THE REDBIRD REVIEW The Cardinals were a winner in the trading-deadline shuffle. Based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) prorated over 162 games, the Cards came out near the top in an evaluation made by esteemed baseball analyst Neil Paine. Here are the top 11 MLB teams...
One week to go on the trading-deadline clock, and I’m counting down and looking around the National League. Here come the sharp traders, playing the angles, looking for the fools to exploit. And those fools will find fool’s gold. Here come the nervous front...
THE REDBIRD REVIEW In his last two starts, Kyle Gibson was assigned to a duel with Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Arizona’s Jordan Montgomery. Peralta is one of the best starters in the majors. Montgomery was an impressive postseason anchor for the 2023 World Series...
THE REDBIRD REVIEW Coffee is for closers. That famous line – delivered by actor Alec Baldwin to a bewildered Jack Lemmon in Glengarry Glen Ross – applies to the Cardinals. Baldwin’s character, trying to motivate an underperforming sales team, spots Lemmon pouring a...
BIRD BYTES Here’s a bonus column on a pleasant Saturday afternoon … 1. Welcome back, Lars Nootbaar. Please stay awhile. Let’s make this an injury-free experience over the final 148 games. Last season Noot missed 49 days while healing three different...
If their offseason plan goes as expected, and if the independent projection systems are reasonably accurate, the St. Louis Cardinals will contend for a postseason spot. The Cardinals have two gateways. They can do it by winning the NL Central. They can return to the...
Are the San Francisco Giants a more dangerous postseason contender after signing free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman? Probably so. They can join the muddle with other National League wild-card contenders. Making assumptions can be a featherbrained exercise, but for...
Stay warm out there! I’ve been warming to the possibility of the Cardinals being better in 2024. They can’t be any worse, right? True. Of course. But I’m talking about legitimate improvement. A team that goes from a last-place finish in 2023 to a spot in the 2024...
BERNIE BITS 1. Oli Marmol is preparing for this third year as manager of the Cardinals. But Oli’s contract expires after the 2024 season, and I’d be a little surprised if the team lets him wander into a lame-duck season. That would work against Marmol’s fervent desire...
