2019 Cardinals

[DaBears]

I find Carlos occasionally trusting IRL, and amazingly frustrating in OOTP. I don’t think you would want to actually do this, but I would love to see someone move him to Closer (in OOTP, not IRL). With a staff soon of Reyes, Weaver, Flaherty, Mikolas, Wacha, Wainwright (who seems to do well in OOTP - although some of you seem to be getting into 2020 now, so I assume he fades at some point), Carlos might be one of those bring him in in the 8th inning and shut the door for two innings Closers. In ‘15 or so, I used him as setup to Rosenthal and we literally did not lose a game with a lead the entire season. It was an amazing combination.

[Orcin]

When you are 5-5, is it too early to start tinkering?

Wong is hitting .459 and DeJong is hitting .432 with 14 RBI in 10 games. I rested several starters in game 10 and put out a lineup with Wong leading off and DeJong hitting second. We won. Fowler, Pham, and Ozuna are all at .250 or below and it really makes me wonder if I should be stacking the lineup according to who is hot or just leave it alone.

Between Jose Martinez, Carpenter, and Gyorko, it is pretty clear that Gyorko is #3 as an offensive player. Since I have the DH in my league, I can play all of them but I have already begun to wonder if I would be better off with Fowler as the DH and Bader in the outfield (or Voit at 1B and Martinez in RF). Regardless, I started Carpenter at 3B in game #10 for the first time, and I think I will leave him there for a few games. For now, I will use the DH spot to alternate among my bench players and see if anyone catches fire. Ultimately, I need to use the DH spot to play my weakest defender. I think that guy is Carpenter, but he is really no worse than Gyorko at 3B in the game. So maybe I could/should use the DH to get another bat in the lineup.

Has anyone else noticed that Jose Martinez is overrated as a defender in the game? He is especially skilled (70?) at first base while in real life Matheny is defending his defense by saying that he is still learning the position. In real life, JMart might be the obvious DH but he is too good at 1B not to play there in the game. Since I am playing in Challenge Mode, I can't edit him to be more realistic so I will just take advantage of it instead.

The real answers are to get Machado for 3B and Harper for RF, but that will have to wait for a while. While I am dreaming, I would like Freddie Freeman at 1B too. My bullpen stinks and Wainwright might have to go... all this after only 10 games. It's really too early for all of these changes, but that is what happens to me when I play out all my games. The league moves slower and I have more time to think.

[MizzouRah]

I typically sim.. but since I finally have what I think is a playoff roster in 2020, I've been managing all my games so far.

We just beat the Cubs 3-4 games and in the first game Martinez starts the game getting a K, then Ian Happ hits a towering HR and I can envision a slow trot around the bases. Next batter is Rizzo and Martinez nails him with a FB. Benches clear and Martinez and Rizzo are suspended 6 games. I had a hunch and played Molina in this game, I could see him running out there to protect Martinez.

We did win that game, lost game 2 and then won games 3 and 4. That first game set the stage for the series though and it was awesome. The Cubs have dominated this division, especially in 2018 and 2019 and have the swagger they should.

2020 predictions had us in 2nd place, 3 games behind the Cubs so it's going to be a battle for sure.

Oh, thankfully Waino retired at the end of 2019 and Molina's 20M comes off the books at the end of this season. We will be in really good shape come 2021.

[MizzouRah]

Orcin.. I'm like you.. I like to tinker but I've been much better letting things play out a bit more and sticking with my starting contract players. Harper wasn't great last season and I'm hoping for a break out season as a Cardinal in 2020.

Eric Thames is off to a great start though with 4HR/11RBI and I finally have a good SS in Tommy Edman.

[rink23]

MizzouRah, good to see Tommy Edman has turned out to be a good player for you and not just some goofy game aberration for my 2018 Redbirds.
He's slowed down some, his average is down to around .333, but it has not been a fast drop.
Unfortunately, the team has hit its first major slump of the season -- swept at home by the Tribe, following a split on the road against last-place Milwaukee -- and our lead in the NL Central is down at a half-game in late June.
I skipped a start for the struggling Carlos Martinez and he came back worse than ever, lasting just 4.2 innings in an 8-0 loss to Cleveland. He gave up six hits, walked two and allowed three home runs. For the season, he has given up 13 homers in 96 innings.

[MizzouRah]

That's tough rink23.. but you're doing much better than I did in 2018 or 2019 for that matter.

Now I'm starting to get my minors in shape... we were in horrible shape as I guess OOTP doesn't like us. :P

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Orcin.. I'm like you.. I like to tinker but I've been much better letting things play out a bit more and sticking with my starting contract players.

Just to clarify... by tinker I meant shuffle the lineup a little... not start trading people. I have tried harder to stick with my starting contract players also. I used to make 4-5 trades in the first year of a team. Now I try to make no more than 1 or maybe 2 at the deadline after studying the situation carefully.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Just to clarify... by tinker I meant shuffle the lineup a little... not start trading people. I have tried harder to stick with my starting contract players also. I used to make 4-5 trades in the first year of a team. Now I try to make no more than 1 or maybe 2 at the deadline after studying the situation carefully.

What I meant was playing the contract players everyday. I always go on a trading frenzy at first, until I'm comfortable with my team/contracts.

Matheny would always shuffle lineups.

[rink23]

With the introduction of the 10-day disabled list, IRL, we've seen teams put starting pitchers onto the DL with what were probably phantom injuries to give them a break during the regular season as they expect to need them in the playoffs.
Is this possible in OOTP?
Luke Weaver is near 110 innings just past the mid-point of the season and is on pace to finish well past his career high.
Since, he has been one of my most consist pitchers I'd like to ration his innings -- see what the likes of Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes can do in the bigs -- in July and August hoping to have him with something left for the stretch run.
I can't find a way to do this without an injury or putting him in the pen and not using him.
Am I missing something?

[Orcin]

There is no way to put a healthy player on the d/l without using the editor to create an injury. Why not put him in the bullpen and use him as the pitcher under glass?

[MizzouRah]

Are they more injury prone the more innings they pitch in OOTP?

I've never paid any attention to that and maybe I should?

[Airdrop01]

The Cubs are crazy good in my restarted Challenge Mode game. I’m in 2018 still, and as of June 1 playing .650 ball. Cubs .... .737

Grrrr.

I’m considering trading Fowler and Flaherty for Lo Cain and playing out my games, because I bet I can steal like a maniac with Cain.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

The Cubs are crazy good in my restarted Challenge Mode game. I’m in 2018 still, and as of June 1 playing .650 ball. Cubs .... .737

Grrrr.

I’m considering trading Fowler and Flaherty for Lo Cain and playing out my games, because I bet I can steal like a maniac with Cain.

Come on... break away from the Royals.

Fowler can steal as well as Cain anyway.

[Airdrop01]

Yeah, but suddenly now that he’s on the Brewers, OOTP likes him. Kind of like Soria, Wade Davis, etc. LOL.

[ZigZagMan]

It's been a rollercoaster first season for me.

The bullpen as constructed had been a disaster and was complicated even more so by long-term injuries to Bowman, Cecil, Gregerson, and Lyons.

I mentioned earlier in this thread how I had traded Gyorko and prospects to the White Sox for Joakim Soria, Luis Avilan, and promising minor-leaguer Jace Fry. That seemed to settle things down a little but but I was still getting terrible performances from Greg Holland and Bud Norris which were costing me games.

The team was trending down and I fired Mike Shildt as bench coach and hired Jose Oquendo to light a fire under manager Mike Matheny.

Looking for a long-term solution on the infield and not wanting to risk the two big fish Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson not being available this offseason, I bit the bullet and made a major move in late June to acquire Manny Machado, Dylan Bundy, Brad Brach, and Hunter Harvey in exchange for Kolten Wong, who was actually one of my best hitters, Michael Wacha, who was without a doubt my best performing pitcher, Carson Kelly, the much maligned Bud Norris, and AAA starter Chris Ellis. Following this deal I DFA'd Greg Holland who was eventually released after he wouldn't accept being sent to the minors. Good riddance. Bundy has been pretty disappointing in his career but I had hoped he could fill the gap in the rotation following Wacha's departure until Alex Reyes was ready to go, but he got hurt after just a couple starts.

After Brach was very displeased with his new surroundings I dealt him near the deadline to the Red Sox along with Oscar Mercado in exchange for highly rated 3B prospect Michael Chavis and reliever Carson Smith. Manny Machado also inked the largest contract I've ever handed out on OOTP with a 8-year, $208 million deal that will keep him in Cardinal red until his age 34 season. I'm always hesitant to give out deals that long but a franchise player doesn't often come available at age 26. DeJong has been shifted to 3B, potentially as the long-term solution there.

On deadline day I made a move to shore up the late-inning defense by trading for Dixon Machado of the Tigers in exchange for 1B Luke Voit.

Currently I'm one game ahead in the race for the final Wild Card spot but things are trending up after taking 5 of 6 against the Cubs and 3 of 4 against the Reds. Alex Reyes has emerged as a reliable starter after knocking off the rust from Tommy John surgery.

Dexter Fowler is nearing a return from an oblique injury but once he returns I'll be doing a whole lot of lineup shuffling getting Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, Wilmer Flores, and Jose Martinez at bats between 1B/2B/3B. This offseason I'll finally look to unload some of this SP & OF prospect depth for a front-line starting pitcher to compliment the rotation of Carlos Martinez, Alex Reyes, Luke Weaver, and Miles Mikolas. I've got my eye on Chris Archer.

Wish me luck down the stretch!

[Airdrop01]

The epic game I played out myself when we wrested first from the Cubs:

[Airdrop01]

Last series of the season. Do I play or sim? 3 against the Cubs. Down by 1 game.

[Airdrop01]

Simmed it. Won first game. Lost next two. Won wild card v. Arizona. Lost 3-1 to Dodgers in Divisional Series.

[rink23]

It was late, but it is a deal I had been contemplating for a long time.
Although, I am 3.5 games behind the Cubs, but a 1.5 games up in the wild card, I want to win this season.
(I may lose interest and decide not to play a second season. I play every game out so it is a slog).
Anyway, six Bud Lights did, or didn't help, but I have completed a trade to bring Balitmore Orioles SS/3B Manny Machado to the Cardinals for at least the remainder of the 2018 season.
Going to Baltimore are major league second baseman Kolten Wong, AAA Memphis closer Sam Tuivailala and outfielder Harrison Bader and Class A shortstop Luis Andujar.
Machado will be a free agent at season's end. But I hope to do everything possible to get him signed quickly so free agency does not become an issue.
With his versatility, Machado will probably play both shortstop and third base, swapping with Jedd Gyorko, who can play second and third, Tommy Edmann, who can play second and short, and Paul DeJong, who is best at shortstop, depending on who is playing well.
DeJong has stunk this season, but did well in recent a minor league stint, so hopefully it carries over.
Baltimore also seemed to want Wong more than DeJong, so that is how I went.
Any hints on how to get Machado's name on the dotted line to stick around?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

Simmed it. Won first game. Lost next two. Won wild card v. Arizona. Lost 3-1 to Dodgers in Divisional Series.

Not a bad season.