The Cardinals face a cross road, as we speak the Cubs continue to improve their position in the Central and the pirates aren’t getting worse. So that leaves the Cardinals at a crucial point, and it starts with this off season. Let’s take a look at their off season map.
We know that young talent is something the Cards have plenty of, however is it enough? The emergence of Randal, Pham, and Piscotty make it encouraging for the outlook of the outfield. With Holiday getting older, and Hayward declining the qualifying offer to become a free agent you can see the need for said talent. Yadi just won another Gold Glove, oh and let’s not forget a Platinum to go with it. Adams will be healthy, Wong hopefully improves, and Carp is actually providing power. Seems like we could use strong bat of the bench then. Nope far from it. It’s time for a change, and a big one.
As stated above the Cubs are improving, and they will not shy from spending money. Think of them as they Yankees of the Central. The Cubs embarrassed the Cardinals in the Division series. It should come to no surprise when I say that the Cubs are the better team. This may not sound good to many of you, and most will disagree, however the Cards just lost Lackey, Lynn, and Hayward. Wainright is an unknown coming off injury, Garcia is Injury prone, and Martinez is coming off an injury as well. For once our starting pitching is not a strength. Well we have young guys in Gonzalez and Lyons you may say. You are right, we do. However you must not bank on the unknown. With the 3 best teams in all of Major League in the Central banking on the unknown is not the way to go.
It’s simple we need change, no one likes change however it is a must if you want to continue our winning ways. There are five positions of immediate need, so let’s take a look. 1st we will address pitching. As a starter it’s nice to have a guy who can go 200+ innings, and give you 12-15 wins. Lackey is your man, a 2 year 17 million a year contract is perfect for a pitcher of Lackey’s caliber. He has proven time and time again he is there when you need him. It would be nice to bring in a guy of Price or Grienke’s caliber, however I say Cueto is your man. He has pitched the Central most of his career, and gives you a solid one two punch in your rotation. Now he won’t come cheap, but we are going with the you have to spend to win idea here. Now you have added quality starters, and give yourself the win now mentality. The contract above I think would be flexible would be Lackey, he may come in on a one year deal if the offer is right for him. Which in turn gives you a spot for Lynn to return to. Last position we address here is our bull pen, this is Mo can get creative as we have a pretty solid pen as it stands, but it could use a fresh face.
This is where people will have problems with this plan, first obviously right field is wide open. You have to address this position, and the only logical answer is Jason Hayward. Not only is he 26, and a winner of 3 Gold Gloves, but he lead the team in average and stolen bases last year. 7-10 yr 150-200 million is not insane here. He has earned it, and still has room to improve his offense. Now resigning Hayward does not address right field, no he moves to center field. For right field we make a trade. Who do we trade for that is worth our time? It’s simple we go after power, and power is in the form of Stanton. It’s a name we have spoken often in trade ideas. Now is the time to pull the trigger. Stanton is under control till 2027, and worth every Penney. He brings a power element not seen in St. Louis since Pujols, but this won’t come cheap. Miami needs some value in return, and boy do the Cards have that. Not only will the value be there, but it will be big league ready. Here that Cards give up Adams, Griechuk, Lyons, Cruz and John Jay. Not only do the Marlins get plenty of Team Control with this group, but they get quality young players ready to make an impact. Now you could also see Marco tossed in here to help sweeten the deal, but the Cards won’t miss him. There is plenty more where they came from. Now we have addressed our right field, center field, and now first baseman. The Cards could sign someone, however I think Piscoty is your man here, he is not a traditional power hitter, however he can provide the pop that gives the Cards the best chance to win.
As stated before most of you will disagree, however remember we still have to beat the Cubs and our current roster just won’t get it done. I would love to hear your ideas!
