Bad Day For The St. Louis Cardinals Who DFA Erick Fedde Then Get Shutout By The Colorado Rockies

Bad Day For The St. Louis Cardinals Who DFA Erick Fedde Then Get Shutout By The Colorado Rockies

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies just wrapped up their three games said, “One team looked hungry while the others manager described game three as our worst game we’ve played all year. This is a locked on Cardinals locked on Rockies crossover. You are locked on MLB crossover, part of the Locked On Network. your team every day. Hey there baseball fans. I’m JD Hafford and I am the host for Locked on Cardinals. We’ve got Paul Holden with me, host of Locked on Rockies. We are part of the Locked On podcast network covering your team every day. We want to thank those of you who make locked on Cardinals and Locked on Rockies your first listen each and every day. We’re free and available wherever you get your podcast. So subscribe wherever you’re getting your podcast. You can also find us in places like YouTube as well as on Tik Tok, Instagram, X. We’re all over the place. Uh we’re going to jump right into this series. Uh Paul, good to talk to you again. It took forever for our two teams to finally play each other, so I don’t get to have a lot of back and forth with Paul, but finally we we got to take the field to battle against each other in Colorado. And the White Hot Rockies, how many times have we gotten to say that this year? just shut down the Cardinals on Wednesday by a score of six to nothing and take the series two games to three. That is now back-to-back series wins for your boys. Don’t hold back, Paul. How are you feeling about what you saw today? Specifically from new Sai Young candidate Tanner Gordon. I mean, let’s let’s let’s start there. The young players showed up in this series for the Colorado Rockies. Not only was it just Tanner Gordon, but Bradley Bllelock threw a nice gem uh in in game number two of this series as well. Ael Aor, young guy for the Rockies there at second base. He came up with some big hits. Mickey Moniac, Tyler Freeman returns and has impacts. We saw Ryan McMahon hit a couple of bombs and be impactful as well throughout that. But the Rockies in these this series went really heavy on their inexperienced players or younger players and they performed and they finally in back-to-back series made Korsfield uncomfortable for the opposition. I think one of the things that I talked a lot about on my show previewing this series, I was kind of surprised to see how much the Cardinals starters, at least in this series, including one of them that ended up being DFA there weren’t all that great. The Rockies have gone up against a lot of good teams, a lot of great pitching staffs, and sometimes they just run into a gauntlet of you’re getting the best, the constant best from other teams mixed with an offense that hasn’t really performed. So the Rockies, when they were faced with pitchers that weren’t as, you know, maybe hitting as the levels that they’re supposed to or or, you know, kind of when you’re looking at it, not the best starting rotations that the Rockies have seen this year, they took advantage and they finally made Korsfield uncomfortable for the opposition. Something that they have struggled to do so uh this year. This is the the the series before this was the first home series win for the col home series win for the Colorado Rockies in 2025. And this is now the first time the Rockies have won back-to-back series in 2025. So there’s a lot to be excited about, especially in the context of everything else. But if we’re going small sample size, this might be the best stretch of Rocky’s baseball this season. Is this the happiest you’ve been all season? Like this last like six six game uh you know set. Is that is is this the most you’ve smiled? Oh, for watching the Rockies, absolutely. because it just seems like, you know, as everything that’s been tough and there is a lot of fr, you know, as frustrating as it’s been to be a Rockies fan and watching the team time and time and the Rockies have been, it’s been the the kind of thing you got to make, you know, help little little spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down when you kind of talk about the the Rockies have been playing a lot more competitive baseball of late, but you can only say that so many times when your team’s got 74 losses or 75 losses, wherever they’re at at this point. It just starts to run in the miller. just like, listen, I I I I can’t just keep focusing in on the close losses. That’s not what I want to that’s not that’s not good enough for me. So, this series against again the the Rockies strength of schedule overall has been very tough. Not only their division, but the just the way the schedule’s lined up. But with the Twins, the Cardinals, and now going to play Baltimore, and the Guardians on the road, Rockies on the road, that’s a whole other factor. But these are teams that haven’t performed up to what they what most people would say they’re capable of or what they thought they would be this year. And this was now at least in in half of the series that they’ve played against these teams. They’ve won them. They won them at home and they beat these teams that the the Rockies changed the narrative about these teams heading into the trade deadline. They I mean the the Cardinals are floating are you know are still back that right around that 500 mark. The Twins dropping that series. So the Rockies did put some pressure on. So, so and it’s it’s just been enjoyable baseball scoring runs and you know the first game was a little bit of frustration because it was the big Rocky’s problem not scoring with runners in scoring position but the Rockies have been in games more frequently whereas there was a lot of times in this in the start of the season you three-run lead done put a fork in them like home or away so it’s really cool to see I think you are starting to see growth from some Rocky’s players now long long way to go and We’re talking about repetitions not only throughout the rest of this year, but recreating it down the line and developing these players into good ball players, good everyday ball players. Those are still question marks. But absolutely, this is easily been the the the most fun we’ve had watching Rockies baseball this year, especially because going into the break, the Rockies, you know, had a little bit of a frustrating end to that first half where they were playing those good close games, playing the better ball, but kind of fizzled out. So for them to come out SC and win the first, you know, win this home series, have a phenomenal home stand, have a great week of baseball, you’ll you’ll take that. Absolutely. Yeah. And and it has to feel good too that, you know, in a in a season that’s been so disappointing because even though it’s a rebuild going on in Colorado, you never want to be this low. You know, you don’t want to have this type of season going on where it’s just like gosh, we’re on pace to set a record for futility. That’s not what you’re looking for. and to see them play well and have kind of like the the glimmer of hope be like, “See, this is what we’re talking about. This is progress and this is going in the right direction.” I I completely understand how that’s got to feel real good for Rocky’s fans. On the flip side, the Cardinal fans are tearing their hair out if they have any left after what they’ve seen uh over the the the first six games since the All-Star break uh ended because they go one and five. uh they get swept in Arizona and then they come to Colorado where the talk is, you know, and it’s expected where they’re like, “You should win this series. It’s the Rockies. They had 24 wins coming into the series like you’re supposed to go in there and win.” And to come away uh not only losing the series, but then to get blanked in the final game by and no offense to Tanner Gordon, but who is Tanner Gordon to anybody in St. Louis? They don’t know who that guy is. and to to see him just dominate the offense. And uh also, I don’t know, I’m sure you are aware of this because you’re a very smart person, but uh they snapped uh the no shutouts consecutive no shutouts, 220 games in between. and and and you know just kind of to piggyback off that what was so impressive that’s at Kors 2 and the Cardinals were were were hitting the ball like the Cardinals were putting the ball in play setting up opportunities and of course they have a guy that’s very familiar uh and hitting there. I know he the the offense and the and the hitting isn’t his uh his biggest strength anymore there in Aronado, but this was a team that was getting guys on base and certainly creating opportunities, but the Rockies bullpen has been when you’re looking at something that you can call their strength, the Rockies bullpen has been that. But man, I I think you can’t say enough good things about the the two youngsters for the rock the Rockies starters there, especially with the backdrop of uh the Cardinal starters there. I I I was pretty I think that was the most surprising thing. And I think if I can ask, has that been one of the main issues with the the Cardinals this year, starting pitching because I I wasn’t blown away with a lot of these guys even with I believe I think in the first game the the uh there was some success there. Yeah, McGrevy is a guy that uh former first round pick and he has just been kind of wasting away in Memphis. Um came up last year, started to show signs of being something that should be in the rotation for the big league club. They didn’t have a spot for him. They had all these veterans and normally a pitching staff goes through some uh injury issues. Very rarely does you have you have the same five dudes who were in there day in day out the whole season. And oddly enough, that is what the Cardinals have had. You’ve had Sunny Gray, Matthew Liberator, Andre Palante, who you saw uh on Wednesday, Eric Fetty, and then Miles Michaels. And all of them have answered the bell each and every time that they’ve had their name called. So, there’s been no room for Michael McGrevy, even though most of these guys are not pitching all that well, but the the Cardinals are like, “Well, what do you want us to do?” Like, we’ve got these guys. We we’re trying we’re still winning games uh to an extent. you know, things haven’t gone so well here, but you know, it was at the end of June, they were two and a half back of the Cubs in the Central. So, it wasn’t like the season was was all that bad. And then in the last month, it has just fallen apart. And the starting pitching has been the biggest cause of that. One of those names being Eric Fetty, who got the start in Tuesday’s game. He is no longer a St. Louis Cardinal. That was a big move ahead of the game on Wednesday. They designated Eric 34 assignment acquired at the deadline last year in a three-team trade with the Dodgers and the White Socks. Uh the Cardinals end up being the biggest loser in this one because uh Tommy Edmond who’s not having a great year. And that’s kind of the narrative here for Cardinals fans are like, “Oh my gosh, we gave up Tommy Edmond because he was so good in the playoffs last year.” He’s really not doing all that much for the Dodgers this year. He’s having a tough season. So, um but he was amazing last year and that’s what everybody remembers. World Series championship. He shined. He was awesome. Right. White Socks get a bunch of prospects including Miguel Vargas who’s having a solid year with Chicago. And then the Cardinals get Eric Fetty and Tommy Fam. Fam was off the team before last season even ended. And now Fetty is gone. And you’ve got nothing to show for it. A trade that kind of felt okay on paper last year because it was something the Cardinals needed. They needed somebody to face left-handed pitching. They needed another starter. Tommy Edmond hadn’t played the whole year because of the wrist injury. and it didn’t work. And it’s yet another deal that the fans will look back on and they’re going to shake their heads and shake their fists and say, “How dare you? You guys are terrible at this.” Uh so, uh they’re going to be upset about this for a while. So, um not not happy times going on with the St. Louis Cardinals right now. And um trade deadline, speaking of trades, uh it’s coming up here very very soon. Both of our teams are going to be involved in this trade deadline. Sadly, we’re going to be on the wrong side of it, I think, again, this year. So, we’re going to talk about that. Uh, we’ll discuss what our two teams have to offer other teams and who we think might go, who should go, who should stay. We’ll get into all of that coming up on this crossover episode of Locked on Cardinals and Locked on Rockies. Today’s episode is being brought to you by Game Day Hugh. Now, these guys were super awesome and hooked us up with some gear and it’s fantastic. We each got I know Paul, you got a hat. I got the hat. We got the Cardinals and the Rockies colors on them. We’re trying to put them up on the camera if you’re watching on YouTube right now. Like these hit the mark because these are our team colors and they go with the stuff that we wear out on the golf course. If you are golfing, Game Day Hugh makes clean, no logo gear with team inspired colorways for every pro and college fan base. It’s all about letting your your colors speak for you, okay? No giant logos, just smart, versatile style that works on game day, on the golf course, obviously or basically anywhere in between because, you know, I’ll rock these on the golf course, uh, you know, because it’s subtle, it’s stylish, and, you know, you still get to rep your team. I got a St. Louis Cardinals, uh, golf bag. Shocking. And it matches perfectly with what I do. I’m very metro when it come to that stuff. I like everything to match. So, the hat pairs perfectly with my usual gear. normally the golf shorts, the polos, but also my bag. But you don’t have to strictly wear it on a golf course. Like you can wear this stuff to tailgates, barbecues, obviously to a game that you’re going to or just when you’re out running errands. You just grab it off the shelf and whoop, you’re on, you’re ready to go and you’re going to get compliments on them. I guarantee. And it’s not just hats. We’ve also got their split shade gloves made for the golf course as well. They’re a perfect gift for the fan who has everything but needs something else. And you can get them in any team colors. Right now, you can get 15% off with code MLB15 atgamedayhw.com. That’s gamedayhue.com. The code even stacks on bundle deals. So, now’s the time to load up. Let your colors talk because colors speak louder than words. That’s gamedayh.com code MLB 15. Thanks again for making locks on Cardinals and locks on Rockies. Your first listen every day. Feedback always welcome. and encouraged. Uh you can obviously hit us both up on on X. We’re on there. You can uh write to us on our YouTube pages, uh Tik Tok, Instagram. Anything you got to say, good or bad, it’s always welcome and encouraged. We love speaking with the fans. Um neither one of our teams appear to be headed for postseason play this year. I will concede that the uh Rockies are not going to make the playoffs. Cardinals, as you mentioned, still over 500. They’re 52 and 51 despite losing this season. But after that one and five road trip to start the second half, their fate, at least in my eyes, is is all but sealed. Uh it would take a lot to push this team to the level that some of these other teams are at to actually make the playoffs and then win when you get to the playoffs. So, we’re in sell cell sell mode in St. Louis. They do have some pieces that should garner some attention, but I’m a little nervous at what the return is going to be for some of these guys because the Cardinals are well known for thinking a little too highly of the guys that they have in-house and maybe uh you know thinking that they’re a little bit better than they are. But there’s names like Ryan Hley, Phil Mine, Steven Matz, they’re all on expiring contracts and teams are always looking for bullpen help when it comes to the trade deadline. Um, you mentioned Nolan Aronado uh almost got traded this offseason to the Houston Astros. Vetoed that used his no trade clause. Wilson Contrero, Sunny Gray. Again, they all have no trade clauses to so to be moved. They would have to wave those. And there hasn’t been the sense that any of them are all that eager to actually get up and move here at the trade deadline. Maybe in the off season things are a little bit different, but as of right now, we haven’t heard that any of them have said yes, go ahead and shop us. But uh Paul, when you hear those names, when I give you the names Ryan Hley, Monton, Matts, on a level of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, what level of excitement do you feel those names can conjure up? And be honest, don’t hold back because the audience needs to know what these guys are worth to other people outside of the Cardinal family. Again, I I think the hardest thing about evaluating the trade deadline, and I can totally relate to you on, hey, there are players that should be traded, but what is the hall? And I think the Rockies are in that same exact situation when it comes to a lot of guys. So, I don’t think bullpen arms excite a lot of people. You know, for me, I I some of those names I’ll probably need to brush up and refamiliarize myself with and everything like that, especially when you’re talking about bullpen pieces from a team that’s right around 500. Because how much can you spin that story into, hey, look at the number. That’s what the Rock Jake Bird is a perfect example for the Rockies here. Look at the numbers. Look at the splits. Look at the things. He’s also on a team that’s was the worst team in baseball history in the first half. Like there’s all of that, too. And so I think when you’re talking about those type of deals, I don’t think they move the needle for a lot of teams. And you really don’t know how the impact of those arms will be until they your your team trades for them, brings them on, and they’re pitching big moments for you. in the second half of the season. I I I think those ones in terms of building up that excitement, but the big one has to be Aronado. I mean, this this has to I mean, when you’re talking about the interest, especially for Rocky’s fans. I mean, did we just watch the last time of Nolan Aronado playing third base for the Cardinals and opening up a different chapter in the Aronado storybook. Maybe one that kind of helps Rocky’s fans move on a little bit, especially where, of course, it’s a Gomber versus Cardinals game at Korsfield to open this series up and they beat him. Right. Exactly. And you’re mentioning, you know, team a team highly valuing who they have in house, pulling off trades that didn’t necessarily work out for them. There’s a lot of connections between these two teams and and that’s kind of it’s surprising to hear that that’s kind of the rep the Cardinals have when you think about the legacy of the Cardinals organization and compare it to the Rockies organization. The Rockies are often looked at as a mess, unorganized, not effective at trades, not not active at trade deadlines. Whereas it’s the Cardinals where this is a this is a team that doesn’t lose. This is a team that doesn’t, you know, the status quo is not would they would not allow back-to-back 100 loss seasons, let alone three and and and beyond pace to be the worst team ever. So, I guess I know I kind of went around your question, but I think that’s really truly like when you’re talking about the needle moving deals. That’s not going to happen with these two teams. You’re you’re going to see on MLB Network or whatever for, you know, on the bottom ticker it’ll say Cardinals trade yada yada yada, you know, from the bullpen. Same with the Rockies because there’s not a lot of people that are going to really move headlines. If Areronado gets traded, that makes headlines and I think that’s huge. And and I don’t know if I’m Nolan Aronado and and and Rocky’s people know I’m I’m I’m a big Aeronado fan. The the jersey hanging in the closets is is a 28. Um I’d want to go He’s barely played in the playoffs. He’s the decline is real. Are you really I mean I’d be shocked to know about what we’ve heard about Nolan. What we you know you guys have seen Nolan for years now. We we had Nolan for years. That would be a complete change in that fiery competitive attitude to not want to go be a Yankee for the second half of the season and go hit at that ballpark or or you know I’m just saying Yankees for an example one of the and many teams that need a third baseman uh at this point in the year. So, that’s the one that would be a big a big one, especially for us Rockies fans to watch, especially considering maybe what the hall might be and the fact that I believe I believe the Rockies are still paying part of the Aeronado contract or or or just finished up that. So, there’s also that, you know, the Rockies paying for that type of stuff. So, for me, those are the big needle movers and and and like I said, for the Rockies there, a lot of their names, Ryan McMahon probably being the biggest name that could be moved for the Rockies. Herm Marquez, he just went on the IIL, though. It’s why Tanner Gordon pitched today. Um I I I I don’t think those are going to be game changers, but Ryan McMahon could be a differencemaker for a team come come late in the season and people would start to to know the name then. Yeah. The uh the thing with Aronado uh and maybe I’m wrong about this, but I just get this sense for him that bouncing to a new city and stuff in the middle of the year, it just doesn’t feel like something he wants to do. like if he got a chance to move in the offseason which why I was shocked when he didn’t take the deal and go to the Houston Astros and then we thought oh what he doesn’t like Houston what’s the problem he just wasn’t sure where their trajectory was going because they were still the Alex Bregman talk was still going on so he was like I don’t know what my role and he’s like he wasn’t sure so um it just feels like to me that it’s something that he’d be more he might be more inclined to do in the off season where you know he could talk with his wife and he’s got the kids and he can be like all we’re going to make this move together and this is something we want to do because he holds all the power. He can say no to any any deal that the Cardinals come across. It doesn’t matter how good it is for St. Louis, he’d be like, “No, I don’t want to go there and I’m not going to go there.” So, um he can put his foot down on that. Um, but yeah, the other one like you know, Ryan Hley, you know, NL reliever of the year and nobody talks about him like and that was what was so shocking this off seasonason is because he had that title and then he had this aura that like, oh, this guy’s really good and then they didn’t trade him this off season. They didn’t take advantage of it. Now his stock has come down because he hasn’t been nearly as good as he was last year and it’s going to cost them. Um, Ryan McMahon an all-star last year. I’m I’m I’m right there with you where it’s just like you got to strike when the iron is hot with these players that are that can be that are good players. I’m I’m I’ve been very critical of Ryan McMahon this year because he’s kind of the guy the main veteran guy that we’re looking for and been waiting for that breakout, but when you have an opportunity to trade them when they’re at Elias Diaz is another great example for the Rockies a couple years ago. All-star MVP, you know, just won the All-Star game, was having a great season as a catcher. Instead, he gets DFAD. So, I mean, it’s just like I I don’t think those, you know, those awards, how much do they, you know, does it matter if the Rockies if they shop Brettton Doyle if he’s with do does gold glove really change and move a needle when it comes to shopping and trades like that? I wonder if those just kind of don’t have the the the same shine as they do to us fans. Yeah, it’s uh it’s certainly something that fans don’t really think about as much because they they hear it like you said, you hear Nolan Arnonado’s name and you’re like, “Oo, he’s going to be a Hall of Famer. We could get so much in return.” No, not really. Not at this point in his career. Not with that contract. The Cardinals are going to have to eat a buttload of money on that one to to move him because nobody else is going to need somebody who is a declining star. even though he has been awesome over at third base, like he still makes the plays and it’s really fun to watch. And I know Colorado fans miss having that guy down there, but uh yeah, the offense just not it’s just not there anymore. And uh it’s sad and it’s made a lot of us sad in St. Louis. In fact, I got this picture. I’m going put this up on the screen on YouTube. This is what the Cardinals feel like after today’s loss. Look at this. Ben Affleck in the Cardinals jersey smoking a sig outside his uh spot there. And I think that was in in New York at one point. But yeah, it’s um it’s a sad time. It’s a sad time because the the Cardinals, they’re not going to get a whole lot from these guys that are going to be available in the trade deadline. And it’s not going to move the needle. It’s not going to make these guys uh all of a sudden contenders for next year. And it’s going to be really disappointing to uh to to Cardinal fans. And uh with Colorado fans though, um you know, outside of McMahon, is there anybody else that you think uh maybe on the bubble of getting moved that might shock you that might be in discussions of uh getting moved at this deadline? You know, there’s been some maybe some uh rumors about Mickey Monia, and that’s just some kind of rumblings about him having one year deal, right? He’s on one deal. Rocky’s picked him up after being either a DF8 or waved by the Angels. And uh this this series, he just set a career best in home runs. But I also wonder, it’s just like how many teams look at that and say Cororsfield, you know, but when Mickey Moniac has hit the ball this year and he’s and he’s done that more successfully than than most times in his career due to a lot more consistent playing time, it’s extra base hits. It’s big hits. He he’s able to hit the ball and hit the heck out of the ball. I mean, he blasted that home run uh in in this series. He’s really good there. And the Rockies have plenty of bullpen options you could take it. Herget is an example. We saw him in game three here. Jake Bird I’ve mentioned a couple of times. Tyler Kinley. Uh, and it depends enough if the Rockies want to dip into some of the younger arms of their bullpen. Seth Alverson, Victor Vodnik, you know, the Rockies, that’s a name that the Halverson with, you know, the triple digits, that’s always enticing to other teams. Would that be somebody that might get shipped out? Absolutely. And and and so it’s all possible, but it all comes down to the question, and we all and we’re talking about the Colorado Rockies here, so there’s plenty of options. me like I think I think the Rockies need to be moving on from Ryan McMahon and Herman Marquez. Hermman Marquez will be a free agent at the end of the year. Just went on the uh the IIL in his first full season back from Tommy John with some shoulder inflammation. But all the report no structural damage. This is kind of it seems like it’s a sign of hey this is the first season that this guy’s had back. He threw 23 innings last you know the last time he was in the majors. Now he’s up to you know throwing close to that 100 inning mark and stuff like that. So this is more of a let it chill type of thing. nothing major major. So I if you’re a Rocky’s veteran, you should be you and the Rockies are getting calls about you. The Rockies should be listening to them because what what do you have to lose? What’s the record thing? I I’m not I am not rooting to be the worst team ever. You know, we I had a conversation on my show talking about should should Rocky’s fans be quote unquote rooting for them to lose and be the worst team ever? It’s like I don’t want to have that moniker. The Rockies have enough bad look in the history books in the bad columns, the worst records that you want. The Rockies already hold plenty of those. Let’s We got enough. Let’s not take the record of worst baseball team ever from a team that only had to hold it for a year. Talk about getting off let off the hook in Chicago out there. They are rooting for sure for this. and and and and so yeah, I I if anybody and everybody should be available for the Colorado Rockies, if we’re really being honest, because the Rockies are multiple years out from contention, it’s just a matter of who are the guys that they really believe in and think are going to be part of this rebuild and part of this process and and who isn’t and will the Rockies actually make be a be a big seller like we we we hope that they are in in a season that’s lost. Yeah. Yeah. Uh and just so you know, the the Cardinals are have been very giving to not only you guys to for for this series, but they also uh dropped the series to the 24 White Socks as well. They they were only only the Nationals and the Cardinals lost series to uh both of these teams. So Cardinals doing work trying to help everybody out. Uh you not feel so bad about themselves. Coming up, where do these teams go from here? What’s on tap next for the Rockies and for the Cardinals? 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So let’s you know this is we know the Rockies are not always but the Rockies haven’t been great at home either. Again, like I mentioned, first time winning the series at home this year. So, home or away, blowing up the narrative, Paul. They’re blowing it out of the water. Hey, I’m all for it. Like I said, that would be actually, you know, this is now I I actually kind of really love the teams that the Rockies are matched up with leading into the trade deadline because it it just is such a fascinating look at on on at a bunch of teams that are on the bubble and the Rockies having a direct influence on what they’re going to do. They head to Baltimore next. Baltimore obviously sellers. They we we know for a fact they’re selling. We know they’re out of the picture. Their division is is is too good. But this is now an opportunity for the Rockies to go out on the road and beat a struggling team. You know, they’ve won. The Rockies did go out and beat they’re kind of surprising to say this now. This is actually kind of a nice series win where they go out and they sweep the Marlins in Miami. Uh you know, which was great. So, the Rockies have had some moments where they’ve kind of shown off a little bit, but you know, this is the young team navigating the the one of the biggest challenges of Rocky’s history, which is going from Kors to the road. It’s something that they’ve always struggled with. So, that’d be a great moment uh a growth moment to see. And then the Rockies leading into the trade deadline got the Guardians, which a fascinating team going into the deadline as well. Three out of the four teams the Rockies are playing, their trade deadline totally influenced by the Colorado Rockies. If if they with with winning those two two out of these three series so far, if they are able to beat Cleveland on the eve of the trade deadline, that is going to be a really really interesting uh development for what does that team do at the deadline? What do the Guardians consider? And when you’re looking at the Rockies, if they are able to continue the winning or keep it close or get a couple of these games, win one of the two series, you’re going to be close to your 30 games. And that means that you’re getting closer and closer to not being the worst team in baseball history. So when you have these opportunities to go up against teams that are, you know, I like to say more middling, you know, struggling also as well, maybe bad stretch, but these are teams that are around or at 500. Plenty of winning baseball in there as you know, in in those teams, but also they’re not indestructible because the Rockies are going to have the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers, the Giants, the Padres’s, you know, throughout the rest of the season. sprinkled in there with their division matchups. So, anytime you you can ride this these waves like this, it’s going to be a uh a good good time uh for them if they’re able to keep this up. So, I I think that’s the thing. I think the the main thing I’m watching for other than just what are the Rockies going to do at the deadline is how are the Rockies influencing these teams at the deadline and and the impact of the Rockies winning a couple ball games. Yeah, playing spoiler. I mean, they’ve certainly affected if it wasn’t what Arizona just did to the Cardinals, it’s certainly what the Rockies just did to the Cardinals that said, “Yeah, we’re we’re probably out of this thing.” And uh there’s there’s no teetering on the fence anymore. It’s uh it’s time to really consider I don’t want to say blowing things up because that’s not what they’re going to do because again, the Cardinal is a very young team. It’s just that some of these veteran pieces uh it’s time to start shopping a little more um with purpose uh at this point. Uh coming up next for the Cardinals, they’re going home. Uh the Padre where they have been a much better team this year. Uh most teams are uh but the Padres’s are coming in. Obviously the Padres’s got a lot to play for right now. They are constantly uh amongst rumors for getting people and known to be very aggressive at the deadline year in and year out. So uh they’re coming in for four games. could be a former Cardinal could be on their roster when it’s all said and done because there’s been a lot of uh news and rumors swirling about Marcelo Zuna from the Atlanta Braves coming over to San Diego. So, those trade rumors have been floating around for a while. Uh when you look at the playoff picture, well, then they got the Marlins after that who have been playing very very well. So, they they they’ve also been up for um you know, people wanted former Cardinal Sandy Alcantara. They’ve been talking about Edward Cabrera. There’s some pieces that people wanted to pluck off Miami. I’ve been uh on the side of saying Miami needs to just not sell for once and then just build around these dudes. Like I don’t think you’re going to get fair value for what Sandy Alcantra should be. He’s had a tough year coming back from the arm surgery. So if I’m them, unless it’s a King’s Ransom, I’m not moving any of these dudes and I’m trying to trying to win ball games in 2026. But, uh, what are the teams in in your eyes right now that you think are the contenders and the pretenders as far as going to the playoffs? Is there anybody like say like the Giants, do you feel like they have they’re they’re in your division? You’ve seen them. Do you feel like they have enough toh get over the hump and get into this playoffs or are they somebody that needs to start thinking about next year? You know, I I I I have this is solely a personal bias thing for the Giants. I will never count them out until they are out. They are one of the weirdest baseball teams ever because again they’ll have a quiet nothing happens off seasonason or whatever and then they’ll go and win 114 games or whatever they were against the Dodgers there a couple years ago. That’s how they win the World Series. I know they got some problems, but you know they they could easily be a team that does a couple of swaps and does a couple of changes and could be right back in it. Granted, I think the Giants and you know this also goes for Arizona too. Some the NL West is not where you want to be in a team and even the NL Central. I I I I’m a notorious uh central division hater when it comes to if I I say if the Rockies were in either one of the central divisions, their history would be very different about what they would be would be looked at on there. So, but you can’t say that about the National League Central this year. When you’re looking at two great teams there in Milwaukee and Chicago, I think when you’re asking about pretenders, it’s not do I think they’re pretenders in making the playoffs, but I really would like to see a a Brewers. Not. I know it kind of feels tough for Cardinals fans, but I want to see these teams that have strong regular seasons, but fizzle out in the playoffs actually go through and pull through with a strong break through that problem for once. Great. Brewers make the playoffs. What are they going to do? Unless they’re playing the Rockies in the opening round, they’re going to lose in the opening round there. And and and you know, it runs it course. I like when the Guardian, you know, a team like the Guardians is going deep. I I like that they’re, you know, I I’m also big on uh uh I know they’re not an underdog this year, but I think the Tigers are a fascinating story and and it’s like a great team to watch. Um so I’m just kind of more hoping that these teams that are are are really establishing themselves as solid clubs can follow through in the postseason and make it a little bit more entertaining because I’d like to see the Blue Jays be the AL East representative late. you know, I I I’d like to see the Mariners, you know, make some noise late and make some additions at the trade deadline and and upset Houston in the in the postseason and and let’s get some some interesting teams in there because I don’t really want to watch Houston and the Dodgers and stuff like that, you know, deep in the playoffs, you know, and even the Phillies, too, you know, it’s like it’s like I don’t necessarily want to watch that. It’s all great baseball, mind you. best players doing the best things. But I’d love to see those type of teams make that run later in the year. Yeah. And I and I think it also gives, you know, markets like ours some hope that if you don’t go out and spend 400, $500 million on some star players that you can build a solid team that wins baseball games together. Milwaukee’s doing it. Like you mentioned, the Tigers have been able to do it. You know, the Tampa Bay Rays constantly seem to be hanging around even when you’re like, I don’t even know anybody on their roster. like they just are able to pull these team these guys together and uh still win ball games as a team. So uh I think that’s the direction the Cardinals are trying to go into. They realize that we don’t want to spend that kind of money on a what it would cost to pull a free agent that’s a superstar into St. Louis. And so now it’s like well you got to grow your own and that’s how you do it and they’re kind of following those blueprints. So to see those teams like you mentioned, Cleveland as well, those are the types of teams that, you know, we root for because they’re kind of the underdogs because they don’t have the payroll and the means or at least don’t use the means that are available to them to uh buy these guys. And uh I think that’s good for all of baseball, you know, to see where you’ve got the major markets with the superstars, but you also got the mid-markets and you got the small markets and they’re all going to meet kind of like uh March Madness in a way. They’re all going to meet and then let it all play out uh on the field. So sadly, it won’t be our teams probably being a part of that. Uh maybe next year, right? We always got next year. So anyh who, Paul, I appreciate you taking time out and doing this crossover together. And uh we want to thank you guys for being a part of it as well. Uh make sure you guys are are following Paul and Locked on Rockies, of course, as Lockown Cardinal and myself. Uh if you haven’t already, follow us on X, like, subscribe on YouTube, help uh both of our channels grow and stuff. Instagram, Tik Tok, we’re all over the place. So look for Paul Holden and look for Locked on Rockies as well as JD Hernand and Locked on Cardinals. Thank you for being part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day.

0:00 Intro: Cardinals vs Rockies series recap

5:55 Cardinals’ struggles and fan frustration

13:30 Trade deadline outlook for both teams

19:27 Nolan Arenado trade possibilities and challenges

31:02 Playoff contenders and pretenders discussion

35:24 Value of mid-market team success

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