The Morning After

[Talkin' Baseball]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

[sikeston bulldog2]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

Yes, there’s got to be a morning after. If you can just hold on though the night. Nice write, I enjoyed the read.

[CCard]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

I would say Jojo is probably their most valuable commodity right now. I don't see that you can afford to trade Burleson. As for the trades, I see that they traded Donovan (star or not, some publications rated him the 5th best 2nd baseman) for a bunch of riff raff that other teams were happy to clear out. None of them have ever performed for any length of time in the major leagues but somehow Bloom and the coaches are going to transform them into valuable major league players. In my eyes, the Cards are perpetrating a huge con game. With the Woo article and their shared assertion that they lost their way (even though Springfield won the championship) and need to tear down everything that costs money. There's much more to this than a lack of coaches. They're deliberately gutting this team for a reason. But the strat-o-matic kool-aid drinkers on here are jizzing themselves in anticipation of the great unveiling in 3-5 years. Meanwhile, the fans that actually care about watching a decent team will be saddled with not just mediocrity but with overwhelming underwhelming. Sad times for the birds.

[mattmitchl44]

I agree with the idea that I also thought they would prioritize quality over quantity in prospects coming back for Donovan.

However, if they have identified multiple guys who they believe they can help reach their potential, this will be more impactful over the long run.

This FO simply has to be better at identifying, acquiring, and developing prospects. So this is their chance to show it.

[BleedingBleu]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

If I was to search for something from this transaction to be disappointed about, it would be the fact we added pitching coordinator Matt Pierpont from Seattle’s Minor League Development System, but didn’t leverage his understanding of player personnel by adding anyone he may have actually worked with (joined Cardinals at the end of 2024).

That said, I’m very cool with the two Comp B Picks. Those are quality in quantity. We’ll see about Jurrangelo Cijntje (#15 in 2024) & Peete (#30 in 2023)

[Jatalk]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

Good post. We gave up quality for quantity. Donovan is never going to be a superstar but he will be a very valuable player on a contender. I don’t think they can afford to trade Burleson.

[sikeston bulldog2]

My observations the morning after the trade:

- I don't plan to say this again, but I was disappointed in the return. I know Donovan is not a superstar, but as an approach I wanted quality over quantity. That didn't happen.

- While gleaning the Mariners farm system over a year ago, I was impressed. I thought there was a lot to work with there, but my thoughts as far as trading with them were, "Anyone but Tai Peete".

- In another thread I was critical of the Cardinals for not dealing with their "clunky" roster- particularly their abundance of middle infielders and left-handed hitters. They did that here.

- Trading Donovan was the right thing to do, but it does leave the roster noticeably thinner.

- In just about any scouting report you look at they will say that Tai Peete has a lot of K's in his game. To date the k's in his game are his defining trait.

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

- I wonder if Colton Ledbetter will ever make it to the majors.

- The two comp picks are more than two players at the front part of the draft, it's also slot money. The extra slot money opens up a whole Pandora's box of good possibilities with the draft strategy this year.

- With the trading of Donovan, does Burleson become the Cardinals most valuable trade chip? (Assuming Winn, Wetherholt, and Herrera aren't available)

Good post. We gave up quality for quantity. Donovan is never going to be a superstar but he will be a very valuable player on a contender. I don’t think they can afford to trade Burleson.

I think you hit it- on a contender.

[82birds]

the addition of the two comp picks makes it a good trade for me, although I will very very much miss Brendan Donovan. Quality player and what a gamer!

one point though:
we needed a RH bat even before Willson was traded.
that wasn't addressed.
that's GOTTA BE still on Chaim's to do list, IMO

[sikeston bulldog2]

the addition of the two comp picks makes it a good trade for me, although I will very very much miss Brendan Donovan. Quality player and what a gamer!

one point though:
we needed a RH bat even before Willson was traded.
that wasn't addressed.
that's GOTTA BE still on Chaim's to do list, IMO

Two big holes to fulfill that- LF and 3 Base. I think a Gorman gets third, so, it’s probably an outfielder.

[Hoosier59]

I agree with the idea that I also thought they would prioritize quality over quantity in prospects coming back for Donovan.

However, if they have identified multiple guys who they believe they can help reach their potential, this will be more impactful over the long run.

This FO simply has to be better at identifying, acquiring, and developing prospects. So this is their chance to show it.

I refrained from commenting too much about this trade last night, as I wanted to fully assess it. I’ve made no secrete that I didn’t want Donovan traded in the first place. As Nighthawk stated in his post, Donovan represented everything that a Cardinal should be. If you haven’t read his post, I recommend you do so.
I fully understand that Donovan is no superstar, but so many people overlook players like him, simply because he doesn’t hit a ton of home runs. Brendan does so many other things well, intangible things that the casual fan will not even see. Oh well, he’s gone, and I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to reach the World Series from the American League, and still be a die hard Cardinal fan!
Now to the trade return. This is exactly as I feared. Absolutely no standout player coming back, or at least none are sure things. As has been pointed out quantity not necessarily quality! I know Crav, as well as others, are drooling over the additional draft picks. The draft will be fun, but as we’ve seen sooo many times, these players often don’t pan out. Will Bloom’s group be better at it than MO’s were, I guess we are going to find out. Let’s hope so!
What this trade does show, and I think everyone should agree. It’s going to be several years before the Cardinals are relevant again.
Even if these draft picks and low A players acquired pan out, they are years away from making it to St. Louis. As the Cardinals currently stand, they now have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Unless DeWitt changes his spots, he’s not going to suddenly start spending the millions of dollars that it would take to make this team a World Series threat anytime soon! I can’t foresee them being really good before the 2030’s. Hope I’m wrong for my Grandkids’ sakes, and all the other young fans out there that very well could lose interest in that length of time.

[mattmitchl44]

I agree with the idea that I also thought they would prioritize quality over quantity in prospects coming back for Donovan.

However, if they have identified multiple guys who they believe they can help reach their potential, this will be more impactful over the long run.

This FO simply has to be better at identifying, acquiring, and developing prospects. So this is their chance to show it.

I refrained from commenting too much about this trade last night, as I wanted to fully assess it. I’ve made no secrete that I didn’t want Donovan traded in the first place. As Nighthawk stated in his post, Donovan represented everything that a Cardinal should be. If you haven’t read his post, I recommend you do so.
I fully understand that Donovan is no superstar, but so many people overlook players like him, simply because he doesn’t hit a ton of home runs. Brendan does so many other things well, intangible things that the casual fan will not even see. Oh well, he’s gone, and I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to reach the World Series from the American League, and still be a die hard Cardinal fan!
Now to the trade return. This is exactly as I feared. Absolutely no standout player coming back, or at least none are sure things. As has been pointed out quantity not necessarily quality! I know Crav, as well as others, are drooling over the additional draft picks. The draft will be fun, but as we’ve seen sooo many times, these players often don’t pan out. Will Bloom’s group be better at it than MO’s were, I guess we are going to find out. Let’s hope so!
What this trade does show, and I think everyone should agree. It’s going to be several years before the Cardinals are relevant again.
Even if these draft picks and low A players acquired pan out, they are years away from making it to St. Louis. As the Cardinals currently stand, they now have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Unless DeWitt changes his spots, he’s not going to suddenly start spending the millions of dollars that it would take to make this team a World Series threat anytime soon! I can’t foresee them being really good before the 2030’s. Hope I’m wrong for my Grandkids’ sakes, and all the other young fans out there that very well could lose interest in that length of time.

FWIW - there are a number of sources that have opined that Cijntje has #2 SP upside if he focuses on pitching RH and can put it all together.

He is high variance but has the high ceiling the Cardinals need.

[Hoosier59]

I agree with the idea that I also thought they would prioritize quality over quantity in prospects coming back for Donovan.

However, if they have identified multiple guys who they believe they can help reach their potential, this will be more impactful over the long run.

This FO simply has to be better at identifying, acquiring, and developing prospects. So this is their chance to show it.

I refrained from commenting too much about this trade last night, as I wanted to fully assess it. I’ve made no secrete that I didn’t want Donovan traded in the first place. As Nighthawk stated in his post, Donovan represented everything that a Cardinal should be. If you haven’t read his post, I recommend you do so.
I fully understand that Donovan is no superstar, but so many people overlook players like him, simply because he doesn’t hit a ton of home runs. Brendan does so many other things well, intangible things that the casual fan will not even see. Oh well, he’s gone, and I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to reach the World Series from the American League, and still be a die hard Cardinal fan!
Now to the trade return. This is exactly as I feared. Absolutely no standout player coming back, or at least none are sure things. As has been pointed out quantity not necessarily quality! I know Crav, as well as others, are drooling over the additional draft picks. The draft will be fun, but as we’ve seen sooo many times, these players often don’t pan out. Will Bloom’s group be better at it than MO’s were, I guess we are going to find out. Let’s hope so!
What this trade does show, and I think everyone should agree. It’s going to be several years before the Cardinals are relevant again.
Even if these draft picks and low A players acquired pan out, they are years away from making it to St. Louis. As the Cardinals currently stand, they now have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Unless DeWitt changes his spots, he’s not going to suddenly start spending the millions of dollars that it would take to make this team a World Series threat anytime soon! I can’t foresee them being really good before the 2030’s. Hope I’m wrong for my Grandkids’ sakes, and all the other young fans out there that very well could lose interest in that length of time.

FWIW - there are a number of sources that have opined that Cijntje has #2 SP upside if he focuses on pitching RH and can put it all together.

He is high variance but has the high ceiling the Cardinals need.

I hope he hits that ceiling, we need him to. I just know, that early in the off season, when Donovan trades were first being discussed, and Seattle looked like the best trade partner, nobody really wanted Cijntje unless he was partnered with a higher level prospect, like Montes, or Sloan. His main attraction was his gimmick of being able to pitch with either arm. Nobody thought he would be the headliner. Not even you! Hope the trade pans out for all parties!

[C-Unit]

- Perhaps this front office knows what they are doing and can help him. If they can consistently put players like Peete back on the rails, that's a true weapon- much like Duncan used to do for the Cardinals. They're going to get the chance to try.

That crossed my mind too. The first example would be Josh Baez, to see if Peete will be a similar case.

[rockondlouie]

None us will know whether it was a good trade or a bad trade for a few years

Given Donny isn't a star player I thought the return was as expected.

No way Donny was bringing back a Top 50 MLB prospect.

I'm happy w/the haul we got, time will tell if any of them pays off.

[Shady]

If Donovan was in such demand. Bloom needed to come away with either Montes or Arroyo in addition to Cijntje from Mariners.

[mattmitchl44]

I agree with the idea that I also thought they would prioritize quality over quantity in prospects coming back for Donovan.

However, if they have identified multiple guys who they believe they can help reach their potential, this will be more impactful over the long run.

This FO simply has to be better at identifying, acquiring, and developing prospects. So this is their chance to show it.

I refrained from commenting too much about this trade last night, as I wanted to fully assess it. I’ve made no secrete that I didn’t want Donovan traded in the first place. As Nighthawk stated in his post, Donovan represented everything that a Cardinal should be. If you haven’t read his post, I recommend you do so.
I fully understand that Donovan is no superstar, but so many people overlook players like him, simply because he doesn’t hit a ton of home runs. Brendan does so many other things well, intangible things that the casual fan will not even see. Oh well, he’s gone, and I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to reach the World Series from the American League, and still be a die hard Cardinal fan!
Now to the trade return. This is exactly as I feared. Absolutely no standout player coming back, or at least none are sure things. As has been pointed out quantity not necessarily quality! I know Crav, as well as others, are drooling over the additional draft picks. The draft will be fun, but as we’ve seen sooo many times, these players often don’t pan out. Will Bloom’s group be better at it than MO’s were, I guess we are going to find out. Let’s hope so!
What this trade does show, and I think everyone should agree. It’s going to be several years before the Cardinals are relevant again.
Even if these draft picks and low A players acquired pan out, they are years away from making it to St. Louis. As the Cardinals currently stand, they now have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Unless DeWitt changes his spots, he’s not going to suddenly start spending the millions of dollars that it would take to make this team a World Series threat anytime soon! I can’t foresee them being really good before the 2030’s. Hope I’m wrong for my Grandkids’ sakes, and all the other young fans out there that very well could lose interest in that length of time.

FWIW - there are a number of sources that have opined that Cijntje has #2 SP upside if he focuses on pitching RH and can put it all together.

He is high variance but has the high ceiling the Cardinals need.

I hope he hits that ceiling, we need him to. I just know, that early in the off season, when Donovan trades were first being discussed, and Seattle looked like the best trade partner, nobody really wanted Cijntje unless he was partnered with a higher level prospect, like Montes, or Sloan. His main attraction was his gimmick of being able to pitch with either arm. Nobody thought he would be the headliner. Not even you! Hope the trade pans out for all parties!

I don't disagree, but I also thought they would have to include Romero and one of the catchers to make that happen.

They can get more if they move Romero and Pages or Crooks.