So who has he given up on? He stuck with Nolan Gorman for quite some time, despite his slump, before sending him back to give another young guy a look. I see Donovan, Carlson, Nootbaar, Burleson, Pallante, Thompson and Woodford with the group currently. Gorman and Cabrera got every opportunity this season and they played their way back to Memphis -- although Marmol still likes both players.
The Blues will stick to the style that won them a Stanley Cup.
Those guys are in their prime. So if the Blues retool, they will use their salary cap space to retool around those two. I don't see this franchise going scorched earth ala the Blackhawks. They won't need to.
Ottawa will be more than fine if that team finally gets its new downtown arena. The Senators have had the same issue playing in a distant suburb that the Coyotes had in playing in faraway Glendale.
This job is often like playing Bobo the dunking booth clown at the fair. I needle the patrons and they try the take me down.
The Cardinals love the idea of Winn's arm playing at shortstop and the team wants to see if Jordan Walker could be the answer in center field. So this puzzle has lots of pieces.
In this climate, who knows? It's the Hunger Games right now.
The young hitters are not left on their own to make adjustments. They put in long hours reviewing video and working in the batting cages with the hitting coaches. But here's the thing for the Cardinals and every other team: Hitting big league pitching is harder than hitting Triple-A pitching. Major league hurlers are way more capable of attacking weaknesses.
If that trend does not reverse, Wainwright will not have the sort of postseason he was envisioning just a few weeks back.
And college sports will only get more cutthroat as long as the television revenue holds up.
The inner circle can change pretty quickly on Oliver Marmol's watch. A number of Cardinals discovered that first half when they unexpectedly found themselves back in Memphis.
Hader has been very good in his last seven appearances, so the Padres are feeling good about the trade. Why were the Brewers upset by the move? Because team management admitted the swap wasn't about trying to win this year, it was about aligning future payrolls. That sent a bad, bad message to the players. Also, the guys Milwaukee added in that trade and others were not been especially helpful to the bullpen in the first weeks after the swap.
An NFL-style breakaway could include 30 to 40 elite programs. Would Mizzou make that cut? Maybe, maybe not. What if the SEC adds geographical fits like Clemson, Miami, Florida State and North Carolina?
The Illini are in a much better place. And that is not to be taken lightly when you look at how difficult life has been for, say, Nebraska. It appears that a coach with a clear identity is creating a program with an identity. It's early, but there is reason for hope.
To be determined. The last week reminded us that things can change quickly in baseball, often for the worse. Of course we've all expected Adam Wainwright to get the call because of what he has done for the group this year, stepping up in the down times and keeping things together. But who expected the sort of struggle we've seen lately.
Hudson has certainly been in a better place lately. And the pitch clock could make him a better pitcher next year, especially since he seems to be figuring out some of his mechanical issues.
Even a stopgap move might be a surprise -- unless the front office believes Winn will need at least another full season in the minors.
Yeah, this team is moving in position to do something special IF it takes advantage of this influx of talent. Maybe the moves come more via trades than free agency, but, yes, the time to add will be right. Catcher appears to be the most obvious need, but pitching is always a great place to add. Can never, ever have enough!
So who has he given up on? He stuck with Nolan Gorman for quite some time, despite his slump, before sending him back to give another young guy a look. I see Donovan, Carlson, Nootbaar, Burleson, Pallante, Thompson and Woodford with the group currently. Gorman and Cabrera got every opportunity this season and they played their way back to Memphis -- although Marmol still likes both players.