The Cardinals are promoting the 2025 season as a "Let the kids play!" initiative as the baseball operation takes time to regroup, rebuild the terribly outdated player-development and minor-league infrastructure, and take a long look at the younger players/pitchers on the MLB roster who can be an important part of a changing nucleus going forward.

One issue: "Let the kids play!" means ... actually letting the kids play. And I wonder if we'll see a true competition in spring training. Are some of the decisions already predetermined? I think we have a test case in center field. Victor Scott II and Michael Siani ...manager Oli Marmol and the coaches are obviously huge fans of Siani's exceptional defense and speed. And before he suffered a strained oblique in early August last season, Siani had generated surprisingly good offense over a month-plus of action. Was that enough to win the job in advance of 2025? Will Scott get a fair and full chance to win the starting job? Siani is older than Scott and has played nearly 1,200 more career games (minors and majors) than Scott.

In my view -- and I could be wrong -- Scott has more long-range upside than Siani, but what's the priority in 2025? Is it REALLY about letting the kids play? I don't know. I suppose we'll find out. But nothing is gained by rigging the competition. I discuss all of this in today's video. Thanks for watching.