Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Cardinals fire the one coach that has been consistently good at his job over the last 5 years in Derek Lilliquist.
They are going to retain everyone else on the staff.
Because Bill DeWitt just doesn't give a shit anymore.
What a joke.
I don't think his major negative is that "he doesn't care". It's his backing of Matheny. Nothing negative was said of Matheny at today's press conference. The blamed everything and everybody for this season but Matheny. Why in the fuck does he get a pass? This is on the owner. Matheny best bud, the worst hitting coach in baseball still having a job is on Dewitt too because of his support for Matheny.
If they trade for one of the Miami outfielders and sign Moose. I'll take back the fail is on the owner. [Reply]
More idiot bait for the masses. Matheny is still the manager and ownership still lacks the commitment to build a winner.
Wake me when any of that has changed. Bringing back a couple of fan favorites is an easier way to ensure that 3 million people still come through the gates than building a championship caliber team - I get it.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Matheny is still the manager and ownership still lacks the commitment to build a winner.
We have been in agreement on Matheny for years. I also think he's still here because of the owner liking him. The owner is going nowhere.
You may know more about this trend than I but it looks like teams are starting to use the pitching coaches like a defensive coordinator in football. They know all the numbers, who would be successful in a situation, when is the optimum time to pull a pitcher. Who should be brought in from the bullpen etc.
If the Cardinals would go to that scientific model, the team would improve greatly. As a matter of fact, I think the first team to use AI and machine learning will win a World Series in a few years. [Reply]
Joe Girardi gets the Yankees to the playoffs a year ahead of schedule and then beats a 100+ win Indians team before putting the 100+ win Astros team on the brink of elimination. He has won a World Series in NY.
And he gets fired.
While Mike Matheny remains employed.
For fuck's sake, can we please stop pretending that the Cardinals have the same organizational goals as teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Nats, Cubs, etc....?
If the Cardinals care about winning at all, they'll be on the phone with Girardi right now offering to make him the highest paid manager in baseball. Go ahead and 'promote' Mike Matheny. Afterall, that's what they keep doing with guys that are doing poorly in their present roles.
But no, they've given the idiots their shiny bauble for the season. Be happy, Cardinals fans - you got Jose Oquendo and Willie McGee!! And your team will sit on the sideline while yet another HoF manager gets hired after you choose to keep Mike !@#$ing Matheny instead of him. [Reply]
Odd that they'd talk about wanting someone more in-tune with the modern analytics movement and then hire an old-school pitching coach like Maddux.
I like him, but it tells me that the rationale for firing Lilliquist was probably bullshit. I suspect he was tired of worshiping at the altar of Matheny and got scapegoated when he wouldn't fall in line. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Mike Maddux hired as a pitching coach.
Odd that they'd talk about wanting someone more in-tune with the modern analytics movement and then hire an old-school pitching coach like Maddux.
I like him, but it tells me that the rationale for firing Lilliquist was probably bullshit. I suspect he was tired of worshiping at the altar of Matheny and got scapegoated when he wouldn't fall in line.
I think there was something behind the firing we will never know. Maybe he told Matheny to do this or that and Matheny didn't listen. Or maybe he just gave Matheny info but didn't strongly advocate for pulling a pitcher or who to go too. But, as far as I know, in MLB, managers make all those decisions. The fucking up of basic bullpen moves and burning our pitchers out is still fully on Meathead.
From the STL article below: sounds like the pitching has performed well wherever he's been regardless of talent level. Great looking resume.
----------------------------------------
Maddux has served as pitching coach for Texas and Milwaukee; he was the longtime pitching coach for the Brewers as they rose to challenge the Cardinals in the division. He also was the pitching coach for the Rangers when their pitching staff propelled them to the American League pennant and a 2011 meeting with the Cardinals in the World Series. [Reply]
The Cardinals are expected to be very active this winter after missing the playoffs two straight seasons (and being beaten out by the rival Cubs both times), and word is that in addition to a middle-of-the-order bat, they may look for one big starter and one big reliever.
Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka (assuming he opts out) are the three biggest starters on the market, and it wouldn’t be a shock if they played for Arrieta. After seeing the Cubs take Jason Heyward two years ago, they took Dexter Fowler last year. They could do it again.
Wade Davis and Greg Holland (once he declines his option) are the two biggest free agent relievers out there.
Trevor Rosenthal, who’s having Tommy John surgery, would be expected to be non-tendered.
The Cardinals interviewed Jim Hickey but might have a tough battle with the rival Cubs on that front. Hickey was Joe Maddon’s pitching coach in Tampa. [Reply]
The market will be crazy again. And Mozeliak will "like the roster we have" the same as he does every year.
We've seen this movie several times. Mozeliak isn't capable of actually getting the job done without Luhnow giving him an endless stream of prospects. Now that the guys that Luhnow (and Jocketty) gave him have aged, he has to depend on his own efforts and shockingly enough, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk aren't quite capable of picking up the slack.
But hey, he did manage to get Jed Gyorko, so he's got that going for him... [Reply]