How do the Braves do it?

[caulfield12]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/ask-...e-braves-do-it/

[maggsmaggs]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/ask-...e-braves-do-it/

Same can be said for the Cardinals. Draft well and develop well. Easier said than done. But both teams have teams full of homegrown players and then supplement them with solid free agent signings. Management also has cohones. They let Pujols go so that 1/4 of their payroll was not tied to one player and look what they have done in the post-Pujols era.

 

 

 

[whitesoxfan99]

Same can be said for the Cardinals. Draft well and develop well. Easier said than done. But both teams have teams full of homegrown players and then supplement them with solid free agent signings. Management also has cohones. They let Pujols go so that 1/4 of their payroll was not tied to one player and look what they have done in the post-Pujols era.

 

The Cardinals didn't really let Pujols go. They offered him a ten year deal at 22 mil per year. They just got lucky that the Angels offered Pujols even more money.

[maggsmaggs]

The Cardinals didn't really let Pujols go. They offered him a ten year deal at 22 mil per year. They just got lucky that the Angels offered Pujols even more money.

Yeah, I totally forgot how that all went down. Good call.

[southsider2k5]

The Cardinals didn't really let Pujols go. They offered him a ten year deal at 22 mil per year. They just got lucky that the Angels offered Pujols even more money.

 

Knowing they were going to be the 3rd highest bid might have made it a little easier to do.

[caulfield12]

http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_..._wacha/14773970

 

 

Since the article also mentioned the Cardinals...the example of scouts "missing" on Michael Wacha has come up recently.

 

There are some interesting theories given:

 

1) Wainright, Westbrook and Chris Carpenter have helped to mentor all the younger pitchers.

2) The Cardinals' Way, the guidebook/system at the major league level implemented (for pitchers) originally by Dave Duncan and adopted at every level of minor league instruction....

3) Perhaps the best defensive/offensive catcher in the game today, Yadier Molina (and the impact having that type of catcher can have on an entire organization), as well as a former catcher in Mike Matheny.

 

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/mike-b...p;vkey=news_mlb

Interesting parallel to the 2005 White Sox, going through 3 closers in one season. Not easy to do.

 

For those not too sick of them, more on the "Cardinals' Way"

Edited October 19, 2013 by caulfield12

[Jake]

Yeah, the Cards really made Pujols look like s*** so their fans would go along with it. They weren't interested in paying anything resembling the market price for him - which, of course, is prudent. Making your franchise's hero look like an asshole is low though

[caulfield12]

Yeah, the Cards really made Pujols look like s*** so their fans would go along with it. They weren't interested in paying anything resembling the market price for him - which, of course, is prudent. Making your franchise's hero look like an asshole is low though

 

 

With how far Pujols' career has fallen and the steroid rumors becoming more prevalent with his body breaking down, I don't think most Cardinals' fans are too upset anymore.

 

They know a contract like that would have made the margin for error almost zero, like the White Sox.

 

What other choice did they really have?

 

 

[Balta1701]

With how far Pujols' career has fallen and the steroid rumors becoming more prevalent with his body breaking down, I don't think most Cardinals' fans are too upset anymore.

How does "He's aging normally!" make the steroid rumors more prevalent?

[oldsox]

The Cardinals didn't really let Pujols go. They offered him a ten year deal at 22 mil per year. They just got lucky that the Angels offered Pujols even more money.

And the Cards got a #1 draft pick who turned out to be Wacha, I believe.

[witesoxfan]

Yeah, the Cards really made Pujols look like s*** so their fans would go along with it. They weren't interested in paying anything resembling the market price for him - which, of course, is prudent. Making your franchise's hero look like an asshole is low though

 

We cheer for a team that tried to do exactly this. The difference is that we as fans are smart enough to see through Williams' bulls*** and can say "you got rid of Thomas because you brought in Thome and, while it sucks that we lose a legend like that, we understand why because Thome is also an incredible hitter."

[caulfield12]

How does "He's aging normally!" make the steroid rumors more prevalent?

 

 

His body is completely breaking down in his early 30's.

 

If everyone's now susceptible to that, how do we explain Thome, Konerko and Ortiz being so dangerous in their mid 30's or later?

[witesoxfan]

His body is completely breaking down in his early 30's.

 

If everyone's now susceptible to that, how do we explain Thome, Konerko and Ortiz being so dangerous in their mid 30's or later?

 

Is his body just breaking down now though? Throughout his career with St. Louis, he played and succeeded through injuries that no would should really be able to play through. It seems to me he played through plantar fasciitis, a torn UCL in his left elbow, and a torn labrum in his left shoulder.