11/05/24
May 14, 2023
What Happened to the St. Louis Cardinals?: Favorites to win the National League Central again, the St. Louis Cardinals have instead gone 15-25 and dwell in the cellar of the NL. Every starter has an ERA above 4.00, relievers have blown 11 saves and for the first time since 2004, Yadier Molina is no longer behind the plate. The Redbirds signed Willson Contreras for five years and $87.5 million to succeed him, and in a sign of how that's going, he was briefly demoted to DH.
It's really this simple -- poor team construction, terrible managing.
The complete lack of a pitching staff overhaul after last season was embarrassing. The glut of outfielders not only remains, it got worse. Bringing Walker up was bold, but sending him back the second he hit a snag just didn't make sense. Oli benching O'Neil for "not hustling" on bad hamstrings is the sort of toxic shit I'd expect from La Russa. And I honestly have no idea what to make of the Contreras situation. It's a comedy of errors: massive overpay for a part-time player you have full-time expectations for --> give him just 20 percent of the season before pulling him and blaming him for the pitching staff being ass --> announce that he's going to DH/play in the outfield --> announce he's going to only DH --> announce he's got a chance to win the catching job back from the bum you deemed not good enough when you signed Contreras in the first place -- and do it all in a month.
(Edit: almost forgot to complain about the continual lineup changes and search for "matchups" that rarely transpire)
As a fellow Cardinals fan noted on Twitter: if this is the price we had to pay for last year's magical Pujols run, we'll do so. But BOY is it getting frustrating. /endrant
posted by Goyoucolts at 08:31 PM on May 14, 2023
Well, as a fan of small market catastrophe and erstwhile rival of the Cardinals Cincinnati, I feel compelled to point out that hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah (ad nauseum).
posted by tahoemoj at 05:08 PM on May 15, 2023
As a fan at large, I feel better when the Reds and Pirates are relevant. Takes me back to bygone days. Including the days with the double knit unis and the soulless stadiums along the river.
I got part of my wish for at least a little while this year, but it looks like the Pirates are coming back to earth.
posted by beaverboard at 08:30 PM on May 15, 2023
I'm with you on that one Beaver. The current structure of MLB might suit some people - 6 or 7 behemoths who are perennial contenders, and several "small market" clubs trying to catch lightning in a bottle for a magical 1 or 2 season run - but it really has alienated me from the game. So part (the overwhelming majority?) of my "hatred" for the Cardinals is their ability to remain relevant and competitive in a relatively small market. They're historically well managed and seem to be a step ahead of many in the draft. Success breeds resentment, especially among one's rivals who can't seem to stop tripping over our dicks. But where we gonna go, right Phil?
posted by tahoemoj at 12:29 PM on May 16, 2023
The Cardinals visit the Red Sox tonight on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.