Latest / Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast / Cardinals trade Willson Contreras to Red Sox, Murakami signs with White Sox

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Cardinals trade Willson Contreras to Red Sox, Murakami signs with White Sox · Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of Cardinal Territory.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Jim Hayes alongside Kyle Gibson and Matt Holliday. Merry Christmas
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: to everyone. It is Christmas Week, and lo and behold,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: I'm bloom busy once again. The big move, obviously, is
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: sending Wilson Contreras via trade to Boston, along with eight
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: million dollars and one million dollars for Wilson just to
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: accept the trade because he had a no trade clause.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: In return, gentlemen, the Cardinals get three young right handed pitchers.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Start with Hunter Dobson. Hunter Dobbins, I should say, twenty
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: six year old eighth ron pick out of Texas Tech
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: four and one with the Red Sox last year four
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: point one three era made eleven starts, got the fastball
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: that ninety eight, got a splitter, sinker pitch, a slider, sweeper, curveballs.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: And also nineteen year old yoker Farhardo from Venezuela. I
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: hope I said that right pitch very well in the
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Rookie League and in Class A ball originally signed by
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: the White Sox traded to Boston. He's a guy that
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: is now the ninth best cardinal prospect because he pitched
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: so well last year in the lower levels and also
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: blake at a six round pick at a Kennesaw State.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: He's twenty two now. Wilson was set to get eighteen
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: million dollars this season eighteen point five next season. So, gentlemen,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: I laid out some of the details for you, guys.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Just your thoughts. Kyle will start with you. I made
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: his move. We knew this was coming. He said that
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Wilson had talked to them about waiving his no trade.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: He did your thoughts.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think I feel, like I've said this before,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: no offensive position players. I prefer to be on the
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: side of the trade like this, where you're getting young
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: pitching in exchange for a position player. I don't I
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: would have loved to have not traded Wilson, but everything
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: I've seen, which I didn't get a chance to do
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: extensive research on Dobbins, but a couple of guys that
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: I did see mentioned that not only is he a
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: good person, he's a good pitcher.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: He's got good stuff.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: And those, in my mind, are the arms that we're
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: trying to get back if you're going to trade these guys.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: He's got big league experience, So it's not just only
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: a lower level prospect that you hope hands out.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: This is somebody who's pitched in the big leagues.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: You've seen it against big league hitters, and I think
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: that's a big thing to get back. And like I said,
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I think stockpiling young arms that have electric stuff is
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: always a good thing.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: And Matt, this is kind of the plan that Bloom
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: laid out, is he was going to go after replenishing
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: their system with young talented arms again that are controllable.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: The greatest currency in Major League Baseball is controllable talent.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: So I guess for him it's mission accomplished.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I guess you just hope the Red Sox have
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: a good farm system. I mean, you basically just took
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: five or six of their players. So I don't know.
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: I guess when you think about it, how much does
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: him I guess, how how far back does he know
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: all of these pictures? How how influential I guess it would be.
• 3:40
  Speaker 4: My question is, was he in acquiring these pictures into
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: the Red Sox system, which gives him, you know, idea
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: of maybe a closer idea of or a more comfort
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: level of trading for the Red Sox pitchers, or maybe
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: that's just the way it's matched up, and these are
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: the best fits more Sonny and Wilson.
• 4:01
  Speaker 5: But to have two of your major guys go to your.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: Former team for six of their prospects or five of
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: their prospects, whatever it is. Uh, yeah, I guess you know,
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: you hope that they're good. I mean, I think, like
• 4:19
  Speaker 4: Kyle said, at least two of them have a major
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: league experience, so you've seen you've seen two of them
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: against major league hitters, which makes you feel a little better.
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: But you hope that that one or two of these
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: other ones, uh, turn out to be really good major
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: league pitchers. But I think this is this is what
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: we talked about, you know, headed into the off season,
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: when you start saying guys are willing to waive their
• 4:43
  Speaker 4: no trade clause and you have Sonny.
• 4:46
  Speaker 5: And Wilson saying, uh, you know, last year, no thank you,
• 4:51
  Speaker 5: and then this year they're willing to waive it.
• 4:54
  Speaker 4: I think this is this is what we were going
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: to expect, is that you're going to get them. They
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: were going to be traded, and now it'll be interesting
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: to see where Nolan winds up and I think it's
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: it's it's worth considering that if Regman doesn't sign back
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: with the Red Sox, that Nolan could also wind up
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: with the Red Sox. So I think it's, uh, it's
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: pretty fascinating that that both of these big trades have
• 5:17
  Speaker 4: been with the Red Sox. And so we'll see, we'll
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: see how how how good these these pictures are.
• 5:25
  Speaker 5: But but like.
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: Kyle said, if it's always easier to trade pictures, So
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: if if if four or five of these guys pop,
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: you could use them as as uh, you know, as
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: trade tools down the line to to acquire bats if
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: you need to. But you know, it's uh, it's it's
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: gonna be interesting that the Cardinals are are clearly you know,
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: turning their attention towards the future and and uh and
• 5:52
  Speaker 4: making moves that looks like it'll be a year or
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: two three down the line.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: So Heima is kind of far enough from moved. I
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: don't think he's got a hands on experience with some
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: of these young pictures. But Kyle, it is kind of
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: odd that the deal is with the Red Sox. What
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: do you make of that?
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: I mean I think I think he probably does have
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: some familiarity. I think I don't know how these trade
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: talks happen, right, I mean, I've never been ever been
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: in the room or.
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: On the phone.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: But I do kind of wonder if the past relationships
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: with the people in that front office help get those
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: conversations going. I kind of wonder if it helps where
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: he can say, there really isn't a chess game here, right,
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: this is Hey, I know you guys have these players.
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: I know how good they are. You know how good
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: they are. You don't have to sell me. You're not
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: gonna trick me. This is what we're looking for. And
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: then when we'll just say, they gave him eight names,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: and he said, well, those are eight names that are
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: fairly comfortable.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: We'll take these five.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: You know, I just feel like that probably makes that
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: a whole lot easier for both sides to have a
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: comfort level of honesty.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: And you know what that previous relationship did.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: So for a young guy like the nineteen year old
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: kid for Hardo, he took off last year, like that's
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: when a stock he was, you know, lower level of prospect,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: and he would have been in the Red Sox top ten.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: Now he's in the Cardinals top ten because his stuff
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: looked really good. But mat if you're a Cardinals fan,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: this is I think that the balancing act that the
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: Cardinals have to play because obviously they want fans to return,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: they want fans to be excited about a team. These
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: are things that him said had to be done. I
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: think most people would agree that they had to make
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: some of these moves. Now that they're starting to make them,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: some fans are like, you're trading away our best players. Look,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: they already said it's a reset. They got to build
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: for the future. So how difficult is that to balance?
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Would you say, well, it's one of those.
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: Things you gotta rip the band aid off, right, I
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: mean it's so it was already coming off. It was
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: falling off. I mean, the attendance was way down. People
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: weren't showing up to watch Wilson and and Sonny last year.
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: So it's like, I think you at least can sell
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: the idea that that you're trending towards this rebuild and
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: you know, get excited about you know, you did add
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: to two potential rotation pieces, uh and Dobbins and fits,
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: So you did add to to what I don't know
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: Kyle's probably knows their stuff and has watched them closer
• 8:38
  Speaker 4: than I have. But you have two potential rotation guys
• 8:43
  Speaker 4: that you added immediately, and then I think you sell
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: them on JJ Weatherholt and you sell them on you know,
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: young players getting.
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: Opportunities, and I don't know, I don't know.
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: I think I don't think the team is is taking
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: a huge step back from last year as far as
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: you know, potentially winning games, because I think young players
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: get better, So it certainly is U is going to
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: be I don't think the fans.
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: Are going to come back in droves this year.
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: But I do think if if some of these young
• 9:18
  Speaker 4: prospects start to show signs of of being being really good,
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: and then say, next offseason you go the other way
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: where you go out and you sign a couple of
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: big free agents and and and now all of a sudden,
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: you know, I think the fans might, uh, you might
• 9:35
  Speaker 4: get the fans excited and and and people start coming
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: back for the ballpark.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: And one of the things this trade does, Kyle is
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: it gives a set spot for Alec Burlison, a guy
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: who had eighteen homers last year, showed that the showed
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: that he's a big leaguer with a huge upside. He's
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: still young. So that's part of the puzzle, isn't It
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: is creating a way for your guys, you see as
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: part of the future, because they're young and talented, Uh,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: to give them a spot and give them sort of,
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: uh some certainty as to where they're going to be.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: Uh.
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: I mean, not to just disagree with you, Jim, which
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: I do like to do from time to time. I
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: don't think that played into this move. I don't think.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: I don't think they were saying, hey, let's make sure
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: we get Alec Broson on the field every day, even
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: though I think that's a great idea. I back to
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: kind of what Matt said about the fans and.
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: The plan, right. I look at this a couple different ways.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: One, I don't necessarily think the front office is beholden
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: to the fans demands.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: I think the owners.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Have in sports have a certain uh you know, responsibility
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: to the fans to be right by them. But the
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: front office is not here saying, hey, you guys, tell
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: us what to do next, and we'll do it right.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: Because if that's the case.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: I listened to a lot of sports radio, especially when
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: I was making that forty minute drive to bush Dadium,
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: right and I heard, Oh, we need to go young.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: We need to go young. We need to at least
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: know the plan. If we know the plan from the
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: front office, fans will show back up. We just want
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: to know there's a direction that the team's going. Well, okay,
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: if that's the case, then now everybody knows the direction.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: So the seats should be filled and it should be
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: good to go there. They're gonna get rid of some
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: players and they're gonna go young, and now everybody should
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: be back. I think all three of us can admit
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: that that's not going to be the case. All right,
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: that's not There might be a large opening day crowd,
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: but two weeks into the season, if the team is
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: at five hundred and everybody isn't hitting, if they aren't
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: hitting two homers a game and throwing shutouts, nobody's gonna
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: that's not gonna be the same crowds yet, right, Winning
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: hears everything, and I think that is what Heim and
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: the front office are going to focus on. When can
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: we plan on winning? When can we plan on bringing
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: playoff baseball back to Saint Louis? And that is ultimately
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: the goal, and probably until that happens in October, there's
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: not going to be as many sellouts at Bush Stadium
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: no matter what. I just don't I don't think Cardinals
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: fans are going to just come back because mister Mosaic's
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: not in charge and they went young. I just I
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: think I think there's a little bit of the fans
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: here that they kind of got what they asked for
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: when with this reset rebuild, and I think it's gonna
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: be a little bit of a shock to the fans.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: But personally, I do agree with Matt. I don't necessarily
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: think that, do I think Wilson's a big piece. Yes,
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: I think I think he's a great player to have,
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: and I think the team is not better because they
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: traded him. But I still think, you know, Alec Burlison
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: getting you know, forty more games of first base, whatever
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: it is, eighty more games of first base and more
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: plate appearances is a good thing for that offense because
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: he's a really good player.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: And millions of dollars come up the books. There's no
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: question about it. Oh well, you know, Lence calls it
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: a teardown that wasn't here, but.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: Just saved a bag. That's what you're gonna say. I
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: can't believe you didn't bring that out.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: There's no question there's I mean, that's what it's about.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Even though they had to kick in eight million, a
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: lot comes off the books. Lance Matt, while you weren't here,
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: is calling this a teardown, not a reset. But let's
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: talk about Wilson, a guy who who brings energy, no
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: question about it. But it seems to me if you're Wilson,
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: you get a million dollars to accept the trade, and
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: then you're going to a ballpark with the green Monster.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: It seems like that might be a perfect place for him.
• 13:38
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think he's gonna thrive there.
• 13:40
  Speaker 4: I mean, I think it's pretty similar to the environment
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: that he played in at Wrigley Field. I think he
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: likes the big moment, the big market. He plays with energy.
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: I think I think the Red Sox fans would like
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: watching his intensity. It fits that Northeast. If a Yankee
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: he hits him on purpose, I could see him running
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: out to the mound.
• 14:04
  Speaker 5: I I think it's a it's a good fit for
• 14:06
  Speaker 5: for them in a lot of ways.
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: I think I think he adds a toughness about him
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: and and ah, I think it's I think it's a
• 14:17
  Speaker 4: really nice for his offensive game.
• 14:19
  Speaker 5: I think it's a good fit.
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: Uh So, I think I think it's it's a it's
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: a great trade for the Red Sox. I you know,
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: I think you know me being you know obviously with
• 14:29
  Speaker 4: Jackson and you know, with the Orioles and and the
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: moves they're making. I think the Al East is going
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: to be uh spectacular this this coming uh season, and
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: and look forward to you know, with what the Blue
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: Jays did last year and what they're doing and the
• 14:43
  Speaker 4: Yankees and the Red Sox and uh now the Orioles
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: are are seemingly uh spending money and going for it,
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: and and you always have the Rays who are kind
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: of behind the scenes, uh putting together a solid team.
• 14:57
  Speaker 5: It's uh Al East is is gonna be fun.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: To watch, no question about it.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: For I feel sorry for the opposing shortstops in second
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: basement because Wilson is going to go for fifteen extra
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: doubles off that monster, and he's going to be barreling
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: in there and just sliding. So I mean those guys, oh,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: those Ali's middle infielders have something coming for him when
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: Wilson's coming into second going for a double.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: That's all I gotta say.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: I think that's really the perfect spot for him. But
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: when you're talking about what the Cardinals are building here, Kyle,
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: I know you and Lance are big on this, probably
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: Matt too. You're going to have a very young team,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: you still have some spots to shure up. How much
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: would it benefit them to get a veteran, right, because
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: you look at the average age go position by position,
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: really really young. Now they have some guys who kind
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: of got some leadership about them and you know, sort
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: of have some say in the clubhouse. How much of
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: a benefit would it be for them to go ahead
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: and get a veteran guy.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: Very beneficial, Very beneficial. I know, hold on, sorry, I
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: missed something up. We're I know, I messed it up.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Very beneficial, especially if it's the right one. I don't
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: think you just get a veteran to get one. I
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: think you do a little bit of extra homework on
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: who it is and how they can help, and maybe
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: who you even have in mind.
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: For the group of players to benefit.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I but I also think that it
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: really just depends on who they keep trading, right, if
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: you keep Donovan around, I think that it's huge Donovan
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: and Newt can be the guys that lead this team.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: They are extremely.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: Capable, They're very well respected in that clubhouse by you know,
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: unless something's changed in the last year and a half,
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: I think those guys can be really good. And I
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: think you don't necessarily want to That's why I say
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: it's important. It is you don't necessarily want to fill
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: what you feel like might be a void with Wilson
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: not being there anymore, or Miles or Sonny. You want
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: to leave some room for Mason and Donnie and Burley,
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: and I'm probably leaving somebody out Herrera. You want to
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: leave some room for these guys to take over some
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: leadership as well. That's why I think it'd be the
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: right one to kind of help, you know, maybe nurture
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: a little bit of that leadership quality in some of
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: these guys and not not be expected to come in
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: and take over that leadership, because I don't think that
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: helps him If those three or four guys don't become
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: better leaders over this season and remain the voices in
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: that clubhouse.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: I don't think the Cardinals brought cart back for a year, Matt,
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: I'm just wondering a guy like that. I'm talking about
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: a bench guy, not a guy who's going to be
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: taking at bats, a guy who's comfortable in the role
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: of doing whatever. Is there a guy you think would
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: would be a better fit to the Cardinals or is
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: that overstated the leadership aspect, you know, I.
• 18:06
  Speaker 4: Think from a couple of different angles here. One, I
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: agree with Kyle that sometimes you want to let these guys,
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: these younger guys that have been with your organization a while,
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: you kind of want to let them, give them the
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: clubhouse and kind of let them give them the reins
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: of leadership. When you start talking about new Bar and
• 18:25
  Speaker 4: Donovan and some of these guys that are starting to
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: get into that twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine year
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: old age where you want them to lead and you
• 18:35
  Speaker 4: don't want to bring someone in to where they feel like, Okay,
• 18:38
  Speaker 4: you just brought in the leader and now they take
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: another day, take a step back or retreat on leadership
• 18:44
  Speaker 4: type stuff. But I also think that if you're a
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: team like the Cardinals in this position, I think it's
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: interesting to look for good, good players who are looking
• 18:56
  Speaker 4: on you know, or maybe the market has come back
• 18:58
  Speaker 4: to you a little bit and on a one year deal,
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: and you can go sign somebody, Uh, you can go
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: sign a closer or somebody that you you can get
• 19:07
  Speaker 4: them hot or you can you can you see something
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: in them. They they have a bounce back season and
• 19:13
  Speaker 4: you and you sign them and you can trade them
• 19:16
  Speaker 4: at the deadline for more prospects. So you have some
• 19:19
  Speaker 4: flexibility with your payroll because you've you've traded some of it.
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: So if you can get a guy on a one
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: year deal that you feel like at the deadline might
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: bring you back a prospector too. I like that style
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: of if you're not gonna win and you can find
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: some free agents on one year deals that you can
• 19:39
  Speaker 4: flip them at the at the break. It's just another
• 19:42
  Speaker 4: way to acquire young talent. And I think maybe the
• 19:46
  Speaker 4: Pirates when they signed Chapman. There's been a couple of
• 19:50
  Speaker 4: teams that have you know, have benefited from signing a
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: role as Chapman, uh, you know, to a one year,
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: ten or fifteen million dollar deal and then flipping him
• 19:59
  Speaker 4: at the deadline to contender for two prospects that you know,
• 20:03
  Speaker 4: I don't know how they've turned out, but I think
• 20:05
  Speaker 4: that's an interesting talent acquisition.
• 20:09
  Speaker 5: Way you can do things.
• 20:11
  Speaker 4: When you're one you have some money, and two you're
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: not really necessarily going for the postseason.
• 20:20
  Speaker 5: I think it's something to think about.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. I think that makes sense too. Last thing before
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: we let you go to me one of the most
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: fascinating signings. We're talking about Moricami, the Japanese slugger. I
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: think he had fifty six homers one year, gets a
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: two year deal from the White Sox thirty four million dollars.
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: He's only twenty five years old, so if he pans out,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: he's going to get another bite at the apple. I'm
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: just curious, and I'll start with you, Kyle on this.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: You've seen players come, you know, from other leagues, international imports.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: How difficult is that? And what a power hitter? I mean,
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: there have been plenty of guys who have made it,
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: you know, from the Japanese league. I'm thinking of Matsui
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: with the Yankees. How difficult is it to translate what
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: you did there to MLB?
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: I mean, that's a great question.
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: You will I don't know, yeah, I mean the fact
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: that you asked a picture, the fact that you asked
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: a picture how easy it is for a position player
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: to hit in the big leagues from Japan. You should
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: have started with Matt. You always start with Matt on
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: most questions or lance. You always saved me for last second.
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: Round it out.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: But here's the thing that may give you mine. Plenty
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: of Japanese There are plenty of Japanese pictures that have
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: done it.
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: The question remains, all right, I think I think that
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: there's probably a reason why a twenty five year old
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: got a shorter deal.
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: With big AAV.
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: I kind of wonder if maybe he has the relationships
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: are big, right, you know, you see Yamamoto and Roki
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: want to be around show. Hey, kind of wonder if maybe, uh,
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: you know this particular player. I'm gonna say a partico
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: player because I'm going to mess up his last name.
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: I don't want to do that, so we'll just say
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: that maybe Morikami, maybe he's closer to Shoda uh and
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: wanted to be closer to in Monaga right there. Maybe
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: he had talked to him about Chicago and and maybe
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: that was a good market where he said, hey, uh,
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: I'm going to take two years and see if this
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: is gonna work. And then I'm not able to maximize
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: my value now. But if I go out two years
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: in Chicago and hit thirty plus a year and maybe
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: have something close to two six or two eighty six
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: like he did in twenty twenty five years, you see
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: all of a sudden he's a big time free agent.
• 22:41
  Speaker 3: So I think this is hold on, baby, what's up?
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: I think I think that maybe this is something where
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: he can reset his market without even having to do
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: a full reset.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: You're a good You're a good day. Uh, Matt, you're
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: a slugger, former power player. Japanese guys have come into
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: the league and fared pretty well, but they playing smaller
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: ballparks over there, There's no question about it. Probably not
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: the same level of pitching on a consistent basis. How
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: difficult is his mission?
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I think this is I actually like
• 23:19
  Speaker 4: this guy's swinging quite a bit. And I actually think
• 23:21
  Speaker 4: the White Sox are like a sneaky good young team
• 23:24
  Speaker 4: that are on the climb that I got a chance
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: last year to watch obviously when when Jackson, when the
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: Orioles were playing the White Sox. I think they're actually
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: kind of sneaky, uh on the on the on the rise.
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: I think they're they're getting close. And I think if
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: he comes over and hits twenty twenty five homers in
• 23:45
  Speaker 4: the middle of their lineup, I think, I think they're
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: building something that's going to be pretty good. But as
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: far as you know coming over here, I think when
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: you look at like Showhy when he came over and
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: in spring training struggled mightily, had to make it a
• 23:59
  Speaker 4: big a job with his his his stride and his
• 24:02
  Speaker 4: leg kick because I think the velocity the pitching style
• 24:07
  Speaker 4: is different, So I think there will be adjustments that
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: that this guy has to make.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 24:14
  Speaker 4: The pitching is going to be I think, substantially better.
• 24:18
  Speaker 4: I think we're seeing that more and more with guys
• 24:21
  Speaker 4: coming up from Triple A. The separation between uh, Triple
• 24:26
  Speaker 4: A and really any other league in the world and
• 24:29
  Speaker 4: the pitching that's happening in the major leagues right now,
• 24:31
  Speaker 4: I think the gap is bigger than it's ever been,
• 24:34
  Speaker 4: So it's.
• 24:35
  Speaker 5: Gonna be an adjustment.
• 24:36
  Speaker 4: I think it would be fun to watch to see
• 24:38
  Speaker 4: how fast he can he can make that adjustment and
• 24:42
  Speaker 4: and and see, you know what what, how pitchers attack him.
• 24:46
  Speaker 4: But i'm i'm i'm, I'm in I remember watching him
• 24:50
  Speaker 4: a couple of years ago. I've seen some video of
• 24:53
  Speaker 4: him and and and really liked he. He seemed to
• 24:56
  Speaker 4: me like a little bit more of an American style
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: play than maybe some of the guys.
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 25:02
  Speaker 5: Obviously show he could play anywhere.
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: He's the greatest player of all time, but in general,
• 25:06
  Speaker 4: I thought this guy looked a little bit more like
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: American style power hitter than maybe some of the guys
• 25:11
  Speaker 4: that come over.
• 25:13
  Speaker 5: But I yes, there's going to be an adjustment.
• 25:15
  Speaker 4: He's going to have to adjust to the pitching at
• 25:18
  Speaker 4: the big league level. That park is a good park
• 25:22
  Speaker 4: to hit homers in, so I think playing in at
• 25:26
  Speaker 4: the White Sox Park, especially when it gets warm in
• 25:28
  Speaker 4: the summer, is a very good hitters park.
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: I love his swing.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: I think he's so much better. Jim, Well, that's so
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: much better.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: I think you were both. And I think he's gonna
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: have thirty homers because I love his swing too. But
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: I didn't want to compare him to Otani because I
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: don't think you compare anyone to Otani. That's why I
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: brought up Matt Suey. No, am I wrong? Am I wrong?
• 25:49
  Speaker 4: I wouldn't compare anyone to Tony the greatest player, well,
• 25:52
  Speaker 4: the greatest baseball player in the history of the world.
• 25:54
  Speaker 5: I wouldn't compare him to him.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: I mean the list pitching is. Pitching is a little
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: bit easier to predict coming over.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: I feel like you either have velocity, you have stuff,
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: and now you're adjusting how to get hitters out over
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: here versus in Japan or Korea.
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: Hitting is a lot different.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: So Showy always had that advantage where it's like, Okay,
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: if he struggles in spring training hitting, guess what, he's
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: gonna be a really good picture, you know. So that's
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: that's definitely a big advantage for pictures coming up.
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: Well, that's gonna do it for this edition of Cardinal Territory.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: So if you're watching on YouTube, go ahead, like subscribe,
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: if you're podcasting, throw some stars on there, maybe one
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: to throw five stars on there and.
• 26:37
  Speaker 5: Give us follow them. Give whatever you hand out.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: No I'm making it's not a handout. It's a positive everybody.
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: Sorry, he's begging begging for stars. Oh jeez, Matt, can
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: you ask stars please?
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: That's what they do on these things. They say, like subscribe,
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: give us five stars.
• 27:01
  Speaker 5: We started the show in the off season, which is
• 27:03
  Speaker 5: a daunting task.
• 27:04
  Speaker 4: I mean to to start to start your show in
• 27:08
  Speaker 4: the off season where you're trying to come up with topics.
• 27:11
  Speaker 5: It's not even during the season.
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: So I think when we get where there's a little
• 27:16
  Speaker 4: bit more cardinal baseball to talk about, maybe all baseball
• 27:19
  Speaker 4: to talk about, then maybe you know, five stars will
• 27:22
  Speaker 4: be a little easier to get for us.
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: We're gonna get some five stars. You watch, we'll see
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: you next time for the next edition, and hopefully that
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: episode won't talk