At the GM Meetings in Carlsbad, California, Katie Woo of The Athletic spoke to Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak, as well as Vice President and GM Mike Girsch. The executives offered insight into the Cardinals’ offseason priorities.
Both execs cited pitching as the team’s primary need. Mozeliak spoke of the success of midseason pickups Wade LeBlanc, T.J. McFarland, Luis Garcia, J.A. Happ, and Jon Lester, and the need to replicate that depth addition. And Girsch noted the many 2021 Cardinal pitchers who are currently free agents, a list that includes LeBlanc, Garcia, Happ, Lester, Kwang Hyun Kim, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Martinez. The Cardinals currently have Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Dakota Hudson as rotation locks for 2022.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “The Cardinals are looking for pitchers who they think can thrive with a superior defense behind them — which is most pitchers, but specifically sinkerballers.” Goold mentions Marcus Stroman as a potential target on the higher end, and Nick Martinez on the lower end. Martinez, a member of the Rangers’ rotation from 2014-17, pitched his fourth season in Japan this year and posted a 1.62 ERA in 149 2/3 innings. Other groundballers on the free agent market include Alex Wood, Clayton Kershaw, Jon Gray, and Yusei Kikuchi. The trade market could include Luis Castillo, Dallas Keuchel, and Sonny Gray.
Otherwise, Cardinals fans dreaming of a Trevor Story–Nolan Arenado reunion may want to temper expectations. According to Goold, Mozeliak said the shortstop market has “not been a focus for us” to this point. Both Mozeliak and Girsch made a point to defend Paul DeJong after a rough season, and to praise Edmundo Sosa’s work. The execs made it clear they’re comfortable with internal options, especially with second/third baseman Nolan Gorman on the way.
Gorman at 2nd and Edman at SS weakens the defense but lengthens the lineup. Defense got the Cardinals to the playoffs and they should probably think long and hard about making it worse.
If the DH comes to the national league I wonder if they’d rather try Gorman at DH? I’d think he’d fit there better than displacing Edman? Edman just won a gold glove?
i agree keep eddy at 2nd and use gorman as a dh and a 2/3b to spell eddy and nolan. make sosa a zobrist type player trade dejong for some bench depth and go out and get a ss, and some rotation arms. imo i feel doing that gives a good shot of winning a title, well at least feel like we have a real shot, but i feel like i’m going to be very disappointed i’ve lost a lot of faith in mo last few years and i’m so tired of doing nothing and then hear “we were so close to getting player x but he went to team y for pennies more. i’m not saying go spend stupid money on a player but last few years we’ve been a player or 2 away and seems like we’re stuck there.
Zobrist was a well above average hitter and excellent defender at 5 positions. Sosa is a below average hitter and good defender. They’re not close to the same type of player.
Edman is also a below average hitter. If he wasn’t allergic to taking a walk he might be okay. The years when his luck runs bad on balls in play though he’s going to be unplayable, even with the Gold Glove, because he has no OBP foundation to fall back on.
DeJong has been a top 10 SS since his debut. Why on Earth would the Cardinals look to replace him based on a season where he played through broken ribs and still almost had a league average line while putting up his usual excellent defense?
What a double talking moron! Just how dumb does John Mozeliak think the Cardinals fans and news media are???? Big circle talk of dream player to be obtained!!! Then——-nothing but the standard low hanging Fruit!!!
It looks like we/ Cardinals will not sign a shortstop. Okay, fine let’s move and let’s sign a starting pitcher and a few relievers. Let’s go Cards.
I’m thinking that if they could get another reliable good SP and then get a lockdown bullpen they should be good…maybe adjust with some trades mid-season
imo we still need a ss don’t get me wrong i like dejong but unless he figures out how to hit again he’s a bu pinch hitter guy. down the stretch i liked sosa’s play but it was a cup of coffee as an everyday ss. imo sosa is perfect for a zobrist type role, plays all over but gets everyday bats, but relying on them 2 and mo being the pbo and manger is going to make next season (if there is one) a train wreck.
Ever tried to hit with broken ribs? DeJong will be fine after this time off to let his core heal.
Gorman-Gorman-Gorman!!!! This guy had better be the next Mickey Mantle with all of the Hype we’ve heard over the past few years.
In Comparison—— Libertore (sp??) better be the next Steve Carlton. Poor guy is going to have tremendous pressure on them because of the Front Office’s hands off policy concerning trades.
Where the heck is Gorman going to be a starter??
Taking Edmon, Arenaldo, or Goldschmidt’s position is Crazy unless he is indeed the next Mickey Mantle.
Unfortunately—— Edman is not popular with Mozeliak and the Cardinals hitting coach because he is a free swinging contact hitter. Not an analogically launch angle type of hitter.
I see—- Edman getting traded. Mozeliak has talked himself into a corner by over praising Gorman.
When Edmon leaves —— that spark at the top of the line up, plus the threat of stealing bases and that hustling personal persona leave with him.
Without Edmon’s spark—— the remaining Cardinals team spark will Leave too!
At that point—— I see a long season for the Cardinals in 2022.
Edman is on the bubble because he’s a below average hitter. It wouldn’t shock me if him hitting leadoff every day with his .301 OBP was part of what got Mike Shildt shown the door.
Just roughly hitting him leadoff the majority of the time cost the Cardinals about 40 runs. That’s 4 wins. They only finished 5 behind the Brewers.
Edman was 8th on the team in OBP last year. Spark? What spark? Sparkplugs get on base.
Put Bader leadoff. Every bit as much speed, more power, better OBP skills, all the hustle.
I wonder how well Edman could handle SS full time.
I think there’s be a bit of a dip as he makes a full-time adjustment, but I think late season/2023 he’d be good. He’s kind of a defensive chameleon. Seems to be able to play wherever you put him. But I’d keep him in the middle infield. Too good.
I agree. SS and 2B aren’t vastly different, but there’s still a little learning curve to SS that a pro shouldn’t have much problems handling.
Frankly, moving Gorman from 3B to 2B is a bigger jump than 2B to SS.
If they go out and sign Seager, Story, etc, that blocks Gorman, and I think Gorman will have too good for a bat to waste. Edman is the better defender between him and Gorman, but Gorman’s bat is something you shouldn’t waste. I’d be fine sticking with DeJong/Sosa at SS and Edman at 2B next year, while having Edman play a bit at SS, then moving Edman to SS full time, and Gorman to 2B. Either way, you get more power. Gorman will have more power than Sosa and DeJong combined anyways, so you’re not taking any offensive capabilities away.
Gleyber Torres disagrees
Gorman projects as a 30 HR bat. DeJong is a 30 HR bat. More power?
He was drafted out of Stanford as an everyday SS. It’s curious they haven’t even tried him there yet.
Again cardinals won’t go after big free agents. With the savings of cuts, cardinals should get story, kershaw, scherzer, Kelly and Jansen. But they won’t they will get a nick Martinez whom no one has ever heard of and expect him to be the next miles mikolas.
I love how fans forget that there are 29 other teams and set their hopes on their team signing five of the top free agents on the market, just like that. Even the old free spending Yankees didn’t do that.
Seamaholic I guess you are the next gm oh wait you are some troll who forgets that the cardinals are printing money between the attendance, ball park village, parking and tv contract so don’t feel sorry for bill Dewitt and company.
I, too, buy all the top Free Agents in MLB the Show. It’s a fun time.
Fact is though that not a lot of Top FA want to come to St. Louis…it is what it is …the cardinals get most of their talent through trades…most FA want the east coast and especially the west coast
I sure hope they wouldn’t want him to be the next Miles Mikolas – one great season, and two other seasons that are mediocre/injury filled with a high price tag.
They don’t actually have as much cleared payroll space as you might think. They HAD about $70MM scheduled to come off the books after the 2021 season. However, they have to:
1. Pay Arenado about $25MM in ’22
2. Pay Wainwright $17.5MM in ’22
3. Pay Molina $10MM in ’22
4. Pay McFarland $1.5MM in ’22
5. Pay several players significant raises via arbitration in ’22
Before factoring in the arbitration raises, they’ve already spent $54MM of that $70MM. They’re not going to have the money to buy Brand Name, Top-Shelf Free Agents, and honestly, why would you want them to? How have their FA signings of significance worked out over the last six years?
Remember Fowler, Martinez,carpenter and Rockies sending money for arenado and the cardinals were $50 million under the threshold of getting penalized.
The $70MM I spoke of was from the expiring contracts of Fowler, CMart, Carpenter, etc. The Rockies sent money to cover Arenado’s salary last year, but the Cardinals have to pay the bulk of it moving forward.
Yes, the Cardinals were under the luxury tax threshold in 2021, just as they were in 2020, 2019, etc. Get used to it. That’s how they operate. I’d like to see them be more aggressive at times, but they’ve proven rather inept at signing high priced free agents. I’d much rather they return to making smart value plays to address their depth instead of doing nothing, or spending lots of money, which they stink at.
The team budget is not the penalty threshold. Might be true of NYY, BOS, and LAD, but not most mid market teams.
Lol I don’t understand why people think the cards should spend up to the luxury tax. I live in St. Louis, the cards are constantly offering $5 to $10 tickets to fill the stadium. I don’t want to pay the ticket prices if these tickets that max out the luxury tax, we have enough paid talent that we need to hold the players accountable for doing their job.
Imagine if we signed Story and he hit his lifetime road stats, he would be Fowler 2.0. Then the amount of relievers that get these big contracts mostly turn out to be turds…. Let’s use some of these prospects or trade them.
Um, Mikolas has had one great season, one very good season, and two seasons that were mostly lost to injury (one being the shortened 2020). Given the way he kept getting better at the end of the year, there’s no reason not to expect him to at least return to his 2019 level next year, when he a very good #2 level starter.
Mikolas was a bad investment period… but most of the people on here screaming to sign people were screaming to sign him
They can’t afford all of that, and they only need one more starter, anyway. Meanwhile, signing a star shortstop is a waste of money when at least one of DeJong and/or Sosa should be able to handle the job pretty well.
They might make a run at Kershaw, but they’re not likely the favorite. Matz would be a bargain-like lefty starter worth a shot.
They had about $55 million in free money this offseason (based off previous payrolls). They gave half that to Waino and Yadi for their retirement tour.
Scherzer wants $40 million a year and he’s a 37 year old coming off a season he ended with a dead arm.
Cards were bad all of 2021 except for 1 month.
They need flahrety and Milkolas healthy.
What team or pitcher wouldn’t want to pitch for a defensive infield.
Free agent pitch B – I like to pitch for this team since they can’t field well and I have to strike out more players to get out of the 2nd/3rd situation since there were 2 errors per inning.
they weren’t bad April and most of May, those months they were in first place or battling for it….when Flaherty got hurt they went downhill fast and had a horrible June
On the flip side, Waino is not going to repeat 2021. Let’s be honest. And, unlike a subset of Cards fans who think Mo’s midyear pitching pickups were genyus, most were not. socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2021/11/st-louis-cardi…
“The Cardinals are looking for pitchers who they think can thrive with a superior defense behind them.”
I don’t know why but I find this way funnier than I maybe should. Lol. It’s just saying it aloud that way. Does anyone look for pitchers who do better with the pressure of having a terrible defense behind them?
I think it’s just a way of saying they’re looking for pitchers who pitch to contact/groundballers.
I could see Gorman at second and Edman at SS against certain RH pitchers (and perhaps Nootbaar in the OF), but I’d think the plan would be to have Gorman and Yepez at DH and focus on acquiring pitching.
The Marlins are interested in trading some of their young pitching right now. Get Sandy Alcantara back. He goes 5-7 innings practically every start
Champagne taste = Stroman
Beer budget = Nick Martinez
And we’re talking Old Milwaukee, Blatz, or Schlitz here – no microbrews or craft beers.
Hey, don’t be so hard on good old Schlitz. Although it has fallen from its former title as one of America’s most popular beers, the Schlitz brand is still alive today remains a sentimental favorite in the Midwest.
Schlitz … sounds like what it gives you …
Carmargo for shortstop!
Cards should keep the infield as Arenado, Sosa and Edman.
Two good trade chips in DeJong and Gorman.
Trade Dejong to the White Sox (2B) for Craig Kimbrel.
That’s a terrible trade idea lol. Kimbrel is massively overpaid. DeJong will bounce back IMO. Even if the long term goal is to trade him, let him build value back. There are better options via trade.
Also, why in the world would we trade Gorman? I hate the DH but especially if it is coming and he could play 2B or DH. Not to mention spell Arenado at 3B
They need to look at corner infield depth as well. With Carpenter gone, they’re going to need someone to give the senior citizens at 1b and 3b a day off as well as filling in when one gets their proverbial elbow/back/shoulder DL stint.
Sosa and Edman can both fill in at 3B to give Arenado a breather while someone else covers for their usual positions. Rondon can play the occasional game on the corners, and there’s always the option of giving Molina a breather at 1B.
They do indeed need a bench upgrade (and preferably a corner infielder), but the biggest reason is to get a solid lefty on that bench. Right now, the only left-handed hitters the Cardinals have (starters or bench) with more than a few games of Major League experience are a pair of switch-hitters who both hit better right-handed and Justin Williams, who was terrible last year.
Justin Williams is a free agent. Nootbaar is the lefty bench option as it stands now.
Phat Albert will do that, per the subset of fans saying “gotta sign him”! He’s in Domincan ball to learn the third sack again, isn’t he????
That’s what Nolan Gorman is for. 1B, 2B, 3B and hits lefty
This Gorman to second, and Edman to SS is nuts. First off, Gorman’s minor league numbers are nothing to get that excited about. Secondly, Gorman is only an average third baseman. Yea the Red Birds need a lefty bat. Seager would be a great fit if only he wasn’t a defensive liability. I only needed to see him in the playoffs to render this opinion. I love the dude, but he isn’t a great fit, even if the NL institutes the DH which makes me quiver at the thought, but no team can benefit from the DH more than the Cards. Nootbar is a 4 tool player. Not that he has proven he can excel as a hitter in the Bugs, but because of his other tools, the Cards can wait to see on him. Of all the free agents available, it is Rosario that intrigues me the most. Cards have plenty of power, but with the DH coming, he would be just what the Cards need. Add Martinez, and maybe Stroman, sign either Lester, Kim or ???, never can think of the dudes name. Go to a 6-man rotation, get a decent left-handed catcher, sign another bullpen lefty or two, and watch the Red Birds play.
I honestly like the Greinke call
Greinke and a cheap lefty to start as well, like Matz.
I’m ok with staying out of the SS market. However, I’m insistent they sign at least two viable starting pitchers and bring back LeBlanc. I like Matz and Corey Kluber. Stay out of the bullpen market too. Re-sign Luis Garcia and troll for added depth, but don’t sign multi year, Major League contracts. If the NL adopts the DH get Pujols to platoon with Gorman. Stay flexible and deep.
They only need 1 more starter to go with Flaherty, Mikolas, Wainwright, and Hudson, with Reyes and Woodford as good depth behind them.
Meanwhile, they need to sign at least 2 more quality relievers with how much their bullpen depth has thinned out. If they need to go multi-year to get one of those guys, that’s perfectly fine.
They also need a lefty bat for the bench.
Agreed on a potential Pujols/Gorman platoon at DH if the NL does indeed adopt it.
If last year taught us anything, it’s that you can’t have too much starting pitching.
I like Mikolas a lot, but he simply can’t be counted on. Reyes is also a question mark. I know he wants to start, but there are a few issues that need addressed before he can claim a spot in the rotation. His injury history, spotty control, and disastrous end to the season outweigh his pedigree/potential.
If anything, I would go beyond the two starters I mentioned and maybe sign Cueto to a 1 yr deal and hope to get 10 good starts.
The bullpen situation depends on health and what happens with the starters. On the right side you have Gallegos, Whitley and hopefully Garcia. On the left side Cabrera, McFarland, and hopefully LeBlanc. I’m done with Helsley. That leaves Hicks, Reyes, Woodford, and Oviedo. I don’t know what to make of Junior Fernandez. In any case, as long as we have enough starters, we should have plenty of arms to fill out the bullpen.
I just don’t want to be back in a situation where we have to get Lester and Happ to bail us out.
I agree with a left handed bench bat.
This team is good enough to the division without significant additions to the starting line up.
I like the re-sign Luis Garcia for the Cardinals. I am not too crazy on Cardinals signing Steven Matz. Iwill be fine on Corey Kluber if he doesn’t have a fallback from his injuries. My bold move is to trade Paul DeJong to the A’s for Chris Bassett.
Like the DeJong for Bassett. Good to see some of these commenters actually pay attention instead of just running there mouths.
I like the trade proposal, DeJong for Bassett, but it will take a prospect or two also. DeJong makes too much. 15 million over next two years does not fit their payroll. They are looking for young players with control.
Phat Albert is gonna play first and third, dude! That’s what he’s learning in Dominican Winter Ball …. watch out! He’ll hit eleventy-seven homers. Just ask him and his 42, 43, 44 or whatever years old self ….
Lemme see, officially 42 next year, but real age? Let’s get real, folks.
Gray => Giants book it.
I don’t want to disagree with Mo’s philosophy. He may fire me as a fan.
Sign Luis Garcia and Justin Verlander and be done with it . If this happens the Cardinals win the World Series for sure .
Hey it could happen. Lol.
This is great news. I was hoping the Cardinals would focus on pitching over shortstop, and they are doing that.
Trade Mikolas
I’ll pass on trading for Keuchel. You’re either trading for one year of “meh’ or two years of meh with $20M for the second year if he hits 160 innings.
It’s not surprising but a little disappointing to me because I seriously do think Semien would give the offense that little bit it needs to be truly elite and still give Gold Glove defense. Hell that would be 6 reigning GGers and a 2nd place with Yadi on the team.
But if they’re going to go pitching that is definitely the need. I hope they don’t go super discount though as they have the payroll to swing a little bigger. If last year taught us anything it’s that you can never have too much pitching. Injuries will always come up. it’s why shouldn’t sit and wait with the bullpen options.
We go through this, with spending $, and signing free agents every off season. The Cardinals will be just fine in 2022, a tweek here, an adjustment there, and before you know it they are right back in the thick of things, as far as making the post season. When is the last time the Cardinals *DIDNT MAKE* the post season? Not counting the Covid plagued 2020 season. They will be just fine in 2022, and come the last day, they will have a post season spot all locked up!