A "star" is not the answer

[bretto12]

Buying a Fa player for millions of dollars will not change this team. Some player who hits 30HR and drives in 90 RBIs while the team loses 90 games will not improve attendance. I want a team that will be a WS contender and not just a team that can compete for a Central Division Wild Card spot. That plan goes keeps you stuck in the middle.
Baseball is broken. The mid-market teams will rebuild every 3 to 5 years because the large markets will take their stars when they become FAs. Want an example, Winn. You can keep Winn, JJ and Doyle and add the missing pieces and compete for a couple of years. Then you can trade them at the five or six year point for a group of players that lets you rebuild over a couple years before repeating the process.
I don't understand why the 22 small or mid-market teams don't force a salary cap and floor and spread the money thru the league. The players still get paid, but it will be in Tampa or KC or STL and baseball leadership will determine the WS winner instead of just who spends the most money.

[45s]

Buying a Fa player for millions of dollars will not change this team. Some player who hits 30HR and drives in 90 RBIs while the team loses 90 games will not improve attendance. I want a team that will be a WS contender and not just a team that can compete for a Central Division Wild Card spot. That plan goes keeps you stuck in the middle.
Baseball is broken. The mid-market teams will rebuild every 3 to 5 years because the large markets will take their stars when they become FAs. Want an example, Winn. You can keep Winn, JJ and Doyle and add the missing pieces and compete for a couple of years. Then you can trade them at the five or six year point for a group of players that lets you rebuild over a couple years before repeating the process.
I don't understand why the 22 small or mid-market teams don't force a salary cap and floor and spread the money thru the league. The players still get paid, but it will be in Tampa or KC or STL and baseball leadership will determine the WS winner instead of just who spends the most money.

The small market teams will not surrender their financial autonomy…

[mattmitchl44]

Yeah - if someone thinks to Cardinals' current roster is just two players away from them being "contenders" in 2026, those two players have to be named Ohtani and Judge - and the Cardinals would have to get them while giving up nothing in return.

Obviously, that isn't happening.

[CorneliusWolfe]

Buying a Fa player for millions of dollars will not change this team. Some player who hits 30HR and drives in 90 RBIs while the team loses 90 games will not improve attendance. I want a team that will be a WS contender and not just a team that can compete for a Central Division Wild Card spot. That plan goes keeps you stuck in the middle.
Baseball is broken. The mid-market teams will rebuild every 3 to 5 years because the large markets will take their stars when they become FAs. Want an example, Winn. You can keep Winn, JJ and Doyle and add the missing pieces and compete for a couple of years. Then you can trade them at the five or six year point for a group of players that lets you rebuild over a couple years before repeating the process.
I don't understand why the 22 small or mid-market teams don't force a salary cap and floor and spread the money thru the league. The players still get paid, but it will be in Tampa or KC or STL and baseball leadership will determine the WS winner instead of just who spends the most money.

We’ve been around .500 with none of the type of players you mention. Why would we lose 90 games with a couple of those type of players?

I do agree on the cap/floor thing though but it probably won’t happen.

Front offices like to say “it’s a business” in response to call for increased spending, but it works both ways. The players are businessmen too, and they’re the ones who are actually entertaining the audience, and they don’t want caps. Some owners don’t either. There already seems to be a majority opposition.

[craviduce]

Yeah - if someone thinks to Cardinals' current roster is just two players away from them being "contenders" in 2026, those two players have to be named Ohtani and Judge - and the Cardinals would have to get them while giving up nothing in return.

Obviously, that isn't happening.

Yes it can, it's called "walking and chewing gum at the same time".

these replies from the Rebuild Deniers are killing me....

[BrummerStealsHome]

Stars put butts in the seats. You know what puts far more butts in the seats? Winning. Stars may or may not produce winning, and winning can produce stars. Focus on buiding a winner.

[Carp4Cy]

Stars put butts in the seats. You know what puts far more butts in the seats? Winning. Stars may or may not produce winning, and winning can produce stars. Focus on buiding a winner.

Winning with franchise players put butts in the seats. Winning with one year contract robots that nobody knows the names of nor cares about because they’re constantly swapped out, like spare parts will make us like Tampa Bay who drew under 19,000 for a playoff game.

[mattmitchl44]

Stars put butts in the seats. You know what puts far more butts in the seats? Winning. Stars may or may not produce winning, and winning can produce stars. Focus on buiding a winner.

Winning with franchise players put butts in the seats. Winning with one year contract robots that nobody knows the names of nor cares about because they’re constantly swapped out, like spare parts will make us like Tampa Bay who drew under 19,000 for a playoff game.

Tampa Bay draws 19,000 because they are Tampa Bay, not because of "how" they win.

When the Cardinals win, they'll draw 3+ million because of the name on the front of the jerseys, not the names on the backs.

[45s]

Stars put butts in the seats. You know what puts far more butts in the seats? Winning. Stars may or may not produce winning, and winning can produce stars. Focus on buiding a winner.

Winning with franchise players put butts in the seats. Winning with one year contract robots that nobody knows the names of nor cares about because they’re constantly swapped out, like spare parts will make us like Tampa Bay who drew under 19,000 for a playoff game.

Tampa Bay draws 19,000 because they are Tampa Bay, not because of "how" they win.

When the Cardinals win, they'll draw 3+ million because of the name on the front of the jerseys, not the names on the backs.

Gutsy move tossing reality out there so haphazardly…

Gutsy indeed

[scoutyjones2]

Buying a Fa player for millions of dollars will not change this team. Some player who hits 30HR and drives in 90 RBIs while the team loses 90 games will not improve attendance. I want a team that will be a WS contender and not just a team that can compete for a Central Division Wild Card spot. That plan goes keeps you stuck in the middle.
Baseball is broken. The mid-market teams will rebuild every 3 to 5 years because the large markets will take their stars when they become FAs. Want an example, Winn. You can keep Winn, JJ and Doyle and add the missing pieces and compete for a couple of years. Then you can trade them at the five or six year point for a group of players that lets you rebuild over a couple years before repeating the process.
I don't understand why the 22 small or mid-market teams don't force a salary cap and floor and spread the money thru the league. The players still get paid, but it will be in Tampa or KC or STL and baseball leadership will determine the WS winner instead of just who spends the most money.

It wouldn't hurt.

You need a straw to stir the drink

Can't spell straw, without star

[CCard]

Yeah - if someone thinks to Cardinals' current roster is just two players away from them being "contenders" in 2026, those two players have to be named Ohtani and Judge - and the Cardinals would have to get them while giving up nothing in return.

Obviously, that isn't happening.

LOL...You guys are funny. Keep up the circle-jerk. Adding an rbi guy and two top tier pitchers gets you at the least 10 wins better. The difference between sitting at home and maybe having playoff games. Especially if Walker, Scott and Gorman produce anything decent. But you guys have your schtick down pat and you won't be convinced otherwise, no matter how much reality slaps you in the face.

[bretto12]

I DO NOT want to just make the playoffs. I want them to build a team that is a serious contender for the WS. Not some team that gets bounced out in the first round. They need much more than a "star" to be in that category.

[Melville]

This isn't hard.
A quality lineup needs 3 productive bats in the middle if the lineup.
They had 2 and traded away one - leaving 2 holes.
It needs at least one table-setter in front of them.
Wetherholt may finally fix the glaring need.
And it a couple of consistent contributors in the last four spots.
STL probably has those two on the roster right now.
Bottom line - of the 6 most important line up spots, the Cardinals have 4 on hand.
That isn't a payroll problem - although 40M in added lineup spending would certainly be one solution - which the Cardinals can very easily afford.
Now, the rotation is another conversation entirely - and spending 30-40M for an ace would be a waste of money because Super Slo Mo made a slew of idiotic decision dating back to the Wainwright extension and compounded by the incompetence of the staff concerning player development.
The starting pitching cupboard became so bare that spending was never going to fix it - depth had to be rebuilt first.
Bottom line.
Yes, baseball is a mess - but that is not the issue with STL.
Their own mess was completely of their own making.

[mattmitchl44]

Yeah - if someone thinks to Cardinals' current roster is just two players away from them being "contenders" in 2026, those two players have to be named Ohtani and Judge - and the Cardinals would have to get them while giving up nothing in return.

Obviously, that isn't happening.

LOL...You guys are funny. Keep up the circle-jerk. Adding an rbi guy and two top tier pitchers gets you at the least 10 wins better. The difference between sitting at home and maybe having playoff games. Especially if Walker, Scott and Gorman produce anything decent. But you guys have your schtick down pat and you won't be convinced otherwise, no matter how much reality slaps you in the face.

That is the level of mediocre they've been stuck in and are trying to get out of. They are trying to ultimately be better than "lose in the first round of the playoffs."

[Cranny]

The Cardinals are going to need to grow their own superstars. They aren't going to pay big market type FA contracts, and
if they trade for a superstar from another team, they're going to need to include top prospects, which defeats their own purpose.

[Melville]

The Cardinals are going to need to grow their own superstars. They aren't going to pay big market type FA contracts, and
if they trade for a superstar from another team, they're going to need to include top prospects, which defeats their own purpose.

"Grow their own superstars" is not a plan.
It is a crapshoot with long odds.
Did LA "grow" the superstars?
No.
They bought every one of them.