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.
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It does not sound like the Cardinals are targeting one of the high end shortstops for a big investment. Tommy Edman had a strong season and Masyn Winn is a very strong prospect there. If shortstop is the only path to upgrading the offense, due to the lack of attractive targets at other positions, then I suppose that could change -- since Edman can play anywhere and Winn has played second base in the Arizona Fall League. But I'm guessing the team targets catcher and outfielder/DH for places to improve the offense.
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Hi Jeff, thanks for the chats as they give good info we might otherwise not see! Quick question on Toews and Kane, er, I mean Kyrou and Thomas. I know it is very early, but these two seem to be ghosts so far, have poor +/- numbers, and don't look like the offensive leaders that their huge contracts suggest. Is that too harsh? Thoughts?
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Robert Thomas has been fine. He is a playmaker surrounded by shooters who currently aren't scoring. Jordan Kyrou has struggled for sure. There is pressure to live up to his contract extension and he has been drawing more defensive attention since the latter part of last season, after his big breakout. But his skill is obvious so far the Chief has no issues with his work ethic.
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Thanks for your chat
Translation of Moe’s press conference :
we’re all doing fine even though we haven’t been close to the World Series in a decade.
Paul deYoung will have a bounce back year!
We don’t need any dominant starters! Everything is going according to plan that is I have job security, and we make lots of money. -
The Cardinals are going to continue operating as usual because this was a very good year overall for the organization. The team won the division title, for just the second time since 2015, and this was a banner season for player development. The Cardinals got valuable experience for multiple rookies and held on to most of their trade capital. Now they have trade chips and money to spend this winter. Let's see what they do with it,
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I was pretty sure Drink would get year 4, but I think finishing 4 and 8 which is about 95% assured will cause the athletic director to make a change. Changing coaches isn't as disruptive as it use to be. Even if the new coach loses recruits and some current players, the portal can make up for that. Plus a new coach will have players follow him with the easier transfer rules. I am so happy with how our defense has improved but so disappointed how we have good skill with out wide receivers but can't develop an offense that can consistently use them. Then we hand the ball so deep in the back field
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Eli Drinkwitz came here as an offensive coach and right now the offense is the problem. That ugly non-loss against Vanderbilt had to rub a lot of powerful boosters the wrong way. The stage was set for the Tigers to finally put on a show for the fan base in front of a big Homecoming crowd on a gorgeous day . . . and they flopped. So that puts even more pressure on Eli to show real progress down the stretch -- and that will NOT be easy.
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Gordo, of the catchers available, which one would be your top pursuit? It sounded to me that Mo indicating that defense was still a priority might suggest Contreras is not being considered. Murphy looks good, but I’m not sure Mo can pull off a Goldy/Arenado type heist for him and it’s hard to pick Billy Beane’s pocket. I say C Vasquez would fill the hole until Herrera is ready. 2 yrs at 12-15 mil with a team option on a third year?
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Jeff, I realize you are a big fan of the genius that runs the Cards organization so we will likely disagree. But kudos to Ben Hochman for expressing the fans disappointment over recent lack of playoff success. The smug John Mozaliak brushed it off while opting to celebrate another winning season. Do you find it odd that the manager is the only one in the Cards organization who sets a higher goal of winning a pennant?
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Jeff -
I'm a big Waino fan. Have been for the better part of my 20 year sports watching career. But 17.5 million is a downright irresponsible contract value for him at this juncture of his career. Unless this was predetermined a few years ago, which would also be very irresponsible, I just don't see how this can be allowed to happen. Wainwright needs the Cardinals so much more than we need him this year. We have money to spend, we need younger high-level pitchers with some term on their contract. Wainwright checks neither of these boxes yet he's getting paid as if he checked both.
Wainwright needs the opportunity to reach 200 wins if he wants that extra feather in his cap to help his HOF chances. He likely wants to stay in touch with the organization for years to come whether that be on the field or in the broadcast booth. He probably wants the farewell tour that Yadi and Albert received last year. The cardinals were in a position to name their price, whatever they may be. 5 million would have been fair. 10 million would have been more than generous. 17.5 million is beyond the puke point. Unless "Deferred Money" means "will not be paid" this is a bad bad bad contract. The equivalent of burning money. -
What? A fan is complaining that the Cardinals spent too much money? Those dollars are pretty standard for a veteran starting pitcher with a strong track record and the ability to shoulder a huge workload. It's basically Miles Mikolas money. What if Wainwright had decided to return to his hometown Braves to finish his career? How would fans have taken that news?Also . . . Wainwright is getting paid for leadership and for the marketing bonanza that his farewell tour will become.
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Mizzou men's basketball has to be better. I don't see anyway they could be worse than last year's team. I don't know how many they can win because the SEC is probably the best conference in the nation, but I at least think they will be fun to watch play. Most experts have them winning 16 to 18 games , and 7 to 9 SEC games and a possible NIT Bid. I would take that and be very happy. Them maybe year 2 for Gates we have a shot at an NCAA Bid which will be very difficult but possible.
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Dennis Gates has cast a wide recruiting for future teams. He is building a lot of relationships and could pay off both with better incoming freshmen and with the transfer portal if some of these targeted players go elsewhere and become unhappy.This year's team will have to play a smaller lineup a lot of and hope to win the mismatch battle with quickness over size. The soft launch with easy non-conference games early on will allow 10 to 11 guys to get real minutes. Then we'll start to see what the team really has as Gates narrows the focus a bit. They will play fast, on the days the shots fall they will be take a good run at the better teams.
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If I recall correctly, at the end of last season Nolan Arenado quickly informed the front office that he was not opting out. This year, they flew out to Arenado's home to give him the rundown on their plans for next year to convince him to stay. That doesn't sound great.
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I think MLB opening the flood gates on gambling could lead to serious problems. I don't see a group of players throwing a World Series, they get paid too much for that. but this gambling arena has an unlimited number of options. You can bet on the overs and unders. I could see a pitcher getting a large payout for allowing enough runs to hit the over. Errors by a couple of infielders could do the same. I have to wonder if the advertising money MLB gets is worth the potential harm.
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That's a fair question. There is a reason why major U.S. sports kept a firewall up against gambling. Now that all the leagues are grabbing the cash -- and now that gambling is becoming an even bigger thing -- there are reasons to fret about integrity. Umpires are on the spot more than ever before, which is why replay challenges and ultimately the electronic strike zone will be essential moving forward, To the greatest extent possible sports must limit human error by officials.
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Events are unfolding as I have foreseen Gordzonga. Army's inaction be it from the salary cap or from a great fear of risk taken is apparent on the Blues. Then again I see that a lot of teams are around the .500 mark. Hard salary cap era right? Teams that manipulate the LTIR are the ones who will get healthy top players back for the playoff push and beyond. This year at least that's the way good teams get depth and that long season boost that all teams need. Tampa does it well.
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Gordo,
It was reported that Mo flew out to see Arenado and assure him of the direction the team will take this offseason. If Nolan does opt out, to me that would say a lot about how he felt about that conversation and the direction the FO will take next season. As MO has said in the past, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. Yet here we are having them defend their model again. Fans aren't complaining about the sustained success, we just want to see them get more certainty in their roster construction. Nolan leaving would be an eye opener given his meeting with Mo. What was your take on that? -
Blues gave up over 40 shots against last night. What's that like the third time in 6 games? Blues can't win games like that. Edmonton can win 7-6 the Blues can't. We have less offense then last year. Kyrou will have less opportunities this year because the other team is not worried about our third and fourth line scoring. Our offensive balance is not the same without Perron who had not been replaced. I would give that Russian kid a try Alexandrov maybe he lights the lamp? We can wait for his 200ft. Game to develop if he can score.
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By the same token, if the fiercely competitive Arenado stays then that is a vote of confidence for the management team that has the organization on an upward arc. The Cardinals will make trades this winter, they will spend money and they will bring a few of their elite prospects to spring training to freshen things up.It should also be noted that had Arenado actually gotten hits at critical junctures against the Phillies, the Cardinals would have kept playing this fall. It's not like Arenado can point fingers at teammates. Opting out of the contract now would be running away from personal failure. That doesn't sound like the Arenado we know. My guess is that he will want to come back and finish what this team started this year.
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Jeff,
I don't think Jeff Albert was the problem with the offense during his tenure. I do think it was curious the lengths the FO would go to defend him. Of course there isn't much he could do about Goldy and Arenado no showing during the postseason. Were you surprised to hear Mo come out and say there was an issue with the external criticism of Albert? Doesn't that open up a can of worms if Jeff tries to go to another club? -
I believe another team consider Jeff Albert on his professional merits. He wouldn't be the first coach to tire of serving as a social media whipping boy in a given market. Heck, even Tony La Russa cited fan unrest in Chicago as a reason for stepping away from his post. Tony managed to shrug off constant fan criticism for the entirety of his time here.
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There is the downside to moving on from Elit Drinkwitz -- continuing the pattern of instability at the top of the program. But the transfer portal changed the traditional timeline. These days every program goes year to year. There is no more building. Freshman and sophomore are quick to bail if they don't play and coaches can use the transfer portal built a brand new nucleus every single season. So the traditional timelines of program building do not apply any more
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I am on board targeting Christian Vazquez at catcher. I could see a guy like Joc Pederson offering a hedge against Tyler O'Neill's muscle pulls and Jordan Walker's graduation timetable. I'd keep Jose Quintana and go to spring training with six established starting pitchers. And I would definitely shop the reliever market once that becomes clearer.
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Dallas Ottenger, Smashville Saros, Jets Hellebuck, Kings Quick, Calgary Markstrom, Oilers Campbell, (Avs don't need a great one) That's a lot of really good goaltending in the Western conference. The question is how does the Blues weakened Goaltender position NOW stacks up? Pressure on Binnington is only going to grow! This is a very bad scenario unfolding----as I have foreseen Gordzonga! As I have FORESEEN!!!!!!!!
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