Do the Cardinals

[RichieRichSTL]

Pick up an OF with an track record, not a NRI. Sort of like a Maton level flier?

[Ozziesfan41]

Pick up an OF with an track record, not a NRI. Sort of like a Maton level flier?

They will for sure

[Cusecards]

Pick up an OF with an track record, not a NRI. Sort of like a Maton level flier?

Great question!
The OF is a mish mosh with all 3 spots open with a number of internal candidates(I presume Burleson is on 1B?)
Scott- His job to lose in CF.
Walker- Probably now or never but he needs PT.
Noot- I have zero idea. I think he’s a tease and would lean towards dealing him.
Donovan- LF if not dealt?
Herrera- With all the young catchers in the system is he destined for LF?

So....lots of choices with lots of questions.
The only one I feel solid about would be Donovan in LF and he could be gone shortly??
That makes your question about signing a vet(one year deal?) a good one.
I also wonder what they think of a timeline for prospects(Baez, etc).

LOL....so I’m not actually answering your question!
Donovan could be the key? If he is staying I could see him in LF opening day and them riding with what they have?
I suppose they could give Saggese a look out there also?

[Talkin' Baseball]

The OF path in the near-term (12 months) seems plain to me. Of course I could be wrong, but here is how I would look at things:

LF- Nootbaar will get the bulk of the playing time before the trade deadline. They will try Herrera often at catcher, but as the season goes on will pivot away from that more and more. When he is not catching, as they pivot away, and after Noot is traded, Herrera should take on more playing time in left.

CF- Victor Scott will get the bulk of the playing time with Church as his backup. If he can improve his OBP, the job will be his going forward. If not, he will compete for playing time next season.

RF- Whether anyone likes it, or not, the bulk of the playing time in right will go to Jordan Walker. If he performs better than he did in his rookie season the job will be his going forward. If he performs like last season he will not be here next season. If his performance is somewhere between last season and his rookie year, he may be gone or he may be competing for playing time.

Joshua Baez- He will spend most- if not all of the season at Memphis. He definitely has a role in St Louis going forward, but it won't happen as quickly as many would like.

Backup plan- Nathan Church. Nelson Velzquez. Possibly whatever RH bat that is added. If you really needed a LF (say Noot isn't ready, or Ivan can't adapt) Burleson could go to LF and the team puts someone else at 1B for a time (Gorman? Blaze Jordan? Other?)

[Cardinals4Life]

The OF path in the near-term (12 months) seems plain to me. Of course I could be wrong, but here is how I would look at things:

LF- Nootbaar will get the bulk of the playing time before the trade deadline. They will try Herrera often at catcher, but as the season goes on will pivot away from that more and more. When he is not catching, as they pivot away, and after Noot is traded, Herrera should take on more playing time in left.

CF- Victor Scott will get the bulk of the playing time with Church as his backup. If he can improve his OBP, the job will be his going forward. If not, he will compete for playing time next season.

RF- Whether anyone likes it, or not, the bulk of the playing time in right will go to Jordan Walker. If he performs better than he did in his rookie season the job will be his going forward. If he performs like last season he will not be here next season. If his performance is somewhere between last season and his rookie year, he may be gone or he may be competing for playing time.

Joshua Baez- He will spend most- if not all of the season at Memphis. He definitely has a role in St Louis going forward, but it won't happen as quickly as many would like.

Backup plan- Nathan Church. Nelson Velzquez. Possibly whatever RH bat that is added. If you really needed a LF (say Noot isn't ready, or Ivan can't adapt) Burleson could go to LF and the team puts someone else at 1B for a time (Gorman? Blaze Jordan? Other?)

I think if Donovan is here, he plays LF mostly.

If he is gone, you have a lot more possibilities (which may be what they want to find out).

A couple of questions:
Is Nootbaar going to be ready for OD?
Does Noot get dealt?

I think Nathan Church could get a lot of playing time this year in all 3 OF spots.

I heard Saggese and Fermin were getting OF work in. Perhaps they may be in the plans??

Bryan Torres is also a guy who deserves a shot. Is there room for him?

Other options:
Velasquez, Koperniak, Antico
Outside additions??

Lots of questions in the OF.
Seems Donovan may be a key piece to a lot of the answers.

[BrockFloodMaris]

The OF path in the near-term (12 months) seems plain to me. Of course I could be wrong, but here is how I would look at things:

LF- Nootbaar will get the bulk of the playing time before the trade deadline. They will try Herrera often at catcher, but as the season goes on will pivot away from that more and more. When he is not catching, as they pivot away, and after Noot is traded, Herrera should take on more playing time in left.

CF- Victor Scott will get the bulk of the playing time with Church as his backup. If he can improve his OBP, the job will be his going forward. If not, he will compete for playing time next season.

RF- Whether anyone likes it, or not, the bulk of the playing time in right will go to Jordan Walker. If he performs better than he did in his rookie season the job will be his going forward. If he performs like last season he will not be here next season. If his performance is somewhere between last season and his rookie year, he may be gone or he may be competing for playing time.

Joshua Baez- He will spend most- if not all of the season at Memphis. He definitely has a role in St Louis going forward, but it won't happen as quickly as many would like.

Backup plan- Nathan Church. Nelson Velzquez. Possibly whatever RH bat that is added. If you really needed a LF (say Noot isn't ready, or Ivan can't adapt) Burleson could go to LF and the team puts someone else at 1B for a time (Gorman? Blaze Jordan? Other?)

I think if Donovan is here, he plays LF mostly.

If he is gone, you have a lot more possibilities (which may be what they want to find out).

A couple of questions:
Is Nootbaar going to be ready for OD?
Does Noot get dealt?

I think Nathan Church could get a lot of playing time this year in all 3 OF spots.

I heard Saggese and Fermin were getting OF work in. Perhaps they may be in the plans??

Bryan Torres is also a guy who deserves a shot. Is there room for him?

Other options:
Velasquez, Koperniak, Antico
Outside additions??

Lots of questions in the OF.
Seems Donovan may be a key piece to a lot of the answers.

The OF is the biggest non-pitching need that the Cards have. I don't think Noot will be back before mid-May. He is probably headed for the trade block. I could see Fermin or Sagesse grabbing LF in ST and holding on to it. We have such a glut of infielders and catchers. We really need to sort them all out before we add a legit corner OFer.

[Talkin' Baseball]

The OF path in the near-term (12 months) seems plain to me. Of course I could be wrong, but here is how I would look at things:

LF- Nootbaar will get the bulk of the playing time before the trade deadline. They will try Herrera often at catcher, but as the season goes on will pivot away from that more and more. When he is not catching, as they pivot away, and after Noot is traded, Herrera should take on more playing time in left.

CF- Victor Scott will get the bulk of the playing time with Church as his backup. If he can improve his OBP, the job will be his going forward. If not, he will compete for playing time next season.

RF- Whether anyone likes it, or not, the bulk of the playing time in right will go to Jordan Walker. If he performs better than he did in his rookie season the job will be his going forward. If he performs like last season he will not be here next season. If his performance is somewhere between last season and his rookie year, he may be gone or he may be competing for playing time.

Joshua Baez- He will spend most- if not all of the season at Memphis. He definitely has a role in St Louis going forward, but it won't happen as quickly as many would like.

Backup plan- Nathan Church. Nelson Velzquez. Possibly whatever RH bat that is added. If you really needed a LF (say Noot isn't ready, or Ivan can't adapt) Burleson could go to LF and the team puts someone else at 1B for a time (Gorman? Blaze Jordan? Other?)

I think if Donovan is here, he plays LF mostly.

If he is gone, you have a lot more possibilities (which may be what they want to find out).

A couple of questions:
Is Nootbaar going to be ready for OD?
Does Noot get dealt?

I think Nathan Church could get a lot of playing time this year in all 3 OF spots.

I heard Saggese and Fermin were getting OF work in. Perhaps they may be in the plans??

Bryan Torres is also a guy who deserves a shot. Is there room for him?

Other options:
Velasquez, Koperniak, Antico
Outside additions??

Lots of questions in the OF.
Seems Donovan may be a key piece to a lot of the answers.

The OF is the biggest non-pitching need that the Cards have. I don't think Noot will be back before mid-May. He is probably headed for the trade block. I could see Fermin or Sagesse grabbing LF in ST and holding on to it. We have such a glut of infielders and catchers. We really need to sort them all out before we add a legit corner OFer.

I honestly thought they would do more to begin the process of sorting through the catchers and middle infielders this offseason. I'm a little surprised by that.

[Strummer Jones]

The OF path in the near-term (12 months) seems plain to me. Of course I could be wrong, but here is how I would look at things:

LF- Nootbaar will get the bulk of the playing time before the trade deadline. They will try Herrera often at catcher, but as the season goes on will pivot away from that more and more. When he is not catching, as they pivot away, and after Noot is traded, Herrera should take on more playing time in left.

CF- Victor Scott will get the bulk of the playing time with Church as his backup. If he can improve his OBP, the job will be his going forward. If not, he will compete for playing time next season.

RF- Whether anyone likes it, or not, the bulk of the playing time in right will go to Jordan Walker. If he performs better than he did in his rookie season the job will be his going forward. If he performs like last season he will not be here next season. If his performance is somewhere between last season and his rookie year, he may be gone or he may be competing for playing time.

Joshua Baez- He will spend most- if not all of the season at Memphis. He definitely has a role in St Louis going forward, but it won't happen as quickly as many would like.

Backup plan- Nathan Church. Nelson Velzquez. Possibly whatever RH bat that is added. If you really needed a LF (say Noot isn't ready, or Ivan can't adapt) Burleson could go to LF and the team puts someone else at 1B for a time (Gorman? Blaze Jordan? Other?)

This is as clear eyed as anything you'll see. I'm hard pressed to disagree on any point. I wish they'd have let Herrera run more in LF last year. He moves pretty well and I think given time, he could be a good enough LF.

I hope if Scott isn't up to the task, I hope they give Church a good enough run in CF. Similar skillset, I think Victor is the better glove, but I suspect Church is a stronger bat. Both are absolute roadrunners as far as speed goes. Point being, if Scott doesn't work out, I could see Church being a Jon Jay type figure for a while. He's got more of a cannon than Jay ever had, though.