Don’t give up the ship yet, Cardinal Nation

2023 could be spiraling, but the next few years aren't doomed yet.

We’re led by choice in life. It’s something I believe strongly in as opposed to someone upstairs turning the keys. As in, we can choose to change something or let it remain the same, rules be damned or shaken. This summer, Cardinal Nation is begging John Mozeliak, the President of Baseball Operations, aka the top decision-maker who doesn’t own the team, to turn the tide in a losing season.

Hopes for that happening aren’t great, because the home attendance still ranks second in the league--even though the Birds already have 51 losses. Since the money is still rolling in like gooey butter desserts at Russell’s on Macklind, why would Mozeliak attempt to impress his business-minded boss, Bill DeWitt Jr, to spend more on improvements?

What has Mo done in the past eight years to fully form a highly competitive team, even with DeWitt Jr.’s comments in the wake of Mike Matheny’s firing five years ago. Paraphrasing the majority team owner, a winning record isn’t enough for St. Louis. They need to be better than that. Clue to Bill: They’re not, pal.

But don’t give up all hope yet in these Cardinals, the once-defensive-minded club who makes game-ending throwing errors near a pitching mound. Don’t lose all the positivity with a team that can’t win more than four games in a row. Even on July 7, closing the book completely would be a bit much, right? Yes and no.

Yes, it’s getting very unrealistic for a team without many incoming answers and changes to make up ten games in the standings, either in the division or wildcard rankings. With the trade deadline almost three weeks away, one can’t stand firm on the team adding payroll or attempting a blockbuster. It’s not a sleeper cell trade moment where the team goes radio silent, and then strikes hard!

They may delete or add pieces at the deadline, but it’ll be a 2024 and beyond thought process when it comes to competing. A word the Cardinals like to use so well is something even they can’t achieve at the moment. Expect players who won’t be here long term to be considered heavily for a trade, like Jack Flaherty and/or Jordan Montgomery.

Following the pandemic’s stranglehold on team budget and spending, even Mozeliak and St. Louis came out and said there could be some tighter payroll maneuvering. Factor in the Bally Sports bankruptcy, which must have some kind of effect on the front office due to the always mentioned, lucrative “TV MONEY” theory, and you can see a team holding their hand of cards tightly.

They may spend, but not wisely and their next move may be a fixer-up of the previous faulty transaction. Steven Matz over Marcus Stroman? Going hard for David Price, but not for a Max Scherzer or Mad Max-type a few years ago? Spending hard on Brett Cecil, Mike Leake, and Dexter Fowler. The second one was paid for a while after he was traded, and they had to sell Fowler to Los Angeles.

But no, it’s too early to give up all hope. Think of the trees that were planted recently or are just spouting up out of the grass down off Clark Avenue. Jordan Walker is no longer a prospect, but a fully formed Rookie of the Year candidate. Brendan Donovan isn’t a light-hitting Swiss Army knife anymore; he hits home runs now too. Nolan Gorman has a healthy shot at blasting 35 home runs this summer, which would more than double his 2021 total.

Jordan Hicks throws like Rick Ankiel to first base, but he was doing very well before the Miami Marlins debacle. They need to make a choice on him this month too, because his value seeps out with each “does he walk too many” hesitation.

Remember Tyler O’Neill? After a seemingly endless IL stint, fans may get to see the outfielder, who put together a strong season back in 1998 before injuries took over his life. He’s on a rehab assignment, and better use the Tommy Edman Injured List stint to zero in on producing. There’s no time for muscled singles, Mr. O’Neill. Your big dent in 2023 revolves around getting in a media-infused pissing contest with your manager.

Jeff Curry/USA Today

Jack Flaherty pitched like 2019 on Thursday night, but I’ve seen that movie before. Do it again next week. And then again. Less pout, more execution of pitches. Miles Mikolas could stop giving up so many first inning runs, and his teammates and fans would breathe easier. Act like you know how the first inning should go, Lizard King.

Do we need to sacrifice a live lizard? Let’s table that and keep going.

There’s pleasures on a losing team, just ask this Ray Lankford fan from back in the early 1990s. This team is worse than those teams, and that’s saying something. The 1998 team was just a winning ballclub, but they had Mark McGwire.

2023 got off to a false start when MoWitt hedged bets on Adam Wainwright bouncing back to Aug. 2022 Waino mode, and that failed. They leaned hard on Flaherty flying out of the gate, and Willson Contreras turning his Pudge on. When they tried to have two retirement campaigns, last year and this year, it delayed the young guns from truly settling in. The front office also didn’t do shit this past winter, outside of the former Cubs catcher.

Don’t give up the ship though. I love Captain Jefferson’s classic quote aboard the USS Chesapeake. Mo-Witt may not be around in a few years, but Walker and Gorman will be. Donovan will be everywhere. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt will do their thing. It’s not all bad, but most of it hurts. Soon enough, Masyn Winn will join them. Maybe not, so the team doesn’t screw him up.

The trees are growing well, even if the rest of the park isn’t that pretty at the moment.