Official 2017 STL Cardinals Thread

[BigRedChief]

My as well get it started. Here's my "Matheny" lineup.....

Fowler CF
Diaz SS
Carpenter 1B
Piscotty RF
Grichuk LF
Molina C
Peralta 3B
Wong 2B
Pitcher

My "Matheny" Starting rotation

Martinez
Reyes
Wainwright
Lynn
Leake

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So in exchange for not having the NL play the AL anymore, you'd essentially eliminate the NL?

Because I would make literally every possible concession imaginable up to and including making them play in ****ing skirts with advertising all over them in order to ensure that the DH doesn't come to the National League.

If you'd accept the DH into the NL in order to avoid interleague play, you don't really 'hate the DH rule'. Because interleague is, at worst, a passing annoyance for what, 20 games/season? The DH, OTOH, would goddamn ruin the national league.

****ing stupid softball rule.

I agree, I probably should have stated it similarly to playing in skirts. My main point is it adds nothing and takes away a lot. I grew up despising the American League, even before they went all in with Charlie Finley baseball.

[VAChief]

I'm surprised there isn't more heat on Piscotty. His numbers have trended down in every area. I hope they won't let that 6 year extension (no matter how reasonable the numbers are) cloud their judgement on putting the best product out there.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

The Little League's DH is an abomination

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

The Little League's DH is an abomination

For sure, the DH is baseball for fatsos

[DJ's left nut]

Jose Quintana to the Cubs.

{shrug}

We aren't good anyway and at least for a short period of time, the Cubs appear to no longer have the ability to squirrel away 2 or 3 good hitters in the minors who are better than all but our best 1 or 2. They've finally cleaned out the system a bit. Jimenez is a hell of a power prospect and Cease is impressive in his own right (to whatever extend an A ball pitcher can truly be impressive).

But Theo's still there, so it'll be better than ours again well before Quintana's contract has expired....

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Jose Quintana to the Cubs.

{shrug}

We aren't good anyway and at least for a short period of time, the Cubs appear to no longer have the ability to squirrel away 2 or 3 good hitters in the minors who aren't better than all but our best 1 or 2. They've finally cleaned out the system a bit. Jimenez is a hell of a power prospect and Cease is impressive in his own right (to whatever extend an A ball pitcher can truly be impressive).

But Theo's still there, so it'll be better than ours again well before Quintana's contract has expired....

Not a fan of the trade at all.

Full panic mode to try and win a shit division only to get swept by the Dodgers in the playoffs because 1 pitcher isn't going to change shit. Especially Quintana who isn't even a TOR guy.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Not a fan of the trade at all.

Full panic mode to try and win a shit division only to get swept by the Dodgers in the playoffs because 1 pitcher isn't going to change shit. Especially Quintana who isn't even a TOR guy.

I'm curious to know if Jimenez has more trade value than Schwarber at this point. I think he might.

The Schwarber for Fulmer trade offer I understood - Schwarber just isn't an OFer and he's going to hurt himself again out there. He needs to be in the AL. But Schwarber couldn't get Fulmer and I'd imagine if he was enough to get Quintana, they'd have made that move.

By dealing Jimenez, they sure seem to be committing to Schwarber in LF for the foreseeable future, no? Which seems to me to be...unwise.

As for whether or not it will matter - if he pitches 12 strong games and in the process gets them 2-3 more wins than they'd have gotten out of Butler (isn't he your 5 at the moment?), that may be enough to get them past a fun but flawed Milwaukee team. And in the playoffs, the Cubs are still dangerous. The big game pedigree of your starting staff shouldn't be ignored and I have to believe that sooner or later that starting 8 will un**** itself.

It's a steep price but if I were a Cubs fan, I'd have a hard time believing that the Cubs won't just go find a new Jimenez. Theo and Hoyer know their hitting prospects. Jason McLeod is impressive as hell in his own right.

[jd1020]

If the deal included Happ instead of Jimenez I wouldn't care too much but the mere fact that Jimenez was who I thought made Schwarber expendable is in the deal just makes no sense.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jd1020

If the deal included Happ instead of Jimenez I wouldn't care too much but the mere fact that Jimenez was who I thought made Schwarber expendable is in the deal just makes no sense.

I still think Bryant's long-term home ends up LF. He's improving but he still looks mechanical and his body type just fights against him a little. He's exceptionally athletic so he makes it work, but he'd be a plus defensive LFer, IMO. It would be very similar to the move Braun made.

So could it be that they see Happ as the long-term 2b, Baez at 3b and Bryant in LF?

I still don't see what the hell they plan on doing in CF. Don't you have to shit or get off the pot with Almora here? The kid's OBP will play at this level but he needs ABs to determine if he's going to get strong enough to keep the bat from getting knocked out of his hands (and to learn if his D is going to be good enough to make up for offensive limitations; defense just needs so many reps to stabilize).

Flags fly forever so you can't criticize anything Theo's done really, but man that team has thinned out quickly.

[jd1020]

If they were thinking that Bryant would move to LF I don't know why they wouldn't have done that when they first called Happ up, pretty certain Schwarber was already designated to platoon duty at that point. Happ has no position on this team unless Baez or Russell is traded and since if either of them are traded there is no second option at SS we are left with a ****ing 3 man platoon in CF.

We have a DH in LF, a 2nd baseman in CF, the reigning MVP hitting as a table setter, a utility man with a bum wrist that hasn't slugged .500 in like 8 years hitting cleanup, and for the majority of the year a poor baserunning 30+ HR hitter leading off. To say that this team isn't completely ass backwards would be an understatement.

I just hope Quintana can at least get back to being a serviceable #2 pitcher in the NL, because the farm system is now completely depleted between a rental closer and a 4.5 ERA pitcher.

[ChiefsCountry]

Lots of NL teams including both the Cubs and Cardinals would benefit from the DH. Just saying.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Lots of NL teams including both the Cubs and Cardinals would benefit from the DH. Just saying.

Diluting the game to find a home for players that can't actually play baseball isn't 'benefiting' anyone.

If the Cardinals and Cubs can't find homes for Carpenter and Schwarber, they should deal them to the AL. I don't care that the DH exists in the AL - I just don't want it in the NL.

[jd1020]

This trade also crushes my wishes of the Cubs trading Davis in a market begging for relievers.

Sad day.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Diluting the game to find a home for players that can't actually play baseball isn't 'benefiting' anyone.

If the Cardinals and Cubs can't find homes for Carpenter and Schwarber, they should deal them to the AL. I don't care that the DH exists in the AL - I just don't want it in the NL.

Diluting the game is watching trash bench players have to bat and taking out pitchers who are pitching well because they are up to bat the next inning.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Lots of NL teams including both the Cubs and Cardinals would benefit from the DH. Just saying.

The DH completely changes the idea of a baseball player first. I don't care that it creates more offense. Why just designated hitters, why not runners, and fielders. Once you go down that road you might as well turn into football and offensive and defensive players.

It makes even less sense to have TWO different systems in the same league that plays each other. If the AL wants the DH for the regular season, fine. The Series should be played by the original rules.