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Cusecards wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 09:30 am

Goldfan wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 09:16 am

Cusecards wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 09:08 am I will concede that there is a major “dump” in a certain posters pants on a daily basis.
It corresponds with the whining and crying.

40mil offloaded from starting pitching last year with two 5.00ERA replacements and a minor league lefty(Rebuilding)
But DON’t call that a SALARY DUMP exercise
And you think it’s about keeping an Old Gray and MIles. No, it’s about 40mil leaving starting rotation….with VERY little brought back to (Rebuild)

YOU brought up Mikolas you whining babbler!
1) Go change your Depends.
2) Get a fresh Binky.
3) Oh....and instead of obsessing over ME why don’t you respond to the OTHER numerous posters who have called you out? Especially the one who referred to you as a “Pubescent Girl” which is exactly what you act like!

You have ZERO original knowledge of baseball.
You either:
*Whine and cry
or
*Copy articles from others that supports your whining.

I’ll now let you have the last word that will no doubt contain a bunch of childish emojis.

You have no retort or argument disputing my points but enjoy name calling….how old are you?? I originally stated this was a salary dump exercise for BDW. Why great return have we seen?? Traded or signed two 5.OO ERA pitchers and an injury history LH minor leaguer….HOT commodity Donny hasn’t moved. Perhaps because other teams don’t think he worth the Great talent future the Cards of interested in. 40mil is gone from BDW starting pitching but its not a Salary Dump…..its (rebuilding). Show me REBUILDING, simple

They are not dumping salary, they are resetting payroll. These contracts will be replaced with younger players when guys like JJW and Doyle are ready. That could be in 27 or 28, or it could be at the trade deadline in 26. There's no nucleus to build on currently.

Frank Gallagher wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 10:31 am They are not dumping salary, they are resetting payroll. These contracts will be replaced with younger players when guys like JJW and Doyle are ready. That could be in 27 or 28, or it could be at the trade deadline in 26. There's no nucleus to build on currently.

Gotcha….does that still look the same in BDW bank account. 80-90mil or so surplus is still 80-90mil whatever you call it
Rebuild
Reset
Whatever makes you feel better about not seeing a winning team in STL for YEARS

Spending money now would be the same thing they've done for years that hasn't worked. All it would do is prolong getting back to relevance. A case can be made to keep Donovan but he's not a difference maker. If they can get value fir him it makes sense to trade him. The others are aging and performance declining or will decline. Keeping them would not be beneficial to winning. Adding contracts for younger players is what is needed. Reset payroll then add those younger players

Frank Gallagher wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 10:45 am Spending money now would be the same thing they've done for years that hasn't worked. All it would do is prolong getting back to relevance. A case can be made to keep Donovan but he's not a difference maker. If they can get value fir him it makes sense to trade him. The others are aging and performance declining or will decline. Keeping them would not be beneficial to winning. Adding contracts for younger players is what is needed. Reset payroll then add those younger players

Frank....I admire your efforts.
I made my effort yesterday and numerous OTHER posters have ATTEMPTED their efforts in recent days as well. LOL
Personally....I think he is missing his calling. He would make a PERFECT President for one of the major car companies(Ford, GM, etc).
I could see his first staff meeting going something like this:
GF- “Ladies & Gentlemen....our revenues are DOWN and we need to do better!!!”
Staffer- “Ok Sir WHAT do you suggest???”
GF- “SELL MORE CARS!!!!!!!”
Staffer- “Ok Sir that is a GIVEN....but with your extensive knowledge HOW do YOU propose we ACCOMPLISH that?????”
GF- “I HAVE NO IDEA.....just get it done! And I will continue to support you by whining and crying about it on a daily basis!!!!!”
Staffer- “Got it! Thanks Sir! Your words and leadership are truly inspiring!!!”

Frank Gallagher wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 10:45 am Spending money now would be the same thing they've done for years that hasn't worked. All it would do is prolong getting back to relevance. A case can be made to keep Donovan but he's not a difference maker. If they can get value fir him it makes sense to trade him. The others are aging and performance declining or will decline. Keeping them would not be beneficial to winning. Adding contracts for younger players is what is needed. Reset payroll then add those younger players

Aside from JJ what player represents this future very talented player not seen on this current squad? Most here seem to think a Gray, Donny, WC, Noot
Is going to bring a player with significant upside from those players. No team is trading a future All-star for those names. Rearranging deck chair, albeit cheaper deck chairs.

Doyle and Matthews are close. Two high upside pitchers. I would expect to see them in 26 or 27. JJW should break ST in STL. Once these guys are in MLB I think that's when they start adding better players from outside the org. I still think another pitcher will be added before ST either signed or traded for.

Cusecards wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 10:57 am

Frank Gallagher wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 10:45 am Spending money now would be the same thing they've done for years that hasn't worked. All it would do is prolong getting back to relevance. A case can be made to keep Donovan but he's not a difference maker. If they can get value fir him it makes sense to trade him. The others are aging and performance declining or will decline. Keeping them would not be beneficial to winning. Adding contracts for younger players is what is needed. Reset payroll then add those younger players

Frank....I admire your efforts.
I made my effort yesterday and numerous OTHER posters have ATTEMPTED their efforts in recent days as well. LOL
Personally....I think he is missing his calling. He would make a PERFECT President for one of the major car companies(Ford, GM, etc).
I could see his first staff meeting going something like this:
GF- “Ladies & Gentlemen....our revenues are DOWN and we need to do better!!!”
Staffer- “Ok Sir WHAT do you suggest???”
GF- “SELL MORE CARS!!!!!!!”
Staffer- “Ok Sir that is a GIVEN....but with your extensive knowledge HOW do YOU propose we ACCOMPLISH that?????”
GF- “I HAVE NO IDEA.....just get it done! And I will continue to support you by whining and crying about it on a daily basis!!!!!”
Staffer- “Got it! Thanks Sir! Your words and leadership are truly inspiring!!!”

Cuse, it’s great you’re giddy about getting two losing record…..5.00ERA SP and an oft injured lefty minor leaguer
How about this
They kept Gray, they used the 35+mill from Miles, Matz, Fedde to land a #1 or #2…..just replacing payroll
They add 2 productive OFers with JJ onboarding.
They keep Donny
Playoff team
But you and some are brainwashed that Bloom can’t draft and build minors with trading ALL current talent, which isn’t going to receive much in value in return. And in 3-4 yrs the youth from within will fill a starting squad…….whose fantasy is more outrageous??

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 18:04 pm

AZ_Cardsfan wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 16:48 pm Well first I don't think they are tanking. That would imply they want to lose more games. And the new lottery system doesn't guarantee the 1st pick anyway. So no point. I expect they will try to win as many games as possible unless it contradicts with the primary function of completing the rebuild. Such as keeping Donovan would contradict the effort to be a true contender in 2027 and beyond.

Looks to me as if he is doing everything he can to load the farm system with high ceiling potential aiming at creating a nucleus of talent to draw on beginning as soon as 2027. So far I'd say the team has done pretty much the right kind of stuff to accomplish that.

Still need to see Donovan dealt for prospects and Romero if they can get anything good. Whatever. History is always nice to read but the game is different and STL is a different city.

So, how do you see this team without Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan?

1.) LH - Noot (RF)
2.) LH - Wetherholt (2B)
3.) RH - Herrera (DH)
4.) LH - Burleson (1B)
5.) RH - Walker (LF)
6.) LH - Gorman (3B)
7.) RH - Winn (SS)
8.) LH - Scott (CF)
9.) RH - Pages (C)

Bench
RH - Saggesse MI
LH - César Prieto MI
LH - Nathan Church OF

RH - Yohel Pozo C/1B?
LH - Bryan Torres OF?
RH - Joshua Baez OF?
RH - José Fermín MI?

Saggese ahead of Gorman. Saggese is young enough to progress.

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 11:55 am

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 18:04 pm

AZ_Cardsfan wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 16:48 pm Well first I don't think they are tanking. That would imply they want to lose more games. And the new lottery system doesn't guarantee the 1st pick anyway. So no point. I expect they will try to win as many games as possible unless it contradicts with the primary function of completing the rebuild. Such as keeping Donovan would contradict the effort to be a true contender in 2027 and beyond.

Looks to me as if he is doing everything he can to load the farm system with high ceiling potential aiming at creating a nucleus of talent to draw on beginning as soon as 2027. So far I'd say the team has done pretty much the right kind of stuff to accomplish that.

Still need to see Donovan dealt for prospects and Romero if they can get anything good. Whatever. History is always nice to read but the game is different and STL is a different city.

So, how do you see this team without Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan?

1.) LH - Noot (RF)
2.) LH - Wetherholt (2B)
3.) RH - Herrera (DH)
4.) LH - Burleson (1B)
5.) RH - Walker (LF)
6.) LH - Gorman (3B)
7.) RH - Winn (SS)
8.) LH - Scott (CF)
9.) RH - Pages (C)

Bench
RH - Saggesse MI
LH - César Prieto MI
LH - Nathan Church OF

RH - Yohel Pozo C/1B?
LH - Bryan Torres OF?
RH - Joshua Baez OF?
RH - José Fermín MI?

Saggese ahead of Gorman. Saggese is young enough to progress.

+1

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:17 am

Cusecards wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 21:27 pm Again.....exactly WHO have we moved on from SO FAR that makes sense for the future?
Fedde??
Mikolas??
Gray???
Based on age/productivity they all made sense!
Add Arenado to that list of making sense.
Contreras is borderline to me.
Now....if they move Donovan that is a different story but I don’t think he moves unless Bloom gets his price in return.
Otherwise Donovan stays!

So, who are they adding for today and the future? Dustin May (28) on a 1-Year Deal?

You don’t think it’s convenient that a good start to the season makes him a valuable trade chip at the deadline?

If he’s good why wouldn’t we just extend him? Same age as Noot and barely older than Libby. At some point you have to actually get the young guys to build some chemistry and fan good will and learn how to win together quit flipping the good ones for someone next decade when they aren’t even 30 yet.

Carp4Cy wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 13:07 pm

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:17 am

Cusecards wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 21:27 pm Again.....exactly WHO have we moved on from SO FAR that makes sense for the future?
Fedde??
Mikolas??
Gray???
Based on age/productivity they all made sense!
Add Arenado to that list of making sense.
Contreras is borderline to me.
Now....if they move Donovan that is a different story but I don’t think he moves unless Bloom gets his price in return.
Otherwise Donovan stays!

So, who are they adding for today and the future? Dustin May (28) on a 1-Year Deal?

You don’t think it’s convenient that a good start to the season makes him a valuable trade chip at the deadline?

If he’s good why wouldn’t we just extend him? Same age as Noot and barely older than Libby. At some point you have to actually get the young guys to build some chemistry and fan good will and learn how to win together quit flipping the good ones for someone next decade when they aren’t even 30 yet.

Exactly:
*If he stinks you just let him walk as it’s only a one year deal. Unless someone wants to roll the dice at the deadline and give you something?
*If he pitches well you can attempt to extend him or he could accept invoking the mutual option. At any rate if he pitches WELL they can’t lose as they only paid him $12.5M.

Hoosier59 wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 21:17 pm

ecleme22 wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 20:32 pm Not tanking. Rebuilding.

So, getting rid of everyone making more than 3 mil, is not tanking? Ok…..

I wouldn't call it tanking either, I think they are trying to acquire as many good young prospects as possible right now.

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:47 am

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:41 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:31 am

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:26 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:23 am

BleedingBleu wrote: ↑20 Dec 2025 07:17 am

Cusecards wrote: ↑19 Dec 2025 21:27 pm Again.....exactly WHO have we moved on from SO FAR that makes sense for the future?
Fedde??
Mikolas??
Gray???
Based on age/productivity they all made sense!
Add Arenado to that list of making sense.
Contreras is borderline to me.
Now....if they move Donovan that is a different story but I don’t think he moves unless Bloom gets his price in return.
Otherwise Donovan stays!

So, who are they adding for today and the future? Dustin May (28) on a 1-Year Deal?

You don’t think it’s convenient that a good start to the season makes him a valuable trade chip at the deadline?

Seems to be two slightly different intents here/ May may do well. In fact it m going the other way. I say 30 starts-15-6.

Very real that he is a deadline deal.

As for the moves made- they made sense.

Made sense… for winning a World Series? Winning the Division? Qualifying for the playoffs? Selling tickets? Selling at the deadline? Selling the team to a new owner?

Talking about Fedde Mik and Gray. They had there time here. .500. Letting them go is good.

As for your questions- winning a WS- not near. In fact getting to WS is a distant ships smoke on the horizon. It’s a ways.

Division- couple years.

Playoffs a year or so.

Selling tickets- need a star.

Selling team- one day.

So, the goal in 2026 is not to win, not to sell tickets, but to just exist, then?

Thus far, the highest expectation I’ve seen anyone post is for the team to win 75 Games. That is for the current/planned construction that has them parting with Arenado, Contreras, and Donovan.

What happens if this team is hovering around .500 at the deadline? Do you think they are they “Buying” since you don’t believe they are competing in 2026?

There is a difference in wanting to compete and competing. I think the want and desire is there. I do.

We have ourselves in a hole. Walmart shopping won’t do it this time. Gotta go bigger. Stronger. Than a usual resurge.

As for actually competing. I don’t think we have the horses yet. We are accumulating. If correct, our day will come.

Sure. I’m sure they want the players to compete. I do believe Bloom sold someone on the idea that the Cardinals can compete with a lower, younger, and hungrier group of players who don’t have guaranteed contracts. The problem is that collective is fairly mediocre talent-wise.

Their main goal is to develop players. They likely believe the players will develop when being forged through iron. Does that mean they’ll be good? Absolutely not. It’s ridiculous to believe they will.

Could they win a series or even have a 3-Game Winning Streak? Of course! The 2025 Colorado Rockies went 4-2 against the Cardinals. Will the 2026 Cardinals be as bad as the 2025 Colorado Rockies. No, but that doesn’t mean much when you’re already disqualified from playoff contention before Spring Training.

I get that people view “tanking” as something more serious than contending for the #1 Overall Pick. However, I very much doubt there was a single Cardinals fan hoping the Cardinals would win the Draft Lottery and wasn’t thoroughly disappointed when they walked away with the 13th Overall Pick.

When your team is…
- Coming off several poor seasons in a row
- Selling the Stars and highest paid players for prospects
- Dramatically lowering payroll for the 3rd year in a row
- Do not expect to contend for a playoff spot for the 4th year in a row

What do you call that? Well, it’s intentionally not competing for this season… and what is the best outcome for that? A high Draft Pick. It’s just tanking under a sanitized marketing ploy.