SB Nation User Blog: Birds on the Matt

Offseason Trade Chips

Birds on the Matt — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:26:07 -0000

If the Cards are going to add to the roster without sacrificing draft picks in the offseason, they need to avoid signing free agents and aquire talent via trade. With that in mind, we need to identify high-value assets that we have in areas that we likely won't need them in the mid-term future. How do we identify high-value? I'm going to suggest players performing above their perceived heads, or players who had dropped off the radar but are back on it now due to injury or a fluke bad previous year. Also the closer they are to the majors has a very real impact. I'm also going to suggest that we can conceivably get rid of 1-2 players in each category without taking an appreciable hit to the farm system. So who do we have and what are they capable of landing?

Lets start in the outfield, since it's pretty widely accepted that we have some promising surplus talent there.

Brian Barton is currently excelling in AAA
Jon Jay has produced at every level this year coming back from injury
Daryl Jones is having a breakout year

Pitching is coming around within the organization - We have some strength on the right handed side of things and we might be able to get value for some getting deceiving results and could be a just a touch old for their level.. though perhaps some of them only amount to throw-ins.

Mike Parisi is having a good year at AAA and has shown he can get MLBers out (though not consistently yet)
Jess Todd has been tearing it up (though a bit cool lately)
Chuckie Fick (I know, I know.. org player) Having a nice year
Kyle Mura is also having a nice year

And some of our more offensively minded infielders

David Freese is performing well at AAA
Steve Hill can still hit
Allen Craig is having a fantastic year

Assuming these guys finish out the remainder of the season as they've done so far... Mix and match - what kind of talent is available for a package of 3-4 of these guys? Could we fill our needs with that return? Are there others that I didn't list that should get value back as well?

I would imagine targets to be players with 1-2 years left on their contracts who could be usurped by up and coming prospects - or the converse of that - prospects who are blocked due to entrenched contracts or other prospects.

What Does Your All-Star Team Look Like?

Birds on the Matt — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:21:43 -0000

First off - a few of our Cardinals aren't getting the love they deserve. So go vote 25 times for who you want. Berkman belongs at the game, but its embarrassing that he's leading the vote getting at 1B :-/ Lets turn that around.

Does it strike anyone else that the NL looks to have a particularly strong pool of players this year? Is this the year the NL makes a come-back? Heck, you could man half the field with NL Central first basemen.

So who are you voting for? I don't follow the AL as closely so I'm just gonna throw out my NL line-up w/ the DH

Hanley Ramirez
Kosuke Fukudome
Albert Pujols
Lance Berkman
Chipper Jones
Matt Holliday
Chase Utley
Nate McLouth
Geovany Soto

the NL has some big-time talent this year. I think this would be an extremely well balanced Lineup.

Who're you voting for? I suppose I should be yelled at for the lack of cardinals on here, but I think these guys all are having very strong years.

MLB 2k8

Birds on the Matt — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:01:04 -0000

The new controls and franchise mode are way better - but I still suck. So who else has given MLB 2k8 a whirl?

I'm really digging the new controls and the UI layout is way better than last year's - so we're in good shape so far. My only problem is that I still suck. Pitching is fun, yet frustrating till you get the hang of it. And just like every other baseball video game, you just want to swing at everything as hard as you can.

So who else has played? What are you doing with your franchise. I just started making deals right and left to begin with. I wanted to dump the players I didn't like, and so far, I think I've done ok...

Promoted rasmus.

Brandon Looper + a minor league throw-in or 2 for Stephen Drew

Izturis + Duncan for Carlos Gomez, Ruben Gotay and a minor league pitcher

Now I just need to get rid of kennedy, miles and spezio. I'm thinking I'm gonna end up struggling a lot this year and maybe next - but gomez, rasmus and ankiel in the OF should be interesting. And the middle infield is young, cheap and decent with some potential. 2nd base isn't ideal, but it'll do for now. What's everyone else doing? and did I just screw myself... hah.