Stove Heating Up in St. Louis
Apr 27, 2021 16:04:18 GMT -5
Commissioner Erick and brewersgm like this
Post by stlgm on Apr 27, 2021 16:04:18 GMT -5
"We've spent over a billion dollars in payroll over the last five seasons and have one playoff loss to show for it. It's just not acceptable," explains St. Louis owner William Dewitt when asked about the front office changes made following the 2025 season.
Despite the league's third highest payroll, the Cardinals finished 22 games under .500. The disappointment forced Dewitt to usher out the old leadership regime and bring in a fresh face, Tim Lentz.
Lentz will face a lot of questions entering this offseason. A roster full of inflated contracts will make it difficult to navigate a full roster turnover, while a passionate fan base will not patiently wait until the next decade for contracts to fall off the books and the team's tide to change.
"Patience. We're going to turn this thing around, but fans will need to exercise some patience and trust the process. It won't always make sense, but we're going to put St. Louis back on the map in MLB," Lentz said when asked about the monumental challenge ahead of him entering the offseason.
The obvious starting point will be at this year's Winter Meetings. Lentz will be tasked with finding buyers on the market, willing to dip into the wallet to acquire potentially overpaid players. Addison Russell will almost definitely be shopped around after disappointing the organization following signing a $352 million contract in 2022. Russell is currently slated to be the second highest paid player in 2026, and his contract is guaranteed through 2027. Despite his struggles, many scouts feel that at 31 years old, he still has a bat that could impact a contender.
Following Russell, the team could also look to move Joc Pederson, Austin Meadows, Michael Wacha, Nick Thurman, and Alex Reyes. All five men have the talent to help a team looking to make a push in 2026. The harsh reality for the Cardinals is, they're unlikely to be contenders over the next two seasons, and all five players are in the early 30s, so it would be wise to see what they can get in return and cut the salary.
Then there's 38 year old Dallas Keuchel, who's being paid $59 million over the next two seasons after posting a 5.15 ERA in 2025. Unlikely to ever find a taker, it's a deal that the organization will be stuck with until it's conclusion. Buster Posey is in the similar situation, albeit a third of the price of Keuchel.
The biggest question on St. Louis sports talk radio right now though is what will Lentz do with the young talent on the roster. 1B Nick Pratto is arguably a top five hitter in the league, and just 27 years old. It would seem crazy for the organization to move him. But it's also crazy to think of the kind of assets they maybe able to fetch in return for him. Plus, how happy would Pratto be to go through multiple seasons of rebuilding in St. Louis?
"As an old school wrestling fan, there's a saying," Lentz says when asked about Pratto, "'Everybody's got a price.' I'm half kidding, Pratto is the type of centerpiece that any organization would be infinitely fortunate to build around, but I also never say never."
For an organization clouded in uncertainty heading into the offseason, one thing is for certain, if Lentz has his way, this team will look vastly different in 2026.
Tldr: Let's make a deal
Despite the league's third highest payroll, the Cardinals finished 22 games under .500. The disappointment forced Dewitt to usher out the old leadership regime and bring in a fresh face, Tim Lentz.
Lentz will face a lot of questions entering this offseason. A roster full of inflated contracts will make it difficult to navigate a full roster turnover, while a passionate fan base will not patiently wait until the next decade for contracts to fall off the books and the team's tide to change.
"Patience. We're going to turn this thing around, but fans will need to exercise some patience and trust the process. It won't always make sense, but we're going to put St. Louis back on the map in MLB," Lentz said when asked about the monumental challenge ahead of him entering the offseason.
The obvious starting point will be at this year's Winter Meetings. Lentz will be tasked with finding buyers on the market, willing to dip into the wallet to acquire potentially overpaid players. Addison Russell will almost definitely be shopped around after disappointing the organization following signing a $352 million contract in 2022. Russell is currently slated to be the second highest paid player in 2026, and his contract is guaranteed through 2027. Despite his struggles, many scouts feel that at 31 years old, he still has a bat that could impact a contender.
Following Russell, the team could also look to move Joc Pederson, Austin Meadows, Michael Wacha, Nick Thurman, and Alex Reyes. All five men have the talent to help a team looking to make a push in 2026. The harsh reality for the Cardinals is, they're unlikely to be contenders over the next two seasons, and all five players are in the early 30s, so it would be wise to see what they can get in return and cut the salary.
Then there's 38 year old Dallas Keuchel, who's being paid $59 million over the next two seasons after posting a 5.15 ERA in 2025. Unlikely to ever find a taker, it's a deal that the organization will be stuck with until it's conclusion. Buster Posey is in the similar situation, albeit a third of the price of Keuchel.
The biggest question on St. Louis sports talk radio right now though is what will Lentz do with the young talent on the roster. 1B Nick Pratto is arguably a top five hitter in the league, and just 27 years old. It would seem crazy for the organization to move him. But it's also crazy to think of the kind of assets they maybe able to fetch in return for him. Plus, how happy would Pratto be to go through multiple seasons of rebuilding in St. Louis?
"As an old school wrestling fan, there's a saying," Lentz says when asked about Pratto, "'Everybody's got a price.' I'm half kidding, Pratto is the type of centerpiece that any organization would be infinitely fortunate to build around, but I also never say never."
For an organization clouded in uncertainty heading into the offseason, one thing is for certain, if Lentz has his way, this team will look vastly different in 2026.
Tldr: Let's make a deal