Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Is the St. Louis Cardinals Rebuild BRILLIANT or a DISASTER Waiting to Happen?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cardinals rebuild shifted into high gear this offseason with multiple trades of proven veterans. John Denton joins us to dissect those particular deals and look at what's left, if anything, for Heim Bloom to do before spring training begins. 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. Hafford, a former national radio sports anchor, born and raised in St.

Starting point is 00:00:34 Lewis and a lifetime Cardinals fan. And welcome to another episode of Locktown Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. A big thank you to our everydayers for always being here. If you're new, welcome aboard. Enjoy this content because this is a show that serves Cardinal Nation gives you all the info about the birds on the bat. On today's show, we're talking trades. We're talking prospects, free agents and a whole lot more. And finally, we get to do it with one John Denton, MLB writer John Denton. It's great to finally have you on the show, talk some ball with you, brother. You know, you've covered the team for a number of years now.

Starting point is 00:01:07 So your thoughts and opinions on what this team is doing and has done, obviously is as trusted as anyone. So the retooling, the rebuilding, whatever ownership wants to call this, it is fully underway, obviously with the trades of the big names that we're all familiar with. Sunny Gray, Wilson Contreras, Nolan Aronado, Brendan Donovan. And it's a rebuild that seems long overdue since the Cardinals haven't really been a playoff threat since about 2022. When did you start noticing while you were covering the team, like the cracks in the foundation, if you will, and kind of suspect that, you know, a turnover of this magnitude was probably inevitable and was going to take place? First off, it's a show with J.D. and J.D., how can we go wrong there? I mean, you've got to point that out, like, right off the bat.

Starting point is 00:01:53 I mean, dynamic do. Go back to 2002. Like, we knew going into that season, they didn't have enough pitching that, you know, they were woefully thin pitching. They needed everything to go right. you know, Adam Wainwright gets hurt in the WBC right before it, right after it. And then Nolan Aronado hurts his arm in the WBC. And you could kind of see cracks coming then. And, you know, at that trade deadline, you really wondered like, you know, should they blow it up now? Should they explore what they could get for Paul Goldschmidt now? Should they explore what they could get for Nolan Arnott then?

Starting point is 00:02:29 Because, you know, the signs were there that this team was aging. You know, they won the division the year before, but got beat in two games, you know, by the Phillies. So they weren't really a threat then. So that was kind of the first cracks. And I really think the team outperformed itself. I thought Ali Marmal handled the bullpen exceptional in 24. I thought they were a good team, a solid team in 25 last year. You know, they exceeded expectations.

Starting point is 00:02:58 Granted, I picked 78 and whatever, and I think they won 77 games. So I was right on the money with that one. You know, I just, you know, I've covered a little bit of baseball in my lifetime. But, you know, I think the last two years were maybe better than expected, but those first cracks came in 23. And, you know, I really think that John Mazzelak wanted to rebuild last year, but he knew it was going to be his last year. He just couldn't push the button on blowing the thing up last year the way it needed to be.

Starting point is 00:03:26 And now Hine Bloom has done the dirty work. And, you know, Hym was kind of trying to avoid this. He was a guy who had to go into Boston and trade mooky bets right off the bat. And Red Sox fans never forgave him for that. And it wasn't even his fault. It was something he was made to do. He was trying to avoid that. But now he's the guy who traded Sunny Gray and Wilson Contreras and Nolan Aronado and Brendan Donovan.

Starting point is 00:03:48 But I think Cardinal fans can see, you know, they're going to have, what, eight of the top 85 picks or six of the top 85 picks. and then they've got nine prospects that they've brought in, a top 100 guy. I think there's four or five guys that are in their top 30. So everybody can see the plan that Heinblum has put into place. Yeah, and now that these high-price veterans are gone, what are your thoughts on the deals that they made? Are you pleased with the returns?

Starting point is 00:04:20 Were you surprised by the amount of money that ownership was willing to eat to get these deals done? And how much, this is what I'm very curious about. How much do you think the threat of a strike next season weighed on these decisions that they made to retool this thing as drastically as they have? Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, I'm shocked that the Cardinals included this much money going out. I mean, that's basically what it took to get these high level prospects that they got back. You don't get Brandon Clark without taking on, you know, without sending a boatload of money for Sunny Gray's contract. you don't get the guys.

Starting point is 00:04:55 You don't get Richard Fitz and Hunter Dobbins without sending money back for Wilson Contreras. They were willing to do that. They were, you know, which I think that may have held Mo back last year, that Mo, you know, wasn't going to just give these guys away. But maybe there wasn't an assurance to throw in that kind of money that they did this year. And I would say that's the most shocking part.

Starting point is 00:05:17 You don't get back the level of prospects unless you're willing to give the money. I mean, the DeWitt family takes a lot of grief in St. Louis, but give them credit. I mean, they could have gone cheap here and not written a check and taken back basically nothing. But they were willing to do that. And, you know, they even realized that having Nolan R. and I don't on this team would not be productive in any way. I mean, they got back a kid who's yet to even pitch in major league in professional baseball. But they realized that that would be counterproductive having him back. So give the DeWitt family some credit for being willing to pay them.

Starting point is 00:05:52 the money to get back to kind of foundational pieces that this franchise needed. Yeah, because that's one of the things that they're, you know, they're being cheap, they're turning into the pirates. And it's not really that way. I mean, you can look at it that way if you want to and that's your, your opinion as a fan. But, I mean, they ate a lot of money. It's like as if they were just buying more prospects to bring in. And, you know, if you're going to have a core that's this young, like, why not bring more younger guys in? And I use this phrase all the time, John where it's like more bites at the apple. You know, the more prospects you get, the more fix you get. More chances, one of these guys is going to be special. So if you can get

Starting point is 00:06:30 a higher level prospect in return, if you eat a little bit of money extra to do that, I thought that was a smart move. And I, again, I give credit to the DeWitts. I know it's not fun as a fan who wants to see the people that you know about and the people you've heard of before, as opposed to guys who have been in AA or only in pro ball for a year or two. But to turn this thing around the way they wanted to, you know, it felt like this was, this was certainly a necessity. And good for Heinbluen to be able to get it done. And good on those guys, too, that, you know, last year when you talk about Mo, where we, we weren't sure if he was able to make these trades, nor did we know whether these guys

Starting point is 00:07:10 wanted to leave. Remember, that was kind of the talk, too, was that, you know, they all had no trade clauses. So even if he struck a deal like he did with Nato and the Astros, they didn't say yes. They weren't willing to get out of town. So it was really handcuffing Mo, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah, that was definitely an impediment. I mean, he had a deal with the Astros, like you mentioned. It was a story that I broke on MLE.com. I mean, it's funny.

Starting point is 00:07:35 If the Astros had waited a half an hour or two hours later, you know, they had just basically said that Bregma wasn't coming back. They traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. if Dana Brown waits two hours and waits and trades Tucker two hours later, he gets Aronado into the fold and then he does that. But give Nolan credit. Nolan said, why would I leave when the Astros are blowing it up? So there were some concerns there from Nolan that was well-founded.

Starting point is 00:08:05 You mentioned earlier, the lockout that's coming. That's on the mind of every person in Major League Baseball. I heard from a source the other day. I couldn't mention this previously because of my. previous employer, but someone told me the other day, if they play one game in 2007, they'll be shocked. Like, it's, it's going to be bad. This is a, this is a rough one coming, and it's a decision that's weighing on every personnel director's mind. It's weighing on every owner's mind. It's weighing on every player's mind that, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:38 there's 25 teams that are ready to burn this thing down and start from scratch. And if they have to give up a season, so be it. But that is weighing heavily on a lot of people's minds in baseball. Yeah. One other veteran name that still remains on the roster right now is Jojo Romero. We've heard, you know, that there's, you know, obviously interest in him. Any thoughts on him being moved before opening day? Or do you think they're at a point now where it looks like he's probably going to be a member of this team? Yeah, you know, Himes said the other day, I asked him a question. I said, do you have a, you know, kind of a deadline, built in that start a spring training and started opening day. And he said, hey, we're not

Starting point is 00:09:18 turning our phones off. I mean, I think Jojo knows the game. There's every contender on the planet could use a Jojo Romero. He's coming off a tremendous season. I mean, nobody gets weaker contact than Jojo Romero. Nobody keeps the ball on the ground better than Joe Romero. He's had two really good seasons. And, you know, he was kind of, it was just kind of a throw-in deal when they set Sosa to the Phillies. And the Cardinals were getting this guy who used to crushed red bull cans against his head. That's what he was most known for. And then now, you know, he's had two phenomenal seasons.

Starting point is 00:09:52 And I really think that Jojo will probably be elsewhere before opening day. You know, it may not happen right now, but once guys start going down, once for them, start tightening up, there's not a contender out there that couldn't use a left-handed bat who gets Shohei Otani out. Like, there's not many people who can say that. Jojo did a good job against him last year. Jojo gets right, he's out, he gets lefties out, he keeps them all on the ground. I fully expect him to be traded before opening day.

Starting point is 00:10:22 All right. Coming up, we're going to have more with John. I want to get his thoughts on what are some reasons why fans should be excited about the 2026 Cardinals. And what right-handed bats, they could be looking to add something that Heinblum is brought up as well. We'll do that next with John coming up on Locked on Cardinals. Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's about finding the right person with the right background. you can actually help your business move forward.

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Starting point is 00:11:55 the day. And thank you for making Lockdown on the number one sports podcast and network. You already live your team every day. Now take it up level. Go add free. Be sure to check out our locked on STL Cardinals.com. Every day or club. Check the link in the show notes. Five bucks a month, 50 bucks a year. Check it out if you're somebody who loves Cardinals baseball the way we think you do. Baseball writer John Denton joining us here today to talk some Cardinal baseball. John, in my opinion, the Cardinals have a solid young court that will be learning and growing together in 2026. I'm excited about that, but your casual fans are going to be like,

Starting point is 00:12:29 I don't know any of these people. I don't have a clue. Guys, I'm excited about top prospect, J.J. Weatherholt, obviously is somebody that the fans probably know about by now. But some fans are understandably upset with the lack of star power that the Cardinals have at this moment. What are some other reasons or who are some other players that should excite fans and get them to come down to Bush Stadium in 2026 to watch this team play? who does it for you? How about Mason Wynn? A guy who had three errors last year, and you could

Starting point is 00:12:59 argue that he probably only should have had one error. To put that in perspective, there have been two short stops in baseball history who've gone through a season with three errors. Cal Ripkin in 1990, Omar Viscale in 2000, two Hall of Fame players. Like, Mason Wend is electrifying. The arm that he has is box office. Like, it is phenomenal. The guy could be a pitcher. You, You know, they kind of push that aside. He is phenomenal. He's going to come back as a better all-round player. He won a gold glove last year.

Starting point is 00:13:31 He's probably going to win the next seven or eight gold gloves in a row. Now he's working on becoming a better complete player. He knows that if he doesn't, Ellie Dela Cruz is going to still get all the headlines. So he's working on that. Hey, everybody in St. Louis wants to know, can Jordan Walker make it? Can Nolan make it? Those are the guys, those are stories worth watching. Like every day you want to tune in and say, is this the day the light goes on for Jordan Walker?

Starting point is 00:13:58 6.6.250 pounds. Looks like he was built in a lab somewhere. His dad went to MIT. His mother went to Harvard and Wash you and St. Louis. I mean, it's almost like he was created in a lab somewhere. Is that light finally going to go on this year? You know, is Nolan going to cut down on the swing and miss? Is he going to show up to training camp to spring training in better shape so that he can really? really play third base. You know, he got himself in trouble last year because he wasn't as agile as they wanted him to be. He was kind of sidearm in the ball and it was tailing back into the runners. So, you know, every Cardinal fan on the planet wants to know, are those two guys going to get it? Is the light going to go on this year or are they going to be elsewhere by next year? You know, and then JJ Red J.J. Weatherhole. I mean, he's a guy who is totally comfortable in his skin. You can talk to him about all the expectations, all the pressures in the world, and he doesn't care.

Starting point is 00:14:53 He doesn't care. One thing, he's like, you're never going to put more pressure on me than he already has on himself. So, I mean, Cardinal fans are going to love him because he is a dirt bag. He's a Brendan Donovan type. His uniform is going to be totally dirty by the third inning. He's going to drive the ball in the gaps.

Starting point is 00:15:10 He's going to do the little things. He's going to steal a base. You're going to take an extra base. I think he's going to play really well as long as they leave him at second base. So, you know, there are some stories right there. And Michael McGruevy, I love him. I've always said, Michael McGreevy is 25 going on 35. If you talk to him, you would think he's an investment banker

Starting point is 00:15:30 because he's so mature, so level-headed, got such a great sense of humor. It doesn't take himself too seriously. So, you know, he's 11 and 4 in his career. He's finally going to get a shot on opening day. So I want to see him too, you know, Mason Win, Walker and Gorman, J.J. Weatherhole, Michael McGreevy, I want to see all those guys. there's plenty of reasons, good reasons still watch your Cardinals. Yeah. And, you know, Walker's not that far from being one of the top-rated prospects in all

Starting point is 00:16:00 of baseball. We saw what he could do that rookie year, even though he got set down. Remember, like he came up and he wasn't getting the ball in the air the way they wanted, comes back, and still had a phenomenal rookie year. Things haven't quite gone the way he wanted to, but there's still so much talent. And you hear about him this offseason, and how hard he's working to become that guy once again, uh, that is considered one of the top prospects in baseball. So, uh, he's certainly a guy that I haven't given up on yet. I know it's easy in the day and age where people are like,

Starting point is 00:16:29 he's done. They stink, you know, move them on. Uh, but that's not really the case. These are still young men. These are, they, this is not a Jordan Walker who's 28, 29, you know, we're talking about a young man still with, uh, who's still growing and he's getting bigger every year. Like he's a massive human being.

Starting point is 00:16:45 So I'm excited about that. I'm excited to see Yvonne Herrera. I want to see what Victor Scott has done this year in the offseason. Apparently he's been retooling his swing a little bit. And, you know, you know how exciting it is when he gets on base. You just never know when he's going to go. And that puts a lot of pressure on the opposing pitchers and their defense. So some really good reasons to want to come out and watch this team.

Starting point is 00:17:10 You mentioned JJ. Another thing about JJ that I love is the fact that everywhere he goes, they win everywhere. Like whether it was in college, he goes into pro ball. Guess what? Palm Beach, they start winning. He goes to AA Springfield. Guess what? They start winning. Didn't get a ton of time in Memphis last year, but it just exudes. He makes everybody around him better, it seems. Like he just is that guy. And I hope he doesn't feel too much pressure if he struggles a little bit when he first gets called up and he's able to work his way through it. But like he said, he knows what it's going to take to become a professional baseball player and to be great at this level.

Starting point is 00:17:47 And I have a lot of faith that he'll be able to get that done. Lars Newport had surgery on both his heels this offseason, which definitely puts a question mark for what his availability will be on opening day. He'll be back eventually. But Heim Blum has said that he's looking outside the organization to add another right-handed bat through either free agency. He mentioned maybe a trade. I could do it that way too.

Starting point is 00:18:11 They claim Brian Ramos today, but who are some other names that you think could fit the bill for what the team is still looking for from the right side? Oh, Judy, outside the organization, I think a guy like Nick Castiano could fall into their laps. You know, within seconds of a Zoom call ending with Hym, I had a person in Philadelphia call and say, Nick Castiano could be that guy. the Phillies are ready to cut ties with him. They're just trying to find somebody to take some of his contracts. So if you can get him at a very reduced rate, maybe stick him in left field. He's not a great fielder.

Starting point is 00:18:51 He's one of the worst right fielder in baseball the last few years, right there with Jordan Walker. Maybe I shouldn't say, but the two of them are very similar defensively. But if you could get a veteran guy like that who could hit in the middle of the order, that would really help out. And then the guy in the organization, kind of below the radar, don't be shocked if Josh Baez comes to the end of this camp and just, you know, takes over. He has the physical tools to be an absolute superstar. And for whatever

Starting point is 00:19:20 reason, maybe it's this new front office, maybe it's, it's Rob Serfoglio, a guy that's below the radar, assistant GM who's working with a lot of these players, the light went on, just like we were talking about with Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. The light went on for Josh Baez last year. Like, don't be surprised if he comes out of nowhere and he's your starter on opening day. The kid is just that talented. They took him in the second round. He's 6.3, 235, stole, what, 40, 50 bases last year to go with 19, 20 home runs, big time, big time talent. And if he has the kind of spring that he's capable of, don't be shocked if he's your starting starter in left field on opening day.

Starting point is 00:20:03 Yeah, which would be quite the jump considering he never played at AAA last year. here. Like it was it was A, AA and yeah, massive numbers. And another one of those kids, too, and we talk about everybody hates the word patience because Mo used it so much. But another one of those guys, you know, he was young at a high school and it takes a little bit of time. You know, like one of the new guys that they just got, Tai Pete, a young man that they got out of high school. And people look at his swing and miss. And bias was one of those guys who struggled with that early on as well. It takes time for them to get used to this whole thing, using wooden bats and doing all of this stuff. And they got to grow into their bodies. And, you know, I was very impressed

Starting point is 00:20:42 with them at winter warm up this year, just the way he handles himself, the way he speaks with the media. Like, he seems like a very mature young man already. And, you know, time has mentioned too. Like, it's good to have some of these guys struggle for a while so they know what it's like and are able to work through it to become a better player on the other side. And maybe that's what's happened with Joshua Baez. And that certainly would get people excited to know that. a talent like him would be on the roster right away. He's on the 40 man and they're looking for a right-handed bat. So Nick Castellos, though, that would be crazy, right?

Starting point is 00:21:16 Because we all know about the history between him when he was on the Reds and the Cardinals. And, you know, he's a fiery guy. Yeah, the bat certainly, I think, still plays. That would be interesting. Definitely interesting. He can be had for pennies on the dollar of what I've heard. And the Phillies are ready to cut ties. So, you know, it's just whether the Cardinals would like to have him.

Starting point is 00:21:37 you know, you could use another veteran presence, especially a bat in the middle of the lineup. A guy could play right field, left field. It's just a name I'm throwing out there, but I know the Phillies are eager to cut ties with him. And, you know, it would give the Cardinals one more veteran in that clubhouse. Yeah, and a solid bat to boot. He definitely can still swing the lumber.

Starting point is 00:21:59 All right, coming up next with John, our final segment. We're going to talk some lineups. We're going to talk the pitching staff as well. if there's, who's going to be in that rotation, according to John. We'll get his thoughts on that. Coming up next on Locked on Cardinals. Tax season doesn't have to take over your life this year. TurboTax is going to make it easier than ever to just hand things off and move on with your day.

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Starting point is 00:23:28 It's your first list of the day. Thank you for making lockdown on the number one sports podcast network. Baseball writer John Denton once again with us wrapping things up. All right, John, let's talk about lineups. I'm going to put the lineup card in your hand. Many assume Donovan would be that leadoff guy this year if he was still around. He's not. So what do you think Ali might do?

Starting point is 00:23:47 Who do you think he might roll with first, assuming everyone's healthy? So assuming newts on, you know, healthy and back, is that the leadoff guy? Do you think they might go with somebody else? I'm going to go with J.J. Weatherhole, you know, if you're going to make the opening day roster, why not just put him in there at leadoff? I think he's a perfect leadoff guy. He can hit deep in the count. He can hit to all fields.

Starting point is 00:24:10 He can give you the speed. He can be a, he can be a 2020 guy at some point. maybe not right off the bat, but Cardinal fans are going to be really impressed how he hits to all fields. You know, JJ even pointed out, I got to the big leagues and they kind of told me I didn't pull the ball enough or I didn't pull the ball deep to pull side. He's like, I just hit 390 something or 490 in college. And these people are telling me what I can't do. But he's a guy who's going to hit the ball always. He's a guy who can take pitches.

Starting point is 00:24:39 He can hit with two strikes. Hey, JJ Weatherhole, that's, you know, If you're going to put him in there, go, you know, be going to be a bear, be a grizzly bear. Put him in there right off the bat. Lead off. Yeah, I like that. It's a sexy pick because he hit lead off in the minors. That's where they had him.

Starting point is 00:24:54 And, you know, you want your best guys getting as many of bats as possible. And I love the fact, if you go watch highlights, I mean, remember that first home run he hit in the spring last year, opposite field. Like, he's got pop all over the place. And he's not a tall guy, but he's built like a rock, dude. That guy works out hard. So certainly that would be a fun one to have at the, top of the order, getting things moving for the rest of the guys.

Starting point is 00:25:18 Starting rotation. All right. So we know that there are three guys who are locked in. You got Dustin May, Matthew Libertor, Michael McGreevy. We mentioned Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitz. Andre Palante is still here. Kyle Leahy's going to get a crack at the starting rotation as well. Let's get your best Nostradamus thing here. Who do you think will land those final two spots if you had to pick one today? I really, really like Kyle Leahy. There's not a smarter guy in that room. I mean, rarely does Oliver Marmal ever talk about Kyle Leahy without saying aptitude right off the bat. He is off the charts intelligent. He's a guy who throws seven pitches. He probably could throw eight or nine if he wanted to. Like he studies the movement on pitches. He adapts well. Starting didn't go well for him early in his career. He's said that, you know, he's had more times when he struggled than when he's pitched well. He pitched really well last year. He ended the season with a strong, his one start of the season. I think he's a guy who's really going to break through. He's had all offseason to prepare for this. He's a guy who's watched

Starting point is 00:26:27 you know, reams and reams of a video of himself. He knows what he can do well. He knows what he doesn't do well and he's smart enough. Smart as a whip and I think he'll figure it out. I think he's going to get one of those spots. If Hunter Dobbins is healthy, I think he's, he's the man. You know, he's coming off that torn ACL from July. More than likely, it'll be Richard Fitz. I like Andre Palante as a person. I think he's a good guy. I just don't know, you know, when your fastball tops out at 94-95, it just, it's going to be tough. You know, he just does it generate enough swing and miss. And, you know, maybe he goes back to the bullpen. But, you know, It was ugly last year. Let's not, you know, let's not sugarcoat it.

Starting point is 00:27:15 I think he lost his last 10 starts or didn't, didn't have a win in his last 10 starts. And he was hit really hard, gave up a lot of home run balls. You know, he's never going to be a guy who's going to blow you away. But he's got to land his curveball for strikes. He's got to land a changeup of some kind for strikes. And then, you know, I mean, he's still going to throw 93 to 95. And that's just not enough this day and age. So, you know, maybe he can come back.

Starting point is 00:27:43 Maybe he can pitch like he did in 24, but I just, I don't see it. I don't see a long-term future for him in the rotation in St. Louis. So if I had to say today, I would take Leahy and either Dobbins or Fitz. Yeah, I love Dobbins. And that's the thing, too, was like, you know, Dobbins and Fitz, both of them had some injury concerns last year. And, you know, there's no reason to rush Dobbins at this moment, which is great because, I mean, when was the last time the Cardinals actually had some. depth in the rotation. You know, it's been talked about a ton where last year, the fact that they all

Starting point is 00:28:16 stayed healthy was crazy. That's so weird. It never happens that way. And it's not expected to happen again. So now you've got all of all this depth there as well as some some pretty good arms that'll be at AAA Memphis this year. If you've got, you know, guys like Eshaun Henderson coming up, Bryson Mott's coming up. Obviously Quinn Matthews is there. So there's a nice depth there for the Cardinals. Real quick, ball pin. They add Stannick in the offseason, but I can't help but look at the left-handers. And if Jojo does get moved,

Starting point is 00:28:48 there's nothing left-handed-wise in that ballpen. Your thoughts on the pen. And if Jojo is moved, do you think they go out and get a veteran lefty? And the guys that I keep bringing up are like Danny Colom, an Andrew Chafin, you know, guys that are one-year deals who don't care if they get traded later on in the season.

Starting point is 00:29:08 And what are your thoughts on something like that going down? Yeah, Chafin's a guy that they looked at hard back in 23, and we were all thinking they need to sign him coming off a really good year. And they didn't sign him, and the pitching fell apart. So he would have been a good piece then. He's still a veteran guy. You know, one of the things for fans to consider, bullpen pitchers are so random.

Starting point is 00:29:32 Like, nobody grows up saying, I want to pitch the sixth inning. Like, the reason these guys were pitching in the bullpen, is because they usually failed as starters. And one of the craziest things, just because you had a great year in 25 doesn't mean you're going to have a great year in 26. Just because you had a terrible year in 26, it is the most volatile position in all of baseball. Sometimes having a great year and pitching all those innings leads to a bad year the next year.

Starting point is 00:30:00 So, you know, every year in camp, you're just going to have to see. Like, you know, just like I said, just because Jojo had a great year in last year and the year before means nothing. It is the most volatile position in all of baseball. You're going to have Riley O'Brien from the right side. Maybe if Palante doesn't make it as a starter, maybe you put him back in the pen because he's a guy with opposite splits. He gets out lefties better than he gets out righties. He's almost like a lefty who throws right-handed in the bullpen. So if he's not a starter, maybe that's an option. I do like the Chaffin name that you mentioned. and, you know, if JJ, if Joe Romero gets traded,

Starting point is 00:30:39 it will be an ugly scene down there with lefties. Yeah, because we're like looking at like Nick Rockett, and then there's, you know, they sign Schuster, you know, they got a couple of guys, you know, the guy from Toronto that they brought in already, but these are, you know, not household names, if you will, and they don't actually have the longest, you know, resume of being successful.

Starting point is 00:31:02 So just curious if that those moves make sense. at all. But I appreciate you stopping by here today, John. I know it was cool to make some time and be able to get on with you finally. So I hope to have you back here at some point and, you know, hear more of your thoughts on what you think about the Cardinal baseball team rolling into 2026. Sounds great. Thanks so much for having me, J.D. appreciate it. All right. Thank you. And thank you guys for making Lacton Cardinals, your first listen every day. Once again, if you haven't already, give us a follow on accidental on underscore Cardinals in a JD Sports Radio. TikTok, Instagram and Lockdown Cardinals, like, subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and our love for the Cardinals grow.

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