Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Cardinals Hitting Woes: Seeking Soultions for 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Improving the offense this offseason will certainly be a goal of this front office. But who are some realistic trade targets that they could and should be interested in? You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, they're 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 Lockdown Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team. every day. You can give me a follow on Twitter X at JD Sports Radio and the podcast at

Starting point is 00:00:39 L0 underscore Cardinals. I want to thank those of you who make Locked on Cardinals your first listen every day. We're free and available wherever it gets your podcast. You can also find us on YouTube. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball all of the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode brought to you by Price Picks. Go to PricePix.com slash locked on MLB and use the code all lowercase locked on MLB

Starting point is 00:01:01 to win $50 instantly when you play $5. That's math. It makes sense. Give it a try. All right. So the cardals got swept in Canada by the Toronto Blue Jays, which honestly, it sucks like it does because nobody ever wants to get swept by anybody. The big issue was not really the pitching this weekend. In fact, two of the three games, you got excellent pitching. But it was the hitting again, the hitting. Specifically, Typically with runners in scoring position, that continues to be the problem for this team. Two for 27 over the weekend with runners in scoring position. That's crazy.

Starting point is 00:01:45 That's crazy. And it's been pathetic like this all year. It's been a real, real problem. And nobody, at least nobody employed with the Cardinals, seems to have any answers for it, which is sad, really. There's just been nothing. No way to turn it around. Nothing is sparking anything.

Starting point is 00:02:03 it's not working. And that's why, you know, they're paying people like Turner Ward and others to be a part of this organization to fix stuff like this. And it just hasn't happened all year, no matter who was in the lineup. I mean, Ali can only shuffle things around so much. Eventually, it's just these guys are the ones who have to get the job done. And it's not working. It's not working. Now, you've got a couple of choices this offseason to improve the offense, all right? and I'm sure you know this, but first, I wanted to be known that you fire all of these people behind the scenes. You fire them. Like, it's done. All right.

Starting point is 00:02:45 It's done. Go get some people who have had actual success helping hitters, both young and old. All right. Go find them, pay them, get them in here, and let them cook. See what they can do. I don't care who's friends with who anymore. This crap is not working anymore. I'm done.

Starting point is 00:03:03 You need change. You cannot continue to roll the same thing out there again next year. You just can't. It's nothing personal against guys like Turner Ward and anybody else that's helping him. But enough is enough. They aren't hitting. They aren't winning. You're gone.

Starting point is 00:03:21 Thanks for your time. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Bye. Enough is enough. There are too many guys on this team that should be good that people expect to be good, not just in the Cardinals organization, but across baseball. Who were like, look, these guys are supposed to be good headers. I don't know what's wrong.

Starting point is 00:03:42 If you go watch any national shows, we don't know what's wrong with the St. Louis Cardinals. We don't know why they can't hit. Then find people who can figure out why and get them in there. So change all of that. Get them out of here. Second, you are hoping for progression instead of regression from a lot of people who are already employed on your roster, which is why you need new voices in the first place, because they're not helping them. So find people who will coming into this offseason.

Starting point is 00:04:12 The offense was not the problem. If you remember us talking about what the Cardinals were going to look like in 2024, it was an offense that we were all that concerned about. You were expecting more. And it just hasn't happened. It wasn't the problem at the beginning, but it became a problem as the season went on. You're like, wait a second. And something's up here. We're now in June and a lot of these guys are still in the crapper. All right. Why?

Starting point is 00:04:39 Why are we here? How come we can't get out of it? Why do we have to keep sending people down to AAA Memphis to get right? Why can't you get them right at the major league level? These are questions that I have. I don't understand it, which means it's either these players aren't good enough or the people who are helping them are incompetent and their message isn't working or whatever they're telling them isn't working. I don't know where the problem lies. I don't know the I'm not in

Starting point is 00:05:05 there. I'm not in the dugout. I'm not in the clubhouse. From everything we've heard, it's not a preparation problem. So where is the problem? Find it. Fix it. Fix it. You've got all these one run ball games because your offense can't score more than two runs in a game. It's why your bullpen is taxed. It's one of the contributing reasons to your record, which is now under 500 again. you need new voices to help young guys like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, who were supposed to be guys who were in the middle of your order. And one of them's in Memphis, the other one's been at Memphis almost all year. That's a problem.

Starting point is 00:05:44 You need them to become the people you expected them to be. And this is huge because if those two guys don't work out, if they have screwed them up enough to where they are not fixable anymore, what do you do? Because these are first round guys who until you got to the major league level have the skills to be major league hitters and hopefully star players. They were doing fine in the minors. Nolan Gorman actually wasn't that bad early on this year. And then he went into this huge rut. They couldn't figure out how to get him right. They ended up just benching him. Now they ship him down to Memphis where he's, you know, hitting home runs and being Nolan Gorman. He's being the same guy.

Starting point is 00:06:30 But for some reason, they can't fix them at the major league level. That means there's a problem in the personnel people up there. If they can't fix them, get the people in there that can't. Okay. But you've got these guys that are going in the wrong direction. They're going in the wrong direction. And that should scare the absolute hell out of this front office and it demands immediate change.

Starting point is 00:06:53 You need a fresh set of eyes on veterans as well. It's not just the young guys. Like, how has Nolan Aronado gotten so bad? How has Paul Goldschmidt gotten so bad? Sure, father time. Get it. Got it. Understand.

Starting point is 00:07:05 But still, there should be a way to help them not drop off as badly as they have. Goldie has figured some things out here at the end of the year. What's going on? What clicked? What is it? What is it? Share the secret. We would love to know what happened.

Starting point is 00:07:21 Lars Neupar, Bryn and Donovan. I'm not letting these guys off the hook either. They haven't lived up to expectation. So if there's something you can do because, you know, you got Nato for two more years and barring him agreeing to a trade, he's got a no trade clause. So unless he wants to get the hell out of here, you're going to be with him. Let's fix him. Let's not get rid of, like just move on from the problem. Let's fix him.

Starting point is 00:07:43 Let's fix him. New, we know he's got to stay healthy, first and foremost. And then figure out if he's ever going to be the guy that is just, it was going to be a better hitter than he has been, where he's just kind of a smidge above average over the place. at the plate. The OPS Plus has dipped two years in a row, 124, 114, 118. He's going the wrong way. Get him some help. Brennan Donovan, solid player. We love Brendan. Great. Can go all over the place. Offensively, OPS Plus, 124 and 2022. 114 this year. He's going in the wrong direction. Figure it out. Get the help that they need. Stop screwing around and being cheap asses. figure it out. Go get the people that will help these guys. The people you got aren't.

Starting point is 00:08:34 It's not working. Next thing you can do, sign free agents, obviously. That's another avenue you can go down or you make trades. Now, today we're going to talk about the trade pieces, because if payroll is going to either stay the same or drop, they're not going to go sign anyone that would take this team to the next level anyway. They can't afford them. They're not going to be able to get into stuff like that. We discussed the Orioles Anthony Sontan, Dairn in an episode not too long ago. Still a cardinal type of option, in my opinion. He's a guy that would work with this type of team. You know, he's not super young, not super old yet. Switch hitter, can play some outfield. Obviously, you can dh him, but he'd be a nice little fit. But depending on how high the salary

Starting point is 00:09:19 demands go for a guy like him, we don't know if the Cardinals will even be in the market for somebody of his level of production. If you move on from Goldie and some of the pitching salary, you can squeeze them in, obviously, but it depends on what the payroll is going to be like next year. We don't know that yet. So let's look at some trade aspects of this. My guy, Thomas Cobain from Redbird Rance, dropped a very cool blog recently about some people. So let's see what he's got next for us coming up on Lockdown Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:11:13 Thank you for making Lockdown Cardinals, your first listen today for your second listen. Enjoy the Lockdown MLB podcast hosted by Paul Sullivan, aka Sully. It was here daily to provide national expertise with his trademark humor. It's part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Reminder, you can catch every pitch of the Cardinals hometown broadcast with Sirius XM. Just download the SXM app and search the word Cardinals. They are back home tonight, taking on the pirates and Paul Skeens. Good luck with that, boys.

Starting point is 00:11:41 Speaking of, you need office to be guys like Paul Skeens. He's going to be in this division for quite a long time. So I'm going to link the story in the description from Thomas Covain at Reberranc.com. But Thomas starts off at a position of uncertainty for the Cardinals in 2025, because it's first base. And we don't know what's going to happen with Paul Goldschmidt. He is going to be a free agent. Not sure if he's back or not.

Starting point is 00:12:06 I'd assume that the Cardinals will try to bring Paul Goldschmidt back in some way, shape, or form. But as I've said before, maybe it's just time to move on. Maybe it's just time to move on and not do things the way they have normally been done over the last few years because it hasn't worked. And now you're in danger of having back-to-back losing seasons. this year with those same ideas and those same patterns of how you do things and who you're signing and stuff. Maybe it's time to not do that anymore. What do you guys think? A little change,

Starting point is 00:12:41 never hurt anybody, right? So that would leave you. Let's say Paul Goldschmidt does not come back. That leaves you the combination as of right now under your control on the 40-man roster, Luke and Baker and Alec Burleson as the guys that would probably play first base. I'm sure you could sprinkle in some combination of Yvonne Herrera. Maybe stick him over there, get his bat in the lineup sometimes. Brennan Donovan probably could play first base if you need him to. He's been there before. Some fans want Jordan Walker to give up the outfield stuff and move to first base.

Starting point is 00:13:10 Personally, I still think that is a huge waste of athleticism, his speed, his length, is his arm. I suppose that length would come into play playing over at first base, so that's good. But I don't know. I don't know. Maybe it is something that happens with Jordan Walker sooner or rather. than later. I'm not completely sure, but I think they want to leave him out in the outfield. I think they've seen progression enough, how he's gotten better defensively and has made some strides,

Starting point is 00:13:36 and they're starting to learn to trust him out there. So if that's the case, then you're going to need possibly somebody that you can bring in at first base. And that's where Thomas starts here, brings up Yandi Diaz from the Tampa Bay raise. Now, Diaz is a veteran. Let's put it that way. and a guy that had some success last year. He was very, very good. So here's what Thomas says about him. If John Mosea Locke looks outside the organization for improvements, first baseman Yadi Diaz of the Tampa Bay race could be a perfect fit.

Starting point is 00:14:11 33 years old, has two more years of team control following 2024, thanks to his three-year, $24 million contract that he signed last season to buy out his arbitration years. He's owed $8 million next year, and he has a $12 million club option for 2026. this isn't an expensive contract, and he can be cut fairly easily after next year if he doesn't perform well in St. Louis. Diaz is a career 289, 373, 434 hitter with a 126 OPS plus over eight years. He was an All-Star last year and he won the batting title in the American League with a 330 average. He's never been known for his power as he has a career ISO of just 145. However, his ability to make contact has always been strong. This year, Diaz has taken. taken a step back with a 284, 341, 420 slash line to go along with 14 home runs and 65 RBIs for an OPS plus of 117. He does not strike out often, 15.1% K rate, but his walk rate has fallen to just 7.7% this year. Diaz also doesn't grade out as positively defensively as Goldschmidt has in his career, but he's close to a neutral defender nonetheless. less. My initial thoughts when I think of Diaz is 33. Don't want it. Not interested.

Starting point is 00:15:32 I don't want another band-aid over the problem. A guy who is possibly in the regression stages, looking at you, Nolan Aronado, who all of a sudden turned 45 years old at age 33. You saw what he did in 2023, you were pretty sure he wasn't going to do that again. You knew there would be some regression. But the numbers have fallen pretty good. I mean, you're down to from 3.30 to 284. And you're talking about a guy who doesn't have a lot of power already. It's not going to get better just dramatically and magically in the next year. So they'll probably keep falling. Like his numbers aren't going to go up all of a sudden. This isn't the PED era. So I'd rather take my chances with Baker, who I know can hit lefties,

Starting point is 00:16:26 and Berluson, who I know can hit righties. I'd rather do that and just play a little, you know, matchups, a lefty-righty matchup stuff over at first base instead. That's what I would do. No, I'm not interested in Dias. Next on his list is an outfielder. Taylor Ward from the Angels, not to be confused with Turner Ward, the Cardinals current hitting coach, which I've done on accident numerous times this season.

Starting point is 00:16:51 where I'd be talking about Turner Ward, but I would say Taylor Ward instead. And, yeah, it happened enough. But here's what Thomas has to say about Taylor Ward, 30 years old, right-handed outfielder who could realistically see time in centerfield, something the Cardinals could use desperately since Victor Scott the 2nd, Michael Ciani, Lars Neupar, Britton, Donovan, and Alec Berluson all hit left-handed. Ward would bring balance to the outfield in that respect. He's a career 252, 329, 430 slash line hitter, but his last four seasons have all been strong,

Starting point is 00:17:24 and it featured him being an above average hitter. This year, Ward has a 246, 321, 437 slash line with 24 home runs for an OPS plus of 111.11. Ward's June and July months were poor, but he's managed to have a 1.182 OPS in September through 11 games. He's graded out as a positive defender in the outfield, according to all metrics for his career. Ward still has two more years of arbitration left, was paid $4.8 million this year. He's going to see boosts in salary these next two seasons, so he could eventually surpass $10 million via arbitration. His team control paired with his potent offense and serviceable defense.

Starting point is 00:18:00 It could make him a costly commodity this offseason, but his strong offensive output should fit the belt. Now, when I see the numbers that Ward is putting up, all I sit there and think is this is what Dylan Carlson and Lars Newbar were supposed to be doing. Right? these are the guys that we're supposed to have those numbers. Carlson Long gone, right? He's with the raise. Lars has had trouble staying on the field,

Starting point is 00:18:26 so we don't know what he can be in a full season. But if you go look at what is 160 game projections would be, 246, 18 home runs, 59 RBIs, OPS Plus 114, pretty similar to what Ward is doing. And, you know, New Bart is just turned 27 like a week ago. So he's still right there where the prime of his career is is still there. So I like that Ward is right-handed. That is an important thing about this. You know, the Cardinals have had trouble hitting lefties all season,

Starting point is 00:19:01 and they've just got a very lefty, heavy offense. The roster's got a lot of left-handed hitters on it. And Ward is in his career been better against lefties than riding. So that would be, like Thomas said, but bring a little bit of balance there. That would be nice. He's a maybe. He's a maybe for me,

Starting point is 00:19:20 but he still doesn't, he still doesn't wow me. It's not like, ooh, game changer, bringing Taylor Ward. And some, I'm not sure if he's such a vast improvement over guys you've got on your roster already.

Starting point is 00:19:35 But I like that he hits from the right side. Next up, Brandon Lowe, also of the Rays, who can play both infield and outfield. Now, this is a guy who a couple years ago, I rode this dude in fantasy baseball to a championship, 39 dingers back in 2021. Like out of nowhere.

Starting point is 00:19:56 It was like, whoa. And I loved it. I loved it on my team. But as we've learned from Goldie and Arnado, a couple of years can make a pretty big difference. That was 2021. What's he doing nowadays? That's what we need to know. Here's what Thomas says.

Starting point is 00:20:11 Health has always been an issue for Lowe. He's played more than 109 games. just once in his seven-year career. But when he's been healthy, he's been an elite offensive player. After a slow start to the year, Lowe has turned it around quite nicely. 244, 321-42 slash line with a 343 weighted on base average, 18 home runs in just 94 games. Strikeout rate has always floated around 25% for his career. But his walk rate this year has fallen marginally to just 8.9%.

Starting point is 00:20:41 One would like to see a greater balance between these two figures, even with his extreme power output. He has never been an extremely streaky header as his OPS has never dropped below 731 in any given month for his career. And his slugging percentage has always remained above 400. This is a welcome change for a power hitting second baseman. As Nolan Gorman, the team's usual power hitting second baseman can be prone to heavy slumps. He grades out as a neutral defender according to defensive run save, ultimate zone rating and outs above average. So his work on that side of the game isn't a concern. He's nearing the end of a six-year $24 million contract that he signed in 2019.

Starting point is 00:21:19 There are two more years remaining, and they're both club options valued at 10.5 and 11.5. Once again, we are talking about the race here, so the Cardinals brass should operate carefully. So second basement and an outfielder, which you love guys that have that kind of ability. They can be versatile and you can use them in different spots, which is always great. Always nice to have those guys. Another left-handed bat, though. Another left-handed bat on a team that has got left-handed bats coming out their butts. I mean, Donovan, Ciani, Scott the 2nd, Newbar, Burleson, Gorman, even their top-hitting prospects.

Starting point is 00:21:57 You know, J.J. Weatherholt, who's lightened up right now in the playoffs in the minors right now, which is, you love it. Jimmy Crux, the catcher, Chase Davis, Sazar Prieto. They're all left-handed. They're all left-handed hitters. personally, I dig the price tag of a Brandon Lau, but the next guy is who I'm more interested at. All right. Again, Lau is more like a piece of the puzzle. He's not the guy to build around. And that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for an impact bat. I'm not looking for another piece to go along with an impact back. You don't have that right now. That's what you're missing.

Starting point is 00:22:35 You've got guys like Nato and Wilson Contreras and Newpar and, you know, these, you know, you've got guys that feel like good, complimentary pieces. But you need that one bat. You need that one guy that people are afraid of. That's what you need. And this next guy, I think it would get fans excited. He's the thumper you want. He's the thumper you need, but you're going to have to pay to get him.

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Starting point is 00:24:18 Prize picks, run your game. Thank you for making Lock-on Cardinals your first listen today. Now go check out the Locktown MLB podcast. Prepare for the Fall Classic with Sully, who's got you covered every single day. It's part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. So the first three guys listed by Thomas are fine pieces to add to a lineup if it already had a big bopper, right? But this offense, as of today, does not have that. We're missing that.

Starting point is 00:24:52 You're hoping that Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Wilson Contreras, Nolan Aranato will be those guys. And maybe one of them steps up. You know, when Contreras is healthy, pretty awesome. He's pretty awesome. them. But as of right now, you need these guys to surround a bigger bat. You need a star hitter, right? Star hitters are not always available, right? You know, what is Juan Soda going to cost, man, to get something like that? Like crazy, right? Teams aren't trying to trade star hitters. They just aren't. They're not trying to get rid of them. Try to sign them, lock them up,

Starting point is 00:25:30 keep them long term. Pete Alonzo was a guy that, if the Mets let him get out of New York, I will be shocked. Like that just seems like a huge mistake to me because those guys don't come along very often. Can't just go find that. But there is a guy that has been rumored to be available for quite some time. And because of the team he's on, it makes a lot of sense to continuously call them because they always trade away players. And that would be Brett Rooker from the, do we call him Oakland A still? do we want to do that or do you just want to say the A's, the athletics? The Sacramento, Oakland, Las Vegas, athletics. Rooker is a guy that I've been talking about since last offseason.

Starting point is 00:26:19 Not this, the one we just got to before that. Okay. He's a guy that we've talked about for a while now. All right. He comes off as just a dude that mashes. Okay. There's nothing else you can say about it. He is, he's just a hitter, man.

Starting point is 00:26:41 And I know he's blossom late, but this guy is a hitter. If you had any doubts about him, he's answered those questions here in 2024. Last year, he hits 246 with 30 bombs and 69 RBIs. You know, we're talking about him last year like, hey, maybe I was looking to trading for him. Then you get to this offseason. Hey, this is a guy that you still should probably think about trying to trade for. Apparently, the A's weren't interested in just yet in moving it. That's the stuff I've heard, and that's fine.

Starting point is 00:27:12 But eventually, you know he's going to get paid. And Oakland's not going to, or Oakland, Vegas, Sacramento is not going to want to have to fork over the money yet. This year, Rooker is mashing at 301, 37 home runs, 107 RBIs and just 36 more at bats than he had last year. So he's gotten better. And here's what Thomas says about him. After slow starts with the Minnesota Twins, Padres, Royals, Rooker has found a home with the athletics. He has spent most of this time as a DH,

Starting point is 00:27:42 but he's also played a little bit of corner outfield for the A's. He's got a crazy 952 OPS and a 171 OPS plus, and in just 102 and a third innings in the outfield this year. He's accumulated minus two defensive runs saved and minus three outs above average. If the Cardals acquire him this offseason, he should be used sparingly in the outfield, given the fact that the Cardinals have at least five players who could plausibly play the outfield next year.

Starting point is 00:28:05 his time out there probably won't be necessary. The one time, All-Star will enter arbitration for the first time next year, so he still has three more years of team control. A player with his offensive profile and team control won't come cheap to acquire Brent Rooker, at least one of the organization's top prospects will have to go. Perhaps John Moseilac can get creative and send some Major League players over as well to entice the A's. So that's certainly another portion of this too is, you know, the cardals aren't trying to spend a gazillion dollars on improvements to their team, right?

Starting point is 00:28:40 You know, they're being, they want to be cost efficient when it comes to this. He's making 750K this year, all right? The arbitration eligible next three years, you'd have him under control for three, like Thomas said, before he hits free agency. And at that point, he'll then be 33 years old. So you can choose to let him walk and move on with your life if you want. to at the age of 33 or if he's somebody that has been a big piece of your puzzle, you can try to see if he'll stick around. Now, what would it take to get him?

Starting point is 00:29:16 As Thomas said, it's not going to be cheap, it's going to be a lot. But the A's don't want to spend money. So if you had to dabble off of the roster that you have now and dip into the minor leagues too, what would you say to a combination? I'm just throwing stuff out here. Let me know your thoughts on it. What about Lars Newpar, who's got three years of control? Hees would like that.

Starting point is 00:29:41 Nolan Gorman, tons of upside in control. Would Ivan Herrera Pedro Pahez interest them? Because you've got Jimmy Crooks coming up the pipeline, along with Leonardo Bernal, at Catcher. Plus, you know, some of your top 10 pitchers in the organization, guys like, you know, Gordon Gricefa. It's Co-a-Robi. Could you throw those two guys in? Would that be enough? Is that too much, in your opinion?

Starting point is 00:30:09 What do you think? Because I need a game changer. The Cardinals need a game changer. If you like Cedacey and went up the middle, then Gorman is expendable. You still got Brennan Donovan there. He can play some second base as well. You've got Walker. Donovan, Scott, Siani, Burleson, in your outfield already, Lars Neupar is expendable for a big bat-like rooker. You don't just throw, no large new bar away but if you're trying to get that big bad in the middle of your lineup then he's definitely expendable everyone loves young pitching i do not want to touch tinket's or quinn matthews i've got a soft spot for cooper jerpy as well i think he's interesting um those guys

Starting point is 00:30:55 are all on your top ten i don't want to touch them michael mcgris though feels like he's earned a shot at the rotation for next year at least he's got to get a look in spring training would you be willing to move him? Is that something that would be exciting for the A's? A guy who, you know, when he did come up to the bros, he looked good. And so far, since he's been back in Memphis, he's figured something out, and has been great. Would you be willing to move him to keep Gricepho and Roby?

Starting point is 00:31:19 Two months ago, McGreevy wasn't even on anybody's radar. And now, you know, fans want to see him in the starting rotation. Like now they're excited about him. Could you use that excitement to get Rooker to St. Louis? out of all those names, the one that would really be hard for me to give up is Nolan Gorman. I have not quit on him yet. I refuse to quit on him. I would try to find a way that you can keep Nolan Gorman.

Starting point is 00:31:44 But if you can get somebody who's doing it at the major league level from the right side of the plate like Brent Rooker is doing. Like we're not talking about a guy who's just kind of okay. Like he's crushing the ball as if he's one of the best hitters in baseball. His stats right now, he's one of the best hitter. and all of baseball. If you can get him and then field the team with Mason when it's shortstop, Donovan and left field, which he's done a great job out there. I've got no problems there. Rookers are D.H. Contrera's catching. Gorman at second, Nato at third, Burley at first, Walker and Wright, Siani and center field. Would you hate that? Would you hate what I just told

Starting point is 00:32:24 you would be your starting lineup next year? What if Goldie is still here? And it's Burley in left field instead of Donovan. Goldie at first, Donovan at second base. Thomas C. Jacey still on your roster then. He can play second base as well, as well as be your backup shortstop. Is that so bad? Have I not improved the team? You tell me. Let me know your thoughts down below and on Twitter X. Cardinals and Pirates start their series. Skeens tonight, it's going to be rough. It's got to be rough, especially the way this team just hit in Toronto. So good luck, boys. Good luck. But I want to hear your feedback. Get it to me. We'll talk about it in the next episode. Thank you for making

Starting point is 00:33:11 Lockdown Cardinals your first list on every day. If you haven't already, give me a follow on Twitter X at L0 underscore Cardinals and a JD Sports Radio. Like, subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and our love for the Cardinals grow. You guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason. You still are in my eyes. And we'll see you next time on Locked on Cardinals.

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