Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here.
Each week, after hosting my sports chat at STLToday.com, we send a newsletter with a quick-hit analysis of the local sports landscape. I also highlight questions from the chat itself. Join the chat at 11 a.m. STL time Tuesdays.
Hello from Nashville, where the Post-Dispatch baseball crew is hard at work covering another round of MLB winter meetings.
The Cardinals came in with momentum, having signed three starting pitchers before they arrived at the Opryland Hotel, but things have cooled since as the Shohei Ohtani Free-Agent Freeze has slowed down things across the league considerably.
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That could change soon, as evidenced by the reports of Juan Soto momentum toward a trade to the Yankees.
The Cardinals are still focused on pitching but have been spending much of their time here examining options for free-agent and trade-target bullpen pieces that can help fortify a bullpen that squandered too many games last season. The Cardinals are open to trading outfielders to help this need, specifically Tyler O'Neill.
We will have continued coverage at and in the pages of the Post-Dispatch. For now, here are some of the hot topics from Tuesday's baseball-heavy chat. Stick around for a college football thought at the end.
Cheers.
Here are the highlights from this week's chat ...
Q: The Cardinals want to move Tyler O'Neill, clearly. What kind of return could realistically be expected?
BenFred: If the Cardinals can get a reliever who can spend the bulk of the season in the bullpen for O'Neill, they should be doing Christmas cartwheels. The Royals have shown some interest and other teams have as well. The Cardinals have been described as stubborn-ish on their asking price and that's smart, because there's no need to rush, and teams that miss out on outfielders, like Cody Bellinger, could become more urgent and willing to trade away a better arm. That said I don't see O'Neill being with the Cardinals at spring training after Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak went public about shopping him. We knew the Cardinals were looking to trade O'Neill at the 2023 trade deadline. We knew they pulled him back after that because they didn't like potential return. We knew their goal all along was to move him this offseason. But when the president of baseball operations who rarely talks publicly about players he's looking to trade, it's a good sign a deal will be done at some point. Can't put toothpaste back in the tube. The Cardinals right now view their outfield as Tommy Edman in the corners, Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar in the corners, Dylan Carlson as the fourth outfielder if he's not trade. That allows Masyn Winn to start at shortstop, they hope, and buys time before Victor Scott II has to hit at the major league level. They do think Scott's defense is MLB ready now. One last thing. Is O'Neill's value as high as it once was? No way. But remember, one of the most steady relievers over recent seasons has been Giovanny Gallegos. Remember how the Cardinals got Gallegos. He was basically an add-on in the Chasen Shreve and Luke Voit trade. Sometimes relievers who don't move the needle upon addition wind up being quite helpful. O'Neill doesn't have to have the trade value he once did to score a helpful arm.
Q: So, Yadier Molina is not going to be a full-time coach with the Cardinals. Too busy with his basketball team?
BF: That's one of his many obligations that takes up his time, yep. He's into a lot of different things, some sports-related outside of baseball, some business-related, some personal-project related. He's retired from playing. He's not indebted to the Cardinals to be there every second of every day if he doesn't have a role that requires it. The Cardinals can certainly say, hey, if you can't commit to that, there's no role at this time, period. But they want Molina around as much as he wants to be around, so that will be the role. Title TBD no more. Molina is now, officially, the special assistant to the president of baseball operations. This is bigger than just catching. The Cardinals believe some Molina is better than no Molina, and I agree with that. What he's doing when he's not getting paid by the Cardinals to be around is his time. This is a better solution than taking on a job he can't commit fully to finishing. This is better than him pulling out entirely. Molina's fingerprints on the team are a good thing. And before you ask, yes, I could see Molina being a major league manager one day, if he wants to commit his full focus to one thing.
Q: We know the Cardinals want bullpen help, but what more do we know about that quest?
BF: The Cardinals are not saying they want to add a "closer" but they do want to add relief arms, plural, and they feel like can help them in high-leverage, late-game, pressurized spots. They see some holes there. They also are moving away from high-groundball relievers. They are prioritizing swing-and-miss but also looking for arm slots and delivery styles that contrast well with guys they already have. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ want to be able to throw lots of different looks at opposing hitters from their bullpen and think that's something they need to prioritize. This, it sure sounds like during this winter meetings, is the focus now. The Cardinals say they are keeping the door open to considering rotation upgrades still but does not seem to be much momentum there at this time.
Q: If there is a bounce-back starter candidate who would make sense for the Cardinals, who is it and why?
BF: I'd go with Tyler Glasnow, for a few reasons. When he's healthy he's very, very effective. He has an adjusted ERA of 132 since 2021. League average is 100. He's expensive ($25 million) and comes with just one year of contract control before free agency arrives, which should theoretically lower the asking price required to trade for him compared to some other options who have multiple cost-controlled seasons left on their current deals, like, say, Dylan Cease. Glasnow is a risk because he hasn't proven to be a workload guy but the Cardinals have added three of those guys this offseason and have Miles Mikolas as well. He would be a high-upside bet that could cost less in a trade than other options because of his high contract, and he could help hedge the what-if of Steven Matz, who hasn't been entirely reliable. But the Cardinals would have to be willing to take on the money. And maybe the competition for Glasnow makes the trade ask higher than it should be for a highly paid rental. The Cardinals have been aware of a potential fit with Glasnow since before last season ended. That doesn't mean they act on it, though.
Q: Not Cardinals related, but any thoughts on the College Football Playoff selection committee's decision to pick Alabama over undefeated conference champion Florida State?
BF: Just another reason for FSU to eventually join the SEC. Along with Clemson. I could see it happening in the years to come. I understand the whining and legitimate frustration, but there was never a reality in which the SEC was not going to have a team in a four-team CFP. It's like swearing there would be a presidential election that didn't include a Democrat or Republican. It can be argued, I suppose, but it's not reality. The media types who suggested the SEC was going to be left out were not being genuine, or they were not very good at their jobs. Alabama is one of the best four teams in the country. Florida State isn't since its starting QB went down. Sometimes the four-team CFP rewards the best teams. Some times it rewards the most deserving teams. The committee has that wiggle room. It will always give the Super Two (Big Ten and SEC) the benefit of the doubt. I'm glad the bracket expands to 12 next season and wish it would have happened this season. It could have and should have.