HOUCARD wrote: ↑10 Feb 2026 14:16 pm
Melville wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 22:39 pm
Shady wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 19:22 pm
Melville wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 19:06 pm
JohnnyMO wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 14:38 pm
Melville wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 13:36 pm
JohnnyMO wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 13:25 pm
Melville wrote: ↑09 Feb 2026 13:13 pm
Depth filler.
Terrible return overall in the Donovan deal.
Not one position player included who will ever likely contribute on a MLB field.
What is this opinion based on other than the fact the predicting a lack of success is right the vast majority of the time with baseball prospects?
STL wanted a 2nd comp pick for Donovan.
Rays wanted Williamson.
Ledbetter was the throw away to help all 3 teams achieve their actual goals.
Depth filler, nothing more.
This doesn’t come close to answering my question and I’m sincerely curious. Why do you think the return was terrible and none of the prospects will contribute at the MLB level?
It was not clear what you were asking.
Why I correctly believe Ledbetter was a throw in depth filler to make the deal work 3 ways, or why I dislike the return for Donovan?
Appreciate you now clarifying that.
Happy to provide the answer - which I have done several times is various threads.
With the Gray/Contreras/May decisions Bloom was thinking short term and long term - and did so very effectively, particularly addressing the starting rotation with that dual track thinking.
With Donovan, he did no such thing - choosing instead to simply bet on an assembly of various long shots of whom none are realistically close to being a significant contribute anytime soon.
And there was zero reason to take that path.
Donovan, likely last opportunity to leverage a key trade piece this off-season, was MORE valuable than Gray or Contreras.
And since Bloom had done nothing to address position player needs, it was imperative that he do so by leveraging Donovan.
Bloom could have - and should have - addressed both long term and short-term question just as he had wisely done in the previous moves.
Inexplicably, he changed course.
Again, my fully informed and accurate assessment and objection is NOT about the specific pieces Bloom acquired (all of which are extreme high risks), but rather that he wasted an opportunity to add a needed position player with immediate opportunity to be part of the 2026 mix.
Strategically, an unforced blunder on Bloom part because he not only whiffed on that specific and necessary item in return - but actually made the situation far worse by making the weakest area of the team even more deficient.
Makes zero sense to add MLB ready pitchers in the prior deals - and then torpedo those moves by making the team behind them worse (outfield is worse, infield is worse, depth is worse.)
And for that he traded an all-star, a gold glove with 2 years of cheap control remaining and multiple future opportunities to deal him if needed?
Incredibly poor strategic thinking on Bloom's part.
Now, as I have stated, opening day is still several weeks away.
Bloom could very well have another move in the works that would change the equation of the Donovan deal.
But as of now, very unlikely this deal will benefit the Cardinals.
I, too, felt Bloom should have come away with a position player at least close to being MLB ready. I posted that Bloom should have demanded either the young outfield slugger, Montes, or Arroyo in a addition to Cijntje. Obviously, Cijntje was the player Bloom was after in the deal.
"Obviously, Cijntje was the player Bloom was after in the deal"
That is correct - everything else was simply a side salad.
Which is exactly why the deal was so strange.
Bloom already added Fitts and Dobbins at the MLB level and already had Doyle, and Mathews, and Clarke, and Franklin, and Hence, and Fajardo, and Henderson, and Mautz among others - and decided the roll the dice on the Donovan deal to add another arm who is at the high end of the risk scale rather than acquire a single position player?
And this while dealing away the best 2 position players they had?
Makes zero sense.
Unless he has another move planned in the coming weeks.
Peete and Ledbetter were sidesald. The 2 top 100 picks and a top 100 prospect are strong returns. Donovan is FA eligible in 2 years. Cards won’t be competitive then. He would walk. I’m a strong “can’t have too much pitching” guy. The two picks and additional $ are big. Cards can use it and the picks to pay over slot for a difficult sign that slips. Any number of things. Cards are seeking to build through the draft. I’ll be patient. Plus, being in Houston, I see what they did here.
Facts.
All I do.
Results for #68-#72 draft picks who should be at the primer of their MLB careers right now.
From 2018 -
Grove: 5.48 MLB ERA and returned to minors all of last year.
Eierman: never appeared in MLB and currently out of baseball.
Dodson: has never appeared in MLB, career minor leaguer.
Gray: MLB 17-27, 4.84; only 2 games in the past 2 years due to TJ surgery, may be in Washington's 2026 rotation.
(Cardinals took Baker #75 that year)
From 2019 -
Kessinger: 70 career MLB PA's with .113 BA, .243 OBP, no MLB appearance sine 2024, currently on a minor league deal signed this off-season.
Lugo: finally reached MLB in 2025, .232 BA and .243 BA in 70 PA's.
Marsh: 43 MLB appearances, 4.96 ERA, 12-18.
Stowers: after washing out with BLT (.229/.274), finally became an MLB starter in 2025 with 2nd chance in Miami; .253 career average and .325 OBP; Marlins designated ASG representative in 2025.
(Cardinals had one pick between 50-100, selecting Locey who never appeared in MLB and was out of baseball by 2023.)
From 2020 -
Glowenke: never appeared in MLB, out of baseball by 2024.
Greene: has never played in MLB, never progressed beyond A ball.
Burleson: starting MLB 1b
Infante: has never appeared in MLB
Santos: has never appeared in MLB.
(Cardinals also picked Hence #63, he has never appeared in MLB, never appeared above AA.)
Bottom line -
13 players picked from #68 - #72 in 2018, 2019, 2020.
Exactly 1 - Burleson - has established himself as a solid MLB starting player
Exactly ZERO have become a core piece of an MLB roster.
Anyone who thinks Bloom achieved great value by adding 2 comp picks (in reality, just 1, since STL would have received a pick when Donovan reached FA) in the 68-72 range is simply willfully ignoring the facts.
Odds of him drafting a starting MLB player with multiple years of solid MLB production are less than 10% and odds of drafting a core star player are less than 4%.
Like it or not, that is the reality.
