Cardinals Rumors: How hot is Oli Marmol's seat in London?
While the St. Louis Cardinals face the Chicago Cubs in London, Oli Marmol's future with the franchise is very much in flux. Yes, the Cards front office has preached patience, and Marmol is in just his second year in charge of the on-field operations of the club.
Nonetheless, numerous missteps from Marmol — including but notwithstanding benching Tyler O'Neill and berating him publicly, asking Willson Contreras to switch positions and mishandling the bullpen repeatedly — have proven he's not the manager St. Louis thought they had when they fired Mike Shildt years ago.
This Cardinals team was expected to win the NL Central. Instead, they sit in last place by a wide margin. Something will have to give this offseason, and it's not absurd to consider Oli the scapegoat.
Prior to the London Series, Marmol tried to provide his team an out, just in case there were any nasty errors on the playing surface.
While the artificial turf is a problem, it's something both teams reasonably have to deal with. Through half of Sunday's game, St. Louis has two errors. Coincidence, or poor management skills?
When his superstar Nolan Arenado was asked how the team could improve, he pointed to specific adjustments. Frankly, it's a refreshing answer from a superstar, but shouldn't Marmol and the Cardinals front office already be on top of this?
Something isn't working in St. Louis, and a London Series win — should it occur — won't change that.
Cardinals Rumors: Where is Paul Goldschmidt going?
At least two MLB insiders, from our knowledge, have linked Paul Goldschmidt to the Philadelphia Phillies should he be interested. Jim Bowden of The Athletic and Robert Murray of FanSided both believe in the fit, though they have nothing to report in terms of actual trade talks.
"If there was ever a team that could make such an offer, it would be the Philadelphia Phillies. They don't have a true first baseman right now. Their lead executive, Dave Dombrowski, is as aggressive as anyone in baseball. They have invested a lot into the roster and adding Goldschmidt would give them an even more star-studded offense. I love the fit. I just think it's a pipe dream at best," Murray wrote last week.
Jim Bowden added much of the same approach, suggesting that Goldy could slide right into first base given injury woes for the Phils.
"The Phillies lost first baseman Rhys Hoskins and his 30-homer bat for the season when he suffered a torn ACL in spring training," Bowden said. "Adding Paul Goldschmidt to their lineup would be a game-changer for the Phillies (and obviously, would subsequently create a big hole in St. Louis'). In return, the Cardinals could ask for top prospect Andrew Painter, if his medicals don't scare them, but Philadelphia would instantly reject that offer because the 20-year-old profiles as a future ace."
Goldschmidt is under contract through the 2024 season, so there's no rush to trade him, though he will be 36 years old prior to next year. It's something for John Mozeliak and Co. to think about as they watch this team play through the month of July.
Cardinals Rumors: A new home for Jack Flaherty?
It has not been a good year for Jack Flaherty.
With rumors swirling that Flaherty's comments prompted Willson Contreras's removal at catcher, perhaps it's time the former NL Cy Young candidate finds a new home. Per Jim Bowden, the Arizona Diamondbacks could be interested in the rental.
"Jack Flaherty will be a free agent after this season and there is no indication the Cardinals are trying to extend him, at least during the regular season, so moving him now for a prospect package could make sense, and they could still try to re-sign him in the offseason if warranted," Bowden wrote. Flaherty, 27, is a tremendous competitor and the type of player you want in your clubhouse in a pennant race. I realize it's somewhat of a gamble for Arizona, but maybe less of a gamble than some of the rookie starters the Diamondbacks are sending out there now.
Bowden suggested the Cardinals could receive some young starting pitching back in return for Flaherty, essentially trading a proven starter for years of control and potential. Nate Savino, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft who is out injured with a shoulder issue, could be a smart target.
It's been a mess of a season for Flaherty and the Cards. He was forced to miss his London Series start on Sunday with right hip tightness. FanSided's Kristen Wong summed up the Cardinals current predicament nicely:
"One of the lowlights of the game was definitely Adam Wainwright, who allowed 11 hits and a season-high seven runs; he later called his performance a "perfect storm of horribleness," which sums it up quite nicely.
With Flaherty scratched and a chunk of the Cardinals' clubhouse out due to illness, the question is whether the Cards will have any fight left in them to give London fans a run for their money."
Hopefully, things will only get better from here.
