The team has a $15 million option on Garcia. Thats pretty reasonable for a #4-#3 starter. Well what passes for "reasonable" in baseball.

They're gonna have to find a Ling term answer at SS. It's really thin out therr though.

Catcher is another spot they need to find something at.

It may not be popular but I'd be interested in maybe moving Wong for something and carp back to 2nd and trying to find a 3rd baseman.

Lackey is gone.

Garcia is meh.

1. They won't pick up his 2017 option without a big season next year. He's simply not an everyday starter at this point in his career.

The Cards have a 1 yr, $11 million option on Garcia that they'd be fools not to pick up.

Wainwright
Lynn
Wacha
Martinez
Garcia

That's just fine. Cooney and Gonzalez in reserve with Lyons likely stepping into Choate's role as the 2nd lefty. Reyes is there for 2nd half reinforcements. Luke Weaver was a high floor pick out of FSU when we drafted him a couple years ago and spun his wheels for a season before really accelerating through the system this year. He is a long shot, but he'll open the season at AA and if he has a strong first couple of months to slingshot himself into AAA, he's another possible September reinforcement on a similar track to Wacha.

I wouldn't be surprised if they found a scrap heap veteran again - a guy that falls through the cracks they can take a flyer on. But I'd be shocked if they dabbled in big $$ pitching since their farm is pretty much only pitchers at this point and their best young players at the big league level are pitchers as well.

If they dont, they need Wong/grichuk/heyward/Adams to become what they're hopeful they will.

Reyes is gonna be a monster.

However, tinstapp

So the Cardinals should be penalized for paying money to watch the team? They are the big dogs in the city with a long history of winning thats going to create market value. You going to punish them for that too?

Now, in 2017 when out new cable contract kicks in with $150 million a year in new revenue, you can make a case.

Again - it's television markets. They don't consider attendance because this is a very specific remedy to a very specific issue. It is designed only to address television markets and not punish teams for having involved fanbases (as your approach does).

Look at the top 100 television markets - there are 6 teams that play in smaller television markets than STL does - KC, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, San Diego and Arizona.

The Cubs play in a division where every other team resides in the bottom 20% of television markets in MLB and their fans are bitching about the Cards getting a pick. You guys have virtually endless revenue streams and yet Theo just can't stop whining even though he has the financial wherewithal to outspend every team in that division by a solid 50% if he felt so inclined.

Center field in Minute Maid is like 435 and Marlin Park is right around 420 to center

Yeah, they're boned at SS for the foreseeable future. I don't see Peralta rebounding much next year. He looked really really slow at short this season. His defense was a legitimate asset in 2014 and became, at best, a non-factor this year (and was often a liability).

I certainly hope they have a plan of some sort. Garcia could be an okay stop-gap and passable #2 hitter, but he's the kind of guy that should be starting for a team that doesn't have designs on contending. He's a utility infielder for a contender. Diaz isn't the answer. The Dodgers essentially buying Peraza from the Braves just pisses me off. The Rays may be willing to move Robertson given that Adames was a key return in the Price deal.

Wong has no value on the open market for us to do that.

Yeah, but even if they do - where do you play them?

Holliday's ensconced for another year. So let's say Adams actually takes his job seriously and un****s himself; that'll just bury Piscotty (presuming Heyward and Grichuk are also playing well).

Moreover, you know Matheny will play Jay in CF if he's healthy and Jay's contract is large enough next season that Moe can't even dump him to put the bite collar on Matheny; nobody's going to be eager to take on Jay's $7 million.

It's a hard roster to deal with. Though you're right in one respect - it's absolutely imperative that Wong get his shit together. This offense is a completely different animal when he's a legitimate threat to drive the ball from the left side. He and Peralta simultaneously puking on their shoes put us into an irrecoverable tailspin offensively.

According to the Home Run tracker, it would have been a HR in every MLB ballpark. Piscotty's would have been a HR in 5 ballparks.

I tell you the people down here love him. Say he's the best they have ever seem. I tell people I'm a Cardinal fan, they ask how Weaver is doing?

Piscotty is getting time at 1st and in left/right. I don't mind a healthy jay taking some time in center, but pham needs to get a good long look out there.

Between 1st, a nd the corners, piscotty has plenty of at bats available. I'm not a big Adams fan so I'd like to see Stephen take over at 1st for good.

They need to take some risk to get a legit young shortstop somewhere.