What if???

[Melville]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

lol. You already set the ground work. Enough talent to win unless Marmol messes it up. Not very scientific approach.
I was the first and only one to say that the manager decides about 3 games a year.
That’s based on 100% fact 95% of the time.
This is based on observation, experience and knowledge.
It’s not about me. I’m unbiased. I don’t have a preconceived opinion on the managers skills.

Allow me to provide, with gentleness and compassion, the clearly necessary and rudimentary education as a starting point for you.
An example may be helpful.
Last season, The Marmot allowed Mikolas and Pallante to start over 60 games for the Cardinals - putting the team at a serious disadvantage in every one of those contests before the first pitch was thrown.
He allowed two of the worst starters in MLB to do so, even though he had far better options available.
Now, I could easily provide another half dozen equally relevant and insightful examples, but it is not necessary as the point is proven.
Yes - weakness, stupidity, fecklessness on the part of The Marmot is the single greatest threat to the Cardinals having a winning record in 2026, followed by the injury risk common to the game.
Easy.
Obvious.
Correct.
My advice?
Keep reading, keep learning.

[Voldemort]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

lol. You already set the ground work. Enough talent to win unless Marmol messes it up. Not very scientific approach.
I was the first and only one to say that the manager decides about 3 games a year.
That’s based on 100% fact 95% of the time.
This is based on observation, experience and knowledge.
It’s not about me. I’m unbiased. I don’t have a preconceived opinion on the managers skills.

Mel is that you?

MEville has enough socks on this site that it would be impossible to know them all. They all play different roles. It is all he has.

[2ninr]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

lol. You already set the ground work. Enough talent to win unless Marmol messes it up. Not very scientific approach.
I was the first and only one to say that the manager decides about 3 games a year.
That’s based on 100% fact 95% of the time.
This is based on observation, experience and knowledge.
It’s not about me. I’m unbiased. I don’t have a preconceived opinion on the managers skills.

Mel is that you?

MEville has enough socks on this site that it would be impossible to know them all. They all play different roles. It is all he has.

Yea too funny. Anyone paying attention figured out long ago managers get too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses.

[Melville]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

lol. You already set the ground work. Enough talent to win unless Marmol messes it up. Not very scientific approach.
I was the first and only one to say that the manager decides about 3 games a year.
That’s based on 100% fact 95% of the time.
This is based on observation, experience and knowledge.
It’s not about me. I’m unbiased. I don’t have a preconceived opinion on the managers skills.

Mel is that you?

MEville has enough socks on this site that it would be impossible to know them all. They all play different roles. It is all he has.

I do indeed have sock accounts who post exactly what I dictate.
However, they are completely unaware.
Such as the post above.

[Voldemort]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

lol. You already set the ground work. Enough talent to win unless Marmol messes it up. Not very scientific approach.
I was the first and only one to say that the manager decides about 3 games a year.
That’s based on 100% fact 95% of the time.
This is based on observation, experience and knowledge.
It’s not about me. I’m unbiased. I don’t have a preconceived opinion on the managers skills.

Mel is that you?

MEville has enough socks on this site that it would be impossible to know them all. They all play different roles. It is all he has.

I do indeed have sock accounts who post exactly what I dictate.
However, they are completely unaware.
Such as the post above.

The funniest part of your schtick is when you forget which persona you are logged in on and type something to give yourself away.

[rockondlouie]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

BIngo

But I'll stick w/my call as well:

2026 Team > 2025 Team

[dugoutrex]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

looks like oli will be here for years just like I told ya

[mattmitchl44]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

Half of CT would be here cursing them out for not having spent more on a few FAs because, in their minds, they would have won the WS had they done so.

[Talkin' Baseball]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

(You forgot underperformance by players)

[Melville]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

BIngo

But I'll stick w/my call as well:

2026 Team > 2025 Team

You are correct.
The talent level is higher.

[Melville]

I don’t know about that, but I would say Liberatore, McGreevy, May, Fitts, Leahy/Dobbins is better than what we had last year.

Gray is about the only one you could make the case for, but he was pretty bad pitching anywhere but Busch.

Probably won’t get as lucky with health, but at the beginning of the season it looks better to me.

Very good eyesight.

[Melville]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

(You forgot underperformance by players)

See: "continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part".

[11WSChamps]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

BIngo

But I'll stick w/my call as well:

2026 Team > 2025 Team

You are correct.
The talent level is higher.

Well it couldn't get much worse but its not going to be nearly enough for this team to approach .500 or better as you and others have predicted.

Everybody whines about Fedde and Mikolas.

Apparently they forgot about this team being near the bottom of the majors in OPS and that aspect hasn't been upgraded at all.

[Talkin' Baseball]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

(You forgot underperformance by players)

See: "continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part".

A shallow take. You let your bias against Marmol relieve the players of their responsibility. You make Marmol a catch-all and scapegoat for the failures of others.

[Melville]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

BIngo

But I'll stick w/my call as well:

2026 Team > 2025 Team

You are correct.
The talent level is higher.

Well it couldn't get much worse but its not going to be nearly enough for this team to approach .500 or better as you and others have predicted.

Everybody whines about Fedde and Mikolas.

Apparently they forgot about this team being near the bottom of the majors in OPS and that aspect hasn't been upgraded at all.

Getting rid of N/A is alone a huge upgrade.
Soon subtracting Mootbaar as quickly as possible will be another.
Adding Wetherholt to one of the 2 tops spots in the lineup will help fix one of The Marmot's greatest areas of incompetence.
Last year, in a display of unbelievable ignorance on the part of The Marmot and Super Slo Mo, Burleson was the very last man who made the roster as the 26th roster decision - and that has been corrected.
The bench and depth are also improved.
Gorman will produce and we shall see if Herrera can provide the production he hinted at in September.
Crooks has a better bat than either Pages or Pozo, which should upgrade the tandem approach the tea will use.
Yes - the team stupidly traded Donovan (based on the low return acquired) and made a calculated risk in trading Contreras, but on balance the offense should unquestionably be improved.

[11WSChamps]

What if the Cardinals had a winning record and made the playoffs?
It could happen. Maybe not, but possible.
How would it feel to complain and cry all off season, Spring training and I’m sure most of the season for absolutely nothing?
As I get older, I say enjoy the game.

I have been very consistent.
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
And that should be the expectation.
If that does not happen, there will be only 2 possible causes.
Multiple significant injuries.
Or, continuing incompetence on The Marmot's part.

BIngo

But I'll stick w/my call as well:

2026 Team > 2025 Team

You are correct.
The talent level is higher.

Well it couldn't get much worse but its not going to be nearly enough for this team to approach .500 or better as you and others have predicted.

Everybody whines about Fedde and Mikolas.

Apparently they forgot about this team being near the bottom of the majors in OPS and that aspect hasn't been upgraded at all.

Getting rid of N/A is alone a huge upgrade.
Soon subtracting Mootbaar as quickly as possible will be another.
Adding Wetherholt to one of the 2 tops spots in the lineup will help fix one of The Marmot's greatest areas of incompetence.
Last year, in a display of unbelievable ignorance on the part of The Marmot and Super Slo Mo, Burleson was the very last man who made the roster as the 26th roster decision - and that has been corrected.
The bench and depth are also improved.
Gorman will produce and we shall see if Herrera can provide the production he hinted at in September.
Crooks has a better bat than either Pages or Pozo, which should upgrade the tandem approach the tea will use.
Yes - the team stupidly traded Donovan (based on the low return acquired) and made a calculated risk in trading Contreras, but on balance the offense should unquestionably be improved.

We'll see.

Still don't have an OF'er with a .700 OPS with Burleson playing 1B.

Gorman is far from a given as producing as a corner infielder is supposed to do and your comment about "we'll see" about Herrera you could say for about a half dozen players.

If we have to count on Wetherholt picking up the slack for losing Donovan and Contreras then you might want to rethink your position.