Cardinals 2018 STL Cardinals Thread - Page 272

**BigRedChief** · 02:21 PM

Opening day lineup

Fowler RF
Pham CF
Carpenter 3B
Ozuna LF
Martinez 1B
Molina C
Dejong SS
Wong 2B
Pitcher

Edit:
Matheny fired 07/14/2018

Opening Day Roster

Spoiler!

**BigRedChief** · 11-28-2018, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAChief

My feelings are Harper or bust.

Yep. Its really our only chance to take a huge leap forward.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAChief

Goldy would help this offense for sure. I'm guessing it would cost us quite a bit in prospects for just a one year deal. Now if they get him to sign something reasonable with the trade as an extension that would change things, but why would he? Most likely we would again be paying for a declining player at the highest level (see Fowler).

Exactly. We are not in a next year or else the window closes. Why trade prospects for one year? He's going to want to get paid one last time after next year. Surely Mo has learned his lesson about giving aging players big money, guaranteed money with no trade clauses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAChief

If you want to do something big, throw everything at Harper AND trade for Goldy. I could live with watching Carp underhand it across the diamond for a that line up.

Make our defense worse. Put Fowler back in RF. Empty out the farm system for a 1 year run?

**BigRedChief** · 11-28-2018, 08:38 AM

Gorman hand/eye coordination. He posted two different ones.

Nothing to see here 🏆 pic.twitter.com/l68pcQhKU0
— Nolan Gorman (@NolanGorman) November 28, 2018

Marco Polo · 11-28-2018, 08:59 AM

It's being reported that we offered a one year deal to Donaldson (terms undisclosed) but he chose Atlanta for multiple reasons, including his relationship with the GM, the trainers (both worked with him in Toronto), and that Atlanta is closer to home.

O.city · 11-28-2018, 09:00 AM

Came in second. Cool.

DJ's left nut · 11-28-2018, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marco Polo

It's being reported that we offered a one year deal to Donaldson (terms undisclosed) but he chose Atlanta for multiple reasons, including his relationship with the GM, the trainers (both worked with him in Toronto), and that Atlanta is closer to home.

Mozeliak leaked shit to his pliant press stooges again and they lapped it up.

He's a pro at throwing a dart and then drawing the bullseye around it. NOBODY could ever come in second this routinely. Nobody could possibly be so good at getting within 95% of closing a deal without occasionally getting the job done in a manner that doesn't require going a year too long and 25% too high.

Think about how badly he's missed on the deals he's actually gotten done and try to convince yourself that he's actually that precise to just keep getting edged out on the ones he hasn't.

Mozeliak is undeniably full of shit. He waits until the guy has signed then has some ****ing hack like Nightengale float rumors that he was interested to appease the bubbas in this fanbase. The lying shitstain is going to actually try to convince us that when Donaldson was available FOR FREE to help in a playoff push we weren't interested in even putting in a waiver claim. But when he was available for $20+ million we suddenly got interested? My ass. How stupid do you think we are?

I'm past giving a **** about this dipshit anymore. I feel terrible for Shildt because Mozeliak's going to do what he always does - give him just enough rope to hang himself. His only hope is that Flores is a goddamn wizard and some of these potentially premium sticks in the low minors continue to develop as they are.

Mozeliak can lick my taint. Preferably after I've run a mile or played 18 holes. What a ****ing **** this guy is.

Marco Polo · 11-28-2018, 11:35 AM

Really good article by Bernie- definitely recommend subscribing to the Athletic.

As much as St. Louis fans wanted it, Josh Donaldson to the Cards was unlikely

By Bernie Miklasz Nov 27, 2018

For the longest time, matchmakers tried to connect Josh Donaldson to the Cardinals. And as I tracked the daily rumors served warm and plentiful from the Hot Stove, it seemed that three out of every four baseball pundits were all but getting Donaldson prepared to wear the “birds on the bat” uniform.

And it was a logical forecast. The Cardinals need some wallop, and would upgrade their lineup and infield by moving Matt Carpenter to first base and installing Donaldson at third.

It was fun and harmless speculation. And this is an entertaining time of the year on the baseball calendar. It’s why we heat up that relentless — if unreliable — stove. But at no point did the Cardinals convey absolutely-gotta-have-him interest in Donaldson. At no point did Donaldson make eyes at St. Louis and express a direct desire to be a Cardinal.

A percentage of Cardinals fans seemed shocked and appalled when Donaldson signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves for a 2019 salary of $23 million. The protests didn’t come from all fans, of course, but at least in my email inbox, the criticism was sharp.

And the emotions boiled over a bit more after USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale reported that the Cardinals had made a “competitive” one-year offer for Donaldson.

The #stlcards also made competitive one-year bid for Josh Donaldson before he signed one year, $23 million contract with the Atlanta #Braves
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 27, 2018

OK, but one-year offers aren’t necessarily equal.

I’m not sure why Donaldson’s free-agent move to the Braves became a flash point that turned into immediate condemnation of Cardinals ownership/management.

For critics of the Bill DeWitt Jr. administration, it was time to play the greatest hits.
To those good folks, president of baseball ops John Mozeliak, GM Michael Girsch and chairman DeWitt were:
A) Asleep
B) Cheap
C) Unmotivated to do what it takes to win
Or …
D) All of the above

My response: Sorry, but I disagree.

I may even go with a bah, humbug here.

The silver-medal narrative is convenient. And granted, the Cardinals have finished second in bidding on multiple occasions. I don’t think it applies in this case. Not in a linear way. And at this point finishing second means more negative publicity for the Cardinals. Fans are increasingly frustrated with these silver-medal finishes. So if the Cardinals were trying to score positive PR points by putting it out there — “Hey, we really tried but finished second!” — well, it makes no sense. They’d be fools to pull that stunt because it only means more blowback from a skeptical public.

I was surprised by the news of Donaldson signing. But not because the power hitter struck a deal with Atlanta, and not because he didn’t prefer the Cards’ one-year pitch. I just didn’t expect to see Donaldson sign so soon. Or that he obviously had enthusiasm for accepting a one-year deal.

Like many others, I figured Donaldson would be able to fetch a two- or three-year deal on the open market despite his age (33) and recent injury concerns. And I thought the Cardinals could be in play for Donaldson if their other plans fell through.

Members of the organization privately advised me to cool down on the Donaldson-Cardinals connection, but I thought they were bluffing. Evidently not. Even though the Cardinals put a one-year deal on the table, it wasn’t substantial enough to sway Donaldson. But please understand this: Donaldson probably had little reason to want to be swayed. He did, however, have many good reasons to be revved up about becoming a Brave. More on that in a bit.

Upon further review, Donaldson’s decision makes a lot of sense. But the curiosity remains: Why didn’t the Cardinals make more of an all-out run at Donaldson? Why not top the Braves’ outlay of $23 million?

I’ll answer the question with two questions:
* First, do we know if the Cardinals pitched more than $23 million? Or that they came in lower than $23 million? As of now, no. We don’t know. Not yet.
* Why do we assume that Donaldson wanted to be a Cardinal?

About the contract: The Braves could have Donaldson in house for two seasons and $43 million — simply by making a qualifying offer for 2020, and provided that Donaldson accepts. And he just might do that, given his fondness for the Braves.
(I wanted to pause here to sincerely apologize for putting out some incorrect information in an early version of this column. I’d misinterpreted what an agent told me, and assumed that the Braves assured Donaldson that they’d automatically make that QO at the end of the season. That’s not the case, and I didn’t vet the info properly. Bad form on my part.)

Having said that, I don’t think it matters.

Bottom line: If Donaldson has a profound 2019 comeback season that drives up his value, he can opt for free agency and cash in with another team. And even if there’s no guarantee of a qualifying offer, Donaldson is willing to bet on himself on a one-year showcase. And he obviously believed Atlanta was the prime launching pad for maximizing his post-2019 contract drive. I’ll explain why later.

Now: About St. Louis as a coveted destination spot. It’s a sweet, sentimental thought that harkens back to the good old days. But in free agency, players get to choose their destination. Based on offers sent their way, they get to select their next employer. They don’t have to play where we want them to play … or expect them to play … or hope they will play.

Hate to break it to you, but St. Louis is no longer viewed as the perfect “Baseball Heaven” — Mark McGwire’s term — that will beckon every player to crawl to the Gateway Arch to play for the Cardinals.

It’s changed. McGwire — home-run hulk and first baseman — was traded from Oakland to St. Louis in the summer of 1997, immediately fell in love with his new home and happily signed away his imminent free-agent windfall by quickly agreeing to a contract with the Cardinals.

Center fielder Jim Edmonds followed suit, agreeing to a long-term deal after being traded from Anaheim to St. Louis in the spring of 2000.

Third baseman Scott Rolen basically forced a trade from Philadelphia to St. Louis to fulfill his wish to play for the Cardinals. After the trade went through during the 2002 season, Rolen quickly signed a multiyear contract to stay in St. Louis.

Left fielder Matt Holliday was approaching his first crack at free agency when the Cardinals acquired him from Oakland in July 2009. After the season, Holliday signed a seven-year, $120 million contract to remain with the Cardinals.

That unique period has passed. The Jason Heyward episode should have alerted those who want to believe it’s still 1997 or 2000, when just about everybody wanted to be a Cardinal. (Or so it seemed.)

Sure, there are prominent players who would enjoy the opportunity to sign on with a franchise that has won 11 World Series championships and is supported with 3 million-plus passionate fans annually at Busch Stadium. But other players have their own reasons for choosing a market. It could be geography, lifestyle, entertainment, convenient travel (like non-stop flights), family comfort or just diving head-first into the biggest pile of money.

When the Cardinals cut a deal with Atlanta for Heyward after the 2014 season, giving up young starting pitcher Shelby Miller in the transaction, management was aware of the inherent risk. Heyward could become a free agent after the 2015 season, but the Cards’ front office was confident it could make a positive recruiting pitch to impress Heyward and entice him to stay.

Instead, he bolted to the arch-rival Cubs on an eight-year deal for $184 million.
Last winter, the Cardinals couldn’t convince Miami’s big-bad-bat Giancarlo Stanton to waive his no-trade clause and agree to a deal that would make him a Cardinal. Stanton angled for a trade to the Yankees instead.

The Cardinals have had quite a few swings and misses on this front. Perhaps they’ll connect if they can make a trade for Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who can become a free agent after the 2019 season. Maybe the Cardinals could reverse the trend by acquiring Goldschmidt and posting a contract offer he can’t refuse. Or maybe Goldschmidt would take the Heyward cutaway path and depart the Cardinals to collect his riches elsewhere.

My point is, we’ve seen more than enough to know that it’s silly to automatically believe that Josh Donaldson — or any significant talent — holds some lifelong dream to play baseball in St. Louis.

This was Donaldson’s call.

And he had a lot of reasons for making this move.

1. Donaldson was, and is, a Braves fan. He spent his formative years in Pensacola, Fla., and Alabama. He played collegiate baseball at Auburn. He lives in the region. The south is his home. And the Braves are special to him.

“I was a huge Braves fan coming up,” Donaldson said at his introductory news conference in Atlanta on Tuesday. “More so, I was a big players’ fan. My very first favorite player was Ron Gant. It definitely feels like I’ve come full circle, from being a little kid who grew up being a huge fan of the game, to now being able to put on this (Braves) jersey and hopefully get us back to a World Series.”

2. The Braves won 90 games and the NL East title last season. Unlike the Cardinals — who haven’t reached a postseason since 2015 — the Braves already are a playoff-caliber team. And the Braves are loaded with dynamic young position-player talent, led by 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner Ronald Acuna Jr. The Braves’ payroll also is in fantastic shape; even after signing Donaldson ($23 million) and catcher Brian McCann ($2 million), they have a bunch of money to spend on free-agent pitching.

3. Donaldson has a good relationship with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. As Toronto’s GM, Anthopoulos acquired Donaldson in a trade with Oakland before the 2015 season. And in some ways, that deal was a career-changer for Donaldson, who thrived in his new setting. Donaldson won the ’15 American League MVP award after blasting 41 homers, 41 doubles, driving in 123 runs and slugging .568, with 8.7 wins above replacement.

4. If you’re a right-handed batter like Donaldson, then Atlanta’s SunTrust Park is a more favorable park for hitters than Busch Stadium in St. Louis. In the two years of games since SunTrust opened at the start of the 2017 season, righty batters have a .406 slugging percentage, .728 OPS and .150 ISO there. During the past two seasons at Busch, righties have a .371 slugging, .670 OPS and .130 ISO. Big difference. If Donaldson wants to re-establish his value after two injury-plagued seasons, it’s a smart strategy to take half of his at-bats at a home yard that will buff up his power stats, not depress them.

5. Donald’s appreciation of the Braves’ training staff was a strong consideration. When coming to Atlanta, Anthopoulos recruited members of the Toronto training staff to join him with the Braves. That meant a lot to Donaldson. “They know how to keep me on the field,” Donaldson said during Tuesday’s news conference.

6. If there’s a spot where Donaldson wants to live, and play, and stay — Atlanta fits. He’s already expressed the desire to end his career as a Brave. “I’m not somebody who wants to bounce around,” Donaldson said. “I would hope that this could be the last place that I play. That being said, that’s not what I focus on. I’ve never really focused on free agency and any stuff like that. I’ve focused on going out there and helping my team win ballgames and helping my team become better.”

Of course, with the Braves anticipating the arrival of heralded third-base prospect Austin Riley in late 2019, or 2020, a long-term deal for Donaldson isn’t realistic. But things can change.

Honestly: Given all of the personal, sentimental, and baseball-related reasons that pulled Donaldson to Atlanta, why would anyone believe that the Cardinals had an edge over the Braves in the competition for J.D.?

If Donaldson wanted to be in Atlanta, it doesn’t mean the Cardinals screwed up.
It means that Donaldson wanted to be in Atlanta, playing in a home yard that’s a two-hour drive from where he played college baseball.

Now let’s get back to the Cardinals.

Mozeliak has said that he’d like to add a left-handed bat — though certainly would make an exception and bring in a right-handed hitter if it’s a coveted weapon (Goldschmidt?).

And if the Cardinals really coveted Donaldson and wanted to get a jump in recruiting him, they could have acquired him from Toronto for a cheap price in August. But the Cardinals didn’t do that. In fact, the Cardinals could have secured Donaldson another way, by putting in a waiver claim, but passed. Cleveland circled back and landed Donaldson in a trade for a relatively minor return. We can debate the merit of the Cards’ decision to bypass Donaldson.

I’m in the camp that believes they should have gone for it. With the team in a race for an NL wild card spot, why not take a flyer on Donaldson? True, he hadn’t played since late May because of a strained calf muscle, but healed in time to contribute to the Indians. Small sample alert: In 60 September plate appearances for the Indians, Donaldson batted .280 with a .400 OBP and .520 slugging percentage.

By declining to put in a waiver claim for Donaldson, the Cardinals indirectly sent a message. They weren’t going to bother with the ritual of getting Donaldson in St. Louis for a month as a way to sell him on the idea of signing with them at season’s end. And if the Cardinals stayed out of a low-cost Donaldson game in August, then why would they leap into a higher-cost Donaldson bidding in late November?

I’ve heard from quite a few of you that offer this counterpoint: If the Braves offered $23 million, the Cardinals should have thrown $25 million, maybe $27 million, at Donaldson. Fine. But again, there were other reasons that went into his decision that had absolutely nothing to do with money. In a one-year pillow deal, Donaldson clearly deemed it best to be a Brave, best to link to his childhood and near his SEC roots, best to be reunited with his former GM and the Toronto trainers, best to take his offense to a hitter-friendly environment.

Perhaps the Cardinals had — and still have — bigger plans in mind.

One would assume so.

One would hope so.

If not, then the DeWitt-Mozeliak critics will be proven right.

DJ's left nut · 11-28-2018, 11:43 AM

Let's take all that at face value.

Donaldson wants to be a Brave and the Braves want him there until Riley is ready.

The Braves have a REALLY nice fit for the Cardinals in Johan Camargo; nice young 3b who profiles as a long-term plus defender. He has good strike zone and contact skills and 20+ HR power. More critically, he's a switch hitter with no discernible platoon splits.

A good organization sees Donaldson to the Braves not as a miss, but as a MAJOR opportunity. Get the Braves on the horn and see what it would take to get Camargo out of there. See if Tyler O'Neill gets it done. Hell, the Braves badly need a long-term catcher and everyone wants arms - how about Kelly and Hudson?

There's a fantastic fit available to the Cards at 3b who is cost controlled. If Mozeliak had any stones at all, he'd be working that deal right now; he'd get it done, move Gyorko to backfill the arm lost in the trade and get Harper signed w/ the excess cash he frees up by getting a cost-controlled option at 3b.

The problem is that this organization is just flush out of ideas.

**BigRedChief** · 11-28-2018, 11:46 AM

The Athletics coverage of the Cardinals is worth $2.00 a month by itself.

VAChief · 11-28-2018, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Make our defense worse. Put Fowler back in RF. Empty out the farm system for a 1 year run?

You wouldn't have Fowler in RF if you were able to get Harper. It would mean Carp at 3B (which would suck), but you would be average to above at most of your other positions. It would also mean you would probably need to find a home for Gyorko and J. Martinez. We are stuck with Fowler at least as a bench bat.

DJ's left nut · 11-28-2018, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

The Athletics coverage of the Cardinals is worth $2.00 a month by itself.

I'm so damn annoyed by them that I haven't read that tab in months.

The Athletic has pretty much become the Seth and Nate show for me at this point. It's not their fault; the coverage is still really good. But the Blues can bite me, the Lakers writers are pretty repetitive and Mizzou's stuff is still getting going.

**BigRedChief** · 11-28-2018, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Let's take all that at face value.

Donaldson wants to be a Brave and the Braves want him there until Riley is ready.

The Braves have a REALLY nice fit for the Cardinals in Johan Camargo; nice young 3b who profiles as a long-term plus defender. He has good strike zone and contact skills and 20+ HR power. More critically, he's a switch hitter with no discernible platoon splits.

A good organization sees Donaldson to the Braves not as a miss, but as a MAJOR opportunity. Get the Braves on the horn and see what it would take to get Camargo out of there. See if Tyler O'Neill gets it done. Hell, the Braves badly need a long-term catcher and everyone wants arms - how about Kelly and Hudson?

There's a fantastic fit available to the Cards at 3b who is cost controlled. If Mozeliak had any stones at all, he'd be working that deal right now; he'd get it done, move Gyorko to backfill the arm lost in the trade and get Harper signed w/ the excess cash he frees up by getting a cost-controlled option at 3b.

The problem is that this organization is just flush out of ideas.

I said the Braves 3B was a good trade in the off season at the end of the season. We could get him for expendable parts. His upside is very high compared to Kelly/Hudson’s ceilings.

Jewish Rabbi · 11-28-2018, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm so damn annoyed by them that I haven't read that tab in months.

The Athletic has pretty much become the Seth and Nate show for me at this point. It's not their fault; the coverage is still really good. But the Blues can bite me, the Lakers writers are pretty repetitive and Mizzou's stuff is still getting going.

Bernie has become a bitter old man since leaving the Dispatch.

Marco Polo · 11-28-2018, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Bernie has become a bitter old man since leaving the Dispatch.

Or he doesn't have to be as politically correct and tow the company line like he used to.

**BigRedChief** · 11-28-2018, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marco Polo

Or he doesn't have to be as politically correct and tow the company line like he used to.

beat writers are a dying breed for a reason. They rarely criticize anything or anyone except in a general way. They are aware of troubles in the locker room or between players/managers but don’t say shit. I don’t want housewives of the locker room gossip or this player doesn’t like this players music or trivial shit.

But, they should have reported that Fowler and Matheny hadn’t spoken in months. That Matheny doesn’t respond to concerns from most players. Players has quit talking to him except for an occasional text. They only say that shit after he’s Gone.

DJ's left nut · 11-28-2018, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Bernie has become a bitter old man since leaving the Dispatch.

You misspelled 'reporter'.

Dude was a paid shill prior to leaving the PD. At least he finally provides meaningful information again.

01-02-2018, 05:51 PM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3229627 VARSITY	2018 STL Cardinals Thread Opening day lineup Fowler RF Pham CF Carpenter 3B Ozuna LF Martinez 1B Molina C Dejong SS Wong 2B Pitcher Edit: Matheny fired 07/14/2018 Opening Day Roster Spoiler! St. Louis has opted to carry 12 position players and 13 pitchers to begin the new season, with a four-man bench and eight-man bullpen. Outfielders: Dexter Fowler Tommy Pham Marcell Ozuna Infielders: Matt Carpenter Paul DeJong Kolten Wong Catchers: Yadier Molina Francisco Pena Utility: Jose Martinez Greg Garcia Yairo Munoz Jedd Gyrko Starters: Carlos Martinez Michael Wacha Luke Weaver Miles Mikolas Jack Flaherty Relievers: Dominic Leone Tyler Lyons Bud Norris Brett Cecil Sam Tuivailala Matt Bowman Jordan Hicks Mike Mayers On the DL: Adam Wainwright Luke Gregerson Last edited by BigRedChief; 07-17-2018 at 02:21 PM..
Posts: 78,934

11-28-2018, 08:38 AM	#4067
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3229627 VARSITY	Gorman hand/eye coordination. He posted two different ones. Nothing to see here 🏆 pic.twitter.com/l68pcQhKU0 — Nolan Gorman (@NolanGorman) November 28, 2018 __________________ Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. -YODA
Posts: 78,934

11-28-2018, 08:59 AM	#4068
Marco Polo Veteran Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: 41°59.4′N 87°39.6'W Casino cash: $5838908	It's being reported that we offered a one year deal to Donaldson (terms undisclosed) but he chose Atlanta for multiple reasons, including his relationship with the GM, the trainers (both worked with him in Toronto), and that Atlanta is closer to home.
Posts: 2,506

11-28-2018, 09:00 AM	#4069
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2834064	Came in second. Cool.
Posts: 81,172

11-28-2018, 11:35 AM	#4071
Marco Polo Veteran Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: 41°59.4′N 87°39.6'W Casino cash: $5838908	Really good article by Bernie- definitely recommend subscribing to the Athletic. As much as St. Louis fans wanted it, Josh Donaldson to the Cards was unlikely By Bernie Miklasz Nov 27, 2018 For the longest time, matchmakers tried to connect Josh Donaldson to the Cardinals. And as I tracked the daily rumors served warm and plentiful from the Hot Stove, it seemed that three out of every four baseball pundits were all but getting Donaldson prepared to wear the “birds on the bat” uniform. And it was a logical forecast. The Cardinals need some wallop, and would upgrade their lineup and infield by moving Matt Carpenter to first base and installing Donaldson at third. It was fun and harmless speculation. And this is an entertaining time of the year on the baseball calendar. It’s why we heat up that relentless — if unreliable — stove. But at no point did the Cardinals convey absolutely-gotta-have-him interest in Donaldson. At no point did Donaldson make eyes at St. Louis and express a direct desire to be a Cardinal. A percentage of Cardinals fans seemed shocked and appalled when Donaldson signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves for a 2019 salary of $23 million. The protests didn’t come from all fans, of course, but at least in my email inbox, the criticism was sharp. And the emotions boiled over a bit more after USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale reported that the Cardinals had made a “competitive” one-year offer for Donaldson. The #stlcards also made competitive one-year bid for Josh Donaldson before he signed one year, $23 million contract with the Atlanta #Braves — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 27, 2018 OK, but one-year offers aren’t necessarily equal. I’m not sure why Donaldson’s free-agent move to the Braves became a flash point that turned into immediate condemnation of Cardinals ownership/management. For critics of the Bill DeWitt Jr. administration, it was time to play the greatest hits. To those good folks, president of baseball ops John Mozeliak, GM Michael Girsch and chairman DeWitt were: A) Asleep B) Cheap C) Unmotivated to do what it takes to win Or … D) All of the above My response: Sorry, but I disagree. I may even go with a bah, humbug here. The silver-medal narrative is convenient. And granted, the Cardinals have finished second in bidding on multiple occasions. I don’t think it applies in this case. Not in a linear way. And at this point finishing second means more negative publicity for the Cardinals. Fans are increasingly frustrated with these silver-medal finishes. So if the Cardinals were trying to score positive PR points by putting it out there — “Hey, we really tried but finished second!” — well, it makes no sense. They’d be fools to pull that stunt because it only means more blowback from a skeptical public. I was surprised by the news of Donaldson signing. But not because the power hitter struck a deal with Atlanta, and not because he didn’t prefer the Cards’ one-year pitch. I just didn’t expect to see Donaldson sign so soon. Or that he obviously had enthusiasm for accepting a one-year deal. Like many others, I figured Donaldson would be able to fetch a two- or three-year deal on the open market despite his age (33) and recent injury concerns. And I thought the Cardinals could be in play for Donaldson if their other plans fell through. Members of the organization privately advised me to cool down on the Donaldson-Cardinals connection, but I thought they were bluffing. Evidently not. Even though the Cardinals put a one-year deal on the table, it wasn’t substantial enough to sway Donaldson. But please understand this: Donaldson probably had little reason to want to be swayed. He did, however, have many good reasons to be revved up about becoming a Brave. More on that in a bit. Upon further review, Donaldson’s decision makes a lot of sense. But the curiosity remains: Why didn’t the Cardinals make more of an all-out run at Donaldson? Why not top the Braves’ outlay of $23 million? I’ll answer the question with two questions: * First, do we know if the Cardinals pitched more than $23 million? Or that they came in lower than $23 million? As of now, no. We don’t know. Not yet. * Why do we assume that Donaldson wanted to be a Cardinal? About the contract: The Braves could have Donaldson in house for two seasons and $43 million — simply by making a qualifying offer for 2020, and provided that Donaldson accepts. And he just might do that, given his fondness for the Braves. (I wanted to pause here to sincerely apologize for putting out some incorrect information in an early version of this column. I’d misinterpreted what an agent told me, and assumed that the Braves assured Donaldson that they’d automatically make that QO at the end of the season. That’s not the case, and I didn’t vet the info properly. Bad form on my part.) Having said that, I don’t think it matters. Bottom line: If Donaldson has a profound 2019 comeback season that drives up his value, he can opt for free agency and cash in with another team. And even if there’s no guarantee of a qualifying offer, Donaldson is willing to bet on himself on a one-year showcase. And he obviously believed Atlanta was the prime launching pad for maximizing his post-2019 contract drive. I’ll explain why later. Now: About St. Louis as a coveted destination spot. It’s a sweet, sentimental thought that harkens back to the good old days. But in free agency, players get to choose their destination. Based on offers sent their way, they get to select their next employer. They don’t have to play where we want them to play … or expect them to play … or hope they will play. Hate to break it to you, but St. Louis is no longer viewed as the perfect “Baseball Heaven” — Mark McGwire’s term — that will beckon every player to crawl to the Gateway Arch to play for the Cardinals. It’s changed. McGwire — home-run hulk and first baseman — was traded from Oakland to St. Louis in the summer of 1997, immediately fell in love with his new home and happily signed away his imminent free-agent windfall by quickly agreeing to a contract with the Cardinals. Center fielder Jim Edmonds followed suit, agreeing to a long-term deal after being traded from Anaheim to St. Louis in the spring of 2000. Third baseman Scott Rolen basically forced a trade from Philadelphia to St. Louis to fulfill his wish to play for the Cardinals. After the trade went through during the 2002 season, Rolen quickly signed a multiyear contract to stay in St. Louis. Left fielder Matt Holliday was approaching his first crack at free agency when the Cardinals acquired him from Oakland in July 2009. After the season, Holliday signed a seven-year, $120 million contract to remain with the Cardinals. That unique period has passed. The Jason Heyward episode should have alerted those who want to believe it’s still 1997 or 2000, when just about everybody wanted to be a Cardinal. (Or so it seemed.) Sure, there are prominent players who would enjoy the opportunity to sign on with a franchise that has won 11 World Series championships and is supported with 3 million-plus passionate fans annually at Busch Stadium. But other players have their own reasons for choosing a market. It could be geography, lifestyle, entertainment, convenient travel (like non-stop flights), family comfort or just diving head-first into the biggest pile of money. When the Cardinals cut a deal with Atlanta for Heyward after the 2014 season, giving up young starting pitcher Shelby Miller in the transaction, management was aware of the inherent risk. Heyward could become a free agent after the 2015 season, but the Cards’ front office was confident it could make a positive recruiting pitch to impress Heyward and entice him to stay. Instead, he bolted to the arch-rival Cubs on an eight-year deal for $184 million. Last winter, the Cardinals couldn’t convince Miami’s big-bad-bat Giancarlo Stanton to waive his no-trade clause and agree to a deal that would make him a Cardinal. Stanton angled for a trade to the Yankees instead. The Cardinals have had quite a few swings and misses on this front. Perhaps they’ll connect if they can make a trade for Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who can become a free agent after the 2019 season. Maybe the Cardinals could reverse the trend by acquiring Goldschmidt and posting a contract offer he can’t refuse. Or maybe Goldschmidt would take the Heyward cutaway path and depart the Cardinals to collect his riches elsewhere. My point is, we’ve seen more than enough to know that it’s silly to automatically believe that Josh Donaldson — or any significant talent — holds some lifelong dream to play baseball in St. Louis. This was Donaldson’s call. And he had a lot of reasons for making this move. 1. Donaldson was, and is, a Braves fan. He spent his formative years in Pensacola, Fla., and Alabama. He played collegiate baseball at Auburn. He lives in the region. The south is his home. And the Braves are special to him. “I was a huge Braves fan coming up,” Donaldson said at his introductory news conference in Atlanta on Tuesday. “More so, I was a big players’ fan. My very first favorite player was Ron Gant. It definitely feels like I’ve come full circle, from being a little kid who grew up being a huge fan of the game, to now being able to put on this (Braves) jersey and hopefully get us back to a World Series.” 2. The Braves won 90 games and the NL East title last season. Unlike the Cardinals — who haven’t reached a postseason since 2015 — the Braves already are a playoff-caliber team. And the Braves are loaded with dynamic young position-player talent, led by 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner Ronald Acuna Jr. The Braves’ payroll also is in fantastic shape; even after signing Donaldson ($23 million) and catcher Brian McCann ($2 million), they have a bunch of money to spend on free-agent pitching. 3. Donaldson has a good relationship with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. As Toronto’s GM, Anthopoulos acquired Donaldson in a trade with Oakland before the 2015 season. And in some ways, that deal was a career-changer for Donaldson, who thrived in his new setting. Donaldson won the ’15 American League MVP award after blasting 41 homers, 41 doubles, driving in 123 runs and slugging .568, with 8.7 wins above replacement. 4. If you’re a right-handed batter like Donaldson, then Atlanta’s SunTrust Park is a more favorable park for hitters than Busch Stadium in St. Louis. In the two years of games since SunTrust opened at the start of the 2017 season, righty batters have a .406 slugging percentage, .728 OPS and .150 ISO there. During the past two seasons at Busch, righties have a .371 slugging, .670 OPS and .130 ISO. Big difference. If Donaldson wants to re-establish his value after two injury-plagued seasons, it’s a smart strategy to take half of his at-bats at a home yard that will buff up his power stats, not depress them. 5. Donald’s appreciation of the Braves’ training staff was a strong consideration. When coming to Atlanta, Anthopoulos recruited members of the Toronto training staff to join him with the Braves. That meant a lot to Donaldson. “They know how to keep me on the field,” Donaldson said during Tuesday’s news conference. 6. If there’s a spot where Donaldson wants to live, and play, and stay — Atlanta fits. He’s already expressed the desire to end his career as a Brave. “I’m not somebody who wants to bounce around,” Donaldson said. “I would hope that this could be the last place that I play. That being said, that’s not what I focus on. I’ve never really focused on free agency and any stuff like that. I’ve focused on going out there and helping my team win ballgames and helping my team become better.” Of course, with the Braves anticipating the arrival of heralded third-base prospect Austin Riley in late 2019, or 2020, a long-term deal for Donaldson isn’t realistic. But things can change. Honestly: Given all of the personal, sentimental, and baseball-related reasons that pulled Donaldson to Atlanta, why would anyone believe that the Cardinals had an edge over the Braves in the competition for J.D.? If Donaldson wanted to be in Atlanta, it doesn’t mean the Cardinals screwed up. It means that Donaldson wanted to be in Atlanta, playing in a home yard that’s a two-hour drive from where he played college baseball. Now let’s get back to the Cardinals. Mozeliak has said that he’d like to add a left-handed bat — though certainly would make an exception and bring in a right-handed hitter if it’s a coveted weapon (Goldschmidt?). And if the Cardinals really coveted Donaldson and wanted to get a jump in recruiting him, they could have acquired him from Toronto for a cheap price in August. But the Cardinals didn’t do that. In fact, the Cardinals could have secured Donaldson another way, by putting in a waiver claim, but passed. Cleveland circled back and landed Donaldson in a trade for a relatively minor return. We can debate the merit of the Cards’ decision to bypass Donaldson. I’m in the camp that believes they should have gone for it. With the team in a race for an NL wild card spot, why not take a flyer on Donaldson? True, he hadn’t played since late May because of a strained calf muscle, but healed in time to contribute to the Indians. Small sample alert: In 60 September plate appearances for the Indians, Donaldson batted .280 with a .400 OBP and .520 slugging percentage. By declining to put in a waiver claim for Donaldson, the Cardinals indirectly sent a message. They weren’t going to bother with the ritual of getting Donaldson in St. Louis for a month as a way to sell him on the idea of signing with them at season’s end. And if the Cardinals stayed out of a low-cost Donaldson game in August, then why would they leap into a higher-cost Donaldson bidding in late November? I’ve heard from quite a few of you that offer this counterpoint: If the Braves offered $23 million, the Cardinals should have thrown $25 million, maybe $27 million, at Donaldson. Fine. But again, there were other reasons that went into his decision that had absolutely nothing to do with money. In a one-year pillow deal, Donaldson clearly deemed it best to be a Brave, best to link to his childhood and near his SEC roots, best to be reunited with his former GM and the Toronto trainers, best to take his offense to a hitter-friendly environment. Perhaps the Cardinals had — and still have — bigger plans in mind. One would assume so. One would hope so. If not, then the DeWitt-Mozeliak critics will be proven right.
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11-28-2018, 11:43 AM	#4072
DJ's left nut Sauntering Vaguely Downwards Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Columbia, Mo Casino cash: $3089099	Let's take all that at face value. Donaldson wants to be a Brave and the Braves want him there until Riley is ready. The Braves have a REALLY nice fit for the Cardinals in Johan Camargo; nice young 3b who profiles as a long-term plus defender. He has good strike zone and contact skills and 20+ HR power. More critically, he's a switch hitter with no discernible platoon splits. A good organization sees Donaldson to the Braves not as a miss, but as a MAJOR opportunity. Get the Braves on the horn and see what it would take to get Camargo out of there. See if Tyler O'Neill gets it done. Hell, the Braves badly need a long-term catcher and everyone wants arms - how about Kelly and Hudson? There's a fantastic fit available to the Cards at 3b who is cost controlled. If Mozeliak had any stones at all, he'd be working that deal right now; he'd get it done, move Gyorko to backfill the arm lost in the trade and get Harper signed w/ the excess cash he frees up by getting a cost-controlled option at 3b. The problem is that this organization is just flush out of ideas. __________________ "If there's a god, he's laughing at us.....and our football team..." "When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags."
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11-28-2018, 11:46 AM	#4073
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3229627 VARSITY	The Athletics coverage of the Cardinals is worth $2.00 a month by itself. __________________ Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. -YODA
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