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By Steve Adams | at
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cardfan2011
First, the Cards should look for a CF, I don’t think the bullpen needs a significant improvement
TheMichigan
It really does, they don’t have a lefty
cardfan2011
They have Siegrist, Lyons, Cooney, etc. Now I’m not a huge fan of those names, but for now that’s what they got. Number 1 priority is CF
davidcoonce74
They could just go cheap and get Jon Jay. He played fairly well for them before and wasn’t bad with the Padres in 2016 before he got hurt.
Wainofan
With young arms and recovering arms and aging arms, like cardinals have, I don’t think it’s possible to have too many arms, I would love to see them go to a super bullpen with rosie(if healthy), oh and melancon or similar all pitching high leverage innings, not the traditional set up/ closer roles. Good way to cut into innings on somewhat fragile arms. Doubt we have the manager for that forward way of thinking, though. Definitely pick up Garcias option, then trade him. If no suitable offers, then pitch the heck out of him in spring and trade him while he’s his typical lights out early on. Before his glass arm breaks again.
davidcoonce74
I think we’ll see more of this type of bullpen usage in the future, especially after the brilliant job Francona did this offseason. In the past the big dilemma with using the pen this way is that “saves = big paydays” and pitchers were reluctant to not be the guy who gets the (useless) stat.
I think teams are smarter now and recognize the importance of leverage. Technically Andrew Miller isn’t the Cleveland closer but it’s clear he is the best reliever in baseball and would get a massive contract were he a FA, even without the saves. Lack of saves still might hurt a pitcher in arbitration because that’s an old-fashioned process but teams are avoiding arb more and more with young players anyway.
matt41265
schafer is definitely worthy of a bench spot with a major league team
winston2b
Seriously a whole paragraph wasted on Logan Schafer?
jd396
Seriously, a whole post whining about it?
gmflores27
Seriously it was a short sentence
Connorsoxfan
^
brodafett
If the cards pick up garcias option thwn they better have a trade already in mind. If the cards start next year with leake and garcia in the rotation again then it’s going to be a long year. Not to mention wacha seems to be done as a starter. Waino has declined will he bounceback orwas this year a sign of things to come? The rotation is iffy enough without garcia in it. Therefore the cards need a new starter more than a reliever. Hear me out matheny is pathetic and incompetent using the bullpen. I’d rather have a good starter added to the rotation to avoid using the pen as much and avoid matheny’s inevitable bone headed/overly loyal moves with his relief pitchers. Plus, reyes will not start all of next year without being shut down due to an innings limit. What did he have a 110 or so inning all of last year? He is going max 150 next year. Then you have cmart and after him a shell of waino, leake a monumental wastw of money, wacha who hasn’t been the same since his first shoulder injury, questionable lynn because some people dominate after tj some need a season to shake off rust, and weaver who looked overwhelmed at times at the mlb level. Not exactly a world beater rotation. Cmart needs help, and mo needs his head examined for giving leake a no trade clause. Cf should also be a priority. Relievers not so much. Instead hire an assistant manager that makes bullpen management decisions so matheny doesn’t screw things up. Then our pen woes would be over.
JFactor
There are too many starters to even begin to worry about adding one.
Martinez, Waino, Leake, and Lynn will def be in the rotation.
If they pick up Garcia, then him too.
That leave Wacha, who had the same periphs as the year before and should be allowed to start. And Reyes and weaver deserve chances.
Garcia to the pen could be an option, same with Leake, though that could be ugly. Wacha could dominate in the pen, but I don’t love that idea either.
There is no room to add an outside starter without unloading some of these guys first. As it stands, they want to see Wacha start more, and Reyes and weaver deserve the chance. Maybe they stretch Lynn out by having him in the pen first. I dunno what they’ll do, but it’s too many guys and too many questions to worry about finding another guy for the pen.
carlsoce
Wacha in the pen for sure. Reyes a no doubt starter along with Lynn.
tim815
Can the Cardinals release Duke over the off-season? He won’t play for them in 2017, likely, but his roster spot would be helpful, elsewhere.
Though, it would seem a bit hinky to release a guy (even though they’s still have to pay him.) over an injury the team caused by using him too much. St. Louis will have a hard time getting much below 35 players before the guys need to be added for the Rule 5 Draft.
Not being able to use Duke’s roster spot would be harmful in their efforts.
davidcoonce74
They just have to put him on the 60-day DL, right? Then he doesn’t count against the 40-man roster? They could also just outright him off the roster. But no, I don’t *think* they can release an injured player because his surgery and recovery are presumably being paid for by the team’s insurance provider and I doubt they would continue paying for an ex-employee. But I could be totally wrong. I know MLB used to have a prohibition on trading injured players and now that’s allowed.
Bank On It
Why would they pickup Garcia option he was HORRIBLE this year