LF and 3B seem to be the question marks

[ilcubuffs]

Can extend the Marmot but cannot obtain or fixate on solution for: third baseman, sort out catching position, and obtain an OF prospect who can hit.

Seems the selected priority is FUBAR but expected.

[ecleme22]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

Contreras, Gray and NA were all traded for similar reasons and had little to do with liking the guys replacing them.

Now rework your rationale above and post again...

If the Cardinals organization didn't feel really good about Burleson at 1B in the rebuild. Contreras wouldn't have been traded. It was different than the Gray and NA situations. Contreras wasn't really overpaid.

In almost every rebuild, the first steps involve unloading older vets for prospects.

WC could’ve had a 1.000 ops last year and Burleson a .690 ops, and WC still would’ve been traded.

[BrockFloodMaris]

Can extend the Marmot but cannot obtain or fixate on solution for: third baseman, sort out catching position, and obtain an OF prospect who can hit.

Seems the selected priority is FUBAR but expected.

Much has been written and spoken into microphones about the Cards current priorities and long term vision. The 2026 MLB roster is not one of Bloom’s top priorities. He’s busy rebuilding the organizational development wing. I’m sure we will move a catcher from our surplus when the time is right. Gorman and Urias at 3B should be passable. I’m not sure what will happen in the OF. I do like that we are stockpiling pitchers. Go Cards!

[Charles King]

Herrera needs a position and it's not catcher. Left Field or DH
To me nothing wrong with having a permanent DH
Not whomever is drawn out of the hat that day

[cardstatman]

Question marks everywhere except SS.
Next closest is Burly at 1B and Pages at C.

C Herrera? Pozo or Crooks?
1B Can Burleson repeat his only not awful season?
2B Can Wetherholt move to 2B and succeed at the MLB level?
3B Will Gorman flop 3 years in a row? Urias? Saggese? Prieto? Fermin? Torres? me?
LF When can Nootbar return? Will Velazquez get a chance? Do the Cards give Fermin a chance? Saggese in LF?
CF Can Scott get his OPS above .600? Can Church or Torres unseat him by hitting much better than him? Saggese in CF?
RF Will Walker flop 3 years in a row? Can Baez continue to progress?
DH If not Herrera, then Velazquez? Blaze Jordan?

Our corner OF looks to be really bad for I forgot how many years in a row.

[Jatalk]

Question marks? As far as opening day lineup I think you are right about 3rd and LF. But……….there are question marks in every position except SS and 2nd ( second could change but less likely than other positions ). EVERY POSITION IS QUESTIONABLE EXCEPT THOSE 2)

[Cusecards]

Pretty sure 3B is Gorman's most days with some days off against some lefties. Left field I'm less confident about, but Church and Saggese are front runners.

+1
It’s Gorman’s year to prove himself. And like you said.....
vs tough lefties we’ll see Fermin/Saggese/Urias.
Also agree on Saggese/Church until Noot is back.

[Cusecards]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

[craviduce]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

[Cusecards]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I can live with Burleson at 1B.

[craviduce]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I can live with Burleson at 1B.

I can live with anyone at 1B this year and next. After that, if we're serious about being a good/real team....then I can't live with it.

[Jatalk]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I don’t know the stats like you but he looks average at best. Most people don’t realize how very important first base is defensively. Prior to Goldy we had some terrible players in that position. It hurt the team defensively. Next to the pitcher and catcher they touch more balls than any other player on the field. Why some think you can put any player in that position I’ll never understand.

[craviduce]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I don’t know the stats like you but he looks average at best. Most people don’t realize how very important first base is defensively. Prior to Goldy we had some terrible players in that position. It hurt the team defensively. Next to the pitcher and catcher they touch more balls than any other player on the field. Why some think you can put any player in that position I’ll never understand.

I don't think he's Jose Martinez at 1B...but he's not Goldy either...or even Contreras who was pretty good receiver at 1B with practically zero experience at the position last year. Burleson will have his infield racking up throwing errors because he doesn't know how to position himself on the receiving end to stop balls skipping off the ground or a bit wide on the throw. Goldy stopped these all the time. Contreras did, too...Errors were down on the infield for SS/2B/3B last year b/c of his defense.

Again...I don't care who mans 1B the next two seasons....I do care about the position come 2028...if we're trying to be competitive

[hugeCardfan]

We don't have a long-term plan at any of the four corners. (And yes, that includes Burleson)

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I can live with Burleson at 1B.

I can live with anyone at 1B this year and next. After that, if we're serious about being a good/real team....then I can't live with it.

To be fair, he's only played 89 games at 1B in his professional career. It may be early to determine his potential to play the position.

[craviduce]

You are "out to lunch" regarding Burleson. He will be entrenched at 1B for the Cardinals for a long time.

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I can live with Burleson at 1B.

I can live with anyone at 1B this year and next. After that, if we're serious about being a good/real team....then I can't live with it.

To be fair, he's only played 89 games at 1B in his professional career. It may be early to determine his potential to play the position.

to be fair...he's been below average his entire baseball career (collegiate/pro/sandlot) in LF/RF, 1B...and off the mound.

It is what it is...we can paint excuses all day.

I will not deny he can put the ball in play very well, and probably our 3rd or 4th best offensive player at the moment. Right now, he's the only option outside of Gorman for 1B...so again, I'm okay with whomever they put at 1B the next 2 years. After that...reassess for better options.

And NO...I don't want short 1B at 1B. So if they're under 6'0"...we can't just stick them there

[hugeCardfan]

All it takes is for Herrera to fail at catcher but still have an unbelievable bat for Burleson to be pushed back to the OF or traded.

Bold prediction: I don't think AB is a Cardinal in 2027.

Burleson has a better chance to be extended by then.

Why?

Like I posted, "Maybe a three or four year deal taking him through his prime seasons". Hitters like Burleson "don't grow on trees". Especially, those that come through the Cardinals organization lately. Plus, I believe Burleson will surface as a team leader.

You could argue that Herrera grows on a better tree. And may need a position.

When debating roster spots, try and leave emotion out of it. That's usually a road to nowhere.

Emotions aside. Speaking of roster positioning. The Cardinals' brass seem to like Burleson even more than I do as a player for the organization. Trading away Contreras to open up 1B for Burleson just might confirm that. Contreras was coming off a pretty good season, he wasn't real old or real expensive. He was good, defensively, at 1B. And the Cardinals could still have used Contreras' power production. Yes, the Cardinals' organization really seem to like Alec Burleson.

With all due respect.....and I like Burleson.....but nobody likes him more than you do!

And he had NEVER been good defensively at 1B...NEVER. The STATS don't lie. He's just below average, which isn't good.

I can live with Burleson at 1B.

I can live with anyone at 1B this year and next. After that, if we're serious about being a good/real team....then I can't live with it.

To be fair, he's only played 89 games at 1B in his professional career. It may be early to determine his potential to play the position.

to be fair...he's been below average his entire baseball career (collegiate/pro/sandlot) in LF/RF, 1B...and off the mound.

It is what it is...we can paint excuses all day.

I will not deny he can put the ball in play very well, and probably our 3rd or 4th best offensive player at the moment. Right now, he's the only option outside of Gorman for 1B...so again, I'm okay with whomever they put at 1B the next 2 years. After that...reassess for better options.

And NO...I don't want short 1B at 1B. So if they're under 6'0"...we can't just stick them there

duce, how Burleson fared in the outfield is irrelevant to his ability to carve out a niche at 1B. You know that. He simply hasn't played the position enough for us to know what his potential is....not yet. I can live with look for better down the road, but, his bat has progressively improved in both average and power. If his fielding does as well, somebody has to take the position away from him. And, he is 6' tall.