What have been the Cards biggest blunders?

[kscardsfan]

This is the one that sticks in my mind........Gibson, Reuss, Carlton, Torrez, Briles. What a rotation they could have had for years. Perhaps another WS title or two. Trading Carlton, Reuss, and Torrez was the downfall of the 70's. Carlton for Rick Wise, Reuss for Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons. Torrez for Bob Reynolds. After Gibson retired they would still have had a great rotation.

That short period of time killed a dynasty.

[Ozziesfan41]

Thats before my time i would say in my life time letting lunhow go and keeping Mo

[Youboughtit]

Recently it’s lowering payroll. It’s way harder to get fans back than to loose them. Dropping payroll by $50m last season and possibly
Even more this off season has changed fans perception. The recipe is a top 11 payroll with draft and develop. 2006-2011 they were 11th on opening day and top 10 end of season. Also in 2022 payroll was 178m and the estimated profit according to Forbes was $48m this season $128m payroll and estimated profit is $2m. Clearly spending creates more profit and a chance to compete.

[dugoutrex]

Recently it’s lowering payroll. It’s way harder to get fans back than to loose them. Dropping payroll by $50m last season and possibly
Even more this off season has changed fans perception. The recipe is a top 11 payroll with draft and develop. 2006-2011 they were 11th on opening day and top 10 end of season. Also in 2022 payroll was 178m and the estimated profit according to Forbes was $48m this season $128m payroll and estimated profit is $2m. Clearly spending creates more profit and a chance to compete.

even Forbes is guessing - no one really knows

[Braund241]

Keeping Mo as the GM. Simply weird. 7-8 years ago you could tell he was bad. Never improving the team. So Mo or owners. What is bad they ruined the organization. The new Pirates. I would bet this organization never wins again.

[Gob]

Their response to the Denkinger call

[smilinjoefission]

Mediocre managers since LaRussa...each one worse than the one before.

[Youboughtit]

Recently it’s lowering payroll. It’s way harder to get fans back than to loose them. Dropping payroll by $50m last season and possibly
Even more this off season has changed fans perception. The recipe is a top 11 payroll with draft and develop. 2006-2011 they were 11th on opening day and top 10 end of season. Also in 2022 payroll was 178m and the estimated profit according to Forbes was $48m this season $128m payroll and estimated profit is $2m. Clearly spending creates more profit and a chance to compete.

even Forbes is guessing - no one really knows

Well 3.4m fans and half games legit sellouts compared to 2m and really half that in stands has to have a huge profit loss cause by the owner. We can see how many seats are full.

[icon]

The Maxvill era under A-B and most of the Mozeliak era under BDW Jr.

[PanamaCardFan]

Thats before my time i would say in my life time letting lunhow go and keeping Mo

Mo was promoted to GM in 2007, when Luhnow had 4 years in the organization (and in baseball) vs. 12 for Mo, and you thought it should have been Luhnow?

Remember that Luhnow stuck around until 2011 when he was hired away to the Astros by St. Louisan Jim Crane.

[PanamaCardFan]

Watching tonight, thinking that Mo passing on Scherzer was the biggest blunder.

[brock118]

This is the one that sticks in my mind........Gibson, Reuss, Carlton, Torrez, Briles. What a rotation they could have had for years. Perhaps another WS title or two. Trading Carlton, Reuss, and Torrez was the downfall of the 70's. Carlton for Rick Wise, Reuss for Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons. Torrez for Bob Reynolds. After Gibson retired they would still have had a great rotation.

That short period of time killed a dynasty.

Don't forget we got rid of Mike Cuellar too.

[MIDMOBIRDTWO]

This is the one that sticks in my mind........Gibson, Reuss, Carlton, Torrez, Briles. What a rotation they could have had for years. Perhaps another WS title or two. Trading Carlton, Reuss, and Torrez was the downfall of the 70's. Carlton for Rick Wise, Reuss for Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons. Torrez for Bob Reynolds. After Gibson retired they would still have had a great rotation.

That short period of time killed a dynasty.

Don't forget we got rid of Mike Cuellar too.

Plus a thousand!

That thought occurred to me as well. Also got rid of Jose Cruz for missing a one handed catch of a fly ball. That would have been a great asset for a long time. Red liked fundamentals a certain way.

[Dicktar2023]

1) Allowing the development system to rot away is the major blunder of the 21st century.

2) Giving up on Alcantara, Gallen, and Randy A. while clinging jealously to Flaherty, Carlson, TON, Gorman, etc. etc.

Though 1 clearly affected 2.

[JuanAgosto]

For the distant past, its missing out on the rotation that could've been in the 70s. Carlton, Reuss, Cuellar, Torrez, and Denny. With Vuckovitch lurking. Wow!

More recently, bad managerial hires, decreased spending, passing on Max Scherzer, anything associated with John Mozeliak over the last decade.

[ICCFIM2]

For the distant past, its missing out on the rotation that could've been in the 70s. Carlton, Reuss, Cuellar, Torrez, and Denny. With Vuckovitch lurking. Wow!

More recently, bad managerial hires, decreased spending, passing on Max Scherzer, anything associated with John Mozeliak over the last decade.

The 1970s was bad. It was when I first started watching baseball. If people think ownership is cheap now, the Carlton trade was over Carlton demanding $65,000 v. the $55,000 they offered him. Over $10K the Cards traded a HOF pitcher.

In recent times, it has been a slow bleed out. Letting coaching talent leave and patching holes with over paid mid tier free agents and a couple of bad trades. It took a period of years. Whereas in the 1970s, they managed to undo themselves with 2-3 stupid trades and that was that.