Reader Mailbag, Part 2: How the 2026 season can be a success, vegetarian recipes, the bullpen, Lars Nootbaar, hitter injuries, Oli Marmol, distasteful self-promotion, and more

Readers have questions, writer has answers -- some of them possibly correct and coherent

Part 1 of this most recent mailbag dropped recently, and now here’s the concluding Part 2.

Eric writes:

Borrowing from my comment on the post about Marmol’s extension, how would define success for 2026 season? Marmol’s definition of success for 2026? Bloom’s definition of success for 2026 (I believe Bloom is on the right track myself)?

As you can probably guess it has to do with positive development of the young talent in place. In a related matter, success has much to with seeing the velocity and theoretical swing-and-miss that’s been added to the rotation (i.e., the Dustin May signing; the trade acquisition of Richard Fitts; the onboarding of Kyle Leahy; and the pitch-mix tweaks of Leahy, Andre Pallante, and Michael McGreevy) lead to the desired in-game improvements. Offensively, much depends upon on a successful rookie season for JJ Wetherholt and positive strides for Nolan Gorman (taming his contact issues) and Jordan Walker (also taming his contact issues while hitting the ball in the air more often). As well, Victor Scott II needs to improve his on-base skills, and Masyn Winn and his repaired knee need to get back on a positive offensive trajectory.

Success elsewhere will mean some upper-rung prospects like Joshua Baez, Quinn Mathews, Max Rajcic, the catching tandem at Memphis, Tink Hence, Ixan Henderson, Brycen Mautz, and others press for call-ups on the merits. “[Prospect x] is ready for promotion, but [rostered young players y and z] have taken positive developmental strides at the highest level,” is a hypothetical good problem that would encapsulate all this nicely. It’s somewhat akin to the current pleasing dilemma of, “The Cardinals have too many promising catchers.” Anyhow, if a lot of the above boxes are checked, then relevance in the standings obviously becomes much more likely. Contention, though, is more welcome corollary effect than leading motivation.

All these things are not going to happen, and such a dreamy outcome isn’t necessary in order for the 2026 season to be branded a success. Even if not many of them happen, it’s valuable intel on how long this rebuild will take and what’s needed to fortify it. That’s going to hinge on how the “older young players” and or post-hype talents like Gorman, Walker, Scott, Alec Burleson, McGreevy, Pallante, and Leahy fare in 2026. That, in my opinion, is the cohort to watch this season because they’ll determine whether this is a mid-term rebuild or a long-term one. Those names are relevant on another level, too. The external acquisitions whom the new front office has brought in are one thing, but will the expanded player-development machine thrive with those holdovers just named, succeed where the late-stage John Mozeliak failed or barely even tried?

Kyle writes:

The bullpen looks to have significantly less flexibility to start this season than in years past. None of Packy Naughton (expose to waivers), Matthew Pushard (rule 5) (pronounced push-ARD, apparently), JoJo Romero (free agent to be), George Soriano(out of options) , Ryne Stanek (1 yr free agent deal) will be riding the Memphis shuttle, I do not believe. Assuming relative health for this quintet of tossers, How do you think Oli, Dusty, Chaim, and co. will approach this new challenge?

In this era, a pretty basic requirement of a competent front office is being able to develop or conjure up viable big-league relief arms on the fly. Given how many pitchers these days are built for short-burst dominance, it’s not a heavy lift for orgs that are even remotely pitching-forward. The Cardinals under Bloom qualify as such.

As for specifics, we’ll probably see a mix of 40-player roster churn and a willingness to remove-and-replace on underperformers. As you note, Pushard seems likely to be given an opportunity to stick based on his Rule 5 status, and Romero who’s likely being positioned as a trade candidate before the deadline will be a fixture until that time comes. Stanek will be a perma-presence, and provided the club still has faith in their capacity to level up Soriano he’ll also be that. The second they no longer believe that – be skilled or be (metaphorically) killed – he’ll probably be exposed. Riley O’Brien and Justin Bruihl are also out of options, although Bruihl can probably be put in Soriano’s bucket.

Relievers/potential relievers on the 40 with options include Gordon Graceffo, Matt Svanson, Tink Hence, Brycen Mautz, Hunter Dobbins, Ryan Fernandez, Chris Roycroft, and Nick Raquet. As well, it’s possible the Cardinals at various points use a hybrid reliever/sixth starter on the active roster, and Fitts or Pallante (or Dobbins once he’s fully recovered from knee surgery and built up) could fill such a role. Counting that hybrid role, we have 15 names. Last season, 14 pitchers made at least nine relief appearances for St. Louis. (Nine sounds like a convenient endpoint, but in 2025 relief appearances at the bottom goes from nine to two.) I think there’s a workable mix of roster fixtures and optionable relievers here. As well, names like Luis Gastelum and Naughton, who aren’t on the 40, could become roster possibilities later in the season. This isn’t even getting into those arms ticketed for Springfield who might enter the chat in the second half.

In summary, I’m not too worried, and I think Bloom and company can adapt on the fly should bullpen circumstances warrant.

Kyle writes:

Can you give me your top 2 or 3 easy-ish dinners you like to prepare? My wife, a vegetarian of over 26 years, is an amazing cook, and I try and do my part as well. I feel like I could use a new vegetarian dish/meal or two in my bag. (She hates eggplant though… no eggplant dishes, please! 😸😸)

Good wife you have! The year marks 30 years for me as a vegetarian, and I also happen to be the family cook (more out of necessity than skill, though).

As for the (substitute) meat of your question, I’ll point you to this recipe for Tuscan White Bean Pasta. It’s filling and really tasty and pretty easy to prepare. I use high-protein/low-glycemic pastas, usually made from lentils or garbanzos, but roll how you want on that front. I also do something we’ve come to call “mashed potato bowls.” I make mashed potatoes, and I leave the skins on since I actually like the texture (and the nutrition). I use olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. The mashed potatoes are the base, and we top it with grated cheese, roasted broccoli (olive oil, salt, and pepper), black beans, roasted corn (frozen is fine – olive oil with smoked paprika), and salsa. The topping options of course can be changed depending upon your fam’s preferences. We also really like the pizza kits from Plantstrong. Each crust is individually sized with (very good) sauce included, and you add your own cheese and toppings. It’s much cheaper than non-chain delivery or takeout, and the crusts are whole wheat. The crusts freeze well, too.

Now go forth and nosh.

Let’s lump a couple of Lars Nootbaar-related questions together.

Ken writes:

In your gut, do you think Lars Nootbar will ever reach the massive potential that has followed him for several years now. He’s always been a data darling but still hasn’t had that breakout season. I’ve got Noot fatigue.

Jay writes:

Despite not being an Oli proponent, I can still acknowledge that he has been managing with one hand tied behind his back the last 3 seasons, given the rosters Mozeliak provided him. My question is what has he done with his free hand that is worthy of an extension beyond 2027?

Why is a guy who can barely walk getting 509 plate appearances and still playing in every game last September? Tack that on to Arenado’s daily presence in the 4-hole or the notion that a physically wrecked Wainwright was going to get the nod had there been a Game 3 in 2022. Is Oli a players’ coach or a giant pushover? Is he the parent that lets the kids stay up an hour later or is he the one buying them beer when they’re 16 to be the cool dad?

I’m not sure there has been enough success to warrant this extension but this organization has always valued stability, recently though, to a fault under Mo.

Nootbaar broke new ground last season in terms of his capacity to stay on the field, as he played in a career-high 135 games and also logged a career-high 583 plate appearances. However, his production at the plate suffered in large part because of a painful condition in both heels that eventually required surgery – surgery from which he’s still recovering.

In terms of wOBA (what’s this?) versus xWOBA (what’s this?), he’s underperformed his expected level of plate production in every season save for his first one in 2021, when had just 124 PAs. For his career, he has a wOBA of .327 versus an xwOBA of .340. Over that same span, the average MLB hitter has essentially been at a wash – a .314 wOBA compared to a .313 xwOBA.

So is underperformance of his batted-ball metrics just a Nootbaar staple at this point after almost 2,000 big-league PAs? It could be. I’m still giving him a “wait and see” pass, though. Specifically, I want to see how performs with both feet healthy and under him and after working under the guidance of the expanded coaching and coordinator staff. Nootbaar flashed one doggedly elusive skill in 2025 – the ability to be on the field for more than 130 games – so why break more new ground this season? As we’re all aware, a hot start for Nootbaar once he gets healthy and rostered could presage a trade, but there’s also the possibility, however remote, that the rebuild starts bearing delicious fruit ahead of schedule, and the 28-year-old Nootbaar – who isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season – emerges as a contributor worth keeping. I think it’s unlikely all the stars align for Nootbaar this season, but the circumstances warrant seeing what he’s capable of in 2026 and letting our estimations of him be informed by it.

As for the handling of Nootbaar’s physical ailments last season, Derrick Goold’s reporting suggests Nootbaar himself was surprised by the eventual diagnosis and mistook it for the aches and pains of playing into uncharted workload territory. He also may have been playing through more than he should’ve while pursuing those 130-plus games played for the first time and not let on. Managers can’t read minds, and it’s not hard to find your way to some unfortunate but understandable incentives on the part of Nootbaar to keep grinding, keep answering that bell when he hasn’t been able to before. We have reams of examples of players doing this over the years for every team in the league. Whatever the case, I don’t see this as a case of malpractice on Marmol’s part.

On the Nolan Arenado front, like you I wanted to see him dropped in the order. However, there was perhaps a long game at work, and I’m not sure such a display of non-confidence in a hitter you hoped to eventually trade on an increasingly underwater contract would have been prudent. This could’ve been nothing more than a calculated decision on those grounds. Over-deference to veterans is a Cardinals problem and maybe even a Marmol problem, but, well, there aren’t any of those veterans around anymore, and Marmol was extended for what he means moving forward, not for what he meant to a roster that included Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas. I think that’s the key thing to keep in mind. Bloom has evaluated Marmol as being up to the task of being a border collie for a rebuilding roster, not keeping tenured veterans happy.

Chad writes:

As everyone else, I was very impressed with the careful thought put into the plan last year to keep pitchers healthy. It’s a real credit to the team, Marmol, and Blake.

Why can’t/won’t they do the same thing with position players? Nootbaar and Herrara played with pain the last several years. Donovan was clearly compromised last year. Arenado prior to that.

Why do they have a program that seems to work with the pitchers but not the hitters?

I’m not sure we have evidence to say they don’t have a plan that works for hitters because so much is unknowable. That is, how bad would things have been in the absence of a plan? With pitchers, it’s workload management, close observation of mechanics, and between-starts/appearances arm-care regimens. With position players, it’s less the care and feeding of one body part than the amorphous whole. Things happen when you’re swinging, running, diving, and sliding with force and intent almost every day, and of course some players are just hardwired to experience soft-tissue injuries with some frequency no matter what you do (the same, of course, can be said for pitchers and their arms). Luck plays a major role in health. I have no doubt that this front office has protocols in place, and that those protocols are better implemented with expanded staff.

Speaking of all this, here’s a recent brief snippet from a Goold piece on Nootbaar and his recovery from surgery:

“He arrives each day, and ‘they have a set plan for me.’”

A plan that changes daily and is tailored to where Nootbaar is in his healing process – That’s good to hear. All this said, I think there is an opportunity for better communication and between player and staff about in-season wear and tear and discerning what’s normal and what isn’t. Let’s see if 2026 improves in that regard. This would probably be a “no news = good news” type of situation.

Dayn writes:

Do you have any news you’d like to share, possibly in the service of crass self-promotion?

Dayn, thank you for asking. I’m happy to announce that my collection of baseball poetry and fiction titled The Great Wheel of Mountain Stone: Poems and Small Fictions about Baseball has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press. The pre-order period will begin this fall, and publication is scheduled for early 2027. Expect regular harassment in this space as those times draw nearer.

Back soon with more. Until then, remain healthy, defiant.

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I recently made a podcast appearance on Meet Me At Musial alongside gentlemanly host and friend of the newsletter, Daniel Shoptaw. You can give a listen here.