Originally posted on 02/05/2018:

Quote Originally Posted by bjs2025 View Post
Gonna just throw this totally off guard and ask you your thoughts on the Cards this season 2dabank. What do you think?
I'm honestly not sure yet. I'm thrilled with the ozuna pick up, i took lot of flack for it but I contended all along i hoped Stanton wouldn't come here and we ended up w ozuna, not that Stanton not a beast but I really do not like those 300 mil contracts! Same reason I was happy Pujols left. Just don't think one player makes enough impact to take up that much of a salary, I don't think the difference in production we will get from ozuna is great enough to justify danm near 20 mil annually. However I'm disappointed those savings are apparently going in pocket opposed to getting some more useful pieces, from sound of it they don't intend on making any more additions which pisses me of!! Cards are among top 8 in revenue yet around 16th in salary which unacceptable imo. Would really have liked to see them upgrade 3rd base and get gerko back in his super utility role he best suited for.

Most around here are not happy they didn't address the pen with a big name closer, im not really in that camp as closers fragile, hard to trust, don't think throwing money at big names a great strategy and think mozalock has earned benefit of the doubt in this area. Don't get me wrong the idea of gregerson being the closer makes me cringe and think that a terrible idea but while that what penciled in right now I don't believe that will be the case out of spring training. We do have a lot of live young arms that I believe some ready to make the jump, tuivailala has already gotten valuable experiance and has closer type stuff, sounds as if they planning on Reyes being in pen this season back from TJ and he absolutely capable of being the closer or I've heard lot of talk of him being a Andrew miller type of which i think he will be excellent at.

I do have some concerns about the rotation. After Martinez and weaver there a lot of question marks. If they don't want to add another bat then certainly think would have been a good idea to try and brimg in arrieta. To think waino gonna revert back to his form from 3 years ago is naive and think they being too sentimental here, his numbers been horrid and his velo has taken a serious dive, as much as it be great to see him reinvent himself I don't think it likely. Wacha is what he is, he will be great at times and maddeningly inconsistent at others. Gonna assume this mikolas cat they brought back from Japan will be a serviceable back of rotation innings eater cause again I think front office deserves benefit of doubt with this kind of move they have had lot of success with but I think they really need another front end guy at least until Reyes is ready to reenter the rotation which prob a year away as normally it second year after tj where guys regain their form. Again they do have lot of talented arms on the way and some are starters, flaherty wasn't very good when he came up in sept but he does have good stuff and there a lot of examples of guys struggling their 1st time up then figuring things out and think he certainly has that potential.

They weren't that far off the pace last year and I do think the addition of ozuna and the changes made to the coaching staff could certainly have them gaining 5-6 wins from last season. Problem is brewers making some good moves and I'd expect scrubbies to be better this season so not sure that be enough. Lot of question marks, things could break right and they a 90 win team but if they don't it could be another year missing the playoffs. Spring training will tell us a lot as they have to have some these young arms emerge especially in pen.