The Bernie Miklasz Show

In a story first reported by MLB.com on Wednesday afternoon, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a potential trade with the Houston Astros. Arenado has every right to do so, and no one should hold that against him. Still, I wonder. What will make Arenado happy? What would motivate him to sign off and put down his no-trade shield. How many teams are interested in him? The Cardinals are willing to pay quite a lot of money to defray the Arenado salary obligations for his new team (if indeed a trade happens), and that could stimulate more interest on the trade front. This much is clear; the Cardinals to get him out of here. If they are determined to go through with their plan to go with Nolan Gorman at third base, that can't happen if Arenado is still standing there. If they move Gorman back to second base ... well, there's no room for rookie Thomas Saggese to receive extensive playing time there. In effect, if Arenado is still a Cardinal in 2025, he will do another type of blocking ... keeping Gorman away from third, and indirectly keeping Saggese away from second. The Cardinals do have another option, which I happily explain in my latest "Bern-ado" video on YouTube.

Over the past two seasons, the Cardinals were short on star power. And they were short of WAR power. That's a bad combination. The Cardinals lacked charisma, didn't provide much entertainment, and didn't generate enough Wins Above Replacement on an individual basis. In other words the Redbirds didn't have the necessary star-WAR power. I explain all of this in today's video. But there is a direct connection between having enough players that generate a higher WAR value and how it impacts your chances of qualifying for the postseason. Yes, we're talking about Wins Above Replacement, and all but a few of the teams that made the playoffs over the last 10 full seasons were fueled by at least one high-value WAR star. In most cases it the playoff-bound teams were led by multiple WAR suppliers who reached 4 Wins Above Replacement that season. The problem for the Cardinals? Over the last two years (2023-2024) they did not have one position or pitcher reach 4+ WAR. And that is extremely difficult to overcome. Which is why the missed the playoffs in both seasons. And which is why they'll head into 2025 without an established star. Maybe Ryan Helsley. Maybe Masyn Winn. And a lot of questions.

NL teams are spending more and more money. Eight of the top 10 largest contracts in the history of major-league baseball are held by players that currently work for National League teams. The top 10 team payroll list is loaded with National League teams, and stars continue to leave American League teams go head to the NL. Two recent examples (or many) are Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Where do the St. Louis Cardinals fit into all of this? Well, chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. is absolutely right in his determination to revive the Cardinals' fallen minor-league and player-development systems. That's why he hired Bloom to handle this extremely important assignment. But down the road, when the young talent has arrived talent to give the Cardinals a good nucleus, DeWitt will have to top off the roster by investing in payroll to move the Cardinals back into the top 10 in spending -- or dang close to it. And when the time comes, Bloom will have to prove that he's capable of making smart payroll-increasing moves that are riskier by nature. That's the one thing that we don't know about Bloom as he prepares to take over the baseball ops department after the 2025 season ... if DeWitt gives Bloom the permission to increase the payroll with aggressive spending, will Bloom come through? Can he be effective at doing it? DeWitt and Bloom can form a strong partnership -- but they both have something to prove.

Over the weekend the Blues acquired left-shot defenseman Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks, and he was ready to go and in uniform for The Note's games against Dallas (Saturday) and the NY Rangers (Sunday) mostly teaming with defenseman Colton Parayko. In this video I explain why this was a smart and obvious move by Blues hockey commander Doug Armstrong. It's a short-term, low-risk addition that was affordable and helpful. And this Blues were overloading Parayko, Justin Faulk, Ryan Suter with playing-time minutes. The same can be said of the share of minutes being taken by Philip Broberg. In a long and physically exhausting season, it will help the Blues to distribute the minutes among more defensemen. On top of that, the Blues have significantly reduced their goals allowed since Jim Montgomery became coach on Nov. 25, and Armstrong is doing the right thing to reinforce an existing strength and keep this D-group strong. Thanks for checking out the video.

On Saturday, The Athletic reported the Houston Astros have emerged as a "serious suitor" in a trade for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. The report also noted that no deal is imminent. But this could lead to a trade; as I type this we just don't know the answer. And depending on when you choose to watch this video, we may have gotten the answer by then ... one way or the other. Arenado has full no-trade protection, and according to a report at MLB.com, Houston isn't on the list of Arenado's acceptable destination. But the Astros have made the playoffs 9 times in the last 10 years including their current streak of eight consecutive years. Houston still has enough talent to extend that impressive streak. And those Crawford Boxes down the left field line would give Arenado's right-handed, pull-side power some cheap homers. In this video, I also offer a detailed breakdown of the financial aspects of this potential trade and why it makes sense for the Astros -- contrary to public opinion -- to go for Arenado rather than increase their recent six-year, $156 million offer to Bregman (now a free agent.) The Astros appear to be moving on from Bregman. Can they get Arenado? Thanks for watching.

The Brewers made a big trade Friday, sending the deluxe closer Devin Williams to the Yankees for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and $4.5 million in cash. The Brewers were concerned about the rotation, so they traded a short-term reliever for a short-term starter. I say that because Williams and Cortes likely will become free agents after the 2025 season. The Brewers didn't care because (1) they are going for another division title in 2025, so the win-now approach was logical. The Cardinals, however, are holding onto closer Ryan Helsley and starting pitcher Erick Fedde. Both can leave as free agents after 2025. Unlike the win-now Brewers, the Cardinals have set aside 2025 as a transition year. They're going with a younger roster. They're preparing for Chaim Bloom to take over at the top of the baseball ops department after the coming season. The Cards have also started a massive undertaking to get their outdated player-development and minor-league system up to speed. That is a vital and overdue step. The Cardinals are using 2025 to build for the future. The Brewers are building for 2025. So why would the Cardinals hold onto tradeable assets that would get them a very healthy return on the trade market? Makes no sense. The Cardinals still have time to do what's best for the future. And the Brewers helped the Cardinals out (indirectly) by trading Williams -- because the move only makes Helsley a more valuable commodity on the trade market. Do the cautious Cardinals have the nerve to trade Helsley and Fedde? Or will they chicken out again?

Cardinals icon Albert Pujols is taking a lot of criticism from fans of the Leones del Escogido team in the Dominican Republic Winter League. As I type this, Pujols' club has lost 15 of its last 21 games to fall to fourth place in the six-team league and veteran reporter/broadcaster Mike Rodriguez said the rookie manager is being "severely criticized" by upset fans and that "many are calling for the manager's dismissal." Gee that was fast. Pujols has never managed until now, and his team is 21-20. Despite the current slump, I don't think a mediocre record disqualifies Pujols from managing the Cardinals or any MLB team in due time. But there's also the matter of current Cardinals manager Oli Marmol; 2025 will be an important year for him and the club as he enters his fourth season as the skipper. Can the Cardinals do better than expected? Or will they stagger to a terrible season and cost ownership more ticket revenue? There is no way to answer that right now, but I am sure of this: Marmol will be given a fair chance to stay in the job and fulfill his contract in 2026. His chances of staying in the gig are probably better than some folks realize. We'll see. As I said, 2025 is a big year for Marmol, and the young players must show improvement.

The St. Louis Blues have experienced a dramatic transformation since Jim Montgomery replaced Drew Bannister as coach late last month. In seven games under Monty the Blues are 5-1-1 for the NHL's fifth-best points percentage since Nov. 25. The Blues have significantly increased their scoring rate. They have significantly lowered their goals-against rate. They've turned into a superb road team. A long list if individual players are thriving with Montgomery installed as their leader. In today's video I take a look at the Blues' improvement in so many areas. These are the New Blues. The Montgomery Blues.

The St. Louis Cardinals almost certainly will trade third baseman Nolan Arenado before the calendar flips to 2025; president of baseball operations John Mozeliak expressed confidence in a deal getting done. OK, Cardinals fans ... what is your opinion of Arenado's four seasons in St. Louis? And what is your opinion on the four seasons that Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt played together as Cardinal teammates? The first two seasons were good. The Cardinals made the playoffs both years and won the division with 93 victories in 2022. The 2022 Cardinals were stronger than the 2021 Cardinals because the starting pitching was much stronger in '22 -- especially after Mozeliak acquired Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quinata at the trade deadline. But the 2021 and 2022 Cardinals were failures offensively in both postseasons, going 0-3 and scoring four lousy runs in 27 innings. Arenado and Goldschmidt were a big part of the problem, going 2 for 22 with seven strikeouts in the three games. Goldschmidt is gone, and Arenado soon will be. Not a single postseason win as teammates in St. Louis. And in their final two seasons together, 2023 and 2024, the Cardinals ranked 22nd overall and 11th in the NL in winning percentage. What went wrong? How do assign blame? What is your verdict? As always, thanks for watching.

Obviously the St. Louis Cardinals were never going to be a factor in the bid for free-agent right fielder Juan Soto, who on Sunday agreed to terms with the NY Mets on a massive 15-year, $765 million deal that set a MLB record for the largest contract that doesn't contain deferred payments. But how does the Soto signing -- and the free-agent spending spree we've seen this offseason -- impact the Cardinals franchise? In this video I offer opinions and perspective and explain why chairman Bill DeWitt Jr.'s recruitment of baseball executive Chaim Bloom is more important to the Cardinals' future than we probably realize. Thanks for your support and please subscribe.

In this video, I contrast the respective approaches taken by the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues and how each organization has handled a so-called retool, reset, or soft-rebuild situation. Blues GM Doug Armstrong didn't hesitate to offload pending free agents -- big-name players, popular players -- to enhance the Blues' future and shorten the franchise's downturn while he went into action to replenish the young-talent supply. Armstrong didn't hesitate to go get the best coach he could hire once that coach (Jim Montgomery) became available. The Cardinals have preferred to stay with manager Oli Marmol and gave him a two-year contract extension when they didn't have to. Armstrong: aggressive and opportunistic. Mozeliak? Not so much. Not yet, anyway, in the planning for 2025.

Yadier Molina's brother, Bengie, stirred the pot Wednesday by answering questions from the gang who do the morning show on 101 ESPN. Bengie, who does an excellent job of promoting his little brother, was ready to deliver a message: 1) Yadier Molina wants to manage the Cardinals. 2) But if the Cardinals don't hire him Yadi has "offers" to manage other MLB teams. Yadi is willing to wait for the Cardinals, but ... 3) Bengie mentioned a scenario that would have Yadi as the St. Louis manager, Albert Pujols as hitting coach, and Adam Wainwright as pitching coach. 4) Bengie also said Yadier prefers to wait (two years) until his son graduates from school. There's a lot to digest there, so in today's video I discussed the pertinent aspects of this situation. And don't count out the possibility of manager Oli Marmol remaining in place for 2026. I can't handicap the odds of that because much depends on how the 2025 Cardinals perform in a soft rebuilding season. But for the sake of conversation, let's start with this: if incoming president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom decides to replace Marmol after '25, will Bloom feel obligated to hire a Cardinals icon as the new leader? Or should Bloom hire the manager that he wants instead of going for a more popular choice - a beloved Cardinal -- to reenergize a disillusioned fan base and sell more tickets? Good luck, Chaim!

The Cardinals announced three more hires Wednesday, as Chaim Bloom and Rob Cerfolio to continue to make moves to bring in smart baseball minds that will take the organization's collective Baseball IQ to a much higher level. In this video, I tell you all about the three new hires, and everything you should know about them, and why they appear to be a great fit for the Bloom-Cerfolio revival show. I have many details to offer, as well as some historical perspective, and I explain how a former Cardinals pitcher played a role in this. This video isn't a quickie, but here's what I have to say about that: if you want the info, I am pleased to provide it. All of it. For now, let me leave you with this: as a Baseball Operation, the St. Louis Cardinals are a heck of a lot smarter today than they were a year ago. And that's even before Chaim Bloom officially takes over as head of the baseball department after the 2025 season.

When NHL general managers and owners fire their head coach -- which happens every 27 seconds, or so it seems -- there's usually a positive response from the players, who pretend to be motivated for a few weeks until reverting to who they really are. For reasons that I explain in this video, I believe the situation is different for the St. Louis Blues and their new coach, Jim Montgomery. The team is 3-0-1 since Montgomery replaced the ineffective Drew Bannister, but so much has changed in a short time. The Blues are getting more scoring chances from the prime shooting areas of the ice. Before the coaching switch, the Blues' opponents had a significant advantage in controlling those areas. The Blues are now in the process of taking control of those territories, and that largely explains why they've scored 70 percent of the total goals during Monty's first four games. He does not care about shot quantity. He cares about shot quality. And that philosophy is paying off. Montgomery brought an extensive history with 15 of the Blues' current players when he started the job, getting to know everything about them personally and professionally while assisting Craig Berube for two seasons in STL. This knowledge gave Montgomery a head start in taking a new challenge. Four games is a small sample size and the Blues and Montgomery have a lot to prove. Their will be some tough times along the way, but this coach can handle it. For those who didn't understand it before, I think they can understand it now: Montgomery is the only coach that GM Doug Armstrong wanted after replacing Berube. Montgomery wasn't available at that time; he was busy coaching Boston to the league's No. 1 regular-season record over his two-plus years as coach. But as soon as the Bruins fired Montgomery, Armstrong swooped in and got his coach. And the Blues appear to be a much better team because of it.

The St. Louis Cardinals still have a chance, an excellent chance, to "win" the Tommy Edman trade. As you know, at the 2024 trade deadline, the Cardinals were part of a three-team trade with the Dodgers and White Sox. The only aspect of this that still matters is that utility dude Tommy Edman went from the Cardinals to the Dodgers, and the White Sox sent starting pitcher Erick Fedde to St. Louis. The Cardinals were willing to part with Edman because (1) he missed the first four months of the season to complete his rehab from wrist surgery, and (2) the Cardinals had no plans to sign Edman to a long-term contract extension before he was eligible to enter free agency after the 2025 campaign. The trade worked out beautifully for the Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series with significant assistance from Edman. Los Angeles recently rewarded Edman with a five-year, $74.5 million deal. The Cardinals were still in the wild-card race when they acquired Fedde but couldn't overcome a terrible offense and fell out of contention. Fedde has a year left on his contract and will make an economical $7.5 million salary in 2025. And then he can become a free agent. Fedde had a much better 2024 season than people realize -- I give you the stats on this in the video -- and at a time when so many MLB teams are desperate for starting pitching, Fedde would have significant trade value. The Cardinals aren't going to sign Fedde to a long-term deal, and the 2025 season has been set aside to give young players/pitchers a full opportunity. By traded Fedde, the Cardinals could secure a package of young talent, and they would also open up a rotation spot for one of their own young pitchers. Trading Fedde is an obvious thing to do, and his trade value is at peak level right now. Trading him at the 2025 deadline is a risk; suppose Fedde got hurt between spring training and late July? If that happens, the Cardinals receive NOTHING. Thanks for watching.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado posted a collection of family-and-friend photos on his Instagram account over the weekend that gave us a loom at his offseason life in his hometown Los Angeles area. The photos were lovely and reflected the sentimental, warm feelings that are part of the holiday season. So what's up with this? Why am I doing a video on Arenado's family excursion to an amusement park in LA? Because Arenado added music to his photo collection -- and it just happened to be a new track from 17-time Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar. Arenado's choice of song: "Dodger Blue" which is Lamar's ode to Los Angeles -- his home. And his heart. Was Arenado trying to tell us something? Is he headed to the Dodgers in a trade with the Cardinals? Was he dropping a hint that a trade was close? Was he sending a message on his desire to get traded from St. Louis to LA? Or was Arenado just trying to stir things up, just to have fun? Or maybe he just really loves the Lamar's track. I discuss all of this in today's video. And as a bonus, I throw in some other songs to fit potential cities where Arenado could land in a trade. Than just trying to show his appreciation

The Missouri Tigers closed the regular season Saturday with a 28-21 win over Arkansas at Faurot Field. Let it snow! The victory gave the Tigers a 9-3 record overall, and 5-3 in SEC play. Over the last two seasons, Mizzou ranks among highly among power-conference teams with 20 wins overall. In addition, the Tigers' 11-5 in record in SEC conflicts over the past two seasons is near the top of the conference ladder. Moreover, Mizzou has gone 13-1 at home over the last two years; only a few power-conference programs have done better than that. This includes a clean 7-0 at home in 2024. This all represents major progress. The state of Mizzou football is very good -- and has a chance to grow into something even better. There have been some disappointments along the way for MU -- the dream of qualifying for the 12-team playoff faded out -- but that shouldn't cloud our judgment. Coach Eli Drinkwitz is building a strong program, and that's always been the most difficult challenge Mizzou through the decades. If Mizzou left us wanting more in 2024, that's actually a positive -- because it shows that the standards have been raised (finally) and it's OK to expect more.

The St. Louis Cardinals plan to play the young dudes in 2025, giving them a much fuller opportunity instead of spending and wasting money on average-level free agents that won't elevate the quality of the team. After seeing the Cardinals going in the wrong direction with an outdated and ineffective model that has produced the worst two-season winning percentage (.475) for the franchise since 1990-1991, I'm on board with plan. However ... Suppose the plan goes wrong? Suppose 2025 is a disaster and too many young players flop? Then what? Would it be time for a full rebuild under Chaim Bloom? Or in the worst-case scenario would the Cardinals go back to patching roster holes with mediocre additions? This is a longer video than normal but I had a lot of ground to cover. Hey, watch half of it when you can, then go back and watch the second half later on. Thanks.

We fans and media got into a full-blown tizzy when The Athletic reported on Nolan Arenado being willing to move to first base to fill a hole for a team that could have interest in him. This set off a maniacal reaction, with folks rushing to in to concoct fantasy trades and scenarios. It's all part of the fun of baseball's offseason ... I guess. But Arenado's offer to switch to first base will not make the earth move. By moving to first base, he would lose much of his value ... because much of his overall value is generated by his heralded, above-average defense at third base. And Arenado's level of offense wouldn't be what teams are looking for in a major upgrade at the position. So if that value is stripped away by a move to first base, then it takes us back to where we started as we continue to go around in cricles: he's an aging player that has experienced an alarming decline offensively over the last two seasons; he has three years left on a contract that pays $74 million guaranteed; he has full trade-veto power; and he's highly unlikely to improve going forward. Translation: Arenado is a name-brand player with relatively little trade value. Nothing has really changed; the Cardinals don't have much leverage (if any) in their attempts to move him this offseason. Arenado's big move -- to first base -- is unlikely to result in the Cardinals moving him to another team.

The Cardinals are testing the trade market to gauge interest in third baseman Nolan Arenado. He'll be 34 in the spring, he's stuck in a glaring two-year decline phase, and he's owed $74 million in guaranteed salary over the next three seasons. Plus, Arenado has full no-trade protection and can veto any trade proposal. Given that combination of factors the Cardinals won't get what they want for Arenado. The trade return would likely be modest. The amount of Arenado salary they'd have to absorb would likely be significant. And if they can't pull off a trade, then Arenado would stay a third base and block the opportunity for a younger player (Norman Gorman) or two (Thomas Saggese) to get a significant playing time there. And if third base isn't open, then how do the Cardinals carry out there plan to go with young players in 2025? As long as Arenado occupies third base, no young player can take over at the hot spot. From Arenado's standpoint, he's said to be willing to play first base (or less third base) as part of a trade to a contending team. That information was reported by Katie Woo of The Athletic. This just reaffirms what we already know: Arenado would like to be traded for a chance to be with a team that has a great shot of making the playoffs. Losing doesn't fit him very well. It is bad for his peace of mind and mental health. But if he wants to get to a new baseball home for a chance to win in his remaining years, he can't veto every trade that's placed in front of him. Bottom line: for a deal to get done, the Cardinals and Arenado must be realistic. And if they won't be realistic, then they're stuck with one another. And it won't be pleasant for either side. The Cardinals may not get what they want. Arenado may not get what he wants. But the Cardinals and Arenado can get what they need. Thanks for watching and please subscribe.