The St. Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseball's most historic franchises. They have won 11 World Series titles and 19 National League pennants. They've also had more than their fair share of great players.
Pitcher Lance Lynn won a World Series ring in 2011 and helped get the Cardinals back to the Fall Classic in 2013. He was a proven postseason pitcher and was always counted on in big games.
Lately, there have been complaints from fans and owners that the Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball with the way they have operated, especially after the Tarik Skubal trade. Lynn dug into those pushing this narrative on the 'Cardinal Territory' podcast.
"The way I see it is, there's 29 billionaires b****ing about another billionaire doing it better than they can do it," Lynn said. "Every team had the ability to give up four or five names that people have never heard of for Skubal. They didn't. The Dodgers did."
Oct 11, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Lance Lynn (35) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during game three of the NLDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
While not every team was going to pursue somebody like Skubal, Lynn is correct that every team had the ability to give up some top prospects and make the deal happen. The Cardinals were never going to do that, but mainly because they are rebuilding and were selling at the deadline.
And to be fair, St. Louis is not the same market size as Los Angeles , so it is harder to land top-level free agents. But that doesn't mean they can't do it.
In 2010, the Cardinals landed one of the biggest free agents available in Matt Holliday , signing him to a seven-year contract. They also signed Willson Contreras in 2023 and Sonny Gray the following year, so they can spend big if they want to.
There are also other ways to win beyond spending money. Historically, the Cardinals have done well drafting and developing players. Even the Dodgers do that quite well, but successful teams can be built from within and then supplemented with free agents. That is historically how St. Louis has done it.
The Cardinals still need to focus on their rebuild, but they might've sped up the timeline a little bit with their early success this year . Perhaps they can do a little more spending in the offseason and get the team closer to contention.
If St. Louis really wanted to, it could even try for Skubal. They may not be able to give him a long-term deal, but they could potentially give him a short-term, high dollar value deal, which pitchers have been willing to sign in recent years.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals' Legend Lance Lynn Claps Back at 'Dodgers are Ruining Baseball' Narrative .
