The Bernie Miklasz Show

Mizzou football has had some weird, highly unlikely, heart-breaking losses through the years. And anyone who knows or cares about this program knows what I'm talking about. Bad memories.

Well, on Saturday afternoon at Faurot Field, senior Missouri quarterback Brady Cook made a remarkable and totally unexpected reappearance after suffering an early injury. He shook off the pain of a damaged ankle -- dramatically and impossibly returning to the scene to rescue the Tigers by leading two fourth-quarter touchdowns for wild 21-17 triumph over Auburn.

All of the ghosts that float around Mizzou's home after the controversial "5th Down" loss to Colorado in 1990, and the shocking "Kick Six" home loss to Nebraska in 1997? Well, Brady Cook wrote his own script, played the role of the hero, and this outcome had a deliriously happy ending.

Albert Pujols, one of the all-time greatest Cardinals, began his managing career earlier this week, becoming the skipper for Leones del Escogido in Santo Domingo. As a child growing up in the Dominican Republic, Escogido was Pujols' favorite team, and the Leones have stayed in his heart.

Pujols won his first game. Congratulations! Taking this job was his first step in preparing to manage an MLB team one day. When that will happen, I do not know. But Pujols and St. Louis fans have an extraordinary relationship, and it would be silly to dismiss the idea of bringing him back here as manager to work with Chaim Bloom and lead the revival of Cardinals baseball. Pujols is the smartest baseball player I've ever known. He's one of the most distinguished players in MLB history. When he walks into a stadium, or a clubhouse, everyone is in awe. He has a towering presence, loves to work with players young and old, and his knowledge of the game is immense. Pujols as Cardinals manager? It's something to think about. That's why I'm wearing a Leones del Escogido vintage cap in this video.

Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals have nothing to apologize for. Despite another season of missing the playoffs, the Cards franchise continues to sell home-game tickets at a level that many MLB teams can only dream. St. Louis ranked 7th in the majors in tickets sold per home game in 2024 -- and averaged more tickets sold per home game than seven teams that competed in the postseason: Astros, Brewers, Mets, Orioles, Guardians, Tigers, and Royals.

The highly visible number of no-shows at Busch Stadium this season represented a form of protest by a strong fan base that's frustrated by a downturn that has led to the Cardinals making the postseason only three times over the last eight seasons.

The fan base continues to pour money into the franchise ... but just because they've remained loyal through their financial support and the flow of revenue, it doesn't mean they are obligated to actually attend games. And the frustration with the recent trends -- and the anger over the men that are running the franchise and allowed the on-field success to fade -- prompted more and more fans to avoid Busch Stadium this past season ... even after paying for tickets.

Here's what Cardinals ownership-management needs to understand and fully grasp: once you give a loyal fan base a reason to turn their backs on you, it doesn't mean it will be easy to get them back. This has been proven time and time again in other markets. In this video, I give examples of MLB franchises that are winning again and providing highly entertaining baseball -- only to rank well below average in home-game ticket sales. The Cardinals must confront this reality and work extremely hard to rebuild the team -- but also rebuild the fan-base trust and loyalty that's been damaged.

It's somewhat overlooked, but the St. Louis Cardinals went through a lull from 2007 through 2010, making the playoffs only one time in four seasons. What happened? A lot of core-nucleus talent and effective role players had inevitably moved on after the team's phenomenal stretch from 2004 through 2006.

Jeff Luhnow's dramatically revamped draft, development, farm system and analytics operation required an investment of patience to pay off, but prospects were beginning to graduate in waves and by 2011 the Cardinals were all set to go off on another run -- leading MLB in regular-season wins and postseason wins from 2011 through 2015.

That rich set of history included a 2011 World Series title, two National League pennants, and four appearances in the NLCS over five seasons. And a lot of that kicked in, even though the Cardinals lost Albert Pujols to free agency and Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan to retirement after the 2011 campaign.

Cards chairman Bill DeWitt has learned something from his own history: it's essential to have a strong, impactful and sustainable farm system and player-development program that can rejuvenate your franchise. DeWitt was at fault for letting the system deteriorate, and other mistakes were made. But with the hiring of Chaim Bloom, DeWitt is attempting to recreate the farm-and-player-development revival that bloomed after Luhnow was recruited to change the way the Cardinals drafted and developed players.

Three Cardinals are among the National League finalists at the positions for the annual Rawlings Gold Glove award:

1) Nolan Arenado at third base
2) Brendan Donovan in the utility fielder category
3) Masyn Winn at shortstop.

To me, among the three Redbirds, Winn has the best shot at striking gold. But the competition at shortstop is formidable. Some fielding-system ratings have Winn at the top of NL shortstops -- but other defensive models have Winn out of the top three -- or even the top five. The votes of NL managers and coaches make up 75 percent of the Gold Glove criteria -- with the other 25% being statistical excellence. So in the end, the final results, which will be announced Nov. 3, will likely come down to how the managers and coaches valued Winn's defensive skill in 2024 ... and it could come down to their personal standards (or preferences) for evaluating defense. Winn would probably win the so-called eye test ... but that doesn't mean he'll win the Gold Glove.

This is the latest in my series that takes a look at players the St. Louis Cardinals could be willing to trade this offseason in advance of 2025. With the franchise entering a rebuilding phase, it makes sense to test the market to gauge the trade value of Cardinals such as Sonny Gray, Ryan Helsley, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Erick Fedde. Keep this in mind: Gray, Contreras and Arenado have full no-trade protection and can veto a proposed deal. Or each player could use their leverage to push the Cardinals to trade them to a preferred destination. Those no-trade agreements almost certainly would reduce the Cardinals' asking price in a trade.

Today I look at Sonny Gray. Does he stay or does he go? He's a very good pitcher who turns 35 next month. He also has two years remaining on a contract that will pay him $65 million over the next two seasons, and that figure includes a $5 million buy-out of Gray's 2027 option year. Gray may prefer to stay in St. Louis because of the city's easy proximity to Nashville, the home base for the Gray family. And of course it's easy for Gray to reject any trade unless it's a place he wants to go. From the Cardinals' standpoint, the quality of a trade proposal could determine the decision on their end. If Gray stays, the Cardinals have the makings of a decent rotation for 2025, and that can ease some of the pain that comes with a rebuild-type season.

Former Cardinals have been all over the stage in MLB's 2024 postseason tournament. With no postseason baseball of our own in St. Louis over the last two Octobers, we've obsessed over the many Cardinals who went elsewhere -- by trade or any other means -- to help their new teams pursue a championship. 

In this video, I put special emphasis on these three former Cardinals: Tommy Edman (Dodgers), Lane Thomas (Guardians) and Jack Flaherty (Dodgers). And I discussed some of the revisionist history that's taking place. I also present a theory behind the Cardinals' decision to deal Edman.

Chaim Bloom will focus heavily on the huge project of getting the Cardinals' minor league and player development system up to date and up to speed to give the franchise a better talent pipeline with more prospects who are fully prepared for the big leagues. And that hasn't been the case with St. Louis for too long.

Bloom is content to take over as president of baseball operations after the 2025 season. Until then, the job -- and the authority that comes with it -- belongs to John Mozeliak.

But as the Cardinals ponder trades and other roster moves this offseason, will Bloom have a major voice? Or will he defer and hang in the background -- giving advice only when asked? The decisions made by Mozeliak over the next few months will not only shape the team's outlook for 2025 -- but will significantly impact the state of Cardinals baseball as the Bloom regime begins in a year.

Any bad decisions made by Mozeliak can have a lingering and negative effect on Bloom's ability to reshape the Cardinals as he prepares for the 2026 season. That includes signings, trades, and making a decisions on the value of multiple trade proposals. Shouldn't Bloom have a major say in these decisions? And what if Bloom and Mozeliak disagree on some things? Who wins?

This is my second video that examines potential trade pieces the Cardinals have to offer other teams as they enter a rebuilding phase. In my first video in this series, I discussed the possibility of trading closer Ryan Helsley -- and it makes sense to do so because of the current circumstances.

Today's video: trade candidate Willson Contreras, the catcher and DH. It's a complex. Over the last two seasons Contreras has been the top-hitting catcher in the majors ... but isn't nearly as effective offensively when he's utilized at DH. Contreras has improved defensively but is still below-average (though not terribly so.) The Cardinals have a defensive catching ace in Pedro Pages and a bat-first catcher in the young Ivan Herrera.

The Cards also have multiple catching prospects -- most notably Jimmy Crooks -- on the way. The Cardinals have a surplus of catching. In that vein, it makes sense to seriously consider a Contreras trade. He has three years and $52.5 million left on his contract.

What's the market for Contreras? And how much would the Cardinals lose offensively if they move Contreras? And do we trust John Mozeliak to make a beneficial trade? That's an unsettling thought. The Cardinals should consider moving Contreras -- but only if they receive the appropriate value in return. And I don't know if this front office is capable of gauging a player's value. Perhaps Chaim Bloom can provide some guidance.

The Cardinals had an extraordinary run of success from 2000 through 2015, competing in more postseason games (125) and winning more postseason games (65) than any team in major-league baseball. And Busch Stadium (both venues, old and new) were pulsating with tremendous October excitement.

But the Cardinals are in a different time and place, and October has turned quiet in our baseball village. The Cards have just one postseason victory at home over the past nine seasons and have just four postseason wins overall during that time.

What happened to the great baseball? Where did all of the big stars go? How did the Cardinals go from being an October fixture to an October non-factor?

It makes me sad, because I truly miss those autumn days when the Cardinals delivered magic moments and won so many huge games during a stretch that produced four NL pennants and two World Series titles -- and they gave us enough sweet memories to last a lifetime.