<description>
                    &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;More Post-Dispatch podcasts&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Please consider subscribing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As the Cardinals have retreated from annual October appearances they have also faded from the national spotlight. They haven't been historically bad. They haven't been as good as their recent history. Jordan Shusterman, senior writer at Yahoo! Sports and host of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, begins a converation on a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball there: Their absence from the national conversation and what will get them back.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The answer, of course, is identifying what current players must be a part of the next contending core.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That drives this new episode of the long-running Cardinals podcast.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When Shusterman joined BPIB and host Derrick Goold for this recording, he entered his name as "#1 Jimmy Crooks Fan," and that fondness for the Cardinals' left-handed hitting catching prospect came up as the two baseball writers tracked the list of teams that have missed the postseason in the same years as the Cardinals. One of those teams -- the San Francisco Giants -- is not only the subject of a forthcoming article by Shusterman but also one of the teams interested in the Cardinals' Brendan Donovan and also a team that shares a standout trait with the Cardinals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Both clubs featured Hall of Fame caliber catchers as their cornerstones and have faded in the years since Buster Posey and Yadier Molina retired.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The podcast also includes a discussion on sleeper picks for the future core and how lefty Liam Doyle, the Cardinals' first-round pick in the recent draft, could wake up the ballpark with his debut and personality, if the performance is there to match. He's compared to a closer, just at the start of the game. Plus, did Cardinals' fatigue contribute to the Cardinals' drift out of the national headlines?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball has reached a new season-high with 30 episodes. Each episode is sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and lead baseball writer Derrick Goold.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
                </description>

A senior writer at Yahoo! Sports, Shusterman joins a brand new BPIB to discuss a shift in Cardinals' direction and Cardinals fatigue.

Searching for Cardinals' next core with Cespedes Family BBQ's Jordan Shusterman

<description>
                    &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;More Post-Dispatch podcasts&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Please consider subscribing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Back from Orlando, Florida, and the annual Winter Meetings and into the chill of St. Louis, Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold shares with editor Nathan Mills what he learned about the Cardinals stoking the hot stove for a busy few weeks heading toward the holidays. The Cardinals gave a glimpse into their enhanced scouting staff and expanded view of the marketplace as well as revealed how they may look to add the same roles they've been looking to trade and what traits they're seeking in the pitchers they continue to collect. The Brendan Donovan market is so strong that other teams are wondering what they can get for their infielders. The Willson Contreras market is starting to take shape, but will it matter if he won't accept a trade? And the Nolan Arenado market is going to be slower to develop.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All of that, plus Mills sternly rebukes Goold's suggestion that the Dodgers go ahead and get it over and just trade for Mr. and Mrs. Met already and complete the Edwin Diaz trumpet-blaring entry into the ninth inning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is also an unexpected power ranking of mascots.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball has reached a new season-high with 30 episodes. Each episode is sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and lead baseball writer Derrick Goold.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
                </description>

A review of how Florida became a prelude: what Cardinals revealed and where there is momentum for trades

After stoking hot stove at Winter Meetings, what do Cardinals have cooking?

<description>
                    &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;More Post-Dispatch podcasts&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Please consider subscribing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is no bumper sticker, no buzzy campaign slogan that captures the challenge facing Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs as economic disparity grows and the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement arrives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A complex issue requires a complex solution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Or does it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A brief conversation about the Cardinals' spending strategy and past history with free agency, &lt;a href="https://www.stltoday.com/sports/article_864dc20a-1734-415d-8a36-d8ccc65c246b.html?utm_source=stltoday.com&amp;amp;utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter-templates%2Flocal%2Fderrick-goold&amp;amp;utm_medium=cio&amp;amp;lctg=fef30716ad6dce9129&amp;amp;tn_email_eh1=300065048950cd1e22d9981e795fb808a6379617f9f08f2ac110f1ed3f0e44ad"&gt;based on research done for The Write Fielder newsletter&lt;/a&gt;, spirals into a much larger debate between Best Podcast in Baseball host Derrick Goold and guest Kevin Wheeler, of KMOX/104.1 FM. After detailing how the Cardinals got into their current predicament, the questions that follow are two-fold: Do the Cardinals need to change their approach to free agency to return to contention, and does MLB need to change its economic structure for the Cardinals to have a new approach to free agency.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The debate ignites from there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wheeler makes a compelling case for how the Cardinals needed to "swim in deeper waters" for free agency and a more conservative approach caught up with them. He adds that a team now focused on development needs to produce its own stars. Goold counters by wondering what World Series contenders have developed their star and not had to outfit the roster with free-agent moves to complete the championship-caliber roster. The Yankees may have Aaron Judge, and they used prospects to trade for Juan Soto once, but they also signed Gerrit Cole. The Kansas City Royals have a homegrown, bona fide star in Bobby Witt Jr. But what's next?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's where the economics of the game enter the conversation and Wheeler's stance that the "big boys" need to play ball for the betterment of the game, and if that means taking less or receiving a smaller cut to spur and require the spending of the smaller markets so be it. Goold makes a suggestion for pulling that off that Wheeler contends would be difficult to sell to fans who what the tangible bumper sticker, not the boring details of how it gets done.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Eventually they agree on one.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's the TV deal.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wheeler's arguments that hinge on a comparison to the NBA and its salary cap format require there to be a much larger national TV deal, one closer to what the NBA has. And that is the crux of this. Once that's in place then negotiations about a salarly floor, shared revenue, and an international draft to better balance talent coming from abroad are all more tangible because the largest issue -- the growing gulch between teams -- has been bridged.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball has reached a new season-high with 30 episodes. Each episode is sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and lead baseball writer Derrick Goold.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
                </description>

A discussion about free agency and Cardinals spending strategy erupts into a debate on how MLB can level the playing field and whether it needs to

Do Cardinals need MLB's economics to shift before they can contend again?

<description>
                    &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;More Post-Dispatch podcasts&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Please consider subscribing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From the start of the offseason and the beginning for a new front officer leader, the Cardinals have signaled their priority this winter is to accumulate talent that will help them contend in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They began that process by trading Sonny Gray and $20 million to the Boston Red Sox for a pair of pitching prospects, Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke, and now the Cardinals' pursuit continues with the arrival of MLB's biggest gathering of the Hot Stove season. The Winter Meetings are coming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To discuss the Cardinals' to-do list for the Winter Meetings, KMOX/104.1 FM's Kevin Wheeler rejoins the Best Podcast in Baseball. He and BPIB host Derrick Goold discuss the Cardinals' search to trade Nolan Arenado and what happens if another winter passes without a deal; which of the players nearing free agency, such as Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero, will help the Cardinals achieve their goal of accumulating young talent; and what does a contract extension look like for manager Oli Marmol.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The significant National Baseball Hall of Fame vote set for Dec. 7 is also discussed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is the first of two episodes because what started as a short conversation spilled into a heated debate about, oh, just the future economic structure of baseball. Look for that bonus BPIB shortly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball has reached a new season-high with 30 episodes. Each episode is sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and lead baseball writer Derrick Goold.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
                </description>

KMOX/104.1 FM's Kevin Wheeler joins the podcast to preview the Cardinals' to-do list as MLB's annual gathering 'round hot stove begins

Cardinals' forecast calls for a bustling Winter Meetings

<description>
                    &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/0hfn43" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;More Post-Dispatch podcasts&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.stltoday.com/9aigz5" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Please consider subscribing&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Two years after the Cardinals signed Sonny Gray as a free agent to headline their pitching, pitching, pitching offseason, the veteran right-handed waived his no-trade clause and renogiated his deal to allow a trade to Boston and underscore the Cardinals' new direction.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Pivoting, pivoting, pivoting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a brand new Best Podcast in Baseball, baseball writer Derrick Goold and editor Nathan Mills discuss the fallout from the Sonny Gray trade. They explore the next group of Cardinals likely to be traded with Mills giving a rundown of the left-handed batters and one left-handed pitcher that are generating interest from other teams and what players would be wisest to trade. The $20 million sent with Gray to the Red Sox in exchanage for two young talents, starters Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts, is a sign of what the Cardinals are willing to pay for younger, cost-controlled talent. So what does that say about the Cardinals' willingness to cover millions of Nolan Arenado's contract to spur a trade of another All-Star?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The discussion arrives at a juncture for the Cardinals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For years, the club and its fans have been defined by an urgency about what the game today or the move today did to help them win the next World Series. Now, the question seems to have shifted to what the move did today to help them win their next World Series -- in the future, whenever that is. During his press conference following the Gray trade, Chaim Bloom said the urgency fans expect and the long-term view the Cardinals have adopted can coexist, and he added that he welcomes the pressure such urgency puts on their daily decisions, even if the goal is in the distance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Plus! Questions from chatters and a Thanksgiving thank you to the community of BPIB listerns who have made the podast possible going back to its earliest days of recording in a attic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball has reached a new season-high with 30 episodes. Each episode is sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of St. Louis, is a production of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, StlToday.com, and lead baseball writer Derrick Goold.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
                </description>

First All-Star trade of Chaim Bloom's tenure signals the club's direction, but he says pressure to improve is still daily

Fallout from Sonny Gray trade: Can Cardinals' long-term vision coexist with fan urgency?


            <p>St. Louis Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer Derrick Goold and guests discuss the Cardinals, MLB and anything related to the national pastime and the city that adores it.</p>
        

St. Louis Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer Derrick Goold and guests discuss the Cardinals, MLB and anything related to the national pastime and the city that adores it.

Best Podcast in Baseball

Details

Recent Episodes