Join columnist Jeff Gordon for his live STL sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday
Bring your Cards, Blues, Mizzou, SLU and MLS questions and comments, and talk to columnist Jeff Gordon in his weekly live chat.
3rd & 7 37yd
3rd & 7 37yd
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Good afternoon, Mr. Gordon. Thank you for your time and the chat. I think that as penance for his Alcantara-Ozuna trade, Mozeliak should have to either watch every one of Alcantara's starts this season or sit through an hour-long, one-on-one interview with Jim Hayes every day for the rest of the season. What do you think?
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Do you see any scenario in mizzou football winning 7 games. I am thinking if QB can just not to do to much and not have turnovers and the off line can protect him the off could be efficient. I have to believe the Def will be better can't see them being that bad again.
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I agree that the defense will be better. The Tigers did some work with the transfer portal there. But this team will need strong quarterback play to get to seven victories and we're just guessing what they have there this season. At least they have some time to sort that out and get the starter some real experience before wading into that SEC schedule.
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Flaherty’s return appears increasingly unlikely, certainly his impact will be minimal. Matz will return with his 6.0 era after the All Star break to provide a few innings but not much else. The front office will surely not part with prospects or take on significant salary at the trade deadline to bolster a depleted pitching staff. So how does this team get to the finish line?
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First step: Get Steven Matz, Genesis Cabrera, Jordan Hicks, Tyler O'Neill and Harrison Bader back to active duty. With those guys available plus all the in-season upgrades the team has made by promoting excellent young players, that will be a deep offensive team. And I do expect the team to add pitching at the trade deadline because the Cardinals will face a 40-man roster crunch some point given the simultaneous development of so many prospects. They can't keep them all.
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Yes, getting from here to the All-Star break will be a grind given their challenging schedule and the simultaneous injuries to about a quarter of the expected roster for this season. Fortunately the Cardinals have gained impressive offensive and pitching production from ascending talent -- which reaffirmed that the franchise's operational model works. They will continue to accelerate player development and build trade value with this emerging players while waiting for veterans to return.
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I understand why college conferences are shifting around, and maybe it makes for some better TV. But it does give me that sinking feeling that I like college sports just a little less. On a practical level, being able to play less than half the teams in your own conference each year seems silly.
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The down side of this push to coast-to-coast superconference push will be the loss of regional competition. In the good old days, fans could make road trips to see their team play natural rivals. A lot of that will be lost the Power 5 alignment shifts into more of a Power 2 look with the SEC and Big Ten forming monstrous leagues.You are right, some of the appeal of college sports will disappear.
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Hi Jeff,
Thanks for doing this.
Any more scuttlebutt on Chycrun to LA, or do the Blues have a shot with a package of Barbashev, Kostin, and a 1st-rounder?
Also, would Army consider going for J.T. Miller, perhaps offering Tarasenko? Miller is a year younger and coming off a huge season. Then you sign Miller to a four-year deal, with the money being a wash with what you’d have to pay to keep Vlady. -
I won't rule out a Chychrun trade until the Coyotes finally trade him. If I am Arizona GM Bill Armstrong, I would want Scott Perunovich instead of Kostin such a deal. As for Miller, he is going to get huge money on his next contract. I don't see him fitting into the pay structure here. His annual average value will likely exceed what Doug Armstrong wants to pay. And I don't see why Army would want to make a major change with his forward groups. I can see Miller going to some place like Washington, where Nicklas Backstrom is facing an uncertain future with hip surgery.
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That seems about right, seven years for $55.125 million for Kevin Fiala. A 30-goal scorer with good wheels -- who is just hitting his prime -- is hard to find in the marketplace. This is a reminder of where the money for Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas will go if they continue on their current developmental arc.
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I'd bet the under right now. He has to prove that 1) He can pitch at his previous level and 2) That he can hold up physically. I expect him to pitch again this season, but nobody has any idea of he can achieve Nos. 1 and 2. He spent months trying to come back from this shoulder issue and he sure didn't get far.
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I believe that is a stretch. I expect Dennis Gates to instill his system with the help of his former Cleveland State players. Having experienced depth will allow him to make real progress in practice. He will give the 2023 and 2024 prospects he is recruiting something to see while he gets the Tigers back to the high side of .500. He will energize the dormant fan base and make the game day recruiting visits less depressing. And by casting such a wide recruiting net, Gates and Co. are building relationships that could pay off when guys they miss on the first time around hit the transfer portal.
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Most trades in baseball are fairly even. When the Cardinals come out as big winners. The other team needs to dump salary (Goldschmidt and Arenado). There are occasional trades where the Cardinals are clear losers. The clearest example is Alcantara and Zac Gallen and a couple of spare parts for Ozuna. Cardinals underestimated Gallen, underestimated Alcantara hugely, and overestimated Ozuna hugely. This may go down in history as a worse trade than Steve Carlton - Rick Wise wasn’t all that bad and follow up trades resulting in ever-diminishing returns made it look even worse than the actual trade was. Alcantara looks like another Carlton, Gallen seems to be a solid starter, and all the Cardinals got back was two years of damaged goods. Your thoughts?
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That was a bad trade, something we note pretty much every week here. Getting Juan Yepez for Matt Adams has turned into another great trade. Adding Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Tyler O'Neill strong moves, albeit giving up something to get something. If Matthew Liberatore pans out as a starting pitcher -- still a big if -- then the Cardinals are pretty happy with the swap. The Cardinals have a have plenty of outfielders and Randy Arozarena has come all the day down to earth. Would his .253 batting average and seven homers crack the current STL outfield when it's healthy?
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Hello Newman,
My apologies for slumming it up with you today. If we know Armstrong it's that he never tips his hand. He says no major moves coming, we know better. He'd be bored out of his mind all summer if all he had to do is negotiate Perron's return and sign a cheap backup goalie who can hold down the fort until one of the Springfield goalies is ready to be the backup.
So who's are the contenders to be the player we didn't expect to be dealt that actually is. Cause I mentioned Sundqvist a few times in chats prior to deadline deal as a player the Blues would trade if they got a player with se salary. I would assume Barby would be a popular name. But let's say Army is dealing with a pro who knows better than to trade for a player coming off a career year. Who's the next man up? No one will go out of their way to trade for Scandella.
If there was an off-season where Binner would be extra motivated to sharpen up his game prior to the season, it's this summer. Wouldn't you agree? If he's going to live up to the contract Army gave him, Binner is going to need to be an upper echelon goalie from start to finish next year. I think Binner has a lot riding on the year because if he can't be consistent next year, he'll have one more stop to prove he's a starting goalie and that all depends on if he lands on a solid team. The league could have another Tarasenko situation on their hands again. If they pass on Binnington now, who could be had for pennies on the dollar, and he plays as well as Vladdy, they won't get an opportunity to get Binner for a while.
I'm a gambling man - if you someone gives me good enough odds, I'll put forty down that O'Reilly doesn't resign here. He's got Backes written all over him. The guys short on physical talent don't age well in this league. Give me even better odds and I'll put more money down that Vladdy stays and O'Reilly goes. Now tell me that wouldn't be a good story to write.
Have a good weekend. Remember to bathe a few times over the holiday you derelict. -
Oskar Sundqvist became a trade chip because his game eroded after he suffered multiple injuries. Ivan Barbashev could be a chip for a different reason -- he just had an outlier season of unexpectedly high production. Those numbers will be hard to repeat, so he is a "sell high" candidate. Also, he will be due another big bump in pay on his next contract and the Blues can't pay everybody. As for Ryan O'Reilly, the league gets faster every year. So the David Backes comparison is apt. How many years will he want? Backes insisted on one more year than Armstrong was willing to go. I am guessing that could become a sticking point with Ryan too.
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The Cardinals have chosen not to go after top level free agents, but to trade prospects for top-level players. That strategy assumes that the team has so many prospects that they won’t be caught short. Reality is showing that assumption not to be valid. Is there any sign that the team would even consider re-assessing that strategy?
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July 2022 could easily end up being our June 2021. The Brewers July schedule is very soft with the first 9 games against the Cubs and Pirates. The Cards must play their first 10 games against the Phillies and Braves. If we don’t get good pitching, we could end the month of July a distant 2nd to the Brewers and out of a wild card spot. I keep seeing Frankie Montras name pop up but he’s barely a career .500 pitcher. I would give them Nootbaar and maybe a AA prospect but no more than that. No reason to overpay for mediocrity.
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What did you think of the officiating in the NHL finals? There were a lot of non calls. The too many men on the ice on Kadris OT goal was blatantly missed. Or intentionally missed? Seems like the league instructed the referees to not disrupt the flow of the game with penalties? Maybe trying to get higher ratings?
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Nikita Zadovov is a third-pairing defender who hits people but doesn't block shots. He played sheltered minutes in Calgary (57.4 percent offensive zone starts) because he is not great defensively. Subbing him in for a Top Four defender who blocks shots, kills penalties and matches up against top forward line would weaken the Blues significantly.
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Zack Thompson is further along than Matthew Liberatore at the moment. And his sturdy frame and fastball velocity certainly hold your attention. Zack will have time between now and the trade deadline to prove than he can help this team this year. If he does that, then there is no reason to trade him for somebody with more experience.These next few starts for Liberatore will be illuminating. So far, the team has done OK when he starts. But this next schedule will be daunting. Can he take the step that it appears Thompson is taking?
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If Army approaches a player with a NTC that must be a delicate situation. "We love you but would you ok a trade to Ottawa?" The player would most likely be offended. He even gave Saad a full NTC. Can't see how he reduces cap space. I see why he lets players walk that's one way to do it.
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Like you say, he creates cap space by letting players walk when their contracts expire. The guys who get no-trade protection are valued guys that he has locked into his roster projections for the next several years. Armstrong has done a good job of maintaining consistently very good rosters without getting stuck with dead money.
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Lars Nootbaar was brought back to be mostly a defensive replacement. And he is a good fielder. Injuries have forced Oliver Marmol to play him more than expected. It would make more sense to promote power-hitting Alec Burleson if the team needs a starter, but the Cardinals are trying not to use a 40-man roster spot on him just yet. I would expect the Cardinals to deal from this outfield pile to get pitching help, since Jordan Walker will add even more depth there by next season.
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I believe the Flyers will need to cycle out some bad contracts before they can spent giant money on an offensive players. In the meantime, John Tortorella is the sort of coach who can get some mileage out of the group in place. But, no, this scenario does not scream "Johnny Gaudreau."
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I would not be surprised if the Cardinals dealt from the current roster because they are so many young guys pushing up from the minors. This team needs to add pitching, not subtract proven pitching, so I'd be surprised to see Hudson move -- no matter how frustrated the field staff gets with him. I can't imagine Andrew Knizner having a trade value. If Matthew Liberatore pitches well on his next trial, he could draw interest from other teams.
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Gordo, I couldn’t bear to watch the awards ceremony after game 6 of the Stanley Cup final. Does The Stache even realize he owns a hockey team? Is it true that Nazeem Kadri won the Conn Smythe trophy? If he didn’t he probably should have!! It’s entirely possible but never to be determined they may have never made it out of the 2nd round without him doing his bowling for Binnington gig.
Just kidding. Makar is the best player in the league in my opinion. -