The CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION....

[ClassicO]

He also did not post anything about Mikolas being DFA'd before the season.
The post is premised on a lie, as usual. Or he's just delusional (more likely).

Melville - you apparently don't know there is a search function on CT - so where did you ever say anything about this - including in several threads directly discussing Mikolas? I'll wait...

[WeeVikes]

Wainwright was just as bad in his final year….they didn’t bounce him…

Cards seem to love old, washed up players.

Not to make excuses for Wainwright, because he was terrible, but it's not apples to apples.

1.) Wainwright was a franchise legend. Mikolas isn't. He had one good season. He's basically Kent Bottenfield.
2.) It was pretty early on that we figured out that we weren't going to contend anyway and clearly didn't have anyone who was going to perform appreciably better than Wainwright. You could make a case for Pallante, I guess, but that's tenuous at best.
3.) At least Wainwright had a history of keeping his mouth shut. Or at least reasonably backing up his trash talk when he did. Mikolas NEVER has.
4.) Even at his worst, Wainwright had that curveball. The problem was, at the end, it was all he had. Mikolas has a hanging curveball and a belt high, straight, 92mph fastball.

I know I'm hoping against hope. But Mikolas has less than zero business pitching another meaningful game for this team ever again. Today was a major embarrassment. That said, I feel no sympathy for Mikolas. He absolutely deserved to get spanked. My only regret is that we burned a pretty decent reliever in Svanson today. I'd have let the Cubs beat Mikolas until the steering wheel came off. And the engine block, and the tires, and the transmission. It would serve him right for grooving two homers to that punk PCA.

You prove my point.
So many times over recent seasons the organization intentionally refused to make the CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION.
And time after time after time it catches up to them.
And it is impossible for it not to.
When an organization makes a decision it knows to be not in the interest or performance and achievement, but instead is based on other factors, it is inevitable that the decision will fail.
Mikolas is but one of many.
His ERA has been 4.78. 5.35, and 5.26 over the past 3 seasons.
He had been gifted with 84 starts.
I challenge anyone to find another starting pitcher who has been gifted with 84 starts in the past 2.5 seasons with an ERA as bad.
Again, it was easy to see this trainwreck coming.
In fact, I did.
When an organization lacks leadership, it will continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly.
And in the case of the Cardinals, the refusal to make obvious CORRECT BASEBALL DECISIONS is the very core of the problem.

So, Mel, let’s cut to it.

We both know winning on the field is not the organizations’ “above all else” priority. You have described them as being a marketing entity. Given that, retaining Waino made all the sense in the world, particularly when going after his 200th win. What could the possible motivation for hanging with Mikolas be, other than trying to not throw away the sunk cost of his contract? He has no legacy marketing value, so what might be their thought process?

[WLTFE]

Melville and Shady know how to get a thread going....how come the whiners can't just ignore the thread?... unless they are compelled to respond and need attention?

[rockondlouie]

His ERA has been 4.78. 5.35, and 5.26 over the past 3 seasons.
He had been gifted with 84 starts.
I challenge anyone to find another starting pitcher who has been gifted with 84 starts in the past 2.5 seasons with an ERA as bad.

We're in 100% agreement on Mikolas, I've wanted him DFA'd since 2024.

As for your challenge, I have your answer:

Patrick Corbin

2023
32 GS
5.20 ERA

2024
32 GS
5.62 ERA

2025
15 GS
4.26 ERA

Corbin:
2023 - present = 79 GS/5.19 ERA

Mikolas:
2023 - present = 84 GS/5.26 ERA

[45s]

Wainwright was just as bad in his final year….they didn’t bounce him…

Cards seem to love old, washed up players.

Not to make excuses for Wainwright, because he was terrible, but it's not apples to apples.

1.) Wainwright was a franchise legend. Mikolas isn't. He had one good season. He's basically Kent Bottenfield.
2.) It was pretty early on that we figured out that we weren't going to contend anyway and clearly didn't have anyone who was going to perform appreciably better than Wainwright. You could make a case for Pallante, I guess, but that's tenuous at best.
3.) At least Wainwright had a history of keeping his mouth shut. Or at least reasonably backing up his trash talk when he did. Mikolas NEVER has.
4.) Even at his worst, Wainwright had that curveball. The problem was, at the end, it was all he had. Mikolas has a hanging curveball and a belt high, straight, 92mph fastball.

I know I'm hoping against hope. But Mikolas has less than zero business pitching another meaningful game for this team ever again. Today was a major embarrassment. That said, I feel no sympathy for Mikolas. He absolutely deserved to get spanked. My only regret is that we burned a pretty decent reliever in Svanson today. I'd have let the Cubs beat Mikolas until the steering wheel came off. And the engine block, and the tires, and the transmission. It would serve him right for grooving two homers to that punk PCA.

Well…..that’s a reasonable opinion……I differ..

This is professional sports…..a player either produces or they are out….at least they should be..

To toss away games, perhaps a playoff spot, because some guy is a “legend “…..and chasing a PERSONAL stat is so disrespectful to fans who care about winning…

I wonder what the other players were thinking when every game wainwright was getting hammered….does this team even care about success..

I wonder what the opposition must have been thinking…

So do the cards have two sets of rules? One guy can suck and keep sucking….the other guy can suck and gets released…

I’m all for dumping mm….but this organization needs to decide who they are..

Is winning first….or a retirement home for washed up players

[Voldemort]

...as I advised during spring training, was to release Mikolas or ban him to mop up duties at deep end of the bullpen and insert McGreevy into the rotation.
I correctly analyzed and emphasized that the defining difference between healthy organizations and toxic organization is the ability and willingness to make the CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION.
The Cardinals instead opted to make a decision based contract dollars and it has badly backfired (just as happened with Wainwright and Molina when the team made non-baseball decisions).
What is done is done - but it is not too late to get it right.
It is long past time for the team to do exactly as I was first to rightly understand and advise.
And it would be extremely beneficial to the team in so many ways.

Liar! Produce the quote and thread that you stated this. You can't!

[Absolut]

He was [fork]ing awful. Hooray for noticing, along with everyone else not named Mo, the worst pitcher in baseball should have been dumped.

Next week an expose on Arenado’s lack of speed and inability to hit with power tonight field.

Baseball hasn’t seen groundbreaking analysis like this since Bill James.

[Melville]

Wainwright was just as bad in his final year….they didn’t bounce him…

Cards seem to love old, washed up players.

Not to make excuses for Wainwright, because he was terrible, but it's not apples to apples.

1.) Wainwright was a franchise legend. Mikolas isn't. He had one good season. He's basically Kent Bottenfield.
2.) It was pretty early on that we figured out that we weren't going to contend anyway and clearly didn't have anyone who was going to perform appreciably better than Wainwright. You could make a case for Pallante, I guess, but that's tenuous at best.
3.) At least Wainwright had a history of keeping his mouth shut. Or at least reasonably backing up his trash talk when he did. Mikolas NEVER has.
4.) Even at his worst, Wainwright had that curveball. The problem was, at the end, it was all he had. Mikolas has a hanging curveball and a belt high, straight, 92mph fastball.

I know I'm hoping against hope. But Mikolas has less than zero business pitching another meaningful game for this team ever again. Today was a major embarrassment. That said, I feel no sympathy for Mikolas. He absolutely deserved to get spanked. My only regret is that we burned a pretty decent reliever in Svanson today. I'd have let the Cubs beat Mikolas until the steering wheel came off. And the engine block, and the tires, and the transmission. It would serve him right for grooving two homers to that punk PCA.

You prove my point.
So many times over recent seasons the organization intentionally refused to make the CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION.
And time after time after time it catches up to them.
And it is impossible for it not to.
When an organization makes a decision it knows to be not in the interest or performance and achievement, but instead is based on other factors, it is inevitable that the decision will fail.
Mikolas is but one of many.
His ERA has been 4.78. 5.35, and 5.26 over the past 3 seasons.
He had been gifted with 84 starts.
I challenge anyone to find another starting pitcher who has been gifted with 84 starts in the past 2.5 seasons with an ERA as bad.
Again, it was easy to see this trainwreck coming.
In fact, I did.
When an organization lacks leadership, it will continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly.
And in the case of the Cardinals, the refusal to make obvious CORRECT BASEBALL DECISIONS is the very core of the problem.

So, Mel, let’s cut to it.

We both know winning on the field is not the organizations’ “above all else” priority. You have described them as being a marketing entity. Given that, retaining Waino made all the sense in the world, particularly when going after his 200th win. What could the possible motivation for hanging with Mikolas be, other than trying to not throw away the sunk cost of his contract? He has no legacy marketing value, so what might be their thought process?

Excellent question.
In this instance, their thinking was fairly clear.
If they sent him to the BP at the end of ST, they would have had a 16M mop up reliever.
Not something they were willing to do.
By leaving him in the rotation, they were hoping he would do just barely well enough for someone to be willing to take the balance of his contract for 2025 sometime in July - thereby saving themselves about 6M (or save a portion of that 6M by eating just enough to get a lottery ticket in return).
And, of course, there was the attraction of delaying McGreevy's service time.
Now, can a financial case be made for their decision?
Of course.
But that, by definition, would be an admission that they intentionally chose to ignore the CORRECT BASEBALL DECISION.
Again, not too late to do the right thing now.
But only if yesterday's start was his last as a Cardinal.
They unquestionably have better options on hand right now.

[Melville]

His ERA has been 4.78. 5.35, and 5.26 over the past 3 seasons.
He had been gifted with 84 starts.
I challenge anyone to find another starting pitcher who has been gifted with 84 starts in the past 2.5 seasons with an ERA as bad.

We're in 100% agreement on Mikolas, I've wanted him DFA'd since 2024.

As for your challenge, I have your answer:

Patrick Corbin

2023
32 GS
5.20 ERA

2024
32 GS
5.62 ERA

2025
15 GS
4.26 ERA

Corbin:
2023 - present = 79 GS/5.19 ERA

Mikolas:
2023 - present = 84 GS/5.26 ERA

So not one pitcher as bad as Mikolas with as many starts since the beginning of the 2023 season.
Corbin is indeed close - but not quite.

[Melville]

Wainwright was just as bad in his final year….they didn’t bounce him…

Cards seem to love old, washed up players.

Not to make excuses for Wainwright, because he was terrible, but it's not apples to apples.

1.) Wainwright was a franchise legend. Mikolas isn't. He had one good season. He's basically Kent Bottenfield.
2.) It was pretty early on that we figured out that we weren't going to contend anyway and clearly didn't have anyone who was going to perform appreciably better than Wainwright. You could make a case for Pallante, I guess, but that's tenuous at best.
3.) At least Wainwright had a history of keeping his mouth shut. Or at least reasonably backing up his trash talk when he did. Mikolas NEVER has.
4.) Even at his worst, Wainwright had that curveball. The problem was, at the end, it was all he had. Mikolas has a hanging curveball and a belt high, straight, 92mph fastball.

I know I'm hoping against hope. But Mikolas has less than zero business pitching another meaningful game for this team ever again. Today was a major embarrassment. That said, I feel no sympathy for Mikolas. He absolutely deserved to get spanked. My only regret is that we burned a pretty decent reliever in Svanson today. I'd have let the Cubs beat Mikolas until the steering wheel came off. And the engine block, and the tires, and the transmission. It would serve him right for grooving two homers to that punk PCA.

Well…..that’s a reasonable opinion……I differ..

This is professional sports…..a player either produces or they are out….at least they should be..

To toss away games, perhaps a playoff spot, because some guy is a “legend “…..and chasing a PERSONAL stat is so disrespectful to fans who care about winning…

I wonder what the other players were thinking when every game wainwright was getting hammered….does this team even care about success..

I wonder what the opposition must have been thinking…

So do the cards have two sets of rules? One guy can suck and keep sucking….the other guy can suck and gets released…

I’m all for dumping mm….but this organization needs to decide who they are..

Is winning first….or a retirement home for washed up players

Excellent post - and directly on-topic!
You get it.
These non-baseball-based decisions cripple an organization.

[ClassicO]

Hey Mel - where's any proof that you mentioned this at all before, as you say?
Still waiting.

[Bad14]

DFA

DFA Melville? I'm in favor.