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One thing we all know for sure. Next year you will be back, better prepared than most to make another run.
I disagree. l think we've seen the last of it, for a while.
In 2014 Beltran will be gone, and I suspect that so will Freese. The middle infield willl still be a mess, with Carpenter gone back to 3b and the middle infield no more promising than it was with Ryan and Schumaker, and in fact, I wish we had them both back now. Craig's ankle is a huge question mark, and Adams is very tradeworthy, and they don't seem to need both. But prospects like Tavares are no more dependable than Wong, and either or neither might have a place in the Cardinal future. If Tavares fails, they might have had to good sense to hold onto Robinson.
The only sure things in '14 are Holliday, Molina (both of whom are getting tired) and Carpenter. I have hopes for Jay, I wish they hadn't messed with his swing, he is an asset who knows how to play the game. Their bench is literally invisible, but there are always Puntos around who can be picked up.
The pitching staff will be a complete revamp. I suspect that Garcia, Lynn and Westbrook will be gone or otherwise not important factors, and Chris Carpenter may never be back. The rotation appears to be Wainwright, Wacha, Kelly, Martinez, and a very dubious fifth spot with nothing terribly promising, and two of those four unproven. Which leaves only Siegrist and Rosenthal for the last two innings. Adequate enough, I guess, all things considered.
I disagree. l think we've seen the last of it, for a while.
In 2014 Beltran will be gone, and I suspect that so will Freese. The middle infield willl still be a mess, with Carpenter gone back to 3b and the middle infield no more promising than it was with Ryan and Schumaker, and in fact, I wish we had them both back now. Craig's ankle is a huge question mark, and Adams is very tradeworthy, and they don't seem to need both. But prospects like Tavares are no more dependable than Wong, and either or neither might have a place in the Cardinal future.
The only sure things in '14 are Holliday, Molina (both of whom are getting tired) and Carpenter. I have hopes for Jay, I wish they hadn't messed with his swing, he is an asset who knows how to play the game. Their bench is literally invisible, but there are always Puntos around who can be picked up.
The pitching staff will be a complete revamp. I suspect that Garcia, Lynn and Westbrook will be gone or otherwise not important factors, and Chris Carpenter may never be back. The rotation appears to be Wainwright, Wacha, Kelly, Martinez, and a very dubious fifth spot with nothing terribly promising, and two of those four unproven. Which leaves only Siegrist and Rosenthal for the last two innings. Adequate enough, I guess, all things considered.
You will trade Lynn (or possibly Miller) for Bourjos. That will give you the best 1-2 OBP tandem in the NL and will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers due to their plate discipline. You will move Craig back to the OF and leave Adams at 1b. You won't give up on Kozma because he was a 1st round pick, but you will buy yourself a capable offensive-minded utility guy and still have Wong and Taveras as options. You stick with Freese and hope 2013 was a aberration. Your BP is set.
You win the NLC because neither the Pirates nor Reds will be making significant improvements and may get worse, losing guys like Burnett, Byrd, Choo, Phillips, etc. although the Pirates will be a very interesting 2nd half team once Taillon and Polanco are up.
I'm not whining, I'm stating things as I see them. They went to the WS, you can't assume by default that they will repeat. There are 25 guys out west wearing rings still with fresh 2012 luster who will attest to that. If 2013 was an anomaly for Freese, how come it can't be an anomaly for the whole team?
Yes, I'd love to see Bourjos in Cardinal red, he's at the top of my get-list. I forgot about Miller, that adds a tradeable pitcher, but you can't cut too thin, they lost Carpenter, Garcia and Motte in quick succession and luckily they had talent in the minors to take up the slack. Can't depend on that.
They went to the WS, you can't assume by default that they will repeat. There are 25 guys out west wearing rings still with fresh 2012 luster who will attest to that. If 2013 was an anomaly for Freese, how come it can't be an anomaly for the whole team?
As Beane said, "once you get to the playoffs it's a crapshoot." Cards should still win the NL Central. Maybe even more comfortably than this year. The all you have to do is have someone get Ortiz-hot!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Yes, I'd love to see Bourjos in Cardinal red, he's at the top of my get-list. I forgot about Miller, that adds a tradeable pitcher, but you can't cut too thin, they lost Carpenter, Garcia and Motte in quick succession and luckily they had talent in the minors to take up the slack. Can't depend on that.
The Cards are certainly best equipped to deal a #3 SP for Bourjos w/o it really hurting too much, if at all. I'd love for the Bucs to get him, then flip Marte next year for something major - like a decent SS. But they'll try to sign Byrd and then wait on Polanco. Miller and Lynn almost seem like the same pitcher. Probably doesn't matter much which one gets traded.
This team has the qualities of a sustainable winner, and it has shown through our great minor-league system. We've got the right mix, and we're on track to go back again to the WS next year. The reloading is paying off. Keeping everybody healthy will be key.
In three of their last four post-season appearances, the Cardinals ended their season with three straight losses. Were it not for David Freese, they'd have lost their last three games in all four of them.
In case you're wondering, in 2010, when they did not make the playoffs, they ended the season with 5 straight wins.
Chris Carpenter, one of the best clutch pitchers in the storied history of the St. Louis Cardinals, announced his retirement Wednesday.
Carpenter, 38, missed the entire 2013 season after a recurrence of a nerve injury in his shoulder that cost him most of the 2012 campaign.
Carpenter's career numbers don't reflect his value to the team. He was 144-94 with a 3.76 ERA in a career that began with Toronto in 1997. He spent six seasons with the Blue Jays and nine with St. Louis. He won the 2005 National League Cy Young Award, going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA. He was second in 2009 after going 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA.
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Kudos to the Cardinals
