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Earlier today I was pleasantly alerted to a notification from my esteemed friend, prolific Viva El Birdos commenter, and former Daily Farm Report writer ebo with a message that said this:
[scooter] needs to do another Kim Hunt and Peck this afternoon
I refuse to let him down.
That brings us to now and this discussion. As you might have heard the Cardinals have agreed to a contract with Korea Baseball Organization starting pitcher Kwang-hyun Kim. We have a few articles with the details on that transaction and some information on the newest Birdo. With that, let us branch out this discussion.
Even with the loss of Michael Wacha to free agency, entering the 2020 season the Cardinals have several options for starters between returning starters Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, and Dakota Hudson, Carlos Martínez as he returns from injury, and starters from the minor leagues. With all these options, though, remain many questions, questions only time will answer. Will Martínez be healthy? What should be expected from Waino? Will Hudson be back in the rotation? With the exceptions of Flaherty and Mikolas, every starters’ role seems to be flexible, which should be a good thing, but perhaps the Cardinals prefer more stability.
Could that stability take shape in the form of David Price? According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com the Red Sox are looking to move Price and the $96 million owed to him over the next three seasons. Per his report the Cardinals might have been interested in flipping Matt Carpenter and the $37 million owed to him over the next two seasons (plus a $2 million buyout for 2022) for Price.
Another lefty reportedly on the Cardinals radar was Dallas Keuchel, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Keuchel is a free agent and MLB Trade Rumors predicts him to sign for around three years and $39 million.
Unknown to us, the Cardinals had their eyes on a third option. Could the team still make these moves now after the addition of newly signed Kwang-hyun Kim for two years and $8 million? While not impossible, it certainly seems less likely. With everything we know about Kim so far (and an inside scoop that his projections are going to look pretty good), and the decline in performance we have seen in Price and Keuchel over the past few seasons, along with their cost, it seems like the Cardinals might have made the best move of all.
Equally important:
Kwang-hyun Kim brought a sign he wanted to share at his press conference. #cardinals pic.twitter.com/SCt8Mf9sjY
— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) December 17, 2019
what else is going on in baseball...
MLB All Decade Team for the 2010s | MLB.com
These teams are driving the third-base market | MLB.com
MLB’s fight with minor league baseball is getting uglier | SBNation.com
Gerrit Cole thanked Marvin Miller and Curt Flood in his press conference. How does he know so much about baseball labor history? Apparently Pirates catcher John Buck used to drag rookies to the front of the bus and ask them about it: “Get your f——— book reports ready, kids.”
— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) December 18, 2019
what the cardinals are up to...
Mozeliak: Cardinals will explore KK as starter and reliever | KMOX-AM
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the nl central
Eric Sogard deal with Brewers | MLB.com
Brewers Sign Ryan Braun-Type to Complement Actual Ryan Braun | FanGraphs Baseball
Tweet or e-mail me links @lil_scooter93 or at lil_scooter93 AT msn DOT com!