friday chat ... sadly, nobody's been told to settle or simmer down!

Bummed out on the MU OC hire. Just like with HCED (a 1 year HC from the minor leagues), we hire a 1 year OC from the minor leagues. Additionally, no evidence that HCED can be a good CEO - he has no experience at that, unlike what HCGP had in the systems he coached in and was developed in. HCED was hired as an up and coming offensive star ... he's failed miserably at that. I'm a 1985 MU graduate and long-time season ticket holder ... all cards on the table ...sad for me to say, but I'm hoping for a bad start to the 2023 season so they get rid of ED, correct the terrible mistake they made, and hire a legitimate experienced successful proven track record Power 5 head coach.

by 5G 1/13/2023 7:49:30 PM
I understand your pain. But to get an established, winning Power 5 head coach to take the Missouri job will take almost unimageable money for him, his staff and the pots of NIL gold needed to get talent these days. And where will that money come from?
If Eli Drinkwitz can't get the job done, then the school will be back to checking on up-and-coming head coaches or coordinators overdue for their shot at running their own team.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:52:24 PM
Jeff, aside from ROR and Tarasenko, what other players do you think Army will move if he gets the offers, he wants? I would think Kyrou and Thomas are the only two untouchables at the moment.

by Timothy Mark 1/13/2023 7:52:28 PM
I'd add Buchnevich to that untouchable list, given his prime age, productivity and cap-friendly deal. Also, I would not trade Faulk. Can you imagine the defense without him?

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:54:51 PM
Will Cards announce new TV play by play announcer at the Winter warm-up?

by Ed 1/13/2023 7:54:54 PM
That would be ideal. But if that is in the plans, the club has done a great job keeping it quiet.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:55:45 PM
Another bad trade was Doug Gilmour, although there was that babysitter thing. Still, we'd have been much better off keeping him.

by Tom 1/13/2023 7:55:49 PM
Mike Bullard! That was the key piece coming back in that trade. Yes, it was made under duress for non-hockey reasons, but Mike Bullard? His hockey career was on life support at that point.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:57:46 PM
All chatters that think money buys championships should read The Grandest Stage by Tyler Kepner.

by Ed 1/13/2023 7:58:19 PM
I will allow that plug to stand. Tyler does great work.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 7:58:33 PM
The market says Monty is worth 5/6 yrs $90-120 MIL. MO isn’t doing that is he? But then he’ll give Mikolas a 4/80 deal. It’s baffling how their calculators work.

by Ryan P 1/13/2023 7:58:55 PM
If that proves to be the market for Montgomery, the Cardinals have proven willing to swim in those waters, as you note. A six-year term might make them squeamish, but that AAV fits the team model. The Cardinals will have motivation to extend to gain pitching certainty past this season, but Montgomery could feel more motivation to test the market after seeing the crazy contracts of this winter.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 8:02:27 PM
Hey Jeff.. Good afternoon.. I made a comment in Tom's chat about Vladi and his work ethic. Quoted what Brett Hull said about him-- Basically, if he worked harder to create more offensive chances (learned the 1 timer years ago) he would be closer to a 45-55 goal scorer annually. Now Brett was a slouch on defense, we all know that, but just in terms of pure offensive output, Brett put the work in offensively. If not he wouldn't have those 700+ goals in his career. Your thoughts on Tarasenko.. Did he miss his potential by not pushing himself to be a better player, at least offensively??? Thanks Jeff...

by pugger 1/13/2023 8:02:52 PM
I believe a good one-time shot for the power play might have added another 5 goals a season, maybe 10 more in a peak year. And you can argue that he should have scored more "great goals" had he used his strength around the net more often. But otherwise I don't believe No. 91 left a whole lot untapped. We're talking about six straight seasons of 33 or more goals when healthy. He has been a volume shooter who fires pucks from all angles. He has been fast enough, but he was never going to be explosive. He makes a move here and there in the open ice, but he doesn't have the ability to turn defenders inside out with consistency.

by Jeff Gordon 1/13/2023 8:13:18 PM