The Cardinals brought back a pair of familiar faces, and swung one of the winter’s biggest trades to add a new star to the lineup.
Major League Signings
- Yadier Molina, C: One year, $9MM
- Adam Wainwright, SP: One year, $8MM
- Total spend: $17MM
Trades & Claims
- Acquired 3B Nolan Arenado and $51MM from the Rockies for LHP Austin Gomber, 3B Mateo Gil, IF Elehuris Montero, RHP Tony Locey, and RHP Jake Sommers
- Acquired a player to be named later from the Angels for OF Dexter Fowler and $12.75MM
- Acquired C Ali Sanchez from the Mets for cash considerations
- Acquired RHP Jose Quezada from the Phillies for cash considerations
Notable Minor League Signings
Notable Losses
- Kolten Wong, Brad Miller, Max Schrock, John Brebbia (non-tendered), Rangel Ravelo (non-tendered), Matt Wieters (still unsigned)
For the first two-plus months of the offseason, the entire NL Central seemed focused on trimming payroll rather than adding talent. The Cardinals were no exception, as they chose to buy out Kolten Wong for $1MM rather than exercise their $12.5MM club option on the second baseman for 2021.
The decision brought a swift end to Wong’s eight years in St. Louis, and it left the team without one of the sport’s top defensive players. For a Cardinals team that relied on excellent run prevention (the Cards ranked first in Defensive Runs Saved, fourth in UZR/150, and fifth Outs Above Average) and pitching rather than a lackluster offense, losing Wong was no small matter.
In hindsight, St. Louis fans might not have minded the long wait, as the Cardinals aggressively swung into action in late January and found a significant upgrade on Wong. Nolan Arenado had long been speculated as a potential Cardinals trade target, and rumor became reality when the Cards landed the five-time All-Star in a complex deal that both required some reworking of Arenado’s contract, and left the Rockies fanbase irate.
The Cardinals gave up a decent but expendable pitcher in Austin Gomber and four middle-to-lower tier prospects in exchange for not just Arenado, but $51MM from the Rockies to help cover Arenado’s salary in 2021 ($35MM, with $20MM of that money deferred) and a newly-added contract year in 2027 ($15MM). Another opt-out opportunity was inserted into Arenado’s deal after the 2022 season to go along with his previously-existing opt-out following the 2021 season, so if Arenado chooses to walk away next winter, the Cards technically won’t have paid a cent of payroll for Arenado’s services.
Since Arenado is owed $179MM through 2027, would he really consider using one of his opt-outs and leaving the bulk of that guaranteed money on the table? If he turns in such spectacular numbers that the question is even debatable, the Cardinals would still probably consider the trade to have been worth the effort. But, needless to say, the Cards are certainly counting on Arenado as a franchise cornerstone for the bulk of the next decade.
There is some risk on the Cardinals’ end, as Arenado is coming off a subpar 2020 season that saw him hit only .253/.303/.434 over 201 plate appearances. A shoulder injury did hamper Arenado for much of the year, however, and between the health issue, the small sample size, and perhaps the cloud of frustration that surrounded Arenado’s final days in Colorado, there is certainly reason to expect that he can rebound with a vintage season in 2021.
With Arenado now locking down the hot corner, the St. Louis infield consists of Paul Goldschmidt at first base, Paul DeJong at shortstop, and Tommy Edman moving over to second base as Wong’s replacement. Since the NL apparently won’t have the designated hitter slot available, Matt Carpenter will now look to win some plate appearances away from Edman at second base, but Carpenter may ultimately just be a very well-paid bench bat. Despite Carpenter’s career track record, his lack of production over the last two seasons makes it hard to argue that he deserves more regular work on a team planning to contend.
Dexter Fowler had only been slightly more productive than Carpenter over the 2019-20 seasons, and the Cards chose to part ways with Fowler by swapping him to the Angels for a player to be named later. Since the Cardinals are covering almost all of Fowler’s remaining salary obligations, the trade wasn’t a salary dump. It seemed as if the Cards just wanted to move on from a player who had been an inconsistent performer over his four years in St. Louis, and clear room for younger outfielders.
The Cardinals are still putting a lot of faith in that young outfield mix, as they didn’t add any proven veteran names to the depth chart. Apart from Harrison Bader’s big numbers against left-handed pitching, there wasn’t much offense to be found in the St. Louis outfield in 2020, but with some extenuating circumstances — star prospect Dylan Carlson was in his first MLB season, and Lane Thomas had a rough time recovering from COVID-19.
Should any of this group or Tyler O’Neill struggle again, however, the Cardinals might consider a midseason addition to finally restore some consistent pop to the outfield. Further down the depth chart, Justin Williams, Austin Dean, or a minor league signing like Matt Szczur could find an opening for playing time, and if the Cardinals wanted to get creative, the outfield could be Nolan Gorman’s path to a quicker Major League promotion. The team was planning to test Gorman as an outfielder and second baseman, since third base (Gorman’s regular position) is now Arenado’s spot for the foreseeable future.
While the Arenado trade was being finalized and approved by the league, the Cardinals also worked to complete two contracts for a pair of St. Louis icons. Though other teams showed interest in both Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina (with Molina even hinting that he could retire if he didn’t get an acceptable contract offer), it always seemed somewhat inevitable that the two long-time teammates would be back for what could be their mutual final season under the Arch.
There was obviously more than just nostalgia at work in bringing the duo back. Molina hit only .262/.303/.359 in 156 PA but his defense was still strong, and Molina was also one of the many Cardinals sidelined by a COVID-19 diagnosis. Molina has already outlasted multiple would-be successors in St. Louis, but for now, the plan is for Molina to act as a bridge for Andrew Knizner and (in a few years) prospect Ivan Herrera.
Wainwright ended up being a pillar of stability in the rotation, leading the team with 65 2/3 innings and posting a 3.15 ERA, even if his Statcast numbers weren’t very flattering. It may be a tall order to expect a similar performance in Wainwright’s age-39 season, yet the Cardinals may need all the help they can get considering how injury concerns have already surfaced in Spring Training; Miles Mikolas has been set back by shoulder troubles, while 2020 rookie sensation Kwang Hyun Kim has been bothered by a bad back.
The Cardinals at least explored signing Jake Odorizzi, Taijuan Walker, or James Paxton, but instead, Wainwright ended up being the only major pitching acquisition for either the St. Louis rotation or bullpen. There are enough notable relievers still on the market (or could join the market as Spring Training cuts commence) that the Cards could certainly still add at least one veteran prior to Opening Day, but just like with their outfield, the Cardinals are counting on a lot of youngsters to step up, and for experienced hurlers like Carlos Martinez and Jordan Hicks to return strong from injuries.
Getting even one more proven arm would be very helpful for the team, but the question remains about exactly how much John Mozeliak’s front office has available to spend. The Cardinals were reportedly looking for “cash-neutral” trades early in the offseason, and in a division where most other teams were looking to shed salaries, even standing pat payroll-wise gives St. Louis some advantage.
Before salaries were prorated due to the shortened season, the Cards went into 2020 prepared to spend roughly $167.5MM on payroll. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Cardinals have less than $142MM committed for 2021, factoring in the Rockies’ coverage of Arenado’s entire salary. That would seem to indicate that there’s probably some room for additional spending during the season, if Mozeliak and GM Michael Girsch need to make an upgrade at the trade deadline.
There is a bit of a half-measures feel to the Cardinals offseason given their relatively small number of transactions, though a case can be made that the Cardinals already have enough to win the NL Central. The team finished 30-28 last season despite a widespread coronavirus breakout in the clubhouse, so a healthier version of mostly that same roster plus Arenado looks pretty good on paper. What worked over 60 games in 2020 may not work over 162 games, of course, so Mozeliak and Girsch could certainly have more adjustments to make.
How would you grade the Cardinals’ offseason? (Link to poll for Trade Rumors iOS/Android app users)
WarkMohlers
It’s an “F” because of the infield fly call in the 2012 Wild Card game.
It’s an “A” if you remove my saltiness.
Skins314
That’s fair.
jkinser20
Understandable
brodie-bruce
Until today I forgot about that game but not the game we blew to the giants, err well more like Siri remembers (can’t remember which game think it was game 5 and we blew It and my 4s met a lead wall and shattered)
teufelshunde4
Nah your gonna die salty my friend..
Robbyw90
Still need a SP
RobM
The Arenado trade alone, which was total robbery, and the impact on that division is worth an A.
Cosmo2
That Arenado contract is gonna shackle them sooner than later… I say they regret that trade and soon
DarkSide830
if they dont let it they’ll be fine. he’s making a lot but not enough to destroy their payroll alone. add in the savings from COL and it’s even less of an issue.
bot
It’s 128 mil over 7 years. That’s less than 20 per. It’s an absolute steal of a contract that StL will never regret. Arenado will be 35 when it ends too, not 40.
In fact, It’s such a steal of a deal- I question the integrity of the sport over it. How can any of 28 other teams not make a better offer than this one ?? I call cahoots !
RobM
Yup.
ABCD
It’s $163 million (35+35+35+32+27, minus a million from the Rox somewhere in there) from the Cards during 2022-26. Arenado is owed $179 million during 2022-27.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Well, Tiger fans know “Big” Al appears to have honed his skills at the buffet table much better than at the negotiating table….. (Ok. That’s not fair. His wife probably cooks really good and he’s going through withdrawals)
I also suspect Chris Illich is trying to start a horse hockey league….but I haven’t talked to him about it personally. It would seem redundant with the current state of affairs at the MLB……
stymeedone
NA did have a no trade, so StL may not have had to be the best, just the best of the teams he would waive it for.
brodie-bruce
@bot it’s a good move for the cards nolan is the type of player they like, blue collar type player who is good on both sides. is his contract a lilttle heavy yes but so was holiday’s and look how that turned out. yes my birds still have ??? marks in the line up but nolan solves a few of them. what he does do is sure up the black hole we had at 3rd since rolen left. nolan doesn’t make winners this year, but helps for next year and the year after. (i’m not writing us off this year but i’m not on that much lsd to think we’re better than atl or lad)
stlcards0911
Oh yeah it’s cahoots…. David Price agrees to a contract with the cardinals only to back out at the last minute cause Boston offered 17 million more… they had a trade in place for Stanton for him to no trade clause it… Other then yadi who was drafted and developed by the cards and Goldschmidt what players have the cards had since the MV3 that would make you think the league is just handing it players
dfinmozarks
Arenado and Goldy are good friends and Nolan has wanted a trade to a team with post season chances for several years. Then there was the serious losses most teams had last year and how close that pushed a group of them to insolvency. That narrows the field from 29 to about 4. I’d say that these two teams being in “cahoots” is highly unlikely. The Rockies have been in financial trouble even before the pandemic and the Cards remain one of the healthiest teams financially in MLB despite some bonehead spending (Fowler deal and Carp extension). Then again, there are a big batch of QAnon fanciers out there who see conspiracies everywhere.
jonbluvin
Colorado is pitching in 50 million. That contract is a good deal.
dfinmozarks
It’s the only way the deal could possibly have happened – especially given the bad season Nolan had last year and his health concerns. I don’t need to remind Cards fans of the raw deal we got in the Ozuna trade. We got a guy with serious shoulder problems (still has them) as a 2 year rental in return for 4 very good prospects. Absent the DH, Atlanta will be regretting that fat extension.
A'sfaninLondonUK
@cosmo – yeah – somewhere in between his 13th & 14th gold glove I can see them having an issue too…
teufelshunde4
Cards have 65 million dropping off payroll after 21, plus they didn’t give up much for Arenado.
They still need another bat and have the prospects & payroll to get that done..
Story back next to Arenado would be awesome at trade deadline..
SlippinJimmy89
Where are you guys getting these numbers? His current official contract (without the opt outs) is 9 years, $275 million. If you don’t believe me, look it up literally anywhere. The Cardinals are receiving $51 million total from the Rockies. Where did thus guy get $128 million over 7 years? Strange.
Nuggethoarder
128 million is wrong. 275 million is the entire contract from start to finish including the additional year at 15 million. He’s already played two years and has been paid 26 million and 35 million for those two years.
275-35-26=214
Rockies are paying 51 million of that (in a convoluted fashion).
214-51=163
Cards are paying Arenado 163 million dollars over seven years. Which is 23 million per year. They will be fine.
I give them a B due to their starting rotation injury issues – and the fact that they did little to address those concerns.
SlippinJimmy89
Still want to know where $128 million came from. To be clear, I was aware he is 2 seasons into that deal.
I’m still hoping they add someone super cheap like Porcello as some rotation insurance. He actually didn’t play as poorly last season as it may have seemed, and good God is he durable.
ABCD
I think he took the $179 million owed to Arenado from 2022-2027 and subtracted $51 million from the Rockies. But $35 million of the $51 million is for 2021 ($20 million deferred in the last five years of the contract). So, that leaves $16 million from the Rockies and $163 million from the Cardinals after 2021.
brodie-bruce
@slippin why waste money on porcello when he isn’t much better than the kids we have, other than saving there arms i’d rather see what we have in our kids than porcello. before anyone goes into well “you resigned waino” that’s a bit different wanio been in stl from day one and there is sentiment with him and seeing day in and out. can’t say that about porcello nothing against him he has had a good career but if i’m going with an older guy rather be an older guy that stuck with the club
RedbirdNation3
Only reason would be to eat some SP innings. Reyes on an innings limit. Carlos who knows if his shoulder will hold up. Gant hasn’t started in two years. Waino is 39 years old. Plus injuries to Mikolas and Kim means there’s likely some innings to be eaten.
dfinmozarks
Waino started in Atlanta. He did have a decent 2020. I’m glad he re-signed and will retire with Yadi as a Card.
its_happening
It’s only an A if he performs outside of Coors. Until then, solid B with huge potential for an A+ because all things considered it was a good deal for the Cards on-paper.
Skins314
It’s an A… bringing back 2 icons and adding a future HOFer?! I’m biased but it was big for us in a weak ish division.
woodguy
A- or a B+
I was hoping they would sign Jake but that didn’t happen
Just like a typical fan, never happy lol
cards81
I don’t think the cardinals will be signing anyone else, maybe a mid season trade…O’Neill is looking great, as is Edman. That’s two big offensive pieces…Edman leading off and of course another bat behind Goldy and Arenado…SP is a little shaky but still stable with good depth…the bullpen IMO will be one of the best in the NL…Reyes is lights out and Hicks is coming back…plus all the other Young arms are looking good…I’m excited for the season
oldmansteve
I think this is DeJong’s reemergence year. Last year, his HR/FB was 1/3 it’s usual percentage so his 3 HRs would’ve be 9 if it had had time to correct. Even with this in mind, his LD% was back up in the high 20% range. If he can sustain that he can keep up the high BABIP which means a higher average, especially if we see a return to his typical low 20% k-rate. To top it all off, he has increased his BB% every year and last year it was at 9%. His issue has been he hasn’t put all these things together in one year. I think this year will be the year. If it is a .270/.350/.480 slash isn’t a ridiculous prediction. That pretty similar to something you would see from Correa.
MetsFan22
I think the cardinals are a good team. I have a question where do you guys think cardinals would finish if they where in the NL east instead of marlins? Obviously not 1st or 2nd but 3rd 4th or 5th?
Skins314
I think probably 2nd behind the Braves.
Luc (Soto 3rd best in the game)
They would be in the mix of Nats and Phillies PAPER wise, but if we are talking about recent success and what teams have done this off season I would add Mets with the group I listed. Mets have been good on paper, but haven’t delivered in 4-5 years,
cards81
I assume you think they wouldn’t finish above the Mets…but in reality let’s remember the Mets are the Mets and the Cardinals are the Cardinals…although it would be a good race they could very well finish in 1st or 2nd place
MetsFan22
It was never the Mets are the Mets…. it was the wilpons…. if the cards had the Wilson the last 10 years they would have made the playoffs 0 times.
cards81
MetsFann22 I like the Mets…they are Jerry Seinfeld’s team so…they should have a good year…but this is baseball and anything can happen…game 7, 2006 is still one of the best games in baseball I have ever watched
MetsFan22
I definitely think the Mets could lose the cardinals in the playoffs or regular season. Right now I’m just making predictions based on paper but cardinals are really good too. I was just saying that the Mets being the Mets was only bc we were run by one of the worst owners ever. This will be a different era with Cohen.
brodie-bruce
@cards81 i broke my phone over game 5, skipped breakfast for game 6 listening to the game out of my in sc on the radio (i was working overnights in the usaf) and thought we lost game 7 when rolen was robbed on that great catch. that game and the 2011 nlds game 5 still gives me chills when i rewatch them
brodie-bruce
@metsfan22 you guys are building a good team and on paper you look great but just like my birds (and my states motto) you gotta show me right now it’s atl and lad fighting for the ws and the rest of us are playing catch-up.
dust44
Obviously adding Arenado is huge. Him and Goldschmidt r the best 3/4 hitters in that division. But counting on that young outfield entirely is concerning. Reds got worse, Cubs got worse (pitching wise) and the Brewers didn’t do anything serious. Can’t even count the Pirates as a major league team at this point. So if the young outfield produce anything and the pitching holds up they will probably win the division.
MasterShake
They still fall behind Milwaukee, Brewers had the better off-season and they no longer have to play the frog just because he’s there (Braun looks like a frog).
brodie-bruce
hey cup i’m doing this as hard as i can .1. ok all jokes and athf references aside. i respect the brew but there lineup is just as weak as the cards and they have no sp aside 2 guys and one of them has shaky health and no sp depth. even with our current sp woes year after year cards seem to find pitching in the farm even if our farm “sucks”. with everything considered i think the cards win the nlc but barely but only on the fact we improved our d and the depth of pitching in our farm. (part of my statement might be blind homerism but i’m trying to be fair in my assessment even though i don’t follow the brew or cubs)
DarkSide830
A. next.
dfinmozarks
I went C. Picking up Nolan was a huge A grade improvement for us in both offense and defense. But we lost an A player in Wong at the keystone and we saw our SP age and deteriorate with injuries. Yadi is a year older and presumably slower on defense. We are really highly vulnerable and dependent on an outfield that is good on defense but a major question mark on offense. Only our BP looks to be solid.
Lurking
Went B. OF and pitching seem somewhat under emphasized. But hard to argue that the team is better now than it was last October imo. Hard to go lower than a B for me
barkinghumans77
Agreed
Baseball boy
They didn’t even do anything. Trying to use are all to cover up the fact that did they absolutely nothing. Just brought back 2 veterans. Who are now older. One whom is washed
rayking
Adding Arenado is doing nothing?!?! By this lofty standard, every team flunked the offseason.
cards81
I guess someone wants attention…please explain which veteran is “washed”?
Skins314
Well that’s silly… which one is washed up? The future HOFer or the guy who carried the pitching staff through a really rough year in 2020?
And Arenado… gimme a break.
gbs42
Did you miss the Arenado trade?
brodie-bruce
those 2 washed up vets are still playing at a high level, is cruze washed up he’s 40+. i’m not going to bash adv metrics because there a good tool but only one tool, and what wanio and mo bring/mean to this team you can’t put a numerical value on.
everlastingdave
B+, almost A. The Arenado trade was a gift- a hilarious one, if you don’t root for the Rockies or a different NL Central team- and the passivity of the rest of the division makes it loom large.
Pauly2112
For as good as the infield is & despite their defense in the outfield, said outfield is wretched offensively & AAAA if you ask me save Carlson and even he has a multitude of questions after only 200 AB’s or so. Cards fans deserve better than what the organization puts forth & it’s been that way for about 6 or 7 seasons now.
Maybe one day they can get local ownership like what the Blues have with Stillman & company as opposed to an outfit that’s just as or more concerned with their real estate ventures as they are in building a legit WS contender year in & year out which used to be the goal especially during Walt Jocketty’s tenure but that’s just my two schillings.
Joel Peterson
Dude you are the guy giving other Cardinal fans a bad name. Entitlement as a sports fan is never cool. But good gosh to complain as a Cardinal fan doesn’t even make any sense. And to compare the organization to the Blues? Either you are really young or you really need more perspective.
Pauly2112
Dude, you’re the guy that enables (via warped rationalization) an organization to become a shell of its former self!
You best remember that dude…
brodie-bruce
@pauly2112 can’t believe your a stl sports fan, yes i agree on some points, should of mo and the dewitts been lil more aggressive yes they should of. at the same time they have kept the birds competitive and kept them out of lengthy rebuilds. before 2019 not like the blues where the best on ice either and i’m pretty sure we were asking for army’s head.
junkmale
Yeah, you poor Cardinals fans…I weep for you
SlippinJimmy89
What do you have against punctuation? Cardinals fans are some of the most fortunate in all of baseball. Everything you just said is ridiculous.
DonOsbourne
Personally, I don’t miss the Walt Jocketty tenure. It might be true that the organizational shift from veterans to developing young players had more to due with dollars and cents than wins and losses, but oh well. I will happily watch Tyler O’Neil flail at the plate over a Preston Wilson style fringe veteran with no upside. This team has been and will be competitive in the long run. That’s more than most teams can expect.
teufelshunde4
Blues were also rans until they got hot and won the cup, so dont go acting like they have been a model franchise. Blues finished 5th the year before they won Stanley, Blues fans wanted new GM, and a new owner but now they are perfect right?
BTW how many losing seasons under DeWitt? 3 in 254 years, and playoffs in 14 of 24 years, without the benefits of tanking..
Maybe one day some STL fans sports fans will be worthy of the teams that reside there.
Franco27
Overrated
OscarsTrash
Cardinals fan here-
I’d give it a B-/C+. The Arenado acquisition is huge obviously, but losing realistic relatively cheap pieces in Wong (well worth ever penny as a leadoff hitter and best defensive 2B in the league, as we have a guy who is good at 2B, but has no idea how to walk in Edman) and Brebbia (one of our top three relievers in his time here). Additionally, I’m not sure I believe in our left field options after trading Fowler. He was a great stabilizing factor for our awful OF, and while O’Neill has been phenomenal this spring, I still have questions about our season-long plans at LF. Finally, and this doesn’t relate to this years off-season, but Matt Carpenter cannot be taking a place in this 26 man roster. I love him, but he doesnt have it anymore and should not have been extended.. Edmundo Sosa is a better IF utility defender, and Nogowski and Rondon are better IF defenders and hitters,
letsholdemandgohome
I went B+ also. Adding Arenado was on Mo’s wish list for a while and glad he was able to mark it off his wish list. Arenado’s first at bat at Busch stadium will be guaranteed a standing ovation for his willingness to waive his no-trade clause to become a Cardinal. Would have liked to had a .300 left hitting outfielder but so far, (yes, only spring training I know), O’Neil and Thomas are tearing the cover off the ball. Injuries will occur on the Cardinals roster just like they do on every team’s roster. Only time will tell how it all unfolds. GO CARDS!!!!!
Skeptical
A lot will depend on how Arenado performs outside of Coors. For home runs, his home-away splits are not that different, but for batting average he was a significantly better performer at Coors than away from Coors, almost 60 points for his career. Average. Guess we will find out if that is a Coors effect or not. And that will determine how well the Cards did in the offseason.
cubsnomore
I would say he hits 30 points less average than he did as a Rockie. When Rockies first travel outside the thin air the bats struggle. After being on the road a couple games they adjust.
Arenado is also an excellent fielder. Which will help the pitchers.
Lanidrac
Fowler has been WAY more productive than Carpenter the last two seasons! He’s been about a league average bat, while Carpenter has been well below average, and even his defense is a little better.
DonOsbourne
I am surprised to find more than one comment supporting Dexter Fowler. I must have missed something. IMO he was basically an automatic out and just average in the field. I would rather watch young players struggle to get better than watch Fowler grow gray hair and cash checks. While he may have been better than Carpenter, that is a very low bar. And you could make the argument that Carpenter has earned some loyalty with past play and does offer some form of positional flexibility. But bottom line, I’m glad Fowler’s gone and I will be just as glad when Carpenter’s contract expires after this season.
baseballnamescanbehard
Arenado is awesome. Can’t complain there.
I don’t have much faith in the outfield. I hope I’m wrong, but at the moment it looks like a bunch of .650 OPS players. I’m not sure Carlson is ready. I’m not sure BroNeil can hit above .220. I’m not sure Bader can get his OPS to an acceptable level. The defense should be good tho.
mlb1225
Bader has had an above average OPS two of the last 3 seasons. He gets on base enough to use his speed, which is pretty valuable.
Cubs Dynasty
Players always seem to fit rather comfortably in the Redbirds system. Arenado, is no exception and a huge plus as the Redbirds team methods are proven historically to be superior to most of MLB; easily including Colorado. Infield is solid now. They have a good mix of talented experience and youth exemplified on paper for speed and defense. Definite pluses. There’s nothing wrong with a young fast outfield although the lineup probably will experience gaps from these kids offensively. On the negative side, I just do not see Wainwright as a powerhouse starter due to age. We have to hope HOF bound Molina can stay healthy behind the plate. Otherwise, the Redbirds are looking pretty good in a very weak Division.
nottinghamforest13
The Carpenter extension didn’t make a lot of sense at the time and seemed like a loyalty extension more than anything. At least that’s almost over with, but I wonder if they tried sending him back to Colorado as part of the deal in lieu of some of the cash simply to clear a roster spot.
The outfield is a big question mark. Bader can field like none other, but his bat has just never panned out the way it was supposed to. O’Neil hasn’t proven anything at the major league level and while Carlson is highly touted he too is an unknown commodity.
I don’t like relying on Carlos Martinez for anything as he appears washed up. In general, I think they’ll be fine because the core is strong and the division is weaker than it has been in recent years, but they’re far from a powerhouse.
fannclub6
How much more does Edman have to do? As we speak he is hitting 417 this spring and Carp is hitting 045. For a team that needs as much offense as they can get, it’s time to let Carp go and give Edman the job. Publicly.
Dejong isn’t far behind. He strikes out too much and is trending the wrong way.
Anyone else have a different take?