Quick Hits: BenFred on STL sports
Rounding up hot topics from columnist Ben Frederickson's chat with fans of ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ sports.
COMMENT: Cardinals need to change the offense, but how, without drastic changes to the roster? Starting pitchers: would Wheeler or Keuchel peak your interest?
BENFRED: What is your definition of drastic? A new third baseman? An entirely new outfield?
QUESTION:Â Why is there so much fan concern about how the Cardinals would replace Marcell Ozuna's 89 RBIs? He probably gave away 20 runs in the field.
BENFRED:Â Ozuna's defense didn't cost the Cardinals 20 runs this season. That's hyperbolic. And the notion his offense is easy to replace is a bit shortsighted, in my opinion. Even with his disappointing 2018 and his injury-impacted 2019, his 89 RBIs in 2019 and 88 in 2018 marked the 12th and 13th-highest RBI totals by a Cardinal in seasons since 2010. Paul Goldschmidt (97 RBIs in 2019) is the only other current Cardinal with more RBIs in a season than Ozuna during that time frame.
QUESTION: Mike Moustakas on a two-year deal for the Cardinals — is that appealing to you?
BENFRED: It is, and I say this as someone who was against the idea of the Cardinals going there for the past two seasons. But now, it makes a lot more sense. And hey, I admit I was wrong about his ability to hold up. He's proven me wrong. Meanwhile, Carpenter has eroded.
QUESTION:Â Do the Cardinals really think Matt Carpenter can play left field?
BENFRED:Â We will find out. The Cardinals have not rolled out a campaign or anything about it. People want to know what the options are for Carpenter if he's back, and left field is one of them. If he hits like he did this season, Carpenter at any position is not great.
QUESTION:Â Should the Cardinals try to lock in Jack Flaherty to a long-term extension?
BENFRED:Â Yes! But good luck. Flaherty knows his value and potential earnings about as well as anyone in the game for his age. He's been outspoken about young players taking nice but ultimately team-friendly extensions. If you're going to get him to hand over those free-agent years, be prepared to pay a pretty penny.
QUESTION: If Carlos Martinez indeed goes into the rotation, would you be OK with Helsley or Gallegos being the closer until midseason?
BENFRED: Sure. Or even someone else. Keep cycling through until someone sticks, then spin again when that guy can't get it done.
QUESTION:Â Am I wearing blue-colored glasses to think the season isn't over because No. 91 is out?
BENFRED:Â No. It certainly speaks to the depth of the talent on this Blues team that Vladimir Tarasenko goes out, and no one is calling it a season-ender for the team along with him. And, who knows, maybe he can be back in time for the postseason.
QUESTION: If this Mizzou football season continues to spiral, would Barry Odom's contract make it less likely for AD Jim Sterk to make a change? Could he afford not to, considering fan reaction?
BENFRED:Â In terms of SEC buyouts, Odom's is pretty meager compared to his counterparts, even after the extension he received last December. The buyout terms of that extension state that Odom would get $450,000 for each season that remains on the deal, which runs through the 2024 season. On top of that, he would get the money in his university controlled deferred fund, which is $150,000 for every year Odom is employed.
QUESTION:Â With Mizzou continuing its rivalry with Kansas, do you think Mizzou vs SLU basketball could ever return?
BENFRED:Â I hope so. I need to do the annual check-in on this with both coaches. Last year, both Cuonzo Martin and Travis Ford were open to the idea. I got the sense both wanted to have their teams at their best before they brought it back. If any two coaches can get it going, it's these two. They have a good relationship. Travis' son is a walk-on with the Tigers. That doesn't happen without the coaches getting along.
QUESTION:Â What is the Cardinals' infatuation for Yairo Munoz? Is there not a better bench option?
BENFRED:Â He had fewer at-bats this season (172) than last season (293). I think he started twice in September. That's not infatuation. He's a bench guy. You can make a case he should have spotted DeJong some more throughout the season, considering how the starting SS wore down over the long season.
QUESTION:Â Is it safe to say Barry Odom was out-coached again in the Kentucky loss? In a monsoon, the Tigers continued to try to pass instead of establish a run game that had showed promise.
BENFRED:Â Hard to disagree with this assessment. Mark Stoops is 5-0 in his last five against the Tigers. Four of those are on Odom. Clearly, he has the advantage in game planning.
QUESTION: Hypothetically speaking, why shouldn't ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ jump at a chance to land the Chargers? Owner Dean Spanos (above left, talking to Jaguars owner Shahid Khan) got the shaft from the league, just like ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´. It would be a perfect match.
BENFRED:Â I don't think anyone forced Dean Spanos to leave San Diego unless I missed it. I get it that he didn't get the deal he wanted there, but the league did not mandate the Chargers' departure.
QUESTION: Do you think ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ continuing its lawsuit with the NFL means the NFL will never consider ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ for a franchise ever again?
BENFRED:Â I think the people that steer the NFL will do whatever is best for them in that moment, no matter what has happened in the past. History supports that: Take a team from LA, move it out, move it back again. And so on.
QUESTION:Â As a fan of the designated hitter, am I correct to assume you also want robot umpires as soon as possible?
BENFRED:Â In a twist, no. It's fun to lobby for now, without a sense of the complications that could come about later. The grass is always greener. Some reports have described how it could change the strike zone.
COMMENT: Cardinals need to change the offense, but how, without drastic changes to the roster? Starting pitchers: would Wheeler or Keuchel peak your interest?
BENFRED: What is your definition of drastic? A new third baseman? An entirely new outfield?
QUESTION:Â Why is there so much fan concern about how the Cardinals would replace Marcell Ozuna's 89 RBIs? He probably gave away 20 runs in the field.
BENFRED:Â Ozuna's defense didn't cost the Cardinals 20 runs this season. That's hyperbolic. And the notion his offense is easy to replace is a bit shortsighted, in my opinion. Even with his disappointing 2018 and his injury-impacted 2019, his 89 RBIs in 2019 and 88 in 2018 marked the 12th and 13th-highest RBI totals by a Cardinal in seasons since 2010. Paul Goldschmidt (97 RBIs in 2019) is the only other current Cardinal with more RBIs in a season than Ozuna during that time frame.
QUESTION: Mike Moustakas on a two-year deal for the Cardinals — is that appealing to you?
BENFRED: It is, and I say this as someone who was against the idea of the Cardinals going there for the past two seasons. But now, it makes a lot more sense. And hey, I admit I was wrong about his ability to hold up. He's proven me wrong. Meanwhile, Carpenter has eroded.
QUESTION:Â Do the Cardinals really think Matt Carpenter can play left field?
BENFRED:Â We will find out. The Cardinals have not rolled out a campaign or anything about it. People want to know what the options are for Carpenter if he's back, and left field is one of them. If he hits like he did this season, Carpenter at any position is not great.
QUESTION:Â Should the Cardinals try to lock in Jack Flaherty to a long-term extension?
BENFRED:Â Yes! But good luck. Flaherty knows his value and potential earnings about as well as anyone in the game for his age. He's been outspoken about young players taking nice but ultimately team-friendly extensions. If you're going to get him to hand over those free-agent years, be prepared to pay a pretty penny.
QUESTION: If Carlos Martinez indeed goes into the rotation, would you be OK with Helsley or Gallegos being the closer until midseason?
BENFRED: Sure. Or even someone else. Keep cycling through until someone sticks, then spin again when that guy can't get it done.
QUESTION:Â Am I wearing blue-colored glasses to think the season isn't over because No. 91 is out?
BENFRED:Â No. It certainly speaks to the depth of the talent on this Blues team that Vladimir Tarasenko goes out, and no one is calling it a season-ender for the team along with him. And, who knows, maybe he can be back in time for the postseason.
QUESTION: If this Mizzou football season continues to spiral, would Barry Odom's contract make it less likely for AD Jim Sterk to make a change? Could he afford not to, considering fan reaction?
BENFRED:Â In terms of SEC buyouts, Odom's is pretty meager compared to his counterparts, even after the extension he received last December. The buyout terms of that extension state that Odom would get $450,000 for each season that remains on the deal, which runs through the 2024 season. On top of that, he would get the money in his university controlled deferred fund, which is $150,000 for every year Odom is employed.
QUESTION:Â With Mizzou continuing its rivalry with Kansas, do you think Mizzou vs SLU basketball could ever return?
BENFRED:Â I hope so. I need to do the annual check-in on this with both coaches. Last year, both Cuonzo Martin and Travis Ford were open to the idea. I got the sense both wanted to have their teams at their best before they brought it back. If any two coaches can get it going, it's these two. They have a good relationship. Travis' son is a walk-on with the Tigers. That doesn't happen without the coaches getting along.
QUESTION:Â What is the Cardinals' infatuation for Yairo Munoz? Is there not a better bench option?
BENFRED:Â He had fewer at-bats this season (172) than last season (293). I think he started twice in September. That's not infatuation. He's a bench guy. You can make a case he should have spotted DeJong some more throughout the season, considering how the starting SS wore down over the long season.
QUESTION:Â Is it safe to say Barry Odom was out-coached again in the Kentucky loss? In a monsoon, the Tigers continued to try to pass instead of establish a run game that had showed promise.
BENFRED:Â Hard to disagree with this assessment. Mark Stoops is 5-0 in his last five against the Tigers. Four of those are on Odom. Clearly, he has the advantage in game planning.
QUESTION: Hypothetically speaking, why shouldn't ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ jump at a chance to land the Chargers? Owner Dean Spanos (above left, talking to Jaguars owner Shahid Khan) got the shaft from the league, just like ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´. It would be a perfect match.
BENFRED:Â I don't think anyone forced Dean Spanos to leave San Diego unless I missed it. I get it that he didn't get the deal he wanted there, but the league did not mandate the Chargers' departure.
QUESTION: Do you think ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ continuing its lawsuit with the NFL means the NFL will never consider ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ for a franchise ever again?
BENFRED:Â I think the people that steer the NFL will do whatever is best for them in that moment, no matter what has happened in the past. History supports that: Take a team from LA, move it out, move it back again. And so on.
QUESTION:Â As a fan of the designated hitter, am I correct to assume you also want robot umpires as soon as possible?
BENFRED:Â In a twist, no. It's fun to lobby for now, without a sense of the complications that could come about later. The grass is always greener. Some reports have described how it could change the strike zone.
