I know, I know... The defense! The HR! The Hall of Fame resume!!!

Nolan had a rough year; he was projected by ZiPS to be at 5.7 WAR in 2023, but ended up with less than half of that (2.6). (link)

As a result, his 2024 ZiPS estimate from last year has dropped from 5.0 to 3.5. (link)

He will be 33 years old on opening day, and is signed for four more years and $109M ($20M of that will be paid by the Rockies). Before his clunker of a 2023 season, ZiPS expected Arenado to be worth 14.4 WAR from 2024-2027. Based on the new 2024 ZiPS, I expect a new 4-year ZiPS forecast would land more in the 9-WAR range.

If, as reported, STL could acquire Bobby Miller (age 25, 2.8 WAR in 2023, projected for 2.8 WAR in 2024, with 5 years of team control remaining) from LAD for Arenado, that relieves the Cards' position player logjam, frees up ~$23M/year over the next four years, and gets them that #2 starter we need. Whether Mo moves Walker or Gorman or Donovan or Edman to 3B, he would then have the financial resources to acquire a bonafide ace (my preference is Yamamoto since a 7-year contract covers only his prime seasons and he is unencumbered by the loss of a draft pick) AND another #2 level pitcher while GETTING YOUNGER and not meaningfully hurting the Cards' position player WAR.

OK, OK... open fire.