Start of the Second Half

 
Today is the start of the second half of the season for all MLB teams.  I have my doubts whether anything will change for the Cardinals.  Their president had a radio interview earlier this week stating trades will happen, and changes will occur, but only on the player side.  Manager Oliver Marmol is not going anywhere.  I agree some pending free agents like Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, and Tyler O'Neill should be traded; I also think Marmol should be shown the door.  There is a bad vibe about the team, and in my opinion, that starts at the top.

While I wait and see if anything changes, I will continue to make some trades for cards of players who may not be with the Cardinals for much longer.  A recent package from TCDB member stdolan1 contained a few such players.

Arenado is not going anywhere.  If the Cardinals traded him, they would lose a lot of ticket sales.  He was the last card I needed to finish my Series 2 set.  Herrera could be traded, although I prefer current back Andrew Knizner go.  Herrera has not been given much of a chance to play despite his solid numbers in Triple A.  Yepez is one of a handful of players who do not have a position, so the Cardinals put him in the outfield and hope he hits enough.  He has not this year, and has spent most of the season in Memphis.

You would think minor league players featured on 2022 Topps Heritage Minors cards would still be in the organization, but that is not always the case.  Holgate was the 70th overall pick in 2021, but was released in May.  He has since joined the Phillies farm system.  Baez will have a longer string as he was the 54th pick the same year.  His numbers are not outstanding in Low A.  I doubt Liberatore is traded.  He should be left in the rotation for the rest of the season and see what happens.  

The final card has nothing to do with this year's team but did bring me very close to finishing the 2003 Topps Total team set.  I have 1 Pujols card to find to complete the 32 card set.