Bernie: How should Cards replace Adams? - STLtoday.com
The Cardinals are down a man, with first baseman Matt Adams likely sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn right quad that requires surgery. And while I dislike playing these fantasy-GM games that are usually misguided or detached from reality, the mad rush to match the Cardinals with potential trade candidates is well underway. The Cardinals are 31-16, lead their division by 5. 5 games, and have a respectable offense that's averaging 4. 3 runs per game, which ranks 13th in the majors. The best aspect of the STL offense is a high on base percentage that sets up plentiful run-scoring opportunities, and Adams wasn't an OBP asset. The Cardinals are also backed by a pitching staff that has MLB's lowest ERA, 2. 78. The result is the best run differential in the majors, plus 59. . 2. Let's maintain some perspective here. Adams was having a season heading for slightly above replacement level. Adams certainly could have helped as a platoon bat against RH pitching. In his previous two seasons Adams had an. 862 OPS against RH pitching, but that OPS had dropped to. 683 over the first two months of 2015. I'm not trying to be a jerk here, and I certainly hope that Adams resurfaces as a weapon in the future. But from a pragmatic standpoint I just can't pretend that the Cardinals just lost Anthony Rizzo , Adrian Gonzalez or even Lucas Duda. Source: www.stltoday.com
