artie_fufkin wrote:

The outfielder in the Ozuna trade is Sierra.

Just head that. Other pitcher is supposedly Gallen. Honestly, I don’t mind that. Sierra was fun to watch, but I don’t think he ever hit a ball more than 150 feet.

Id much rather have longoria because if they get hosmer carp would likely move back to third base.  Not that he is a good first baseman but he is a worst third baseman.

I guess i see it as fair because the cards are said to have given up 2 of there top young pitching prospects.  I really hope they are on the phone with the rays asking for a 2 or 3 player swap.

Carp
Folwer
Pham
Ozuna
Longoria
Dejong
Molina
Wong

That isnt bad and gyorko adds alot of comfort as a backup to all infield positions.

APIAD wrote:

I guess i see it as fair because the cards are said to have given up 2 of there top young pitching prospects. I really hope they are on the phone with the rays asking for a 2 or 3 player swap.

Carp
Folwer
Pham
Ozuna
Longoria
Dejong
Molina
Wong

That isnt bad and gyorko adds alot of comfort as a backup to all infield positions.

I hope you're not thinking of batting his lordship in the no. 7 slot.

BTW, the other pitcher besides Gallen and Alcantara is said to be Danny Castano, whom I've heard nothing about.
 

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

The outfielder in the Ozuna trade is Sierra.

Just head that. Other pitcher is supposedly Gallen. Honestly, I don’t mind that. Sierra was fun to watch, but I don’t think he ever hit a ball more than 150 feet.

We have the added benefit of not having to listen to Whiskey Dan wax eloquent about how excited he is to see Sierra.
grounding out.
 

Mags wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

APIAD wrote:

Its a start. Marlins definitely got a fair deal.

Actually, the Marlins are catching a lot of heat over the fact they traded Stanton and Ozuna and didn’t get a top 100 prospect. The Cardinals did a nice job keeping their top guys.

I have to admit that I agree with you on this one.  Alcantara may be another Sandy Koufax (in fact, he may have better control than Koufax did at this stage of his career) but I think it's worth the risk.

You are higher on Longoria than I am, however.
 

Longoria is consistently healthy, hits over 20 HR every season, averages close to 100 RBI per season and plays gold glove defense. Plus the Tampa lineup he’s been playing in has been putrid for a few years. His age would be my main concern, but he’s making less than Dexter Fowler. I’d take him in a heartbeat.

forsberg_us wrote:

Cardinals have reportedly traded Piscotty to Oakland for 2 yet to be named minor leaguers.

Pretty well a salary dump i suppose.  Seen an article being critical of the fo for trading adams, diaz and piscotty with little return.

forsberg_us wrote:

Mags wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

Actually, the Marlins are catching a lot of heat over the fact they traded Stanton and Ozuna and didn’t get a top 100 prospect. The Cardinals did a nice job keeping their top guys.

I have to admit that I agree with you on this one.  Alcantara may be another Sandy Koufax (in fact, he may have better control than Koufax did at this stage of his career) but I think it's worth the risk.

You are higher on Longoria than I am, however.
 

Longoria is consistently healthy, hits over 20 HR every season, averages close to 100 RBI per season and plays gold glove defense. Plus the Tampa lineup he’s been playing in has been putrid for a few years. His age would be my main concern, but he’s making less than Dexter Fowler. I’d take him in a heartbeat.

My thoughts on longoria is: 

*I think he makes the 2018 much much better.  His defense at third and the offensive combination of longoria at third full time and gyorko as a super sub is a big plus.

*i worry about wong, longoria and gyorko all aging and contracts raising.  Wong and gyorko are younger and likely to out proform longoria in a year or two.  Will the 3 of them be to expensive in the role that they will fill at that time?

My conclusion, at risk of sounding stupid, is that the cardinals cant keep making decision based on looking far down the road.  It was served them well but this team needs to improve now.  Prospects are going to have to be moved and future congestion in the future will have to be delt with.  The contract i am talking about are not ones that cant be over came.

“*i worry about wong, longoria and gyorko all aging and contracts raising.  Wong and gyorko are younger and likely to out proform longoria in a year or two.  Will the 3 of them be to expensive in the role that they will fill at that time?”

Longoria is 32. It’s unlikely he’d be good for all 5 of the years remaining on his contract, but It’s reasonable to think he’d be pretty good for at least 3 of them. Gyorko only has 2 years left and his contract is cheap enough someone would take it (though I’m not sure he has much value in today’s valuation process) and Wong has 3 left. In Wong’s case, fingers crossed that the improvement he showed last year is lasting. If so, he’s an asset.

"The Braves tried to trade him, found Adams had no value and ended up non-tendering him."

Interesting. I missed that. He was superfluous once Freeman came back, and the other teams knew it. His only role at this point is as a DH hitting against right-handed pitching. It was really kind of a curious acquisition in the first place. It's not like the Braves were a title contender last year and needed someone to keep the lifeboat afloat while Freeman recuperated.
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

I'm disappointed they gave up Sierra, but I'll allow a large part of that is my nostalgia for the Coleman/Smith/McGee era when the Cardinals had so much speed every game amounted to three hours of chaos for the opposing team. In a moment of sobriety, I share the same concerns about Sierra's offense and his ability to convert his raw speed into stolen bases. But the kid is only 21, has major league defensive skills and when he was here, the Cardinals were winning games.
I'm certain Piscotty's struggles were related to his mother's illness. He seems like a good kid, and I hope he flourishes in Oakland. He wasn't going to play much here.
To me, the more important piece in a potential deal with Tampa Bay is Colome. This really didn't make the headlines, but Nicasio signed a 2-year, $17 million deal with the Mariners yesterday. Meaning the most reliable arm the Cardinals have in their bullpen right now is Matt Bowman.

I think Mercado made Sierra expendable.  Early returns suggest he is a better hitter, at least as good if not better defender, and so far a much better baserunner.  And I believe he's only a year older.  In addition, the same might be true about Garcia.

I really liked Sierra and got the impression that he was an exceptional young man.  Unfortunately, the Cards don't have a team that could make good use of him and don't appear to be headed in that direction in the near future.
 

Patrick Wisdom made it through the Rule 5 draft.