The Cardinals with Kyle Tucker.

[Cranny]

Listen to interviews with players after they win the WS. They often say “we came together as a team and that’s why we won it”.

LOL...What are they going to say? "Despite my teammates we still won. LOL Just stop. Evidence has already been cited. Just stop.

CC - To you too. Just stop. If you don’t understand how important character and team unity are, I can’t help you.

Of course it’s important. It’s not more important than finding the best talent.

Cerfolio says it’s about 50/50. The numbers have to be there to draw the interest before character due diligence takes place.

Cerfolio is the know all be all then? I'm relating stories of great teams that didn't get along. One of the oldest sayings in baseball is "Winning cures everything." You could have a team consisting of brothers and it wouldn't matter if they suck. If we don't have common sense then we're just wandering in the wilderness.

Cerfolio represents the modern, young, staff guy who knows what it takes to develop young players. He is a big part of the Cardinals future. If you don’t hear him on character and team adhesiveness, you’re really missing the boat.

There's always a young up and comer who thinks they invented the wheel and it always ends the same. Whatever happened to moneyball and Billy Beane? Young guys don't have the experience to run anything without expert knowledge from veterans that have done it. To put it bluntly, he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Regardless, it's all about ownership anyway. He or Mo or the next guy up is chained to what DeWitt and company want. In the immortal words of Leon (from the Bud commercials) "Leon can't cook without that dough, baby." ((bleep) eating grin)

Suggest you look at Cerfolio's career over the past 10 years, and watch his interview which was posted on here. You might change your mind about him.

"THE INTERVIEW! THE INTERVIEW! OH DEAR GOD, WON'T YOU PLEASE WATCH THE INTERVIEW????"

Nothing like immaturity on display.

Sorry, but how many times have you brought up the bloody interview? It’s not life-changing.

No, but it gives great insight into the lead person who is charged with developing minor leaguers into productive major leaguers. Maybe even All Star major leaguers. A far cry from the last person, whom I admired for many years, but the game had passed him by.

[Goldfan]

Sheesh, what a waste of time on a busy Monday.
Why don’t you look at the trades they have made that prove what BDW, Jr. was saying - Holliday, Ozuna, Goldy, Arenado, etc. They prefer trades to FA signings. They have ever since BDW, Jr. and other investors bought the team. When they strayed from it with Fowler, Leake, Cecil, etc. it only proved their point more.

No one is disputing that DeWitt said that. And no one is disputing that they prefer trades to FAs. What we’re saying is this:

1. You can’t be truly successful without being successful at a high level in the FA market in 2025.
2. If DeWitt and his team can’t hit on free agents when they do “stray,” they need to change their FA evaluation process and/or find people who CAN be successful at evaluating and signing free agents.

No. Actually what I see are several trades to fill any large holes. As I’ve said (sorry to be redundant again), the only FA action you’ll see are short term free agent contracts with relievers and with older guys aka Berkman and Beltran. But huge long term FA contracts for guys in their prime? - Naw. Not going to happen.

If you were less disingenuous about the reasons for the above truths, you’d be met with less opposition.

They don’t have a real chance at signing top free agents, and cannot afford the risk of getting it wrong if they do.

Disingenuous? By telling the truth about what the Cardinals have said? LOL.

Yes… it’s a bit disingenuous to suggest the Cardinals aren’t signing top FA because they prefer to see how a player fits with the team. They aren’t signing top FAs because it’s not financially prudent in their market. That is the only real reason.

The Cardinals have had a different business plan than your FA plan for many years, Quincy. Build through the system and trade to fill holes as needed. It’s brought them a ton of winning seasons and 2 World Championships this century. Don’t expect it to change.

Why are BDW/MO more than happy to overpay on middling talent rather than put eggs in the Elite basket and fill in internally. An elite player or 2 HAS BEEN what put the Cards over the top when they won those 2 WS this Century

And where did those elite player or two come from?
Free agents that were bought?

Yes. 2006: Suppan, 2011: Berkman. I struggle to call those guys "elite," but they're what put the team over the top.

If the Cardinals signed guys like that today, CT would scour them.

Berkman…..Beltran…..when’s the last time Mo signed a quality OFer of that level. Why would CT not be pleased with that type of player….yes a 30HR 100RBI OFer…..why would we need one of those….more than happy with the internal scrum of wannabes we’ve had the last decade. Does anyone even remember what a 30HR 100 RBI OFer looks like??

[Goldfan]

Sheesh, what a waste of time on a busy Monday.
Why don’t you look at the trades they have made that prove what BDW, Jr. was saying - Holliday, Ozuna, Goldy, Arenado, etc. They prefer trades to FA signings. They have ever since BDW, Jr. and other investors bought the team. When they strayed from it with Fowler, Leake, Cecil, etc. it only proved their point more.

No one is disputing that DeWitt said that. And no one is disputing that they prefer trades to FAs. What we’re saying is this:

1. You can’t be truly successful without being successful at a high level in the FA market in 2025.
2. If DeWitt and his team can’t hit on free agents when they do “stray,” they need to change their FA evaluation process and/or find people who CAN be successful at evaluating and signing free agents.

No. Actually what I see are several trades to fill any large holes. As I’ve said (sorry to be redundant again), the only FA action you’ll see are short term free agent contracts with relievers and with older guys aka Berkman and Beltran. But huge long term FA contracts for guys in their prime? - Naw. Not going to happen.

If you were less disingenuous about the reasons for the above truths, you’d be met with less opposition.

They don’t have a real chance at signing top free agents, and cannot afford the risk of getting it wrong if they do.

Disingenuous? By telling the truth about what the Cardinals have said? LOL.

Yes… it’s a bit disingenuous to suggest the Cardinals aren’t signing top FA because they prefer to see how a player fits with the team. They aren’t signing top FAs because it’s not financially prudent in their market. That is the only real reason.

The Cardinals have had a different business plan than your FA plan for many years, Quincy. Build through the system and trade to fill holes as needed. It’s brought them a ton of winning seasons and 2 World Championships this century. Don’t expect it to change.

Why are BDW/MO more than happy to overpay on middling talent rather than put eggs in the Elite basket and fill in internally. An elite player or 2 HAS BEEN what put the Cards over the top when they won those 2 WS this Century

And where did those elite player or two come from?
Free agents that were bought?

Yes. 2006: Suppan, 2011: Berkman. I struggle to call those guys "elite," but they're what put the team over the top.

If the Cardinals signed guys like that today, CT would scour them.

Berkman…..Beltran…..when’s the last time Mo signed a quality OFer of that level. Why would CT not be pleased with that type of player….yes a 30HR 100RBI OFer…..why would we need one of those….more than happy with the internal scrum of wannabes we’ve had the last decade. Does anyone even remember what a 30HR 100 RBI OFer looks like??

Almost HOF Berkman
2011
301, .412, .959 31HR 94RBI…..we’d all pass out to see that in a Cards OF

[desertrat23]

LOL...What are they going to say? "Despite my teammates we still won. LOL Just stop. Evidence has already been cited. Just stop.

CC - To you too. Just stop. If you don’t understand how important character and team unity are, I can’t help you.

Of course it’s important. It’s not more important than finding the best talent.

Cerfolio says it’s about 50/50. The numbers have to be there to draw the interest before character due diligence takes place.

Cerfolio is the know all be all then? I'm relating stories of great teams that didn't get along. One of the oldest sayings in baseball is "Winning cures everything." You could have a team consisting of brothers and it wouldn't matter if they suck. If we don't have common sense then we're just wandering in the wilderness.

Cerfolio represents the modern, young, staff guy who knows what it takes to develop young players. He is a big part of the Cardinals future. If you don’t hear him on character and team adhesiveness, you’re really missing the boat.

There's always a young up and comer who thinks they invented the wheel and it always ends the same. Whatever happened to moneyball and Billy Beane? Young guys don't have the experience to run anything without expert knowledge from veterans that have done it. To put it bluntly, he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Regardless, it's all about ownership anyway. He or Mo or the next guy up is chained to what DeWitt and company want. In the immortal words of Leon (from the Bud commercials) "Leon can't cook without that dough, baby." ((bleep) eating grin)

Suggest you look at Cerfolio's career over the past 10 years, and watch his interview which was posted on here. You might change your mind about him.

"THE INTERVIEW! THE INTERVIEW! OH DEAR GOD, WON'T YOU PLEASE WATCH THE INTERVIEW????"

Nothing like immaturity on display.

Sorry, but how many times have you brought up the bloody interview? It’s not life-changing.

No, but it gives great insight into the lead person who is charged with developing minor leaguers into productive major leaguers. Maybe even All Star major leaguers. A far cry from the last person, whom I admired for many years, but the game had passed him by.

And that's great. I'm excited for him -- Lord knows this organization needs newer, fresher voices. The reason this thread has gone on as long as it has (I think), is that we can't just say "Cerfolio's going to fix the minors, we're fine," but that they have to get better in all aspects of roster construction. Cerfolio has to fix the minors. Bloom has to win more trades than he loses. And yes, they have to be more open-minded about free agency. When the biggest free-agent deal you've ever signed was in 2010, that's a problem.

[desertrat23]

No one is disputing that DeWitt said that. And no one is disputing that they prefer trades to FAs. What we’re saying is this:

1. You can’t be truly successful without being successful at a high level in the FA market in 2025.
2. If DeWitt and his team can’t hit on free agents when they do “stray,” they need to change their FA evaluation process and/or find people who CAN be successful at evaluating and signing free agents.

No. Actually what I see are several trades to fill any large holes. As I’ve said (sorry to be redundant again), the only FA action you’ll see are short term free agent contracts with relievers and with older guys aka Berkman and Beltran. But huge long term FA contracts for guys in their prime? - Naw. Not going to happen.

If you were less disingenuous about the reasons for the above truths, you’d be met with less opposition.

They don’t have a real chance at signing top free agents, and cannot afford the risk of getting it wrong if they do.

Disingenuous? By telling the truth about what the Cardinals have said? LOL.

Yes… it’s a bit disingenuous to suggest the Cardinals aren’t signing top FA because they prefer to see how a player fits with the team. They aren’t signing top FAs because it’s not financially prudent in their market. That is the only real reason.

The Cardinals have had a different business plan than your FA plan for many years, Quincy. Build through the system and trade to fill holes as needed. It’s brought them a ton of winning seasons and 2 World Championships this century. Don’t expect it to change.

Why are BDW/MO more than happy to overpay on middling talent rather than put eggs in the Elite basket and fill in internally. An elite player or 2 HAS BEEN what put the Cards over the top when they won those 2 WS this Century

And where did those elite player or two come from?
Free agents that were bought?

Yes. 2006: Suppan, 2011: Berkman. I struggle to call those guys "elite," but they're what put the team over the top.

If the Cardinals signed guys like that today, CT would scour them.

Berkman…..Beltran…..when’s the last time Mo signed a quality OFer of that level. Why would CT not be pleased with that type of player….yes a 30HR 100RBI OFer…..why would we need one of those….more than happy with the internal scrum of wannabes we’ve had the last decade. Does anyone even remember what a 30HR 100 RBI OFer looks like??

Almost HOF Berkman
2011
301, .412, .959 31HR 94RBI…..we’d all pass out to see that in a Cards OF

Totally. But to be fair to Cranny, Berkman didn't look like that guy after 2010 with the Yankees.

[Cranny]

No. Actually what I see are several trades to fill any large holes. As I’ve said (sorry to be redundant again), the only FA action you’ll see are short term free agent contracts with relievers and with older guys aka Berkman and Beltran. But huge long term FA contracts for guys in their prime? - Naw. Not going to happen.

If you were less disingenuous about the reasons for the above truths, you’d be met with less opposition.

They don’t have a real chance at signing top free agents, and cannot afford the risk of getting it wrong if they do.

Disingenuous? By telling the truth about what the Cardinals have said? LOL.

Yes… it’s a bit disingenuous to suggest the Cardinals aren’t signing top FA because they prefer to see how a player fits with the team. They aren’t signing top FAs because it’s not financially prudent in their market. That is the only real reason.

The Cardinals have had a different business plan than your FA plan for many years, Quincy. Build through the system and trade to fill holes as needed. It’s brought them a ton of winning seasons and 2 World Championships this century. Don’t expect it to change.

Why are BDW/MO more than happy to overpay on middling talent rather than put eggs in the Elite basket and fill in internally. An elite player or 2 HAS BEEN what put the Cards over the top when they won those 2 WS this Century

And where did those elite player or two come from?
Free agents that were bought?

Yes. 2006: Suppan, 2011: Berkman. I struggle to call those guys "elite," but they're what put the team over the top.

If the Cardinals signed guys like that today, CT would scour them.

Berkman…..Beltran…..when’s the last time Mo signed a quality OFer of that level. Why would CT not be pleased with that type of player….yes a 30HR 100RBI OFer…..why would we need one of those….more than happy with the internal scrum of wannabes we’ve had the last decade. Does anyone even remember what a 30HR 100 RBI OFer looks like??

Almost HOF Berkman
2011
301, .412, .959 31HR 94RBI…..we’d all pass out to see that in a Cards OF

Totally. But to be fair to Cranny, Berkman didn't look like that guy after 2010 with the Yankees.

Berkman and Beltran both came to the Cards when they were 35 years old, under short term FA contracts. I'm all for these
types of free agent signings.