Whew...so...the MLB trade deadline came and went...that's over. Everything has been corrected, right? Eh. I think it was a lackluster event for the Cardinals organization. Have I already received lectures by mehn telling me I don't understand baseball? Does the sun set in the west? Let me explain my less-than-thrilled reaction to the moves.
First, Yes...I think they did add depth, but outside a few, we aren't looking at playoff pitching for 2024. They did what they could, letting go of pending free agents. You're not going to have a massive return for rentals. It's a start, but when people get too excited about the bare minimum, the Cardinals take their foot off the gas, slap their hands together and congratulate themselves on a job well done.
I was hoping they would give Flaherty the QO because he is one of the few strikeout pitchers the Cardinals have, but I'm also quite sure they would've considered him a #1 or #2 starter. Mozeliak has said many things and then done the opposite, so believe me, a true "Show Me State" Missourian. Let's see what he does this offseason.
Will he become aggressive and go after players like Blake Snell, Lucas Giolito...hell, get back Jordan Montgomery. They have holes they were so sure they had covered this last offseason; it led to the current disaster we are watching on tv. But aggression has been sorely missing from the front office lately. Complacency, especially in a lackluster division, tends to tamper with aggressive off-season moves because "good enough" can win this pisspoor division. Philosophical differences need to be reevaluated by the front office, taking some risks to the pitching staff and the heavy reliance on pitch-to-contact. Are they capable of doing it? I wish I felt more confident in saying yes, but we've been burned, so forgive my "eh" regarding these latest moves. I wish I were more convinced that they're part of a bigger picture, but Mo has been a lot like the MCU lately....lots of promise, but not delivering.