It's Fine To Collect Prospects, But You'd Better Have A Plan

[Talkin' Baseball]

I'm all for collecting prospects, but you'd better have a plan. Here is a list of 15 players who will have to be put on the roster at the end of the season, or they will be available for another team to take in the Rule 5 draft:

Blaze Jordan
Johnathan Mejia
Dakota Harris
Jesus Baez
Chase Davis
Travis Honeyman
Colton Ledbetter
Zack Levenson
Won Bin-Cho
Quinn Mathews
Pete Hansen
Ixan Henderson
Chen Wei-Lin
Luis Gastelum
Zach Showalter

It's pretty clear that a number of these will be safe, but there are also a number of these you wouldn't want to put out there. We won't have a bunch of contracts coming off the books, so if you want to protect 5-8 of these guys you're going to have to take 5-8 guys off the current roster. This doesn't even account for making roster spots for others during the year like JJW, Doyle, Baez, or others who aren't yet Rule 5 eligible.

Don't get backed into a corner at the end of the season. As the season goes along, proactively decide who you will want to end up on the roster. You may need to trade some of them rather than give them away later.

[BrockFloodMaris]

I'm all for collecting prospects, but you'd better have a plan. Here is a list of 15 players who will have to be put on the roster at the end of the season, or they will be available for another team to take in the Rule 5 draft:

Blaze Jordan
Johnathan Mejia
Dakota Harris
Jesus Baez
Chase Davis
Travis Honeyman
Colton Ledbetter
Zack Levenson
Won Bin-Cho
Quinn Mathews
Pete Hansen
Ixan Henderson
Chen Wei-Lin
Luis Gastelum
Zach Showalter

It's pretty clear that a number of these will be safe, but there are also a number of these you wouldn't want to put out there. We won't have a bunch of contracts coming off the books, so if you want to protect 5-8 of these guys you're going to have to take 5-8 guys off the current roster. This doesn't even account for making roster spots for others during the year like JJW, Doyle, Baez, or others who aren't yet Rule 5 eligible.

Don't get backed into a corner at the end of the season. As the season goes along, proactively decide who you will want to end up on the roster. You may need to trade some of them rather than give them away later.

Thanks for the post, TB! If Mo was our POBO, I'd be concerned about this topic. I am confident that Bloom and his staff of smart baseball people already have their eyes on this situation. I think we will be better than most teams at this type of talent assessment and decision making.

[Galatians221jb1]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

[Talkin' Baseball]

I would try to find a deal for Chase Davis and Pete Hansen now, or at the deadline, either by themselves or with another player. There is some level of a market for them. During the season I would try to add Quinn Mathews and Luis Gastelum at some point. I want to see both of them pitch in St Louis this season. I'm certain that I would want to protect Ixan Henderson either during the season, or after. After that it gets murkier.

[blueboys69]

Yes, there is some truth to that. But there is a whole layer of development that they have now invested in that they have previous never entertained. They have allocate a tremendous amount of assets to the minor league development. Also, this isn't all going to be done overnight. This transition will continue through next year when I think you will see more turnover in the coaching staffs.

With the direction the team was bound for, it certainly would have been a challenge to attract top coaching talent.

A year from now? Two years from now? Might be a little easier.

[Ozziesfan41]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

[Talkin' Baseball]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

[ICCFIM2]

I'm all for collecting prospects, but you'd better have a plan. Here is a list of 15 players who will have to be put on the roster at the end of the season, or they will be available for another team to take in the Rule 5 draft:

Blaze Jordan
Johnathan Mejia
Dakota Harris
Jesus Baez
Chase Davis
Travis Honeyman
Colton Ledbetter
Zack Levenson
Won Bin-Cho
Quinn Mathews
Pete Hansen
Ixan Henderson
Chen Wei-Lin
Luis Gastelum
Zach Showalter

It's pretty clear that a number of these will be safe, but there are also a number of these you wouldn't want to put out there. We won't have a bunch of contracts coming off the books, so if you want to protect 5-8 of these guys you're going to have to take 5-8 guys off the current roster. This doesn't even account for making roster spots for others during the year like JJW, Doyle, Baez, or others who aren't yet Rule 5 eligible.

Don't get backed into a corner at the end of the season. As the season goes along, proactively decide who you will want to end up on the roster. You may need to trade some of them rather than give them away later.

Its a good problem to have. First, of the 15 names you provided, probably 4-5 of them are going to wash out/not be ML ready. That gets your list down to 10. Currently on the 40 man roster, the Cards have 5-6 guys that they could drop and no one would care. Further, Gorman and Walker are on make or break years. Do the reality is there will be 6-7 names from your list that will take 6-7 roster spots that will come open. Then as usual, they will have 3-5 hard choices. I would also expect Bloom to shape the roster/system with further trades.

To me the bigger issue is that they have acquired so much starting pitching, do they have enough slots available to develop all the arms?

[Talkin' Baseball]

Don't misunderstand what I am saying here, but I would actually like to see Blaze Jordan play in St Louis at least a couple months this summer, preferably not right at the end.

I get that he may have limitations and that he didn't have a great 2 months in Memphis, but you know what he is not? He is not Luke Voit, or Luken Baker. He has some good bat to ball skills to go with moderate power. He has at least enough positional versatility to play 1B and 3B. He could spell our LHH at the corners (Burleson could play LF if he must).

Here's my question, and here's where I am going to get hassled- I wonder if he has a little Burly in his bat? His build is similar. His results at every level of the minors are similar (save, 2 months at Memphis). Maybe it doesn't work out, but I want to know when he is 23 instead of 26, and if we aren't going to keep him perhaps a stint in the bigs will help his trade value. What is the worst that could happen? When would be a better time to find out?

[Strummer Jones]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

If reports are to be believed, a lot of those guys didn't get the development that they were supposed to get in the minors because those coaches and instructors simply didn't exist.

[2ninr]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

What do you think TB? I think Bloom gives him a real opportunity to grab the job. I generally have always been pretty ambivalent about most managers. We've had 2 guys here who made a difference. Most don't really. Especially in today's game. Bloom knows how he wants things done on game day. If Ollie executes he probably gets an extension.

[Talkin' Baseball]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

What do you think TB? I think Bloom gives him a real opportunity to grab the job. I generally have always been pretty ambivalent about most managers. We've had 2 guys here who made a difference. Most don't really. Especially in today's game. Bloom knows how he wants things done on game day. If Ollie executes he probably gets an extension.

I think Bloom seems quite pleased with Oli. If he wasn't, he had the best chance in the world to dump him when he took office.

[blueboys69]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

What do you think TB? I think Bloom gives him a real opportunity to grab the job. I generally have always been pretty ambivalent about most managers. We've had 2 guys here who made a difference. Most don't really. Especially in today's game. Bloom knows how he wants things done on game day. If Ollie executes he probably gets an extension.

I think Bloom seems quite pleased with Oli. If he wasn't, he had the best chance in the world to dump him when he took office.

He dumps him for what? A guy that is going to sit through a rebuild? Who would want to manage this team right now?

Ollie provides continuity for these young position players. Everyone is auditioning for 2028.

[Talkin' Baseball]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

What do you think TB? I think Bloom gives him a real opportunity to grab the job. I generally have always been pretty ambivalent about most managers. We've had 2 guys here who made a difference. Most don't really. Especially in today's game. Bloom knows how he wants things done on game day. If Ollie executes he probably gets an extension.

I think Bloom seems quite pleased with Oli. If he wasn't, he had the best chance in the world to dump him when he took office.

He dumps him for what? A guy that is going to sit through a rebuild? Who would want to manage this team right now?

Ollie provides continuity for these young position players. Everyone is auditioning for 2028.

Nah. Albert, or Yadi, or a dozen others would have been here if asked. In pro sports, everyone is auditioning, always.

[RamFan08NY]

My only disappointment with Bloom is that he left the coaches in place that have no record of successfully developing young players. It’s the definition of insanity. Change the players but keep the same coaches and manager. Hard for me to be optimistic.

Yea that’s my only disappointment in him so far if he extends him that will be insane

Brace yourself.

What do you think TB? I think Bloom gives him a real opportunity to grab the job. I generally have always been pretty ambivalent about most managers. We've had 2 guys here who made a difference. Most don't really. Especially in today's game. Bloom knows how he wants things done on game day. If Ollie executes he probably gets an extension.

I think Bloom seems quite pleased with Oli. If he wasn't, he had the best chance in the world to dump him when he took office.

He dumps him for what? A guy that is going to sit through a rebuild? Who would want to manage this team right now?

Ollie provides continuity for these young position players. Everyone is auditioning for 2028.

Nah. Albert, or Yadi, or a dozen others would have been here if asked. In pro sports, everyone is auditioning, always.

Yadi, sure, but what kind of managerial resume does Pujols even have?

[BrockFloodMaris]

I'm all for collecting prospects, but you'd better have a plan. Here is a list of 15 players who will have to be put on the roster at the end of the season, or they will be available for another team to take in the Rule 5 draft:

Blaze Jordan
Johnathan Mejia
Dakota Harris
Jesus Baez
Chase Davis
Travis Honeyman
Colton Ledbetter
Zack Levenson
Won Bin-Cho
Quinn Mathews
Pete Hansen
Ixan Henderson
Chen Wei-Lin
Luis Gastelum
Zach Showalter

It's pretty clear that a number of these will be safe, but there are also a number of these you wouldn't want to put out there. We won't have a bunch of contracts coming off the books, so if you want to protect 5-8 of these guys you're going to have to take 5-8 guys off the current roster. This doesn't even account for making roster spots for others during the year like JJW, Doyle, Baez, or others who aren't yet Rule 5 eligible.

Don't get backed into a corner at the end of the season. As the season goes along, proactively decide who you will want to end up on the roster. You may need to trade some of them rather than give them away later.

The players in front of the fifteen you list are going to go through a 2026 MLB tryout. I expect a lot of tinkering with the 40-man and the 26-man rosters this year. I think we may also see some more platooning, just to give more guys playing time. And please, can we have some pure competition for starts and at bats? It should be fun if you're into that sort of thing, which I am. Are we going to identify several AAAA players? Yep. Are we going to find the next Brendan Donovan? Could be.....