Not excited about spring training

[ramfandan]

First time in 70+ years I am not excited about spring training or the start of the season. Baseball Heaven has gone to Hell.

The Cardinals have enough talent on the roster to produce a winning record.
Whether there is enough intelligence among the manager and staff to get them there in another question entirely.

No they don't.

I teach success for a living.
My analysis is always built on a bias free analysis of what is attainable and what is not.
I am paid to help leaders and organizations understand how to set and achieve performance goals.
Baseball is no different.
This roster can achieve a winning record.
Can leadership get them there?
THAT, not the roster, is the applicable question.

I notice you always leave yourself an out.

Uh its the same group leading in the dugout this season minus Gray, Contreras and Donovan.

There's no thoroughbred in the corral.

72-90.

I never "leave myself an out".
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
Period.
If it fails to do so, it will be due to debilitating injuries (unlikely) or an incompetent manager and staff.
Unequivocally correct.

I got you pegged bud.

There's always a caveat.

How is the same incompetent manager and staff from last season going to all of a sudden become baseball savants?

I don't expect them to.
But they do have more talent on the roster.
If the team fails to produce a winning record it will be because the manager and staff repeat their prior incompetence.

Can't agree with you on manager Melville. Oli was in a lame duck situation last year. He had to try and win with the hand he was dealt. Do you really think even the best manager in the sport could have made that rotation better? And even the best manager in the game doesn't teach hitting. We'll never know, but i hope Chaim let's Oli actually manage from the dugout. I dont think he had that freedom last year.

Team was in control of a W/C in July of 24 and again in July of 25.
Fell apart down the stretch both times
That is 100% a reflection of failed leadership.
The team will never succeed in reaching its potential and perform as it should also long as he is around.
Absolutely terrible leader in so many ways.
And that is not entirely his fault: by design, he was hired to be a follower

interesting that 100% of last years falter in Aug. /Sept. was due to failed leadership . Guess the Donovan groin injury, Arenado shoulder issue had no part of it. Add Winn's barking knee that kept getting worse by the day too. 50% of the starting infielders and some days (when Winn took a day off ), 75 % of the infield was on the shelf .

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

I've seen people that have wanted Mo gone and thought that he was horrible for at least a decade. Now the organization did it and these same people are surprised that they're going to do a rebuild?? Come on, what did you think was going to happen when the guy that runs the entire organization gets replaced and they bring someone in from the outside? It's always a process.

Same for those of you wanting Bill DeWitt to sell the team for the last 20 years. I know you think you'll get some disgusting multi-billionaire who will sink millions in huge contracts to the team every year, but it probably isn't going to happen like that.

[Melville]

First time in 70+ years I am not excited about spring training or the start of the season. Baseball Heaven has gone to Hell.

The Cardinals have enough talent on the roster to produce a winning record.
Whether there is enough intelligence among the manager and staff to get them there in another question entirely.

No they don't.

I teach success for a living.
My analysis is always built on a bias free analysis of what is attainable and what is not.
I am paid to help leaders and organizations understand how to set and achieve performance goals.
Baseball is no different.
This roster can achieve a winning record.
Can leadership get them there?
THAT, not the roster, is the applicable question.

I notice you always leave yourself an out.

Uh its the same group leading in the dugout this season minus Gray, Contreras and Donovan.

There's no thoroughbred in the corral.

72-90.

I never "leave myself an out".
This team has enough talent to produce a winning record.
Period.
If it fails to do so, it will be due to debilitating injuries (unlikely) or an incompetent manager and staff.
Unequivocally correct.

I got you pegged bud.

There's always a caveat.

How is the same incompetent manager and staff from last season going to all of a sudden become baseball savants?

I don't expect them to.
But they do have more talent on the roster.
If the team fails to produce a winning record it will be because the manager and staff repeat their prior incompetence.

Can't agree with you on manager Melville. Oli was in a lame duck situation last year. He had to try and win with the hand he was dealt. Do you really think even the best manager in the sport could have made that rotation better? And even the best manager in the game doesn't teach hitting. We'll never know, but i hope Chaim let's Oli actually manage from the dugout. I dont think he had that freedom last year.

Team was in control of a W/C in July of 24 and again in July of 25.
Fell apart down the stretch both times
That is 100% a reflection of failed leadership.
The team will never succeed in reaching its potential and perform as it should also long as he is around.
Absolutely terrible leader in so many ways.
And that is not entirely his fault: by design, he was hired to be a follower

interesting that 100% of last years falter in Aug. /Sept. was due to failed leadership . Guess the Donovan groin injury, Arenado shoulder issue had no part of it. Add Winn's barking knee that kept getting worse by the day too. 50% of the starting infielders and some days (when Winn took a day off ), 75 % of the infield was on the shelf .

One, they collapsed two years in a row, not just last season.
Two, the team had no more "issues" in the last 60 games than in the first 100 - they simply played worse when it mattered.
Three, N/A's "shoulder injury" was propaganda, as you know.
He played 96 games through July - and the 'injury" conveniently appeared AFTER STL failed to trade him at the deadline.
No realistic person believes STL was negatively impacted by STL hiding his .235 BA /.294 OBP, 10 HR, 43 RBI.
Winn's knee was also a non-factor.
He played 74 games through the end of June - and STL controlled a W/C.
He played in 55 more from July - Sept.8.
He sat out the balance of the year only after the team had collapsed.
Weird how the team was in a winning position even with his "knee issue" in the first 100 games, but that same "knee issue" somehow damaged their chances in the following 45 games.
As for Donovan, yes, he missed 30 days from mid August to mid Sept., but it is also true that McGreevy was finally allowed to join the rotation after and the team was 7-4 in his Aug/Sept starts - making the point that if you want to cherry pick the absence of a single player, you should also factor the additional off-setting contributions made by others.
EVERY team has ebbs and flows with the availability and performance of players.
The constant was the manager - and he failed down the stretch 2 years in a row.
Yes - that is 100% on him and the staff, because in any industry "managing" means being responsible for the performance of the part of an organization for which a person is responsible.

[ecleme22]

Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

I've seen people that have wanted Mo gone and thought that he was horrible for at least a decade. Now the organization did it and these same people are surprised that they're going to do a rebuild?? Come on, what did you think was going to happen when the guy that runs the entire organization gets replaced and they bring someone in from the outside? It's always a process.

Same for those of you wanting Bill DeWitt to sell the team for the last 20 years. I know you think you'll get some disgusting multi-billionaire who will sink millions in huge contracts to the team every year, but it probably isn't going to happen like that.

What surprises me is how some people act like Bloom dismantled the '26 Yankees.

Gray: I like him, but [fork], he's 36 and a pending FA.
Willson: I really like him, but he's 34 with only 2 years left on his deal.
Donovan: Nice player, but he's a FA in 2 years and not the kind of guy you want to sign long term.
Arenado: An albatross contract and a uber declining player.

Now they have a ton of pitching depth, JJ is replacing Donovan and Burly is replacing WC.

I think the team could be better than 2025...

[bccardsfan]

Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

I've seen people that have wanted Mo gone and thought that he was horrible for at least a decade. Now the organization did it and these same people are surprised that they're going to do a rebuild?? Come on, what did you think was going to happen when the guy that runs the entire organization gets replaced and they bring someone in from the outside? It's always a process.

Same for those of you wanting Bill DeWitt to sell the team for the last 20 years. I know you think you'll get some disgusting multi-billionaire who will sink millions in huge contracts to the team every year, but it probably isn't going to happen like that.

What surprises me is how some people act like Bloom dismantled the '26 Yankees.

Gray: I like him, but [fork], he's 36 and a pending FA.
Willson: I really like him, but he's 34 with only 2 years left on his deal.
Donovan: Nice player, but he's a FA in 2 years and not the kind of guy you want to sign long term.
Arenado: An albatross contract and a uber declining player.

Now they have a ton of pitching depth, JJ is replacing Donovan and Burly is replacing WC.

I think the team could be better than 2025...

I agree. I don't think they will be any worse. The starting pitching will be no worse, and could possibly be much deeper with only one clunker start a week rather than multiple ones. The OF is still a mess, but VSII and Walker can certainly be no worse than they were, and potentially improve. It remains to be seen who gets the most innings in LF until Noot is healthy, but perhaps a guy like Church will run with it. Or Saggese, or .... I don't see it being any worse... JJW could hit really well too. Basically JJW, Burley, IH need to hit. Then they need to get something out of Winn, Gorman, Walker, and whoever else. I mean Nado didn't exactly light it up. WC had a decent year, but we may still end up with at least the same number of runs scored as last year. Not good, but not worse. I would .500 is the ceiling for this team, but I don't see them under 75 wins or so. They won 78 games last year with tons of issues. I don't see this under 70 win scenario people are fretting about....