StylesClash

Cool So how about all those "dongs" you dimwits thought Soler and Heyward were gonna hit? And instead of J-Hey Kid I prefer calling Heyward the 4-3 Kid. Just tons of weak contact to the second baseman.

I apologize for being one of the few people around here, during the offseason, who was against signing Heyward. The idea of being against paying nearly 200 million for a slap hitting corner outfielder? Clearly I was wayyyy off base. Congratulations guys. There is a great brain trust posting here.

That post epitomizes why this website barely gets any new members. I wasn't trying to troll at all. I sincerely am against working a pitcher hard in order to get a no hitter. We saw back in 2003 how working Prior and Wood hard lead to. But you decided to get nasty with your reply. Way to not start a conversation on a legitimate issue. You're not new, and you have a history. A no-hitter is completely different than a shutout, and only everyone that's ever watched baseball should know that. I've seen new posters get slaughtered on here for making points you guys felt were silly. That's not conducive towards increasing forum activity. Also as I said before Arrieta had pitched a no hitter before. And considering how important he is to this team's overall success I don't think pulling Arrieta in a blowout win would be an awful idea. I think it's safe to say a mature player, like Arrieta, would understand the thought process behind the move.

That post epitomizes why this website barely gets any new members. I wasn't trying to troll at all. I sincerely am against working a pitcher hard in order to get a no hitter. We saw back in 2003 how working Prior and Wood hard lead to. But you decided to get nasty with your reply. Way to not start a conversation on a legitimate issue.

Well since Maddon is discussing team over personal goals Arrieta really shouldn't have been allowed to go for the no hitter back in April. Arrieta already has a no hitter, so it's not as if he's never experienced that achievement. Plus there was a massive lead. Unless the game is close and the pitch count is reasonable I'm not a big fan of going after no hitters. I've read that Johan Santana pitching a no hitter years ago, while having a pitch count of around 130, was speculated as being a factor in his body breaking down.

Never been a Cardinal fan and I am under 30 years old. But yeah lets get hard over a corner outfielder with great range, but be disgruntled with the innings eater with quality control. No wonder this site cant raise funds. You guys prioritize the wrong things in your players. Next we can get worked up over Almora, despite the fact he can't take a Walk to save his life. Nobody is actually "disgruntled" over Lackey's performance; it's pretty much all an ongoing bit about how unlikable he is as a person. Also: nobody is fawning over Heyward while he's been struggling so much as hoping and expecting him to break out of it due to his track record. Try and grasp this....and then try and grasp THIS. People fawned over Heyward in a big time way in the offseason. And I could never get incredibly excited over giving nearly 200 million to a corner outfielder with defensive ability being a big part of the reasoning. Heyward, for the most part in his career, has never even been a great on-base threat. Good, but not 25+ million a year good. And with his ground ball inducing swing I don't see the power coming in large doses.

very few people actually thought lackey sucked. this thread was mostly a jokey response to a bad game (in which he got schwarber killed on purpose) since a lot of posters here hate lackey because he's kind of a big meatbally red assed jerk. i don't care that he is at all, but a lot of people do, apparently. A lot of people thought Lackey overachieved greatly last season and would go back to being average to slightly above average. Yet Lackey still has the same quality fastball and ability to occasionally mix in an offspeed pitch. So I don't see that happening this year.

he has to be 60 years old Or a young Cardinals fan. Same thing. Never been a Cardinal fan and I am under 30 years old. But yeah lets get hard over a corner outfielder with great range, but be disgruntled with the innings eater with quality control. No wonder this site cant raise funds. You guys prioritize the wrong things in your players, so what new poster would want to sign up and contribute. Next we can get worked up over Almora, despite the fact he can't take a Walk to save his life.

So some of you negative nancy's need to step up and admit you were wrong about Lackey. He's been the exact same quality innings eater he was last season (and based on WHIP actually better). Ironically the guy you were hating on has been a much better signing than the slap hitting corner outfielder who everyone was going nuts over because of defensive metrics. Oh well I expect lame jokes and possible memes in return. Some people just can't admit they were wrong. It's a really nasty personality trait.

I've been a fan of Lackey's so far. He's very efficient with his pitch counts, which allows him to eat plenty of innings. And he doesn't beat himself with Walks. The fact that Lackey has a fiery competitive temper is icing on the cake. If it weren't for the fact that a draft pick had to be given up to sign him I'd call Lackey a near perfect signing. Anyways getting back to Baez, if he and Soler continue to show nothing at the plate I'll be curious to see who Theo will target for Third or Left near the trade deadline. If the Jays are out of it come July I'd love to take a shot at Bautista. The Jays could then pull a Hammel and re-sign him in the offseason.

I've found Baez to be overrated for ages. I can appreciate his defensive ability and quality bat speed, but the continual swinging at pitches outside the zone is frustrating. Seeing Baez waste his potential, because of the awful approach, makes me glad Theo acquired Russell. As frustrating as it is to watch Javy struggle, it would be even more so if he were being depended upon to be the everyday Shortstop.

The inning eating, strike throwing machine, John Lackey, gets this thread constantly trying to pick him apart. But Javy Baez, with his great physical tools being wasted by an awful approach, gets to slide. Makes sense.

Torres is highly touted but still a couple years away from the big leagues. I don't know if he's capable of being a center piece for an elite starter. I'll throw a deal out here: Soler, Hendricks, Almora and another decent prospect for Jose Fernandez. Obviously our scouts would have to extensively watch Fernandez tape to see if his Tommy John injury was as a result of poor mechanics, which could lead to further injuries down the road. But if the results came back clean I would make that deal. Hendricks, will likely only be a solid number three in a best case scenario. Almora's biggest asset is elite range, which isn't as important with Heyward in Right. And I don't see him ever turning into a good on base threat. And although giving up Soler makes me really nervous, acquiring three years of an ace means you have to give up something of real substance. Personally I'd prefer to deal Baez, but it looks as though Madden is really impressed with his developing versatility. Plus if Fernandez isn't brought back after his three years a comp pick would be acquired in return as well.

What exactly were you expecting? These things are just fun fluff pieces. Why does it have to be a fluff piece. If I were one of those two MLB reporters I would have asked Joe Maddon questions about topics that will actually effect the team in 2016. I guarantee you that would lead to a more interesting product for the viewer at home. A few questions off the top of my head: -Wilson Contreras has been dubbed by some as the Catcher of the future. After watching him in person and on tape does he remind you of any Catcher in particular? -You coached John Lackey with the Angels and saw him pitch extensively last season as well. Talk about how his repertoire has changed over the years and what allowed him to be so effective as a 37 year old. -Talk about the changes in Kris Bryant's swing and how you believe it could potentially effect his performance this season. My interview with just those three questions alone would have been better. What exactly were you expecting? These things are just fun fluff pieces. Not enough Cardinals clips Phuck off, you lame troll. ;)

Awful awful episode. I don't think most Cub fans want to hear discussions about the head shaving fundraiser or how everyone will handle increased expectations. What do you expect Rizzo or Bryant to say in response to all eyes being on them this season? You're just going to get generic responses. Also I think O'Dowd was off about the bullpen being a weakness. Rondon may not have Chapman caliber electric stuff, but he has quietly become one of baseball's best Closer's the past two seasons. And if Rondon gets hurt or underachieves Strop, Grimm or Cahill would have the potential to at least be tolerable replacements. CJ Edwards may become a late inning possibility down the road too because of his ability to severely limit home runs allowed. That's obviously an incredibly valuable trait come the Summer (when the wind tends to blow out at Wrigley).