The Dodgers (and the Cubs, whose interest we’ve already noted) were among the teams scouting Rangers star Yu Darvish last night, the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Darvish struck out 12 Rays batters over eight innings. The Dodgers already have good starting pitching, with Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Brandon McCarthy and Kenta Maeda all healthy, but Darvish would of course improve any team’s rotation. The righty currently has a 3.45 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 125 1/3 innings. He’s eligible for free agency after the season. Here’s more from the NL.
- Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is frustrated with his team’s “attitude and culture” and might look to make changes to improve those things, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes. The Cardinals are now 47-49, and their exact plans for the deadline aren’t quite clear. They were linked, and then un-linked, to J.D. Martinez before he the Diamondbacks acquired him, and they recently dealt Marco Gonzales to Seattle. “I feel like I don’t have that silver bullet to say, ’Hey if we go do this, we will be greatly improved,'” says Mozeliak, who also bluntly expressed frustration with the way the Cardinals’ players have performed. “I feel like I’m not going to make excuses for people or players. Everybody points the finger upstairs to try and find the solution or the move. Well, maybe 25 [players] need to look in the mirror.”
- The Phillies could still trade 2B/OF Howie Kendrick if they keep him through the non-waiver trade deadline, writes Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice, who argues that Pat Neshek is the Phillie most likely to be traded by the end of the month. Kendrick only recently returned from a hamstring injury, giving the Phillies a limited amount of time to showcase him before July 31. Lawrence argues Kendrick’s injury troubles and his approximately $3.3MM in 2017 salary he’ll have left beginning on August 1 make Kendrick a candidate to clear waivers and leave Philadelphia in August, just as Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz did in years past. I’d argue that Kendrick’s .349/.403/.476 line this year could make that scenario somewhat unlikely, but there’s little doubt that the timing of his return could make dealing him a bit tricky for the Phils.
Who is going to get Pat Neshek?
My guess boston or arizona
Nats gotta be in the mix
I would love the Indians to get Neshek and Gray
Probably won’t happen but I would love it.
The Phillies should get what they can for Neshak, Kendrick, Hellickson, Joseph, Benoit. They should try to get low level prospects that do not need protection on 40 man roster. They need to bring up Hoskins, cozens and Crawford if he starts hitting. Lively needs to be in the majors. They need to make Appel a reliever and Velasquez a closer. Phils need to see what they have at AAA and then fill in with free agents. They don’t need Yelich or Stanton, they have plenty of OF prospects
I agree with everything you just said except for making Appel a reliever. I still think he can make it as an innings eating #3. In my opinion, he’ll never be an ace, but I think he can be a reliable middle rotation player.
I don’t think Appel will be anything more than a Kyle Kendrick type, middle inning long man relief and spot starter. He is already 26
Exactly. I thinking Hoping for more of a Joe Blanton than Kendrick. But regardless, too many of these young arms project as mid to bottom of the rotation guys. I can list them, but it’s redundant. We haven’t had a stud pitching prospect come up through the ranks since Hamels. Giles? He was a reliever.
I agree with all your points!!! except that they do need a superstar like Stanton, Harper , trout, machado in order to get other important pieces to come later. But u are spot on
I don’t disagree about getting a superstar. Let them get one through free agency not a trade where they have to give up a significant amount of young talent. Harper or Trout. Like the home town kid better.
Cozens SO and average are awful. Leave him there
I don’t think the cubs have any prospects left the rangers would want for Darvish , the rangers would ask for Ian Happ or Baez
Which a big “Thanks but no thanks” for a rental.
For sure happ but not Baez why would they want to replace odor andrus or beltre. They would have to give up 2-3 top 5 prospects
Could this be the end of the so called “Cardinal way”?
Players starting to point fingers…..now MO calling out the 25 players on the roster….fans calling for Matheny to be fired…
My how perspective changes when you aren’t winning.
The Cardinals need to get younger, does that mean they should part ways with Yadi and Wainwright?
The won’t part with Yadi because of his extension, and Wainwright isn’t going anywhere. The Cards need to try to deal Gyorko, Grichuk, Carpernter, Lynn, Rosenthal, and maybe even Pham between now and the offseason. They need to build around Yadi, Wainwright, Fowler, Wong, and Martinez
They*
Build around yadi and wainwright? They each are probably retiring in 2 years. That makes no sense.
And Gyorko and pham have been the 2 most valuable guys. Very team friendly contracts. If you are saying sell high on them i get it, but if you are trying to rebuild you dont do it around your most expensive old guys.
You build around then for now till guys like Reyes and Kelly are ready. And yes I think they can sell high on Gyorko because he’s been productive and has a club friendly contract
You keep Gyrko and Pham. You dump Grichuk, Piscotti, Wong, Rosenthal, Lynn, Oh, Fowler (No one would take him) and Cecil (no one would take him either.
I think we can agree the Cards are Shadows of themselves.
They really can’t dump Fowler because he got a 5 year deal with a no trade clause, and why would you dump Wong and Piscotty they are both young and controllable the only way I see them being traded is if the Cards get a decent haul for them which won’t happen
Umm yeah that’s exactly why I said no one would take Fowler. The FO over paid coming off a good season no way anyone would take that dumb contract after this one. Piscotti is going to be the next Allen Craig. Wong is expendable bc I’d rather keep DeJong.
Dumb contract? Have you seen a guy named Heywards contract son?
Son, it was a dumb contract. I don’t care what Heywards getting. You give Cardinals fans a bad name. I’m a Cards fan. Have been for nearly 60 years. If I say Fowler has a dumb contract and you come back with Heyward, that makes you seem overly stupid. But it fits you well.
200 million compared to 80 million son. Fowler gives you twice the production. Wise up!
Again, I don’t give a rats ass about Heyward. I say good riddance. Did Heyward steal your cookies? Because you seem infatuated with him. Do you speak English? I’m glad Heyward is gone. But that does not in the least mean that Fowlers contract is a good contract. The Cardinals over paid. He is not worth what he’s being paid.
Son look around and see what kind of production cost other teams for the stats compared to Fowler. It’s the way it is and lucky to have him so cheap.
You’re delusional.
Oh oh….Cardinal fans pointing fingers at one another.
Lol. He does it all the time. He thinks the Son reference gives him superiority.
To be fair, the Cardinals offered Heyward more than the Cubs, but Heyward chose Chicago. The Cards dodged a bullet on that one. When I consider that offer, plus the Leake, Cecil, Fowler, and Yadi contracts, I wonder if the Cards have lost some of their classic discipline.
Nothing wrong with Yadi’s contract. He’s earned it.
No, he earned his last contract. It remains to be seen if he will earn this contract. He’d defy nature if he manages to perform well enough to earn this huge contract.
Yadi earned THIS contract already. It’s a legacy contract. There is no way he’ll live up to the production value but his presence will draw Cards fans to the stadium anyway. It was worth the dollar amount to ensure he remains a Card 4 life.
ya, maybe the angels can trade for molina and waino, then sign them to 10 year extensions
Arte’s building more billboards as we speak.
The Cardinal way son is winning and competing every year. Might take a look at the past 30 years and show me they haven’t competed or won in every single one of those years. They never tank on purpose like so many organizations have done just to get better. Yes the Cardinal Way is the right way and most people and organizations are very very jealous.
Nah the Cardinal way is MLB saying they are small market team, but whose ownership acts like a big market team, so they get extra draft picks AND sign stars to big free agent deals – something no true small market team does.
MLB has been giving them a free ride for far too long, and obviously they succeed because they keep getting extra first round draft pick talent, on top of hyperspending on free agents.
They don’t But their team like the Cubs did, if you think about it there is very limited players on the Cards that the didn’t produce and those are Fowler, Gyorko, Cecil, and Leake plus a few others
Hyperspending on free agents? The three “major” free agents they signed in the last 8 years are Matt Holliday, aging vets like Berkman and Beltran, Leake, and Fowler. Wouldn’t call that hyperspending lol. You do sound mad though.
Buy
Not sure why I typed the word “three.”
I swear I type to fast I have so many errors
That is one of the dumbest comments I’ve read. Market and owners willingness to spend are two different things. The Twins owner a few years back could challenge Steinbrenner for wealth, yet he chose not to spend. Cardinals management chooses to spend. That doesn’t mean their location isn’t small market. Also I’d like to see all these fictional first round picks they have been given. Who are they?
Did the Cubs buy Arrieta, Hendricks, Quintana, Wade Davis, Russell, Rizzo, Carl Edwards, Strop?
very uneducated comment that reeks of jealousy. if you actually paid attention to how they operate, you’d realize they are actually one of the more frugal teams in free agency. so much so that a lot of fans get aggravated because they DON’T spend.
They are a small market team and please give us examples of when they have “hyperspent” on free agents. Fowler and Cecil’s contract are hardly hyperspending
@themed Yawn. You forgot to mention best fans in baseball.
Once they started winning, maybe. I call that bandwagon
@themed’s post is best read with an overtone of righteousness and a whiff of delusion. The Cardinals’ success is mostly admirable. They develop players well, they make careful investments with free agents, and they maintain a long view of their roster rather than optimizing for the moment. I’ll grant them that. But they do all this with such remarkable righteousness that lots of us are all too happy to dance on their graves. They conveniently describe a dirty player as a “gamer” the moment he puts on a Cardinal jersey. They believe their front office operates with moral authority over the game even as they hack the Astros and benefit from PED-powered lineups. They inflate the performance of their players. They disrespect the quality of fans and ballparks everywhere else. They act like they invented the toilet, penicillin, and the wheel. It would be a lot easier to stomach them if they took things down a notch. They’re smart and disciplined, but also arrogant.
To much in this comment reeks of jealousy, but I have to ask who are the PED lineups?
I think you meant self-righteousness.
Maybe you should review the tv rating and attendance numbers when the team hasn’t won and compare that to other organizations whenever they lose. Cards fans are pretty obviously one of the more faithful organizations.
Btw. Cardinal way isn’t some self proclaimed saying by the average fan. It’s an organizational book (I imagine every team had one similar) that they give to young players that speaks to discipline, culture, history, and what is expected of the player.
All of that is self perceived and anecdotal. It’s okay to not like an organization but don’t try to project total bull on to them to justify it
Not even close. Cards draw EVERY DAY.
McGwire, for starters.
Mo needs to take responsibility for the roster he’s put together.
Giving Yadi a 3/60 extension for ages 36-38 C AFTER 2017 wasn’t smart. I know you want to reward your guy, but give him a deal or qualifier after the season. They have a good young guy in Kelly, yet they give Yadi starter money for the next 3.5 years.
Fowler was a bad signing too cuz the Cards didn’t have any impact talent in the outfield beyond Piscotty, but to give a give a 31 yr old 5/82 after a career year and lose your #1 draft pick only to realize he’s slightly above average and probably needs to move off CF by the 2cnd or 3rd yr of the deal?
The Cards are just a slightly above average team. Losing Reyes killed their season. They might compete for a wild card or the division but Yadi & Wainwright are old and no one else (cept maybe Marp) is elite. And Marp aint elite at 1B.
To win a championship this year a team is going to have to get through Nats, Dodgers, Houston & then Clevland, Boston & Cubs are hungry way more young talent & $$$ The Cards are in the pile with the Pirates, D-Bags, Rockies, Brewers, & Mets (when healthy) and there aren’t 1-2 players Mo can realistically add that put them in that first grouping.
They didn’t lose their pick for Fowler.
They signed Fowler because sanctions were coming and the pick was going to be taken regardless.
It was a prudent move to keep talent coming. It’s literally the only draft pick sacrificing signing he has ever made. And that’s why.
Come on after Kershaw the staff is a crap shot. Sure Wood started 11-0 but he has no history. Hill is a blister away from useless and is a head case. McCarthy eh, Maeda eh.
I can’t trust Kershaw in the playoffs, Yea he’s the best pitcher in the regualr season but in the playoffs , he doesn’t have that bulldog mentality like Bumgarner or Scherzer.
He’s had like 4 bad innings in the postseason
7 of his 18 post season games he’s given up 3 or more runs and went 6 or less innings. 5 of the 7 he has given up 5 or more runs. Little more than 4 bad innings. For an ace 1/3 of your post season games shouldnt be you yielding 3 runs and pitching 6 or less innings and 1/4 of your games certainly shouldnt be you yielding 5+ runs.
I am afraid of losing anytime Kershaw faces the Cubs.
You are wrong, maybe you only go to read the box score but didnt watch his games the only bad games he had is 2 game 6nlcs in but any pitcher could lose those both games we had only 2 hits in both games, in all his other games he pitched 6inings with 2 or less runs, why he has that era?? the 7th inning bullpen, the bullpen has allowed score almost 100% of his inherited runners, i think every manager could take 6inings 2 runs in a playoff game.
Scherzer better
Which Is why I don’t think the dodgers will make a deep run, the line up is deep but other then Kershaw in the rotation, I’ll take the nationals or cubs for the nl in the world series. Unless the dodgers do sell the farm for darvish and britton.
But the Dodgers’ bullpen is filthy. The Royals won a title a few years ago with a mediocre rotation and a lethal bullpen, and the Dodgers’ offense is much better. And the Indians made the World Series last year with a lethal bullpen and a playoff rotation of Corey Kluber and flying by the seat of their pants whenever Bauer or Tomlin would start.
It’s true But I still don’t trust Kershaw
Feel free to bet on Dusty Baker. I’ll take whatever odds you want. Dusty won’t win.
Unfortunately, this is true
🙁
I still got to go with the cubs or nationals, but the way it looks right now the cubs might face the nationals in the first round if they win the central. and dodgers get the wildcard winner unless they go on a slump. I hate to say but I kinda hope they do I want Arizona to win the west.
Kershaw has bad games in the post season because we always have him pitch on short rest when we are down in the series, sometimes it works (nats,mets) sometimes it doesn’t ( cards, cubs)
Darvish would put us over the top cause he’s another bonafide ace
This is true, but so are some other things about Kershaw. The main one being that when he gets hit, it’s generally one or both of two issues: first he tends to have a poor feel for the curve in early innings so he leans on his slider and fastball, especially early in the count. When he’s attacked effectively it’s usually because of this. This is something he’s acknowledged that he need to address. The second is nobody hates to come out of a game more than Kershaw, even when he’s clearly tired and less than sharp. With a lack of solid middle relief options a manager is going to yield to his determination to battle through. Sometimes this works, sometimes not. No more than should be expected.
Oh yeah Scherzers bulldog mentality lost both home games he started last year in the NLDS. As soon as joc hit the HR he let dusty pull him with no attempt to stay in the game
Mozeliak salty
Those are Darvish’s numbers before last night
I don’t understand the idea that some players can be traded in July and others are August trades. Teams trade for good players and fringe players in July. The quality of the player depends on their need and what they’re willing to pay.
Often teams are only making August trades if they’ve had an August injury. August trades are harder to make because guys don’t make it through waivers, so any team that waits until August to fix a July problem is not very astute.
An exception is a player like Utley who was injured in July and returned in August. Kendrick is playing, so he’s as healthy now as he will be in August.
Hey MO, you put this roster together. You decided to let Holliday and Moss walk, and not to add a power hitter. The mirror is back facing you Sir.
atleast the mirror bothers to show him a reflection…unlike Dipoto.
Hi, my name is Jerry and I’m addicted to trading.
Well Moss and Holliday haven’t been worth their contracts yet and there wasn’t exactly readily available power hitters that fit the roster need. So I don’t get the complaint.
The bullpen has been awful this year. A steady pen would see the Cards in or near first right now.
Dang Mo is gettin feisty
Mozeilak passes year after year on players who could refuel this organization. This front office doesnt have the balls like jocketty did in the 2000’s.
is that what’s wrong with the reds…jocketty always whippin out his overripe giggleberries. that would be distracting.
Cincinnati isnt a baseball town like st louis is and doesnt have the resources like the cardinals do. Jocketty would bring players in year after year that would improve the team and keep them in the upper echelon of the league.
Cincinnati is totally a baseball town, god shut up with the “were the best” BS.
Love this comment. Any knowledgeable fan knows Cincy has been a baseball town since MLB was created. You just don’t hear their fans constantly reminding the entire baseball universe that they are better. It’s like the Yankees but without all glamour of NY and dominance. STL has been great in years past due to the fact their division was always meh. Now teams are actually investing in Latin America/drafts/rule 5 picks and it’s actually working out for them.
The truth hurts. Theres no comparing the two, dingleberry
The truth hurts. Theres no comparing the two.
What truth? Oh you mean like hacking into the Astros database few years ago? Good call man. I forgot that one. Thanks that made me chuckle.
or gambling on baseball like the cincinnati hall of shamer did
Or juicing like McGwire did?
You’re funny. Moronic, too.
To be clear, I’m talking about @Brownbomber
I’m not a Reds fan but I’ve started to learn their history more so over the last few years. Incredible history, only a lunatic would think Cincy is garbage in historical baseball relevancy. Much respect to your team.
shut up and go read a book goofball. nobody said anything about historical relevancy.
Problem with attitude and culture is Matheny and coaching staff and all should be fired. This never would happen under Larussa’s leadership. Talent wise cards are not that far off from getting back to winning ways and farm system is improving and getting strong. Right coaches and a couple of new players and we’re set. Reason why you build around Yadi and waino is their leadership. Carson Kelly or any young catcher will learn a ton from Yadi in his twilight years. Him and wainos leadership with young pitchers will be huge for Reyes, weaver, flaherty, Hudson, etc. cards will prob not do too much at deadline with no clear path to go for it all or sell and reset. Couple smaller moves and then make changes in offseason. Hopefully coaching staff. Cardinal way has been alive long before mozeliak and Dewitt and will be alive long after.
I agree the staff hasn’t been good the players have the necessary talent to win games and the farm system is very good for a contending team. Personally I think the Cards should just forget about this year and focus on 2018 and beyond and become 100 game winners again.
You guys make me chuckle.
No 109 years of losing makes me chuckle and most likely another 109 before they win again. The cubs will always be known for big mouth losers like you and your team.
We can all agree on chuckling about the past, but the future is no laughing matter. Odds are the Cubs win the WS again before the Cards do.
Boston will get Howie and Neshek
The Phillies/Klentak, are just dumb enough to hang onto Neshek and Kendrick too long than get NOTHING. Kendrick cant stay healthy and Neshek is an arm injury waiting to happen on a meaningless team. Keep pi**ing around Klentak and you wont get anything while waiting to get more
Trade them both for whatever
Low level prospects who don’t need to be on the 40 man roster
I don’t like to do this, but…to be slightly fair to the Cards….
If Oscar Tavares had both lived and panned out, their lineup might look very different.
But, that was a while ago and in the meantime, they’ve built around solid, but far from spectacular guys. How far is Stephen Piscotty supposed to carry a team?
shut up
The lesson is don’t drink and drive.
A car,plane,or speed boat!
Hey Cardinals fans, you can’t be good every single year. Get over yourselves. You deserve to have a losing decade or so – losing is what true, real baseball fans endure. Yankees and Cardinals fans dont even know what baseball is about – winning too much will knock your perspective out of wack. Losing is actually good, it makes winning sweeter.
The Cardinals have had plenty of dumpster fire teams in the past. Growing up the Cardinals were never good. I’ve enjoyed watching them win as an adult. But I’m also not blind… this year the team is attrociois. It happens. The question is: does Mo have the balls to right the ship? That includes fixing the mistakes he walked into? The fans will wait and see… But until then… Dumpster fire it is.
unlike Cincinnati, st louis doesnt accept or expect losing decades like you and the other 90,000 reds fans
Do all Cardinal fans accept and expect poor grammar or is that just you?
Are all reds fans as queer as you?
Walt Jocketty build the great team Mo inherited. Lunhow kept them competitive with a machine of a farm/player dev system.
Without Lunhow (or his emails), he’s mediocre.
Rental or not, Darvish isn’t going anywhere except for some top prospects. Want to win the World Series? Then pony up.
The “Cardinal Way” has got to be the dumbest thing in baseball. How does any team differ?
No one understands the cardinal way unless your a fan or player. What they’ve done past 20 years for example is different than Cubs, Red Sox and most teams. Draft and develop players, make trades as needed, assign value to free agents and don’t ever go over that value. Find diamonds in the rough that no one has heard of and make them stars, be competitive every year, never tank, and most of all win year after year. Argument can certainly be made that other teams are better or have a better system, but cardinal way is real and can’t be denied and is different than most teams way of chasing the same goal. We were bad in 2007, 2008 and then returned. We’re not great in 2016 or 2017, but we’ll be back.
Every other team does that. Cardinals are not unique. Dodgers have found way more diamonds in the rough than the cardinals have recently. Cubs and Red Sox both built through the draft. The “cardinal way” just makes them pay ridiculous amounts of money to old players like molina and wainwright
Except the cardinals over the last 10 years have won more games on half the payroll.
PTL!
I think that’s a fair description of the Cardinals’ front office strategy. And it works. They also teach baseball the same way throughout the minors so it’s familiar when players arrive in the majors. It’s admirable, like I said earlier.
Red Sox do the same thing. so did ATL in the 90s.
“cardinal way” is just another self-felating term cards fans use (just like the hilarious #bestfansinbaseba garbage)
That’s fair – other teams have deployed the same strategy as the Cards and seen success. And lots of fans of other teams think their crap smells like roses. They’re annoying, just like many Cardinal fans. (Aka the best fans in baseball)
Anyone who’s watched the Cardinals play regularly this year can back up Mo’s statement on team culture. Dexter Fowler has been the biggest offender of minimal effort. And Mike Matheny’s situational managing has been horrific. Mo needs to recognize that if he’s going to point those fingers, he needs to make those moves and start deconstructing.
It’s interesting that the Cubs mythologized Dexter Fowler as the guy with the great clubhouse attitude, the winning attitude guy, the guy who set the tone. New team, new clubhouse, different Fowler? It’s possible.
What really chaps me is knowing Francona was the other finalist for matheny’s job. Mo is frustrating sometimes but Matheny is a simpleton.
1. mo built this team.
2. mo is afraid he’ll screw up, so he does nothing.
3. matt carpenter is a player without a position and is holding the cardinals up.
4. matheny can’t manage.
5. matheny always says he want to compete, never says anything about playing to win.
6. lynn, carpenter, molina and wainwright are only holdovers from 2011
7. molina is not a team leader.
8. cardinals needed to sign an aging veteran, like they did with beltran, walker, clark, berkmann
9. mo points fingers, shoulders no responsibility for downfall.