Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Biggest First Half Surprises And Disappointments

Episode Date: July 17, 2024

Brooke Grimsley from The Morning Drive on 101 ESPN joins us - Thoughts On The First Half - Oli Marmol - Surprises And Disappointments - Trade Targets Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… �� https://link.chtbl.com/LOSTLCardinals?sid=YouTube Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnMLB Follow on Twitter/X: @JDSPORTSRADIO Follow the show on Twitter/X: @LO_Cardinals Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! SupplyHouse SupplyHouse.com is the reliable way to get parts fast. Shop for your next plumbing, h-vac, or electrical job and get fast shipping from coast to coast. Booking.com The right stay can make you a fan of any US city - even your rival’s. Book today on Booking.com on the site or in the Booking.com app! Booking.com, Booking dot YEAH! PrizePicks Go to https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONMLB and use code lockedonmlb for a first deposit match up to $100! eBay Motors From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. FanDuel FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list! FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) #ForTheLou #stlcards #mlb #lockedoncardinals Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Taking a look back at the first half of the season with 101 ESPN's Brooke Grimsley today has the fan basis feelings towards manager Ali Marmal change yet. This is Locked on Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals. Your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Haffern and I'm a national radio sports anchor. Born and raised in the Lou and a lifetime Cardinals fan. and I'm your host for Locktown Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day. You can follow me on Twitter, X, and JD Sports Radio, as well as the podcast at L0 underscore Cardinals.

We do want to thank those of you who make Locktown Cardinals your first listen every day. We're free and available wherever you get your podcast, as well as on YouTube. Make sure you like, subscribe, and comment that way you're interacting with us and hit that notification button so you know when the new episodes are posted. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball, all of the info about the birds on the back. Today's episode brought to you by Price Picks, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to PriceFix.com slash locked on MLB and use the code all lowercase, locked on MLB for a first deposit match, up to $100. So as you can see on YouTube, and you're going to hear momentarily, we have the one and only Brooke Grimsley back with us from the morning drive on 101 ESPN to talk a little ball. Brooke, it's great to see you again.

Congratulations on the wedding. I hope you had an awesome honeymoon. Curious, what was the coolest wedding gift you got? Ooh. You don't have to say who bought it or anything like that. You don't want to put anybody down and make them feel bad, but I'm sure you got something better than steak knives on your wedding. Well, first of all, it's great seeing you.

I know it's been since March since we talked, but I always enjoy chatting with you. That is a tough one. And hopefully not everybody who attended the wedding is listening. But I would have to say I'm a more sentimental. gift person and my aunt and uncle. So background about me and I think I've explained this before. My grandmother is Japanese American and she passed away when I was about 18 years old and she was always known as a great cook and I try to do a lot of her Japanese recipes to this day.

And so my aunt and uncle surprised me with this cutting board that has her Gioza recipe on it and they give us custom chopsticks. And so it was just a very personal and and sentimental gift to me because obviously I loved her cooking. I miss it. And so it's just really special to get that. All right. That's cool because one of the things that when it comes to wedding gifts, I mean,

it depends on what we register for, right? What we get. And to get something cool like that that stands out, that's very nice. I like that. All right. Well, let's talk some ball. The Cardinals, 50 and 46 at the All-Star break.

Who to thunk it, right? Four and a half games back at the NL Central, currently in possession of that second, in a wild card spot. I think most people, except for the true haters out there, would deem this a success considering how things went last year and how tough. A lot of us were on their offseason moves outside of adding sunny gray. I don't know that many people were all that excited about things that they did.

Last year was so bad in so many ways that, you know, there were rumblings that the team needed to move on from manager Ali Marmel that he was in over his head, that he relied too much on Albert and Yaddy and Wayno in that first year when, you know, they were really good. 93 games that they won. They walk away with the division. They ultimately losing that first round of the Phillies. But really good team go to the World Series. People question his decision making. They question whether or not the players, even like playing for him or like the missing person. And we come into 2024 thinking that, you know, this was going to be like a prove it year for Ali, right, coming into the final year of his deal. And then Mo drops that bomb.

where they extend Ali through 2026 before the season starts. That shocks a ton of people. They get off to the bad start in April, which the team warned us about. And fans didn't care, right? You know, they don't want excuses. They want wins. They want production. So the voices kept getting louder and louder.

But then you get the Mother's Day ejection, right? The famous Mother's Day ejection where he just goes bonkers. The team has been one of the best teams in baseball since. In your opinion, Brooke, how good. has Ali been in this first half of the season? And do you think the fan base is starting to warm up to him a little bit as their leader now that the team is finally winning again? Oh, I think 100% a lot more people are warming up to them because they're winning.

I mean, they've gone on a 35 and 22 run after that 15 and 24 start, which I'm glad that you set it up that way because it really did feel like a carryover from last season where you had the 91 losses and everybody's like, whoa, panic is starting to set in. this feels just like last season all over again. You had a lot of errors with this team early on. You're wondering if they would be able to clean that up. And I believe that Ali Marmal was a huge part as to why the Cardinals were able to have that success in the first half of the season. And you can even ask the players that Kyle Gibson is now our weekly guest that we have on,

courtesy of Big League Impact. He took over for Adam Wainwright. And I remember asking him when it happened, that game that Ali was ejected in that you referenced to, I asked him, was that really the right thing to do at that moment. And he's like, you know, I've had a lot of managers who rejected and sometimes you wonder if it's the right time and if it was the right thing to do. And he said, Ali Marmal doing that was 100% the right thing to do in that situation because it provided a spark for the team. And that spark continued. And I think that's the biggest point there is that Ali Marmal realized what he needed to do to provide a spark to this team and also keep that clubhouse together. I would say there's a huge difference with this clubhouse this season. And

in the sense that no matter what, even after that really bad start, these guys weren't rattled. And you might say, okay, well, yeah, of course, they're not going to tell a media member. Yeah, we're really rattled. We don't really trust the process of what's going on here. But seriously, just talking to these guys, going to the clubhouse, talking to Kyle Gibson every single week, they kept talking about this belief that they had in this team and this group and what they had going on, and that the process would pay off, and it has paid off. And I think that that comes from Ali Marmal and the message that he has going on there.

the veteran leadership that we talked about. A lot of people, including myself, we're questioning coming into the season of, do we really need this many veterans coming into the clubhouse? And it's paid off. I mean, Alec Burleson has even given a lot of credit to Matt Carpenter for really helping him unlock his power at the plate. And obviously, we've seen a workout with 17 home runs

going into the second half of the season. And so I think the combination of Alir Mahal, that trust that he's built with these guys, he's continuing to grow as a manager and you have those veterans in the clubhouse. It's all really paid off for the Cardinals. Absolutely. I couldn't agree more there. One thing that I always point out about last year was that even in the darkest of times, the players, including guys like Noah Arnato, who don't speak to the media all that often,

we're still sticking up for Ali last year. They were saying it's not him. It's not the problem. Like, we're, it's us. You know, we like Ali. We enjoy what's going on here and we believe in him. We're just not performing. And they continued to speak up about that, which is why I was like, you know,

there's not a reason to really fire him. You know, you're going to give him a chance here in this next year. I was surprised by the extension, but you understood why Mo did it because he was trying to get ahead of the storm that was going to be what they thought was going to be a tough April. And they were like, I don't want to hear, oh, is he, you know, managing for his job right now? Like they tried to get ahead of it. And lo and behold, it actually worked. one thing that every manager is going to get this from time to time.

What are your thoughts on his lineup construction? Because the things that I hear from people a lot more about like, why does he keep having Goldie in the cleanup spot or in the top four spots altogether in the lineup each day? What are your thoughts on that? Is it just something where like these are the veterans and like you're going to, you're going to live or die with them? Or is there more to it where you think maybe he should be dropping some of these guys down

lower, but in the like, you know, six. seven, eight spots. Well, this is a very lefty, heavy lineup. That's for sure. And that's why there's been a lot of talks, which will dive into at the trade deadline about adding a right-handed bat, which is something that they might look into. But I actually have had really no problem with how he's constructed this lineup. I think it's really about the respect factor. And I know a lot of people say, oh, that's old school. Okay, why are we doing this right now? I understand the struggles of your cornerstones with Nolan Arnado and Paul Goldschmidt. I do like how recently that we saw leading up to the break that they've sandwiched, that he has sandwiched,

Brendan Donovan in between Nolan Arnado and Paul Goldschmidt. You would like to see, of course, some more production for him. It's about the respect factor, though, I think is the biggest thing there. Now, I believe, though, that if things continue to kind of trail off for Paul Goldschmidt going into the second half of season, I wouldn't be surprised if Ollie makes the more aggressive move of moving him down.

But the fact that he has really given them this leeway to continue to grow and at least get back to, I would say, hitting on average, hitting average of what you would hope for them. I think it's a big thing for Oliver Mall about the respect after a factor that he has with them and the trust that he's building with them in the clubhouse. So I really don't have a problem with it right at this moment because either way, they're still winning. And I really like his one-two punch a Mason win. And of course, Alec Burleson at the top of the order. Yeah. All right. We're going to have more with Brooke Grimsley and discuss who are some of the biggest surprises and disappointments of the first half.

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streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app, all part of the Locktown podcast network, your team every day. Brooke Grimsley from the Morning Drive on a 101 ESPN, joining us again here today talking about our faith in Ali Marble, how good a job he has done. and get mad about that if you want, but you can't deny the fact that they are winning ball games, and he's been a big part of that. Now let's talk about the players here in the first half. Plenty of things to unpack considering the injuries that the team has doubted with, the performance of some of the guys good and bad, since we like to keep it positive on this show, Brooke, as much as we can at least. Let's start with the good stuff, shall we?

Who, in your opinion, has been the biggest surprise for the Cardinals over the first half of the season? Well, that's pretty tough because there are a couple of guys that I fit in that category. I put Pedro Pahas in that conversation. I mean, I was not expecting him to do what he was able to do defensively and really step in, especially with the Wilson-Katreras injury and Yvonne Herrera as well. But I'm going with Michael Siani. The great. We're going to go to him.

Yeah. As everybody, all the Reds fans remember him, right? I'm sure they're really missing him right now. And you could attest to that, J.D. But Michael Siani, he has just been. stellar defensively. He's provided a lot of stability to that outfield that has dealt with a plethora of injuries this season, especially in that first half, considering that you've had large new bar. Obviously, Tommy Edmund, not showing up at all this season. You've had so many

injuries there and he has provided so much stability with what he's been able to do defensively for this team. And he's just electric and fun to watch. I enjoy watching him. He's also coming along and developing a lot more at the plate because I know there will always be somebody that will point out his numbers, his average currently right now, but he's continuing to grow. Would I like to see him Bunt a little bit more? Yes, but at the same time, what he provides to this team in center field, I think is just absolutely huge. And you see that even with Lars Neutbar returning, who's your center fielder right now? It's Michael Ciani because there's no way that you're going to replace him. He's just been such a standout player, a great addition to that clubhouse. The players

really love playing with him. And I would have to imagine that he brings a lot of peace of mind to the pitchers on the mound for the Cardinals too. Oh, most certainly. I mean, how many times do you see, you know, they talk to Miles Michaelis after a game and he's just like, yeah, he saves my butt a few times a game. And that's kind of the idea with, you know, the way that they constructed this pitching staff.

You knew the ball was going to be in play a lot more than the, you would see the strikeout. So having elite defensive players out there, especially up the middle, you know how important that is, to have him roaming center field and basically covering everything when normally you've got, you know, Alec Berlison and right. No offense, Alec, but, you know, not the most athletic guy. He's not going to cover the most ground in right field.

You've got Brennan Donovan, who's been awesome in left field, right? But range-wise, you know, he's a little limited, you know? He's not one of the fastest guys on the team. And so now you got Siani, who's covering everything. And it appears that he gets to, when a ball goes over his head and he doesn't catch it, you're shocked. That's how big this guy has been this year. And he's just been such a.

difference maker. Yeah, he doesn't do it with the bat, but he does it everywhere else. He gives you speed. He gives you the ability to bunt at the bottom of the order to move people over for the big bats that are coming up after him. And nothing but praise. Again, I have a huge bromance for Michael Siani this year. He's been easily my favorite player so far this season. I'm going to throw in some other names. You mentioned a couple of guys, but I want to throw in some other surprises. John King has been a major surprise for me as well as he's done since being called back up to the team. Remember, they make the team out of spring training. And you go look at his numbers.

You're like, oh, yeah, he actually is really, really good. Your guys is guests. Kyle Gibson has been a monster. Ryan Fernandez has been huge. And I would also put Mason win on that list because not everybody expected Mason win to hit as well as he has so far. You know, he started out this season at the bottom of the order. And now he's your catalyst and leadoff hitter. And it's been huge for this team in their turnaround.

So there's been a lot of pleasant surprise. Alec Berluson has been a monster surprise. Who saw this coming? I know. I mean, absolutely nobody. 17 home runs, as we mentioned earlier, going in the second half the season. And also, the way that he's just emerged as the top of the order hitter for this organization has been huge.

And he has a great personality. I know that I'm getting a little bit off subject. But one thing, especially media-wise, that I always really appreciate, is guys who are willing to talk after games. And I will tell you consistently, Alec Burleson is always ready at his locker to talk to any media member after the game. Good, bad, ugly. He's always willing to talk. And he's really funny to.

He has a great backstory. I think he was a, not an Uber driver, but he used to do, what is it called when you deliver food? He's like DoorDash. Yeah, he used to do that. And he's just had such a great story, great personality of the way that he's continued to develop as a player. it makes a lot of sense why the Cardinals, and especially Aller Marmal, I will say, has been very bullish on Alec Burleson over the years and keeping him here. Yeah, I fell in love with him.

Okay, so opening day last year. And you get the behind the seeds footage of the guys getting ready to go out with the Clydesdales and getting the trucks and stuff. And he is the one that is joking with everybody going up and down the lineup. Everybody else, you know, you got Goldie kind of sitting there doing his Goldie stuff. Everybody's kind of chill. And it's Alec Berluson, who the rookie who is going through this and he's making everybody loose and have a good time. And I was like, all right, I can kind of see why this guy belongs.

And if his, you know, bad ever comes around, there's no reason to move on from him. And lo and behold, now we got him where he's putting up numbers, all-star worthy numbers, although nobody talks about in the league. Not a single person outside of St. Louis talks about Alec Berluson at all. And it's fine with me if they keep winning. It doesn't bother me one day. Exactly. And the fact that, too, is that if he continues this in the second half, then I feel like he should be more in the national conversation and hopefully get a lot more attention

for what he's done. And when it comes to what he did to the offseason, I asked them about this before they went on the All-Star break. So did you do anything differently to improve his hitter? And he said, no, I actually took to heart what they said about improving defensively. And so that was the primary focus of his off-season training. I asked him, did you do anything special, like go to drive line? And he kind of giggled.

And he was like, no. He was like, I just done the same thing. I've always done just me out there working on my own and worked on things defensively. Yeah. Well, it's paid off, all of it, getting into a better shape heading into the season. And it's to a point now where, I mean, I don't know if anybody was thinking about this at the beginning of the year. But after this season, if they don't bring Paul Goldsmith back, Alec Berluson could be your first basement of the future in St. Louis. it's definitely a possibility.

All right, now we've got to talk a little negative. All right, bring the lights down a little bit. Let's talk about the disappointments. Who do you got as you're, I hate using that word, but somebody who hasn't lived up the expectations. How about we put it that way? Instead of being disappointed at them like parents, who hasn't lived up to expectations this year that stood out to you?

I know, it's tough because you don't want to bring up negatives when this team has done so well. I think you could look to your guys who are getting paid a lot with Nolan Aronado and Paul Goldschmidt, but I hate really being too harsh on them, considering for the fact that this team was still able to win without them. It felt like a really passing of the torch in the sense you have the younger players, as we mentioned Burleson, Mason Wynn, and even like Michael Siani and others really taking over for this team to really help push them to this point of where they're at going into the second half of the season, but you still

need Nolan Arnato and Paul Goldschmidt to be those guys. Those guys are supposed to do a lot more and provide a lot more at the plate. So I look at them, but I would say my other biggest disappointment is Tommy Edmund. And Tommy Edmund is such a nice player, great guy. But if you look at the fact that he was needed this season, and we thought that maybe we'd see him at the first half of the season, he's somebody that they could have really used. I know some people would say, well, where would you even put him? I know that he would be looking to return here soon. He projected the end of July is what he told reporters recently during his rehab st. And as when he's hoping to come back here to St. Louis, and people will say, well, where are you going to put him? He provides

a lot of versatility for this team defensively, and even offensively, he provides a pop that you might need as well, because a lot of people are talking about needing a right-handed bat. Tommy Edmund can provide some of that pop off the bench. He's very versatile. You can put him anywhere on the diamond, maybe even put him at second base. I think that's another possibility for him, or in the outfield, of course, but I think that not having Tommy Edmund there was really disappointing, in my opinion because we went from conversations of, okay, well, all of a sudden, here's this mystery surgery during the off season, but he'll be fine. Then we spoke to him at winter warm up, and he mentioned, oh, I'll be ready to go by opening day. Opening day came and passed. He did not

return. He's continued to have setbacks in his projected return. And now we're looking at maybe end of July, but that still feels kind of like a lofty projection for him. Yeah, still trying to get right at Springfield right now. And I, I, I, I brought up previously and you mentioned how important Tommy Edmund was supposed to be to this team this year and how important he could be moving forward. What would somebody like a Tommy Edmund cost at the trade deadline with, you mentioned the versatility, his ability to play all three outfield positions at gold glove caliber levels as well as up the middle and be a switch hitter. He's got a lot of a lot of reasons why you would want a guy like that on your team. and to have that injected into this roster and into this lineup, if we get the Tommy admin that we're used to seeing day in and day out

would be a monster boost for the versatility of this lineup. And obviously there would be some tough decisions to make on who's not on this team anymore. Moving forward when Tommy does get activated, but that's something we'll worry about later on down the road. But it's not a bad thing to get Tommy back if he's able to be the guy that we're used to. Some other big disappointments or guys that haven't lived up to expectations. I'm going to throw Jordan Walker in there, Brooke, because Jordan Walker was supposed to be your starting right fielder and be this guy that gives you 20 to 30 bombs, 80 to 90 RBIs probably.

And you don't have him at all. And he is healthy. He can't blame it on injury. So young player, I know they're trying to get him right at Memphis. There's obviously, I heard on your guys this show talking about maybe the people over at MLB Network, think that the cardal screwed him up. That's a thing that's going around. I don't know if that's the case, but we'll see what the future holds. There's, you know, talk about, they're going to dangle him at the trade deadline. I cannot see that happening.

I think that would be a massive mistake. Lars Neupar, I put in the people who haven't lived up to expectations. Injuries, again, had been a problem for Newt this season. And then Dylan Carlson, who I was really hoping, because everybody's pulling for Dylan. Nobody dislikes Dylan Carlson. We all want to see the guy succeed. And that horrible injury at the end of spring training derailed what looked like a path where he was going to be something very big for this team this year. He looked really good at the end of spring training from both sides of the plate. And then the injury happens. And now we're seeing kind of the guy that we've seen the last couple of years where not a lot of power, not a lot of production. And it's unfortunate because he was a very high prospect in this organization. at one point. And now it's like, where does he go from here? A lot of outfielders. I mean, are available for this team to use. And it's hard to find where Dylan Carlson fits into this whole thing, specifically when Tommy Edmund comes back, because you're not going to move the great

Siani. You're not going to get rid of him. You're going to let him play still. So where does Dylan Carlson fit in with a healthy outfield for the Cardinals main roster? So I don't know. That's, again, Something we'll have to figure out as time moves on here. Trade deadline is looming. At the end of the month, we're going to find out which positions and which players. Brooke wants the cardinals to go after. We'll do that next on Locked on Cardinals. Passion driving patience.

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the MVP and bring home that win keep your rider die live at ebay.com slash motors eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers eligible items only exclusion supply. Locked on is lunch the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. It's now also available on Amazon Fire TV in the Free Fire TV channels app. Locked on Sports Today is here for you 24-7 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local experts of Lockdown Plus are national shows which cover every league. You can find Lockedon Sports today now available on the Free Fire TV channels app. Brooke rimsley from the morning drive on 101 ESPN with us today. All right, Brooke. I don't know if you've got any props over there at

your home. But if you have glasses and a bow tie, I need you to put them on because you, my friend, are now John Moseilock. All right, you've got a couple of weeks here to figure out what you want to do at the trade deadline. You've seen what this team that you've built can do at its best. You've seen them at their worst at the beginning of the year. Where do you think the team needs to upgrade the most? Because there's a couple things they need to go after. Where do you think what would be your top priority and who do you want to target at the trade deadline? Well, first of all, John Mozaa, because he graduated from the bow tie era because it's not there anymore, but I'm still going to bring it up because it's too cool. Well, he's gone through so many

eras, much like Taylor Switch, because if you think he's had the bow tie era, he kind of had like a yacht guy aesthetic for a little bit. Remember where he would have the sweater around his shoulders? Yes. And he's even gone with the vest during COVID times, that red, vest and so we've really gone through so many eras with him just like now he's in sockless era he refuses to wear socks no matter no matter what the occasion i don't like that i don't maybe just me i understand that it's it's fashion okay it's men's fashion i can't exactly speak on that but it does just like i see that i'm like a little too much angle for me but anyway um top of my list priority wise would be adding another arm to the star rotation so i know that andre polante has done really well

He actually has had the best ERA out of all of the entire starting rotation in the month of July, 3.38, I believe. But I have been really big on adding another arm to the start rotation because I just feel like you need it. I have this question that I'm constantly asking myself of, okay, so game one of the playoffs, you would go with Sunny Gray, correct? Who are you going to in game two? And I don't think that there's a clear answer there. You've also started to see some of the ERAs drop off, especially if you look specifically in the month of July. And I want to make sure I give the star rotation a lot of credit for what they've been able to do in the first half of the season. They are another big part of why this team has been so successful because the innings eater philosophy was the philosophy that actually worked out for the Cardinals.

Look at all the injuries that have happened across the league and knock on wood. Right now, the Cardinals are healthy. But I do worry with the age about them staying healthy during that second half of the season. If you look at them up in July, they actually rank 28th when it comes to starters ERA. It's down to 6.13 is the ERA currently for the starting rotation. Numbers have dipped down for a lot of the guys there. So I'm very big on adding another arm to that side rotation. I'm looking at Eric Fetty of the White Sox.

Now, I know that Crochet is obviously the big name, but it almost feels Dylan Cease-esque of how much hype that he's getting, how many teams would want him. So I could see why that would be hard for the car. to pull off. If there is a possibility, if you're the Cardinals, if you're Moseiloc, as I put on my bow tie, of course, you're going to listen. But I think Eric Fetty really fits the mold of what they could be looking for because I could see him as being another two in the starting rotation and really slot in and help this team for the second half of the season. He has a very team-friendly contract.

He was able to get his ERA going into the breakdown to 2.99. And so he's been a huge factor for the White Sox. I know there hasn't been many bright spots, but he's been. been one of the bright spots for the White Sox this season. So I think that he would be a great addition to the star rotation. I'd be very interested to see what exactly they would want in return. But if I'm the Cardinals, I would really look at that. He also won the KBO's version of the Sy Young last year. So that fits the mold of what the Cardinals kind of like. They like those Korean and even Japanese pitchers and bringing them back over the league. So he's somebody I'd be looking at. Now, I know that Dan is very big on this. Danny Mack is big on adding.

another bullpen piece, and I agree with him on that. So if I could, in a perfect world, I'd want a starting arm. I would want a bullpen piece, and then I would look at a right-handed bat. We've talked extensively like this, about this, because as I mentioned earlier, this is a very left-handed, heavy lineup that the Cardinals currently have, and you need that right-handed pop off the bench. And so maybe you look at a Kevin Pilar. He's about 35 years old, I believe. I think that he's somebody that could fit into what they're looking for. It kind of reminds me maybe almost like the Corey Dickerson situation, if you remember when they brought him in.

And then even Luis Robert Jr., who's 26 years old, also has a team-friendly contract. That's somebody else that I would look at that could really maybe help this team if they're looking for another bet. Yeah, so the Eric Fetty stuff, huge on him being somebody that the Cardinals would be after. You know, you could also, they got a guy, by the name of Tommy Fam. It could be that right.

You could put a little combo meal together here where you could put these guys. Yes. You know, to bring them over. I've also, you know, kind of looked at if you want to go

the trifecto route, Fetty, you could also go with Kopeck, who was one of their closer guys that, you know, some days he looks amazing. Sometimes he's not, but he would kind of fill that Keenan Middleton roll. You bring in a Tommy Fam,

and you got all three pieces from the White Sox there if you wanted to go that route. I love the Kevin Politzel. have gotten so much flack from people. They're like, really? Kevin Pilar is who you want. And I'm like, look what you're trying to get, though. I'm not saying this guy is going to be your A number one starter every night in the outfield. But look what he's doing against left-handed pitching this year.

He's been unbelievable and he's not going to kill you defensively in the outfield. He could be that kind of ying and yang with Michael Ciani in center field because Pilar has the ability to play center field as well. So I feel like he's a great piece to take a look at as far as what the Cardinals are doing. Because sure, there's going to be bigger names out there like a Brent Rooker. But let's be honest. Are the Cardinals going to give up what it would take to go get somebody like that? Probably not. Like they just rebuilt their prospect pool last year by trading everybody away.

You're not going to give up the farm again now for this particular Cardinals team. I don't think it needs that. If you can get a Garrett Crochet, awesome. But one thing you got to think about crochet too, for those who aren't familiar, is that this is like his first year of starting as much as he has. So pitch count wise, he's coming up to the edge of where it's almost time to shut him down. So if somebody is going to acquire a crochet, how much does he got left in the tank for you moving forward at the level that he's been pitching so far this year for the White Sacks? So yeah, those are all interesting names. You say Kukuchi is somebody I brought up from the Blue Jays.

I feel like he fits what the Cardinals need. I would love to get a left-handed arm, considering we don't know what we're going to get out of Stephen Mats moving forward. So it would be nice to not just have all righties in that starting rotation. But Fetty, definitely a target that we're looking at for the Cardinals moving forward. So again, the trade deadline, like we're like two weeks out. It's crazy. Yeah.

It's going to sneak up. on us quick and it's as good as the wild card thing can be for having people like still interested and it's going to make it tough at the deadline because who's going to wave the white flag, Brooke? Like who in our division is ready to quit? I mean, are the Cubs that you've seen them going a little bit of a surge at the end of the first half? I don't think they're ready to say it's over for them yet. So you've got a whole division trying to improve themselves in the NL Central. And then you've got, of course, the big dogs. You got the Phillies. And the Yankees and the Dodgers.

They're all going to be looking for so many teams are still in it. There's only like six teams that have said, all right, we'll give you guys. The demand for some of these players is going to be so high. I mean, look what the Royals just paid to get Hunter Harvey from the nationals. They're number two overall prospect for a middle reliever. For a middle reliever, Brooke. And they gave up their second round draft pick for a middle reliever. Like, what is it going to cost to improve this team?

That's going to be the hard part because it sounds like, just like the real world, inflation is huge right now for what it's going to take at the trade deadline. So I wouldn't expect a huge splash from the Cardinals, but if Mo can get something done, I'm sure he'll find a way to improve it. He's surprised this in the past. I still like the Bader Montgomery trade came out of nowhere. Like nobody getting Montgomery and Kintana during that 2020 run. That was huge.

Yeah. And those are the kind of moves that nobody was really thinking about. Kintana maybe, but the Montgomery thing, I never heard a whisper about that. And all of a sudden, you're trading a gold glove center fielder for a guy who hasn't really lived up the expectations in New York. And he's brilliant for your cardinals. So I get trust in Mo. Are we doing that? Is that the phrase?

Yes. Everybody put on your bow ties, your vest, and your sweaters over your shoulders. and no socks, I guess. I think we're a trust in the process. I mean, that's just over just the big factor, I think, with this entire season is when you're mentioning people doubting the process and everything they're doing, I was in that boat. I was in that boat of this is a carry-over from last season. We need to really tear things apart, start over what the world is going on here.

And the process has honestly worked out for them. And so now, hopefully, they'll be able to add some more pieces because I think if you are, that's why I'm so big on having another starting arm is if you can add another starting arm to the starting rotation, then I'd say, okay, this is a team that not can just make the playoffs, they can actually make a little bit more of a run in October. I mean, we've seen crazier things happen, right? We've seen crazier things happen during the course of the playoffs. So I wouldn't be surprised if they could pull something off. But I think that Mo has been tempering expectations a little bit. I don't know if you saw his recent interview with Valley Sports Midwest, but it seems like

he's kind of tempering the expectations, talking about how much competition there is. Because to your point, there's really not many that teams. It's consistently the Marlins and the White Sox who are in the conversation. Just a few weeks ago, we thought that the Rangers might be in the conversation, and now that has quickly changed. We thought Max Scherzer somehow could be a possibility, and now that's completely off the table.

So it shows you just how quickly things can change in a matter of weeks when it comes to who's available. Yeah. And another name I want to throw out there since you mentioned, Kevin Pilar, with the Angels is Tyler Anderson is another guy that I feel like that would be a good combo for the Cardinals who would then have him under control the next year. He's still got a year left on his deal. So another, again, these are like dream thoughts of trying to get all of this pulled off without somebody else coming in and swooping in because remember, all the other teams

know this about these guys too. Like they all know who's available and what it's, you know, what they need and everybody needs pitching and everybody wants bullfin arms. And we're all trying to get the same stuff. And it's just, it's going to be very, very difficult. So he'll get somebody. Will it be who everybody expects and who everybody wants him to get? Probably not.

Probably not. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. How about that? Exactly. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you guys for making lots on Cardinals. Your first listen every day.

If you haven't already, give us a follow on Twitter X at L-O underscore Cardinals at a JD Sports Radio. You can find Brooke at Brooke Grimsley. You can listen to her on the morning drive on 101 ESPN. You can watch her in the crew on YouTube, by the way, which is where I usually am able to find you guys. It's easiest for me while I'm working and stuff. And who keeps messing with your camera, by the way? Because every morning when I'm watching, you guys come on

and it's like pointed at your elbow or something ridiculous. And I'm just like, who keeps messing with it? I have no idea. So they said that they had fixed the cameras because it's supposed to be they took like our heights and even how we sit typically. And they supposedly had mine structured to where it would be ready to go on me. But every single morning, it just goes haywire. Like somehow they measured that I'd be on the wall at some point.

And so every single morning I have to put it back. So I don't know. It feels like Big Brother sometimes. Yeah, like Randy's always right there. And Danny's all, you know, his stuff's right there. And then poor books. It's all over the place. Like it's just like what?

where did she go? You never know where I am. I'll surprise you. It's an inside joke in the studio. Somebody's playing with you, Brooke. All right. Well, check them out on YouTube and on one-on-one at ESPN.com. Like and subscribe on YouTube for our channel and help the love for our Cardinals grow.

You guys are the best fans of baseball for a reason. We'll see you next time on Locked on Cardinals. As always, Brooke, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you so much, Shady. I always love talking to you.