Post by Matt on Mar 11, 2019 14:30:39 GMT -5
The trade deadline came and went and it was fairly quiet in St Louis. The only deal that they found was swapping a young reliever in Ray Soff for a solid veteran, Doug Bair from Toronto. "We were active on the phones, but nothing every really panned out like we wanted," said GM Matthew Carpenter. "We tried for the big shakeup somewhere, but the stars never aligned to get that franchise player we wanted." Rumors had the Cardinals talking all over the league from San Diego to Houston to Montreal to New York looking for that big bat that would make an impact on their stagnant, struggling offense.
Then August hit and the Cardinal front office was busy. Very busy. A whopping 5 waiver trades later their roster looked a little different. Gone were prospects Dar Smith and Craig Wilson. Gone were starting catcher Ron Hodges, CF Sixto Lezcano, 2B Rance Mulliniks, SP Lamar Hoyt. "We felt like something needed to be done. A roster shakeup needed to happen," quoted Carpenter. "What we had wasn't working on offense and a few of the guys were being a little over zealous in contract negotiations." Social media was picking up on rumors that some of the veterans wanted multi year extensions, that the Cardinals weren't too keen on giving due to their age. Other rumors were that a couple of guys who hadn't really proven their worth production wise wanted some big dollar paydays. "In the big picture, a majority of the guys we dealt we didn't really have long term plans around. We've got a few of our young guys that we think are ready now, or will be next season, sitting in AAA, so moving guys and getting younger prospects in return just made sense.
The young guns that the GM is referring to are probably the likes of OF Felix Jose, IF Juan Samuel to go with starting pitchers Bob Tewksbury and Bill Long. "We've been lucky with some trades and our player development. We're excited for the next couple of seasons. Between those guys and OF Ruben Sierra, we feel we've got a decent nucleus to go with our fairly young roster."
The surprise came fairly close to the deadline when the Cardinals pulled of a shocking trade with Toronto. The Redbirds sent struggling starter Lamarr Hoyt in return for aging veteran Ron Blomberg. "We just felt like it was a trade we couldn't pass up when it hit. We like Lamarr and his abilities, but with our stable of young arms we thought he was a piece that might help another team. Getting a bat like Boomer's for the stretch run is huge. We just hope he holds out his talents and production before father time catches up."
The Cardinals did indeed catch a small break, the week or so after trading Hoyt, rumor has it he suffered a career ending injury. "I've heard the rumors, but don't know that for sure. For Toronto and Lamarr's sake I hope that isn't the case, but if it is, that's a horrible way for things to happen," quipped Carpenter.
Then August hit and the Cardinal front office was busy. Very busy. A whopping 5 waiver trades later their roster looked a little different. Gone were prospects Dar Smith and Craig Wilson. Gone were starting catcher Ron Hodges, CF Sixto Lezcano, 2B Rance Mulliniks, SP Lamar Hoyt. "We felt like something needed to be done. A roster shakeup needed to happen," quoted Carpenter. "What we had wasn't working on offense and a few of the guys were being a little over zealous in contract negotiations." Social media was picking up on rumors that some of the veterans wanted multi year extensions, that the Cardinals weren't too keen on giving due to their age. Other rumors were that a couple of guys who hadn't really proven their worth production wise wanted some big dollar paydays. "In the big picture, a majority of the guys we dealt we didn't really have long term plans around. We've got a few of our young guys that we think are ready now, or will be next season, sitting in AAA, so moving guys and getting younger prospects in return just made sense.
The young guns that the GM is referring to are probably the likes of OF Felix Jose, IF Juan Samuel to go with starting pitchers Bob Tewksbury and Bill Long. "We've been lucky with some trades and our player development. We're excited for the next couple of seasons. Between those guys and OF Ruben Sierra, we feel we've got a decent nucleus to go with our fairly young roster."
The surprise came fairly close to the deadline when the Cardinals pulled of a shocking trade with Toronto. The Redbirds sent struggling starter Lamarr Hoyt in return for aging veteran Ron Blomberg. "We just felt like it was a trade we couldn't pass up when it hit. We like Lamarr and his abilities, but with our stable of young arms we thought he was a piece that might help another team. Getting a bat like Boomer's for the stretch run is huge. We just hope he holds out his talents and production before father time catches up."
The Cardinals did indeed catch a small break, the week or so after trading Hoyt, rumor has it he suffered a career ending injury. "I've heard the rumors, but don't know that for sure. For Toronto and Lamarr's sake I hope that isn't the case, but if it is, that's a horrible way for things to happen," quipped Carpenter.
