STLtoday.com

1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 15:59 pm 1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

1) Yes to Arenado & Nootbaar. More likely JJ at 2B and Donovan or Gorman at 3B.
2) Yes we need the power but doubtful we win a bidding war for Alonso especially with the Mets and others.
3) I’m ok with Flaherty for the right price. No on Bader.

I could support that except i do NOT want Herrera catching. We also aren't going to get Alonso. If we did, he'd DH. He's not good at first.

Don’t need Bader; no longer a fan favorite since he cut his hair.

Bloom has decisions to make regarding Nootbaar, Donovan, Gorman, Burleson, and Saggese. Several guys for few positions. Especially since Herrera is best suited at DH.

I think Arenado fulfills his contract in StL. If he couldn't be moved this offseason, he won't be any easier to move going forward.

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 15:59 pm 1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

LMAO. Call up JJ and stick him at 3b and leadoff, then you post him at leadoff playing 2b with UniKKKorn at 3b

The Nard wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 16:30 pm Don’t need Bader; no longer a fan favorite since he cut his hair.

scoutyjones2 wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 18:00 pm

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 15:59 pm 1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

LMAO. Call up JJ and stick him at 3b and leadoff, then you post him at leadoff playing 2b with UniKKKorn at 3b

That would be for 2026

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 18:07 pm

scoutyjones2 wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 18:00 pm

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 15:59 pm 1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

LMAO. Call up JJ and stick him at 3b and leadoff, then you post him at leadoff playing 2b with UniKKKorn at 3b

That would be for 2026

Whoosh...right over your head...

imadangman wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 15:59 pm 1. Shop Arenado this upcoming deadline. Shop Nootbaar too. Call up Wetherholt stick him at 3B and leadoff.

2. Sign Pete Alonso 4/130. We need power. Where else you gonna go for a guaranteed 45 HR? I won't say the other, I want Alonso. For a team crying about finance, Alonso seems like an agreeable target. Not a true long-term exposure.

3. Reunite with fan favorites Jack Flaherty and Harrison Bader (4th OF).

2026

2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
LF Donovan
1B Alonso
DH Contreras/Burleson
RF Walker/Burleson
C Herrera/Crooks
3B Gorman
CF Scott II

Bench: Bader (OF), Saggese (IF), Crooks?, Chase Davis?

Rotation:
Gray - R
Liberatore - L
Flaherty - R
Mathews - L
Pallante/McGreevy/Fedde if extended

Could shop Herrera if there's a true excess. Would you deal Nootbaar for Alcantara? Would you throw in Herrera

Making a huge assumption you can dump Arenado. Huge!

Bader. We have multiple Baders already. Don’t need another one.

WC should play first. He is doing a good job.

Donovan at second.

JJ hasn’t played one MLB game and he is leading off????

We need more offense in outfield and Alonso does not address that.

Jack? Personally don’t like him but whatever.

Herrera I’m hoping can move to outfield in offseason. Hoping? He is not the catcher next year.

Personally want nothing to do with Flaherty, would look elsewhere for a starter

Herrera should never put on a catchers mitt ever again. LF or DH

Contreras has done fine at first, I’m on board with Alonso, but as a DH

Yes for JJ, yes at 3rd, hard no on leadoff, at least initially

How do you sign Alonso? Isn’t he under contract through 2026?

Even so, easier than trading Arenado…

scoutyjones2 wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 18:16 pm
Whoosh...right over your head...

It doesn't make sense, but I think he means call up Wetherholt at the deadline in 2025 to replace Arenado.

Jatalk wrote: ↑16 Jun 2025 07:46 am
Making a huge assumption you can dump Arenado. Huge!

If you are deadset on trading Arenado, you might as well just release him.

PadsFS07 wrote: ↑16 Jun 2025 11:33 am

scoutyjones2 wrote: ↑15 Jun 2025 18:16 pm
Whoosh...right over your head...

It doesn't make sense, but I think he means call up Wetherholt at the deadline in 2025 to replace Arenado.

Shockingly little about the OP makes sense.

Our projected payroll will be $60M less than the 2020-2024 average payroll. As of now, our best lineup is
Donovan
Herrera
Burleson (DH)
Contreras
Gorman
Arenado
Nootbaar
Winn
Scott

Long-term, we are probably good with a rotation of Donovan/Gorman at 2B, Donovan/Nootbaar at LF, Nootbaar/Walker at RF, and Herrera/Gorman at DH. I think the odd man out is Burleson and he probably has the best trade value he'll ever have. I'd rather Wetherholt start in AAA in 2026 also.

Pitching-wise, we have Gray Pallante Liberatore McGreevy Mathews and Roby as the penciled in starters for 2026.

I think at least one FA starter is imperative. There aren't any holes in our lineup, but there isn't a lot of upside either. I do like the idea of dealing Nootbaar and Burleson to add some outfield help. Keep Scott and Walker and hope the light switch flips on for them.