Join columnist Jeff Gordon for his live St. Louis sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday
Bring your Cards, Blues, Mizzou, SLU and MLS questions and comments, and talk to columnist Jeff Gordon in his weekly live chat.
-
Jacob deGrom, Corbin Burnes, Aaron Nola and Zac Gallen all had glaringly bad starts to their season. Justin Verlander landed on the IL. So who is a true ace and how many games he is guaranteed to dominate?Certainly the Cardinals will want to add more high-end pitching. Every team with any hope of reaching the postseason wants that. The Cardinals' beyond this season is especially notable.But fans have seized this as the magic wand solution for the Cardinals. It's never that simple. Even if this team had given Verlander the $43,3 million per year he would have only improved their chances of winning a World Series by a few percentage points. So much can happen over 162 games and so many weird things happen in the posteason. -
Yo Gordo, I submit that the D corp has 9 NHL-quality players on the shut-down and/or offensive sides. In rough order of current value to the team: Parayko, Faulk, a getting healthier Scandella, Krug, Leddy, Bortuzzo, Tucker, Rosen, and Perunovich, if/when healthy. There are certainly offensive and left-hand redundancies/biases. But the unicorns in the league seem to be big, defense-first, R-handed players. So as Army has perhaps indicated, it seems likely he will sit on this group for next season, reduce the big contracts by a year, determine if Perunovich works out, and then move from a better position with more cap space next trade deadline or off-season. How do you see this playing out? -
Doug Armstrong will put extra focus on defense with the draft or with draft picks used in a trade. He would love to adjust his defensive mix this summer. But he knows that will be difficult, so his public position is that he is going into next season with this group.As we note each week, the potential for Scott Perunovich to replace what Torey Krug provides makes Krug the idea guy to move if there is a way to do that. Torey's no-trade protection and his remaining contract term complicate that.
-
You’re right about a 162-game season, Gordo, weird things can happen. However the same thing keeps happening every October to this team. Was it Quintana and Mikolas’ fault they got swept last year? No. But I think the whole team relaxes when a guy like Carpenter is on the mound and the need for offense is not so urgent every inning.
-
Certainly the presence of a top starting pitcher lifts the whole group mentally. But once again this season, a long list of elite starting pitchers will fall to lead their team to World Championship glory. It's better to have a high-end pitcher or two than to not have them, obviously. That makes it easier to get to the late innings in one piece. But in a sport where bullpens play a bigger role every year and managers overplay the matchup game in the postseason, the "true ace" can't do what they once did. Who could forget the look Max Scherzer gave Dave Roberts when he came for the ball?
-
I don't know what all the Cards chatters are complaining about. Forget that game yesterday! I don't think I've seen a game where a team got so many cheap bloops and seeing eye singles. Blue Jays had very few hard hit balls. Just a lot of bad luck. Unless the Cardinals outfield was playing to deep all game--possibly.
-
-
-
I am amazed at our fans criticism of Mo. I realize he has made some acquisitions that have not worked out and traded some talent away. But I am certain every “great” GM has plenty of swings and misses too. Can you share what other successful GMs mistakes have been for other teams…I think our fans should realize no one has a crystal ball that is 100% correct. With this in mind is more similar or above average with deciscions?
-
The easy answer is to look at the standings year to year and see all the fluctuation by many other teams and the unusually steady success of this one. Last year the Brewers could have rolled to the Central Division title, but they traded away closer Josh Hader while the Cardinals were adding starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana. Milwaukee sank and St. Louis soared.
-
Gordo. Let’s say it all together. It’s early, it’s a small sample size!! While this is true it’s also true that this is an STL sports chat so angst and panic are allowed and expected. So with that said: Everybody up to and including the parking lot attendants were screaming for the Cardinals to add a top flight starting pitcher before the season. They of course resisted that believing Jack Flaherty would fill that role with a healthy season. His ST starts did NOT produce the warm fuzzies. On the plus side he appears to be healthy and his velo seems fine. Obviously he will play his heart out trying for a big contract with the Dodgers but his pitch command has been atrocious. How big is tomorrows start for him and the team and what are you expecting? Thanks and I look forward your response.
-
Having Jack Flaherty is not the only reason the Cardinals did not add a top starting pitcher. The dollar prices were extremely high in free agency and the personnel prices were very high for trades. Both ways the Cardinals management team balked at spending big.As for Flaherty, his uneven spring performance puts a lot of focus on this game. And he has to face a dynamic offense. So if he has the type of game Jacob de Grom did yesterday for the Rangers, panic sirens will sound across the region.
-
Do you notice how good Faulk is playing the last 3 weeks? First half of the year Berube asks him to be a defense first player. Why he did that was probably because he couldn't trust Parayko? Not sure why he limited Faulk. In the last 3 weeks he's playing like a number 1 D man. If he leaves Faulk and Leddy alone they play a lot better. Coaches can make things worse!
-
-
Jeff I am looking directly through my Blues tinted sunglasses. The team is obviously finally over the post ROR trade malaise. Scandella has helped stabilize (somewhat) the defense. The 3 new wingers look like great additions and Hofer looks like the real deal who will push Binnington to be better. Assuming Army has one more miracle up his sleeve can the Blues at least be competitive next season or at least not as awful as everyone expected after the sell off? Dare we dream playoffs??
-
Can the Blues be competitive next year? Sure. Playoffs? Maybe, if a lot of teams underachieve, as we saw this season in the Western Conference. Either the Blues will come together and make a run for it or it will sputter and prompt Armstrong to sell off expiring contracts again. At the moment, Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen have gone from waiver fodder to Top 9 forwards with some value.
-
You keep saying Krug's NTC is a problem moving him. Tampa Bay moved Mcdonaugh who had a NTC. Players arms can be twisted. Krug can be put on waivers and if unclaimed he can be sent to the Gulag called Springfield. If that happens I bet Krug would accept a trade to Ottawa!! Also an enticing draft pick can be packaged with him. We need the cap space more then we need a 2nd round pick bro! Common play hardball Army! And get a clue Gordzonga!
-
-
-
Astute comment by Rick Tocchet the other day about the Blues being a team that hasn't figured out what it is. Though it's fun watching a team win by scoring 6 goals a game as we have for the past week or so, that can't last. Even the high-flying Oilers haven't been able to make that work. What would you say is the identity of the core of this team, and can it win in the playoffs (this year excepted)?
-
Subtracting Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko and adding Vrana and Kapanen made the team faster. And Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are effective rush players. So this team has evolved into more of a rush offensive team. To win in the playoffs, they will need to be more balanced, combining breakout ability with puck possession ability. That is where the development of Jake Neighbours and two-way forward Zach Dean will be important.
-
-
-
The Jeff Albert curse may be lifted. Actually the team didn't look like they were swinging for the fences every at bat like J. Albert preached (launch angle, exit velocity, bat speed). I know it's one game but they actually tried to move runners over, line drives and even bunting.....you could see that they were looking to hit it where they weren't and not just swinging for a HR. Good to see. See the ball hit the ball......no more overthinking it (I hope)
-
Actually, hitters like Nootbaar (launch angle) and Donovan (bat speed) continued working on the things Jeff Albert stressed here. Both could take big steps this season. If that happens, Contreras returns quickly, O'Neill stays healthy, and Walker emerges as expected, this will be a nice offense.
-
-
-
Explain why Faulk is a dominant all around defenseman in the last 2-3 weeks? I think Berube asked him to do things for the team that inhibited his play first half of the year. You're always saying "Leddy is miscast as a defensive specialist!" The point is who is doing the miscasting? It's not the players!
-
-
-
As long as Mo is GM or whatever that other fancy title is , he will never sign or trade for a starter that is a guaranteed difference maker. He will not spend the money it takes to have one. Unfortunately, Flaherty and Hudson have basically been a bust and those were the two several years ago that would be staff stabilizers.
-
-
-
We explored that topic at some length and I agreed that was an issue. My default position that a team committed to contending have starter-caliber players in ever position player roster slot. That's hard to do at catcher, which is why the Cardinals needed to develop Ivan Herrera to be ready the way they developed Carson Kelly.
-
-
It appears that Ronnie DeGray definitely got pushed out. He did not thank Dennis Gates heading out the door. The Mohamed Diarra exit seemed more amicable. Diarra has pro potential to play back home in Europe and he needs more playing time to realize that. So his exit may have been more mutual.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Gordo I have too much free time. I am certain I literally watched EVERY televised ST game the Cardinals played in, local broadcast teams or not. Masyn Winn looks ready. Now. He is knocking down the door not just knocking on it. If he plays excellent baseball in Memphis and makes it impossible for the team to ignore who has to go? Is there room for all three of the versatile Donavan and Edman along with Gorman or will one of them be used at trade deadline. I personally would hate to lose any. Gorman could have an eye opening season. Thanks and I look forward to your response.
-
At some point the Cardinals will trade from their hitter pile. Like you say, Masyn Winn will factor in later this year. Alec Burleson is an extra guy at the big league level, Carlson is a fourth outfielder and Juan Yepez is in Memphis. Gorman will be interesting to watch, since he could see a little action at third base in addition to some second base.