Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

Discuss all things Cardinals Baseball
Post Reply
User avatar
mikechamp
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 10132
Joined: April 17 06, 5:05 pm
Location: Southwestern Illinois

Mark Polishuk's NL Central comments

Post by mikechamp »

These comments came from a chat with MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk that occurred on January 22.

A copious amount of questions this week, and I also included 1 bonus Q&A about the travel that the new schedule generates. Enjoy!

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/mlbtr-liv ... 14870.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Any moves left for the Cardinals?

Mark Polishuk
Sure, I think STL shapes up well as a team that could package a couple of players together for one singular upgrade, probably a controllable pitcher in the rotation. Maybe you could see a second baseman or outfielder as that one upgrade, but the Cards have enough pieces at those positions that they might not want to move any youngsters until they see what they truly have.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Does Rolen make it?

Mark Polishuk
At this very moment, Rolen has 79.5% of the writers' vote, with Todd Helton at 79%. 44.4% of all ballots have been publicly revealed.

Based on past years, numbers generally go down a bit once the full ballot is revealed, so it'll be very tight for Rolen or Helton, and I'd personally lean towards neither hitting the 75% threshold. Both should eventually get inducted (maybe as early as 2024) but they might fall short again.

(Thanks as always to Ryan Thibodaux's great HOF ballot tracker site.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Deal or No Deal: Bo Bichette to Cardinals?

Mark Polishuk
The Cardinals prioritize shortstop defense enough that if Bichette was acquired, I suspect St. Louis might try to move him off shortstop. I guess it would depend on what they gave up to land him from Toronto.

btw, a Bichette trade doesn't seem likely whatsoever for the Jays, this is purely hypothetical.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I've seen some projections showing Nootbar getting some time in center for the Cardinals. Is he a true center fielder you would be comfortable putting out there every day, or is he a clear second option?

Mark Polishuk
Carlson is still the top option, but having at least two guys who can be viable center fielders is a nice bit of depth for STL.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Cards have actually positioned themselves well by taking the wait and see approach with their young position players.

Mark Polishuk
I don't dislike the Cardinals' strategy, especially since they have a pretty good track record of developing good MLB players from their pipeline.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Does Cincy have any moves left in them if so what might they be?

Mark Polishuk
Nothing major, as it seems like the Reds are firmly in minor league deal/low-cost MLB deal mode.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is Bryan Reynolds expected to be on the Pirates since the addition of McCutchen?

Mark Polishuk
I don't think the Cutch signing impacts the Reynolds situation in any real way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What do you think the Brewers want for Adrian Houser? Do they want prospects or MLB-ready player?

Mark Polishuk
MLB-ready help, the Brewers want to win now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Can you give me your division winners and wild cards for this season? I love hearing and reading predictions from the experts.

Mark Polishuk
I'll see if I can find an expert to answer to your question, but until then, you're stuck with my opinions.

My picks, as of this very moment on January 22....

AL division winners: Yankees, Guardians, Astros
AL wild cards: Blue Jays, Mariners, Twins

NL division winners: Mets, Cardinals, Dodgers
NL wild cards: Padres, Braves, Phillies
(Wow, I really went out on a limb with those NL picks, ha)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
With $50mil coming off the books next year, say ownership actually let’s me go shopping. Who realistically puts the Reds back in contention?

Mark Polishuk
"Contention" is a reach, unless in this scenario, Krall spreads that $50MM around on several players and they're all great in 2024.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When will my patience pay off? Seeing Cutch out there is going to give me chills, but will the rest of the roster back him up?

Mark Polishuk
It's been a tough ride for Bucs fans, but there's a lot of good young talent in the system. If the Pirates start hitting on some of these prospects, the turn-around might not be that far away.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What’s your favorite MLB jersey that you own?

Mark Polishuk
An old-school Roberto Clemente Pirates jersey.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That would be sad if no one gets selected into the HOF tues. I think we need some new voters if that’s the case.

Mark Polishuk
The BBWAA has done a good job in recent years of bringing some new voters into the fold, and pruning out some older voters who either no longer cover baseball or don't care much about voting.

But, differences of opinion still inevitably happen. I personally think Rolen and Helton (and a few others on the ballot) should be in Cooperstown, but this year's list doesn't have any true slam-dunk names. If Beltran didn't have the Astros scandal attached to him, I suspect he would've pretty easily gotten in.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I love that the Bucs have spent “some” money on free agents this off-season. Can they get to 75 wins?

Mark Polishuk
The Cardinals will still be very good, the Brewers might take a step back but should still be good, the Cubs will be better, the Reds won't be any good. I'm not sure I see Pittsburgh getting quite to 75, but for a team who has dropped 100 games in each of the last two years, getting to "only" 90 losses is an improvement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What's Jordan Walker's ceiling this year?

Mark Polishuk
NL ROY, if we're talking absolute ceiling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I think Cincy shocks everyone and lets Elly break camp. I see Elly playing 2B/3B/OF as he learns on the job. Cincy cleared out Mous, Barerro isn’t cutting it, Newman is an insurance policy. Cincy goes after the ROY and rides with Elly. Does Elly break camp with Cincy?

Mark Polishuk
De La Cruz has played only 47 games in Double-A, and nothing in Triple-A. The Reds aren't going to risk rushing him to the majors and hurting his development, considering that EDLC is looking like the gem of their future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Brewers bullpen is very RHP heavy. Do you see them as a player for someone like Chafin, or is a lesser free agent or trade more likely? They still have room in the budget compared to last year.

Mark Polishuk
It isn't Milwaukee's style to spend too much on relievers, so a "lesser' pickup seems likely.

Also, Ashby or Small could end up being used as lefties out of the bullpen, if everyone in the projected rotation stays healthy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you feel that every stadium should one day have at least a retractable roof? Do we have the technology to add one to any stadium?

Mark Polishuk
I'm no engineer, but I think it's basically impossible to add a retractable roof to a pre-existing stadium.

With some possible bias since I've seen most of my MLB games in Toronto, but it's wild to me that new stadiums are built *without* retractable roofs. Especially since Milwaukee and Seattle taught us that a retractable-roof park can be built without sacrificing much of anything in classic ballpark aesthetic.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Any thoughts about how the new schedule will impact players in terms of travel time? It seems that longer east and west coast swings could be exhausting.

Mark Polishuk
This is definitely a question that front offices and training staffs are asking themselves, and 2023 might be something of a test year for teams to adjust to the new realities of the schedule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tags:

Post Reply