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Exactly. That's what makes me suspicious about this so-called rebuild. They're only doing it because attendance has dropped. This idea that they're going to jack up payroll after developing a young core seems like a pipe dream if attendance doesn't rebound first in a big way.
2023: came out of nowhere
You call finishing 4 games over .500 and 10 games out first competing?ecleme22 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:31 am2023: came out of nowhere
2024: actually competed, but couldn’t make up for the regressions of JW, NA and PG.
2025: only signed Maton. Sell off at the deadline.
The cards already started a rebuild about a year ago.
But since offseason 2022 (three years ago), the team has only given up two draft picks (WC, SG), but have accumulated a lot since then.
And if they trade WC, then those draft picks they gave up will be a wash.
Meaning they have only accumulated prospects the last three years.
I'd point out that 2022, when both Arenado at age 31 (7.2 fWAR) and Goldschmidt at age 34 (6.8 fWAR) had outlier "career years" (along with Pujols' unexpected contributions) to carry the team to maybe six more regular seasons wins than expected, was the season that came out of nowhere.ecleme22 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:31 am2023: came out of nowhere
2024: actually competed, but couldn’t make up for the regressions of JW, NA and PG.
2025: only signed Maton. Sell off at the deadline.
The cards already started a rebuild about a year ago.
But since offseason 2022 (three years ago), the team has only given up two draft picks (WC, SG), but have accumulated a lot since then.
And if they trade WC, then those draft picks they gave up will be a wash.
Meaning they have only accumulated prospects the last three years.
While true, many of the same CT posters who complain about a rebuild now would have burning effigies of Mozeliak if he had dared to trade away "their stars" - Goldschmidt, Arenado, Contreras, etc. - in 2023 instead of "trying to compete" in 2024.
I agreed with this strategy.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:22 am They kept trying to patch the ML roster to "compete" (what many here continue to call for) until they just couldn't any longer.
As noted long ago, they should have traded Goldschmidt and Arenado at back in July 2023 and started the rebuild at that point.
mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:39 amI'd point out that 2022, when both Arenado at age 31 (7.2 fWAR) and Goldschmidt at age 34 (6.8 fWAR) had outlier "career years" (along with Pujols' unexpected contributions) to carry the team to maybe six more regular seasons wins than expected, was the season that came out of nowhere.ecleme22 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:31 am2023: came out of nowhere
2024: actually competed, but couldn’t make up for the regressions of JW, NA and PG.
2025: only signed Maton. Sell off at the deadline.
The cards already started a rebuild about a year ago.
But since offseason 2022 (three years ago), the team has only given up two draft picks (WC, SG), but have accumulated a lot since then.
And if they trade WC, then those draft picks they gave up will be a wash.
Meaning they have only accumulated prospects the last three years.
2023, if we consider Arenado going from 4.3 fWAR in 2021 to 2.7 fWAR in 2023 and Goldschmidt going from 4.8 fWAR in 2021 to 3.4 fWAR in 2023, was actually more predictable.
The Cardinals convinced themselves that all could be made right in 2024 instead of selling off heavily in 2023 like they should have.
I think they waited for the same reason some posters were waiting ..not you .. but those who thought oh Goldy will have a bounce back year , Arenado should rebound. The word 'rebuild' was a naughty 7 letter word . Now , if you noticed, more and more fans and CT posters are using the dreaded 'R' word. In fact, you used it as the last word in your post. We can't undo the past so personally I don't care as to WHY they let is happen right now, I just want Bloom to 'rebuild ' the Cardinals . There .. I used it too ! lol
No. The problem wasn't "patching". Teams always have to do this. The problem was cheap patching. Period.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:22 am They kept trying to patch the ML roster to "compete" (what many here continue to call for) until they just couldn't any longer.
As noted long ago, they should have traded Goldschmidt and Arenado at back in July 2023 and started the rebuild at that point.
They got Gray going into 2024, which was very much NOT a cheap patch. Once that - along with still having to pay Arenado, Goldschmidt, Contreras, Mikolas, etc., there was no other serious option than some "cheaper patching" for the many other inadequacies on the roster.Cardinals4Life wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 09:04 amNo. The problem wasn't "patching". Teams always have to do this. The problem was cheap patching. Period.mattmitchl44 wrote: ↑04 Dec 2025 08:22 am They kept trying to patch the ML roster to "compete" (what many here continue to call for) until they just couldn't any longer.
As noted long ago, they should have traded Goldschmidt and Arenado at back in July 2023 and started the rebuild at that point.
