Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Six Trade Targets That The Cardinals Should Consider

Starting point is 00:00:00 The first big trade deadline move has been made. How does it affect the market? And specifically, the Cardinals needs moving forward. Thomas Gauvade from Redwood Rance.com joins me today to talk about all of this and more on today's episode of 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, Carlis fans. I'm J.D. Hafford and I'm a national radio sports anchor born and raised in the least.

Starting point is 00:00:35 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 follow me on Twitter X at JD Sports Radio. You can follow the podcast at LO underscore Cardinals. I do want to thank those of you who make Locked on Cardinals your first list in every day. We are free and available wherever you get your podcast. Also available on YouTube, be sure to stop by, like, subscribe, and comment and interact with us and hit that notification button so you know when new episodes are posted.

Starting point is 00:01:01 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 being brought to you by Supplyhouse. Supplyhouse.com is the reliable way to get parts fast, shop for your next plumbing, HVAC, or electrical job, and get fast shipping from coast to coast at supplyhouse.com. So joining me today is our guy Thomas Govain from RedbirdRance.com. And if you haven't made your way over to the website,

Starting point is 00:01:29 make sure you do that. A lot of great articles, a lot of great pieces written by Thomas and the wonderful staff over there at Redbirdrance.com. About everything, Cardinals, the good and the bad, a lot of trade deadline stuff, which is what we're going to focus on here today. Thomas, how are you, buddy? Things good in your world?

Starting point is 00:01:46 Absolutely, doing quite well. How are you? Good, good. The MLB trade deadline is now four days away, and business is starting to pick up. We had a deal late on Thursday night. The first big name got moved. Former Cardinal Randy a Rose of Ray,

Starting point is 00:02:03 got shipped from Tampa Bay to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for three players. They got two A ball guys, one's an outfielder, one's a pitcher, ranked number 12 and number 22 at MLB Pipeline. And then there's a player to be named later that's going to be thrown in at some point. We don't know who that's going to be yet. The other deal that was made was the Diamondbacks were able to get A.J. Puck from the Miami Marlins. But the Rosarana deal is the one that got people pretty excited. Although the puck trade, I was like, wow, that's.

Starting point is 00:02:33 a really good pickup for the diamond backs. He's been very good since he's been a reliever. But Rosa Rain is the one that is the headliner. You know, he's been phenomenal since going to Tampa Bay. Cardinals fans know this. He's having a down year for his standards, Thomas, hitting just 2.11, but he's got 15 home runs. He's got 37 RBI, 16 stolen bases. The OPS Plus is at 105, so just a tick above average and the war at 0.8. But since June 1st, he's been better. He's been more like the guy that we've, been used to seeing since he got to Tampa Bay. He's been hitting 284 with seven home runs, 18 RBI's nine stolen bases, the EPS up to 903.

Starting point is 00:03:12 He's 29 years old, still has two more years of control left, has had a history of postseason success. Obviously, he's put on a show with the World Baseball Classic. We all saw that. Home run derby, he's got swag. He likes the big stage. My question for you, Thomas, are you surprised at what the, Mariners gave up. Like, to me, it feels like I was a little underwhelmed. I was like,

Starting point is 00:03:38 really? That's all it took. A couple of A couple of A ball guys to get Randy a Rose Arena. What were your thoughts on this deal when you heard about it? I think it says a lot about the raise. I mean, they're a team that we can never quite figure out what's going on down there. They get a couple of A ball guys with relatively high ceilings and they could turn them into stars pretty easily. Randy was going to be really expensive the next two years. And we know they don't like that. He showed some cracks that he seemed to have figured out. I think it's a win for both teams. Honestly, the race are going to have to wait a little bit longer. It's a little bit weird that they gave their best player to a team that is just ahead of them in the standings,

Starting point is 00:04:15 but it's the race. So we never quite know what's going on, but it'll probably end up well for them. Yeah, Seattle, I'm clearly desperate for some offense. They've been rumored to be asking for a guy in the division in Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds. They've been sniffing around him as well, but they've got all this pitching and the offense has been the problem. Julio Rodriguez is down right now on the IL. J.P. Crawford also on the IL. So it's been a rough go in Seattle. So they're going to be one of those guys that's, you know, pretty active probably here at the deadline because they've been sinking in the standings. Like they had a nice lead for a while there and Houston's caught them and passed them. And, you know, they're going in the wrong direction. So somebody to keep an eye on,

Starting point is 00:05:00 that's for sure. As far as the Cardinals needs, I mean, this is kind of good news for the Cardinals, because if Tampa Bay's, you know, if they're going to wave the white flag, we had an idea that they might be heading in that direction when they traded Aaron Savali already. But, you know, there's a couple of guys

Starting point is 00:05:18 the Cardinals would be interested in, Zach Gathlin and Pete Fairbanks and those guys. So that, you know, this is kind of good news. That, okay, it looks like the rays are going to be shipping some people. So those are some things that obviously Cardal fans are going to keep their eyes peeled for. We're not the only team. It's going to be looking at them. Obviously, but those are the names that are still remaining in Tampa Bay that Cardle fans should be interested.

Starting point is 00:05:46 Now, we do know what the Cardle's needs are, Thomas. We need starting rotation. We need Bolpen help and someone preferably an outfielder who can hit left-handed pitching. That's really what we're looking at for the redbirds. So what we're going to do today is we are going to go through three phases or tiers of these needs. And we're going to pick out who we'd like to see them get. So we're going to do a dream target level. We're going to do a realistic trade area.

Starting point is 00:06:20 And then we've got the Mo famous low-hanging fruit that we're going to target as well. because you got to keep in mind that, of course, we want these guys at the top of the list, but there's going to be a lot of competition going into this from a lot of other teams who may have more assets than the Cardinals, may have more money than the Cardinals. So it's going to make things very, very difficult for Mo to grab those type of people. So we've got to think about all the different layers of players that they might be able to get their hands on. So that's what we're going to go through here in just a minute. We're going to go through pitching and hitting, and we'll have it all for you next on Lockdown Cardinals.

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Starting point is 00:08:16 I love them. You love them. And when the sports aren't sporting like we want them to, it's a bit of a bummer right now. Obviously, baseball is a big deal. The Olympics are coming up. You've got preseason football set to begin on August 1st. So that's not too far away either. But there's not a ton going on.

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Starting point is 00:09:24 Streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app. Part of the Locktown Podcast Network, your team every day. Cardinals back home at Bush Stadium this weekend. you can catch every pitch of the Cardinals hometown broadcast with Sirius XM. Just download the SXM app and search the word Cardinals. Thomas Govain from Redbirdrance.com is here. All right, you got your PJs on, Thomas. It's time for the dream targets.

Starting point is 00:09:49 These are the dream guys that in a perfect world, the Cardinals will be able to acquire these guys. No problems. No fuss, no must. They wouldn't have to fight it with any other teams. They would just be like, this is it. This is the golden child that, we need. And we're going to let you go first, Thomas, who is out there right now that has been

Starting point is 00:10:10 made available. Obviously, we're not going to go, hey, well, yeah, we want Show Hey, we can't have it. It's not available. But of the rumors and stuff that we've heard that have been swirling for the last couple of weeks, who is your dream target for the St. Louis Cardinals? I'm probably butcher's first name, but I'm going to say Terrick Scoobal. Nailed it. You got it. Perfect. He is ridiculous this year. His whip is 0.92. His ERA is 2.34. If you go to his baseball savant page, everything is 79th percentile or higher.

Starting point is 00:10:43 He's ridiculous this year. It would take a King's Ransom, probably in the likes of Jordan Walker, plus Tink Henzer or Quinn Matthews or any one of our top pitching prospects, plus Avonhur. It would take three real big guys to get him. But that's why we call him the dream candidate. He's got two and a half years of control so he can lead our staff for the next few years with Sonny Gray. He's dream. He is dream. And the more that his name kept popping up,

Starting point is 00:11:11 the more I'm like, I would, I think I would, I would trade a Jordan Walker because I think it's easier to find outfielders than it is to find an elite starting pitcher who's at his age that has still got years of control underneath them. I, like, the more I thought about the more I'm like, there's not much I wouldn't give up. Like he's one of those guys. Like he's one of the best pitchers in baseball. Like there's nobody, I think, in my system that is untouchable when it comes to acquiring somebody of his levels. Do the Cardinals feel as strongly about it as I do? That's the real question. I mean, when you think about what this team is right now, and they've been fine without Jordan Walker. Like, it's not like Jordan Walker's been the key cog in the middle of this order,

Starting point is 00:11:59 this whole season, and you're giving up this major piece that has been. contributing. He hasn't. And so Teen Kent is still, you know, maybe a year or two away. He's still a prospect. We don't know. We don't know if he's going to be that great or not. Things happen. I mean, obviously something could happen to Scoobel, too. But he's doing it at the major league level and he's dominating. So it's a dream acquisition. But like, what do you think? Would you be willing to give up what it would take to get him? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he's a left-handed starter. We can't grow starters, apparently, but we can get enough serviceable hitters. So send our top prospects out to get a guy who we know can lead a staff for the next two and a half

Starting point is 00:12:43 years. And you haven't heard a whole lot of names circling around him. It's been basically, what, Baltimore has been the big one. And that's the one that, and obviously the prospects that Baltimore can offer rated higher than what the Cardinals have. So if, you know, if Detroit did decide to move them getting guys from Baltimore would be better than getting the guys from the Cardinals. That's just the truth. So that's probably where the problem lies where, you know, Detroit might be like, yeah, those guys are all right, but look who, you know, we're talking about Jackson Holiday over here with the Baltimore Orioles.

Starting point is 00:13:18 So that's why it would make it very, very tough to get a deal done, especially with, you know, when you're talking about Jordan Walker being, you know, one of the main pieces of it, you know, his, what he's worth right now is not as high as it was last year. Let's be honest, because he's been down to AAA. So something to consider. All right. My dream guy, I'm going to go over to the bat side of things since you took Scoobel. And I'm going to go with Brett Rooker from the Oakland A's.

Starting point is 00:13:47 The dude is a monster at the plate. He's hitting 289, 24 home runs, 70 RBIs. The OPS plus is 170, Thomas. 3.4 war, and he's cheap with three years of control left. He's not making a lot of money. Obviously, those numbers will get bumped up because of the production that he's got going on. He is 29 years old already. Probably can only play in the corner spots in the outfields.

Starting point is 00:14:16 I don't know how great he is defensively. Obviously, he could be a fantastic DH, but that kind of puts a lot of pressure on Wilson-Contraeus, only being available, you know, as a catcher. instead of using him at DH. I don't know. It just kind of, it kind of clocks things up at the DH spot because, you know, you want to put Burliss in there and you've got other guys that you want to use. But adding somebody like Brent Rooker to this lineup who just mashes,

Starting point is 00:14:41 and it doesn't matter what they're throwing, righty, lefty. He kills all of them. But he's a guy that if you plant him in the middle of your lineup right now, I think that makes a huge difference, you know, continuing to keep, you know, Goldie down in the seven hole. Like it just kind of pushes people down a, slot. You can put Contreras, Rooker, then Arnato, or Gorman, however you want to go right, he lefty, whatever you want to do. And it's just such an impact bat to put in this lineup that,

Starting point is 00:15:11 you know, we just saw what the pirates is, it's tough scoring runs all the time. So what are your thoughts on Brent Rooker and what do you think it would take to get somebody like him? I love Brett Rooker. It'd be some chess moves. I think there's a world in which Dylan Carl and Nolan Gorman are traded in other deals to make space for a rookie to come in. As far as getting him, the A's want young pitchers. So once again, probably a Tinkhens. I think we might be able to escape by with some of those mid-range guys we've got, Sam Ribersei-Ribersa.

Starting point is 00:15:46 I'm not sure how you say his last name either. I think if we package enough of those guys together, throw in an outfielder, Chase Davis, maybe it could come together, but they'll probably want one of our top pitching prospects too. Yeah, and that would be tough because, you know, your Tink or Quinn Matthews, like, I'd be open to it to Coa Roby or somebody like that, but Matthews and hence, like I want somebody, somebody really special. That's why Scoobble, I'm kind of like, yeah, let's go. But with Rooker, you know, he didn't really blossom until later in his life. I don't know if this is going to sustain after, you know, it's only been two years that he's been doing this.

Starting point is 00:16:25 And it's odd that it didn't, he didn't take off till his age 28 season. Just to get to Oakland. That's all you do. Get to Oakland. Yeah, it's like, it's kind of a head scratch. Like how, what clicked all of a sudden? But if he's able to continue the way he's going for the next couple of years, then for sure we had something you'd have to think about. All right.

Starting point is 00:16:45 So those are our dream scenarios. Eric Scoobel, Brent Rooker. Let's drop down a notch and go to more realistic choices. Who do you got lined up for me, buddy? I have Eric Fetty. I'm going all pitchers. So you're prepared for that. I've got Eric Fetty. He has actually been one of the best starters, probably behind Flaherty and Scoobble at the market, I think. His ERA sits at 298. He has an ERA plus of 138. He's striking out eight batters per nine innings, which is a massive total, but it's serviceable still. I actually just wrote something. I looked back at Montgomery and Kentana, those trades from two years ago to see what they were performing at. at half point and then after that. And Fetty is better than both of them. And he could track to be better than them for the rest of the year.

Starting point is 00:17:32 I'd really like Eric Fetty. I think he's a little bit of a lower target, but he still has the potential to be as good as the rest of the guys. Yeah, there's been a lot of smoke there surrounding the Cardinals and the White Sacks when it comes to Eric Fetty. And, you know, he's another guy that first round pick. You know, obviously there was something about him that everybody liked. And it just never worked.

Starting point is 00:17:55 with the Washington Nationals. He goes over to the KBO and just destroys things over there. It's the KBO version of the Cy Young and the MVP. He was amazing. And it's almost shocking that he ended up in the White Sox. Like this sounds like guy that Mo would have plucked right away that he would have been all over it. So he was a little surprising that the White Sox were the team that actually got their hands on him.

Starting point is 00:18:21 And now it's going to work out for him because he's more than likely going to get shipped for a decent hall. And perhaps the Cardinals will be in on that. And it's another thing. The risk side of it is that, you know, he's only done it for half of a season at the major league level. We've got history with him in the major leagues where he was not very good. But he appears to be a different guy.

Starting point is 00:18:42 The numbers don't lie. It's not like he's doing this against just scrubbed teams. Like he's beating very good clubs and pitching very well against them. So he's another name. The more and more they keep talking about, the more and more I keep going, yeah, no, it makes a lot of sense to bring them in. I'm going to go back to the hitting side of things. And this is a guy, and I've been getting a lot of pushback on this one because he's an old guy.

Starting point is 00:19:06 But I'm going to go with Kevin Pilar from the Angels because he's 35. The numbers are not going to jump off the page at you, okay? 278, seven home runs, 32 RBIs. The OPS Plus, 124, fantastic. The war, 0.8, but against lefties, which is what we're concerned about with the Cardinals, all right? As great as would be to come in and get a guy like Britt Rooker who can just put him in every single day. We're thinking about a guy that, you know, is going to be able to switch out with guys like Brendan Donovan and Lars Neup Bar and any other, you know, Alec Berlison, if need be, needs a day off or something, although I would never set him anymore the way he's going. But you're talking about that, the ying and yang there.

Starting point is 00:19:51 You got the lefty and the righty mix going. And against left-handers, Kevin Pilar is hitting 371 with three home runs, 14 RBIs. He's got a split OPS of 189. He kills left-handers. He can play all three outfield positions. He's on an expiring contract. A lot of people didn't think he'd be in the league this year. He was a white sock at one point.

Starting point is 00:20:14 They didn't want him. And so he goes to the Angels and kind of resurrects things for at least one year. I don't know how expensive it would be to get a Kevin Pilar. I know you and I have also discussed, you know, him being a piece of a bigger trade for some other guys that the angels have because they got some dudes over there, like a Tyler Anderson that, you know, the Cardinals would be interested in. They've got the reliever Estevez they'd be interested in.

Starting point is 00:20:42 But he's a guy that I don't know what the draw is around the league for him if you got him just by himself. Like I don't feel like it wouldn't be super. difficult. It's a guy that's been on a lot of teams already. So this is nothing new to him. So it wouldn't be like shocking that he had to go to another team. We know he looks good in red and white and gray because of the angels color. So I just feel like Kevin Pilar fits the need that the Cardinals have. And he's not going to complain about not getting everyday playing time. You know, you can pick and choose when you want to put him in. And he'd be an awesome right-handed

Starting point is 00:21:17 bat off the bench, something that the Cardinals are very sorely lacking in. It's awesome. all lefties. So he's a guy. And I get it why people push back on it. I completely understand. But what are your thoughts on Kevin Pilar and his fit? Have I sold him to you? He fits perfectly. I mean, he matches lefties, which is what we need. You can play some center field. His defense still grades out positively in the outfield. I think he'd be a great fit for the team. He wouldn't cost. I mean, find a number 20 through number 30 prospect in our system and send him over, really. That's all it would cost. I think. Yeah. So you're on board. Absolutely. Yeah, Thomas is in Michael.

Starting point is 00:21:59 All right. We're going to go down to the low-hanging fruit next. And it's, I know, it's the, it's the grody part of who we might trade for. But you can find some value in the low-hanging fruit. Sometimes these things work out. Hello. We got, you know, J-Hap. We had John Lester. That was low-hanging fruit, and it worked out pretty darn well for the Cardinals before. Who says it can't happen again? So we'll have the low-hanging fruit coming up for you next on Locked-on Cardinals. Order supplies from the website that's made for the skilled trades. Find thousands of parts from hundreds of brands in just a couple of clicks at supplyhouse.com. Supplyhouse.com gives you 24-7 access to a huge selection of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with fast delivery anywhere in the United States. And if you need help with an order, you can get industry leading out.

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Starting point is 00:23:28 Real people, real service. Lockdown has launched the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. It's also available on Amazon Fire TV and the free fire TV channel's app covering the top sports stories of the day with the local experts of Lockdown Plus our national shows, which cover every league. You can find Lockdown Sports today now available. on the Free Fire TV channels app. Again, Thomas Gauvain from Redbird Rants.com,

Starting point is 00:23:58 joining us here today. We are down to the low-hanging fruit section of trade targets for the Cardinals this year. You said you're sticking with pitching. Who is your low-hanging fruit pitcher that you think the Cardinals should go after? Left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers from Miami Marlins. All right.

Starting point is 00:24:16 He's got an all-star appearance on his resume. It was way back in 2021, but it is still there. everybody can look at that. It's real. You're not making it up. Yes. I urge people to ignore his record. The Miami Marlins are a terrible team. The true records are not indicative of a pitcher's talent. He's one and nine.

Starting point is 00:24:37 His ERA is 459, but over his last nine starts, so from June on, he sits at a 3.49 ERA. He struck out 40 batters and 49 innings in that stretch. He seems to have done something differently over the last two months. I don't think he would cost him. much. He's got extra years of control. So he's not a free agent until 2027. He's only 26. His injury history is there. He's at 100 innings right now and his most is 138.

Starting point is 00:25:04 But I think that once again, this is low-hanging fruit. We are not expecting these guys to be aces of a staff. Yeah. Yeah. This is a section. If we're talking low-hanging fruit for the rotation, this is your back of the end of the rotation stuff. It's not an upgrade from really anybody I mean, you're hoping he can pitch at the level or better of like, you know, Michaelis and Lynn, but there's no guarantees there. But yeah, certainly a guy who had a really bright future ahead of him. And then the injuries got him. And, you know, it's unfortunate. But, you know, is this a, this could be a bounce back candidate. And I don't see why that's not somebody that you would talk to the Marlins about because, you know, other people are going to go in trying to, trying to yank Jesus Lazzardo, who, you know, still hurt right now. But he's been the popular. target. Edward Cabrera, obviously, he's got the stuff. He just has to learn to control it and throw strikes. But the Marlins obviously looking to overhaul a lot that's going on. I don't know where Jazz Chisholm Jr. is going to end up, but it seems like he's going to be on the move somewhere.

Starting point is 00:26:10 I'm hoping it's not like Milwaukee or something. I'll freak out. I think the Yankees is what I've heard. Yeah, so we'll see what happens with him. But yeah, Trevor Rogers, somebody to keep an eye on, put them in your back pocket. I'll go with a hitter once again. And we're going to go back to the AL Central here. We're going to go to Mark Kana from the Detroit Tigers, hitting 234, seven home runs, 36 RBIs, the OPS plus at 97. Remember league average is 100, but against lefties, he's much better. He's a 294 hitter, two home runs, eight RBI, split OPS plus of 148. Again, he's an oldy but a goody, which the Cardinals are not afraid to go for, 35 years old. Another expiring contract, so he's not going to cost you a whole lot.

Starting point is 00:26:55 Cannot play center field like Kevin Pilar can. He's strictly a corner guy, at least he has been this year for the Tigers. Obviously, he can do some BHing as well for you too. But it's another, this is more of not so much a guy that you're going to start very often, which you might try to pull off a little more often with Kevin Pilar. But it's definitely a solid bat off the bench that swings it from the right side and can induce some damage against left handers, which, again, is what something the Cardinals are lacking in.

Starting point is 00:27:24 So those are the low-hanging fruit. You've heard the dreams, guys. You've heard the realistic guys. We want to hear from you in the comments section about your thoughts on these guys. Would you do whatever it takes to go get a scoobal or a Brent Rooker? Would you slow it down a little bit? Would you be a little more realistic? And go for the Eric Fettys and the Kevin Pilar's of the world.

Starting point is 00:27:48 I would still rate Fetty higher than Pilar. I think mine, he plers a little bit lower than that. But there's not as many right-handed bats available out there. So if I would have to target one of the two and I had to choose one, I would go with Fetty. And then you got your low-hanging fruit guys, Trevor Rogers and Markana. Let us know what you guys think about them. Also throw in any other guys that you think you would be chasing if you're the Cardinals. Bolpin arms is something.

Starting point is 00:28:14 We got a couple of minutes here, Thomas. Bolpen arms are obviously something the Cardinals would like to get their hands on, too. too. Is there any particular ones that, you know, you got your eye on that you think the Cardinal should be after? Andrew Chafin looks good. I think that he could be a part of a package, especially with Cana. I would love Tanner Scott at the back of the bullpen with Ellsley. But I think we need a lefty, just to pair with Jojo. He seems to be a little bit burnt out already. So find a left-handed reliever out there. Carlos Estabez, he's a righty, though, I think.

Starting point is 00:28:48 So I'm just throwing out in his at this point. That's what I was saying. So when the AJ Puck trade happened last year, I was like, oh, that would have been a great idea for the Cardinals. What happened? I was like, where are you at, Mo? Wake up. I mean, you could pluck the relievers from anywhere and they might be able to fit. There's so many options.

Starting point is 00:29:08 But those three guys would be good. Yesterday's episode, I did a lot of chatter about Jack Flaherty. What are your thoughts on bringing? Because, you know, we've talked about it. I saw something this morning that you put out a new article that was talking about, you know, doing the trifecta type of deal that included Jack Flaherty. And then you mentioned Chafin and you mentioned Cana and that one as well.

Starting point is 00:29:36 Realistically, do you think the Cardinals, do they even have a shot at bringing Jack Flaherty back? Do you think that's a smart move? I don't think that the history between Flaherty and the team is what would stop it. I think it'd just be the Tigers wanting a better offer from somewhere else. I'm sure Moes checked in on him just to see what it might take. I love him back.

Starting point is 00:29:56 He seems to have tapped into what he had 2019. I think he'd be a great number one or number two with Sunny Gray. Yeah, I feel the same way as where like if you just look at who the pitcher, he took the name away. Like, forget you'd even know who the person is. You just look at those numbers. If you can get your hands on that, of course you do that, right? Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:30:18 He's just been, he's been brilliant this year. And it's been good to see because I know the name Jack Flaherty in St. Louis, because people, you're either hot or cold with him. Like you either liked him and thought he was going to be great and you were bummed out that it didn't work out. Or you just didn't like him. He just rubbed you the wrong way. And it just seems like there's no in between, it seems like, for people that are their fans of the Cardinals. I was somebody that I wanted Flaherty to do well.

Starting point is 00:30:45 I wanted to see him do well. He just could not stay healthy. And you only got to see the one year last year where he was finally able to stay on the field more. And he was still trying to get back into doing things normally again. And then unfortunately, it was in that last year of his deal. And he flamed out in Baltimore because he was, you know, there's been articles about this where he just, he was kind of wiped out by that time. You know, this was the first time he'd had a full season under his belt in quite a long time.

Starting point is 00:31:13 So it didn't surprise Baltimore or anybody. that he didn't have any juice left there at the end of the year. But man, as he looked good with Detroit, Cardinal saw that first hand in that game against him. So, yeah, again, another move where a couple of weeks ago, I'm like, yeah, I don't know about this. Now I'm warming up to it. As you see the competition for these arms around the league, it's going to be really, really difficult. So it's hard to be really picky about who you're going to go after. And as long as a relationship between Jack and the front office and stuff is still good,

Starting point is 00:31:45 I don't see why that would be somebody you would cross off your list. I think at this point you've got to kind of look at everybody that's out there. You know, I think you can really sit back and go, nah, don't need it. I don't want them. I think you got to keep all your options open. So we'll see if things start to open up a little bit now that the Rosarena deal has gone down. And we'll see what the Cardinals, see what they can do. We'll see if they can improve this team.

Starting point is 00:32:13 There's a lot of static online about people saying they're not. going to do anything. They're going to stick with the who they got because there is that side of it too where I know the phrase is like it's like making a trade, but getting a Tommy Edmund or a Jordan Walker and Yvonne Herrera and bringing them up and bringing them into this lineup could be the pieces they're missing already. That doesn't fill the pitching problems, but it helps with what we're looking for off the bench.

Starting point is 00:32:40 And also Riley O'Brien, is Riley O'Brien going to be somebody that that helps out? He's supposed to pitch again today, I believe, is his next scheduled appearance in a game. So these are things that Mo's going to have to figure out because the clock's ticking. Trade deadline coming up here in just four days. All right. Make sure you guys are following Thomas at Thomas Covane on Twitter X. Make sure you guys are hitting them up on Redbird Rance.com. Go read his new story about the tiger's trifecta deal, which maybe you'll do an Angels one, like we mentioned.

Starting point is 00:33:12 I don't know. I don't know. Just throwing it out there, Thomas. So make sure you guys check out all his work and all the great things are doing at Redbird Rance.com. And as always, buddy, I appreciate you stopping by. Thank you, Judy. And thank you guys for making Locked on Cardinals your first listen every day. If you haven't already, give us a follow on Twitter, X, at L.O. underscore Cardinals and at Jody's Sports Radio.

Starting point is 00:33:30 Like, subscribe on YouTube, help our channel and love for the Cardinals grow. You guys are the best fans in baseball for a reason, and we'll see you next time on Locked on Cardinals.

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