Spring Training 2025 Thread

[haltz]

I’m not sure I’ve ever rooted for the Cardinals to suck, but this could be the year.

Why?

If anything, because I think ownership should suffer the consequences of not putting a legitimate product on the field. The only way they might get it is if the team sucks, and people as a result stopping showing up and supporting said terrible product.

listen bud, you can't root for Elon Musk and the Cubs. We've gotta draw the line somewhere

[Magneto2.0]

I’m not sure I’ve ever rooted for the Cardinals to suck, but this could be the year.

Why?

If anything, because I think ownership should suffer the consequences of not putting a legitimate product on the field. The only way they might get it is if the team sucks, and people as a result stopping showing up and supporting said terrible product.

Wasn't that 2023? And all they did was sign 3 pitchers over the age of 34.

I had no issues with the signings (especially Gray), but I don't think a bad season is gonna change anything in terms of spending.

[cardinalkarp]

Agreed, and while I didn’t root for them to be terrible last year (who am I kidding, I barely pay attention to baseball other than playing in a fantasy league), they seemed to have topped themselves this past offseason in regards to the level of ineptitude.

I haven’t supported the Cardinals in years w/ my dollars or viewership. I really hope this year is going to be a wake up call when they don’t even sell out Opening Day and much of the year the stadium is more than half full.

[heyzeus]

Agreed, and while I didn’t root for them to be terrible last year (who am I kidding, I barely pay attention to baseball other than playing in a fantasy league), they seemed to have topped themselves this past offseason in regards to the level of ineptitude.

I haven’t supported the Cardinals in years w/ my dollars or viewership. I really hope this year is going to be a wake up call when they don’t even sell out Opening Day and much of the year the stadium is more than half full.

Can't say I disagree. Ownership has made a conscious decision to put a mediocre product on the field for several years now. They're free to cut costs, but so am I. I've been too busy to watch many games for quite a while now, and this half-assed shrug of an offseason shows me my priorities are right.

[jagtrader]

The cost of competing keeps going up and ownership doesn’t have the stomach for it. Nothing will change unless they hit the jackpot in player development. We’re looking at a Rays model with young players who leave when they start to cost too much. That’s the reason they hired Bloom.

[Jocephus]

The cost of competing keeps going up and ownership doesn’t have the stomach for it. Nothing will change unless they hit the jackpot in player development. We’re looking at a Rays model with young players who leave when they start to cost too much. That’s the reason they hired Bloom.

exactly. they get the excuse that he's worked for a big market team and a small market team but there is no doubt dewitt hired him for his time in TB (regardless if that was his more successful job). i hear some stl media say "ok, we'll get this restart/rebuild going, see what we have and then they can raise payroll again" and i just do not see that happening at all.

[dmarx114]

I understand being apathetic about the team if the team is floundering (which still sends the message to ownership that you don't want to spend on this product).

But I don't understand proactively rooting for the team to lose, especially before the season even starts. It goes against the essence of being a fan.

[Jocephus]

It goes against the essence of being a fan.

fan is short for fanatic. they can react however they want.

[dmarx114]

It goes against the essence of being a fan.

fan is short for fanatic. they can react however they want.

They sure can.

And I can say I don't understand it.

[MrCrowesGarden]

The cost of competing keeps going up and ownership doesn’t have the stomach for it. Nothing will change unless they hit the jackpot in player development. We’re looking at a Rays model with young players who leave when they start to cost too much. That’s the reason they hired Bloom.

exactly. they get the excuse that he's worked for a big market team and a small market team but there is no doubt dewitt hired him for his time in TB (regardless if that was his more successful job). i hear some stl media say "ok, we'll get this restart/rebuild going, see what we have and then they can raise payroll again" and i just do not see that happening at all.

I know it was an ownership directive but Bloom did not do well in that Mookie Betts trade at all from a fan perspective