Hello! I don’t want to go leaping in cannonball style, making a big splash in a discussion-debate of the need for a salary cap in major-league ball.
Pro-cap. Anti-cap. Passionate people on both sides of the debate. Many necks are bulging, many veins are popping. Many faces are red. Many voices are completely exhausted and incapable of functioning.
I’ll pass on that for now.
That said, I do have a little sumpin-sumpin to put on the table. If establishing more competitive balance is such an urgent priority for the pro-cap side, then what about this?
MLB parity is much better than many believe.
– Over the past 10 seasons (2016-2025), seven different MLB franchises have won the World Series.
– Over the past 10 seasons, 13 different MLB teams have competed in the World Series.
– Over the past 10 seasons, 28 of the 30 MLB clubs have made the playoffs.
– And during that time, 18 of the 30 teams have advanced to a league championship series.
If we take it back to the last 20 seasons, beginning in 2006 …
– 12 different MLB teams have won the World Series over those 20 seasons.
– 19 different teams have competed in the World Series over the last 20 seasons.
– All 30 MLB franchises have made the playoffs over the past 20 seasons.
– And 25 different MLB franchises have made it to the league championship series.
I’m going to hold off on throwing more numbers at you right now. But these MLB “parity scores” compare very favorably to the NFL, the No. 1 salary-cap league of them all, over the past 10 seasons – and the past 20 seasons. The parity ain’t perfect. But as I said, MLB’s parity is a lot healthier than the pro-cap pushers tell us.
OK, we move on to a big ol’ mess of hunka-hunka Bern Baby Bernie Bits on this Friday …
1. In my Friday video here on our site, I offered perspective on Matt Svanson’s performance as a rookie reliever for the 2025 Cardinals. The right-handed bullpen fixture had a historically prominent season.
In 2025, Svanson became the first St. Louis rookie reliever during the expansion era to assemble this statistical combination:
* At least 60 innings pitched.
* ERA of 1.94 or better.
* Average of 10 strikeouts (or more) per 9 innings.
* Home-run yield of 0.45 (or better) per 9 IP.
2. The expansion era began in 1961. So that means Svanson did something last season that no other rookie reliever has done over the past 65 major-league seasons.
3. Oh, yeah. What a fabulous trade by John Mozeliak, swapping infielder Paul DeJong to the Blue Jays in return for Svanson at the 2023 trade deadline. At the time, Svanson was 24 and pitching at the High Class A level of the Toronto farm system.
4. Cardinals fans: if you want to read consistently smart analysis of the Redbirds – deep on knowledge, thick with substance, and free attention-seeking clickbait – then Scott Plaza is your man. You can find his work at Viva El Birdos or Redbird Rants. His handle on X is @MrPlaztastic17
5. According to TeamRankings.com, the Saint Louis U. Billikens have a 75.6% chance to make the NCAA men’s tournament, a 21% probability of being a No. 5 seed, and a 23.7% crack to advance to the Sweet 16. Chance of claiming the automatic bid: 55%. Before losing at Rhode Island, SLU was given an 87% probability of qualifying for a spot on the NCAA dance floor.
6. SLU’s loss to Rhode Island wasn’t shocking. Maybe a surprise – but not a stunner. A bad result had been brewing during a run of unimpressive performances by the Billikens. They won those games without playing very well, and with that developing trend a loss was inevitable. It isn’t a big deal – unless SLU stays flat and drops more games. According to KenPom, the Billikens have a 76% probability to defeat VCU at home Friday night. And while this could change by game time, SLU has a 71% shot to prevail at Dayton on Tuesday.
7. The Billikens could avoid danger by committing fewer turnovers and making more free throws. According to the KenPom metrics, the Bills are 197th nationally with a 17.1% turnover rate and No. 143 in made free-throw percentage (73.7%). The turnover issue is especially problematic because defensively SLU ranks No. 227 with a forced turnover rate of 16.2%. Their negative turnover ratio could lead to trouble.
8. Retired St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt, on being snubbed again in the voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “I'm disappointed, but I'm not discouraged,” Holt told FanDuel Sports interviewer Kay Adams, a native St. Louisan. “My resume hasn't changed, and the film doesn't lie. I was the most productive wide receiver of the 2000s. And while the wait is longer than I like, I know what I accomplished on that field, and I got a pretty good idea of how guys feel about me that competed against me. So that feels really, really good. But I have a ton of respect for that Hall of Fame 2026 class. Immense, I mean immense respect for those guys. But I belong in that room with them. I hated the Hall of Fame announcement.”
9. Good luck to St. Louis City SC owner/CEO Carolyn Kindle Betz, new sporting director Corey Wray, new coach Yoann Damet, and a competitive restart for the beloved MLS franchise that hopes to snap back after two consecutive down seasons. The 2026 season-opener is Saturday afternoon at Enterprise Park. The Tina Turner tribute kit is fantastic. Even if the squad struggles again, the game-day atmosphere in St. Louis is always fun and colorful and entertaining.
10. What do we expect from City SC in the new season? Well, the panel of pundits at The Athletic placed City at No. 27 in the 30-team MLS Power Rankings to open the season.
11. Synopsis from The Athletic: “It seemed like St. Louis wanted to ride the high of its expansion season for as long as possible. That finally ended last year with a tear-down of the sporting structure … St. Louis is lacking at forward – and in several other spots. This feels like the beginning of a rebuild.” Hey, at least Sporting Kansas City was ranked at No. 30 by The Athletic.
12. About that potential rebuild: As a sports town, are we really entering a phase where the Cardinals, Blues and City SC are rebuilding their teams at the same time?
13. It’s funny how the Cardinals take the most criticism of the three franchises, even though this is their first rebuild in decades. The Blues have had too many versions of a rebuild to remember, and City SC evidently will soon be in a rebuild mode … even though this is just the fourth season of existence for the franchise. But yeah, let’s have a Caterwaul Party and demand that the DeWitts sell the Cardinals. Right. Because the last 30 years of St. Louis baseball were unspeakably horrific, with the fans suffering so extreme and never-ending that Amnesty International ought to set up at Busch Stadium.
14. Big Game Jordan Binnington came through again for Team Canada in Friday’s 3-2 semifinal-round victory over Finland in the Milan Olympics. The dude is unbelievable, how he can instantly transform himself from being the worst goaltender in the NHL this season to becoming the goalie that is one victory from leading Canada to a second unofficial world championship in about a year’s time. Not that the gold medals are in Team Canada’s pockets. Binnington and his teammates will have to earn that gold on Sunday, in what should be a berserk game against Team USA. Cannot wait.
15. A year ago, Binnington stopped 29 of 32 high-danger shots faced in the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament and was insanely good during Canada’s overtime victory in the championship. (Does Auston Matthews still have trouble sleeping because of the way Binnington stoned him to deny Team USA the victory? )
16. Through Friday’s crucial, close-call triumph, Binnington has started four of Canada’s five games. He’s 4-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. In the 4 Nations tournament, Binnington went 3-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. That’s two world-class tournaments, and Binnington has been a significant factor in Canada winning 7 of the 8 games he handled. Just remarkable.
17. On Friday, Binnington was at his finest after Finland took a 2-0 lead. This set off a frenzy of hate on social media. Oh, come on, Canada! Don’t be like that. Before the Olympics, the noisiest and most persistent faction of Canadian hockey fans lost their collective minds when coach John Cooper went with Binnington his No. 1 goaltender. And every time Binnington allows a goal, these people go into a rage, thrash about, and generally behave as deranged, unhinged whackos. When Finland got the two goals, “X” and other gutters were filled with Canadian fans demanding Binner’s immediate benching.
18. Just a little note. Do these morons realize the coach can’t hear them? Or that he’s not reading their theatrical rage tweets? John Cooper is busy coaching, trying to lead his team to Olympic gold. Meanwhile, his critics are busy looking like donkey asses and embarrassing their entire families in the process. Binnington held firm. Canada came back. Canada will compete for the gold. Unable to make Binnington crack in the 4 Nations showdown, can Team USA turn Binnington back into the guy who has an NHL worst save percentage and goals-against average?
19. I’m thrilled that Ricky Proehl is the head coach of the Battlehawks. He understands this football market, loves St. Louis and told me he wants to connect the past (the 1999-2001 STL Rams) to the present so the Battlehawks and their fans can have the best of both words.
20. That means celebrating the best of times in the dome, back in the glory days of Warner, Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Pace, Proehl, Vermeil, Martz, Az-Hakim, Mike Jones, A. Timmerman, T. Lyght, D. Farr, K. Carter, G. Wistrom, K. Lyle and so many others.
21. And to that history we add the joy of supporting the UFL Battlehawks, and you pretty much have a wonderful combination of football fandom. It’s important to support the Battlehawks. It is also important to keep the spirit and the memories of the “Greatest Show” Rams alive. The NFL can’t take that away … but we can’t let those memories fade.
22. Jayson Tatum update: speculation around the Boston Celtics is that JT will return to the roster on or about March 1 after completing his extensive and painful comeback from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.
23. ESPN baseball writer David Schoenfield handed out his final offseason grades to all 30 MLB teams and the Cardinals did well, earning a B+ mark. Only the Red Sox, Dodgers, Tigers and Mariners finished higher than STL in the grading. The Cards were one of five teams to receive a B+ from ESPN.
The Cardinals received the highest grade in the NL Central, above the Reds (C minus), Brewers (C), Pirates (B) and Cubs (B).
Here’s Schoenfield:
“Well, it's done: The rebuild, the revamp, the step back -- whatever you want to call it -- is officially complete. The only players older than 30 on the 40-man roster are relievers Riley O'Brien and Ryne Stanek. The farm system has been improved, with five top-100 prospects led by infielder JJ Wetherholt, a top Rookie of the Year candidate for 2026. The payroll has been trimmed some $45 million from 2025, so that will make owner Bill DeWitt happy, although the organization will have to win back the fans with better results -- eventually -- on the field … If you accept the premise of rebuilding, then Chaim Bloom did an excellent job … What we don't know: With a payroll now half of what it was just two years ago, where will the Cardinals go in the future?”
24. Tim Kelly (Bleacher Report) questioned Bloom’s signing of free-agent starting pitcher Dustin May.
“May is the type of pitcher that it makes sense for Bloom and a rebuilding Cardinals team to take a risk on. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a chance—maybe a high chance, even—that May doesn’t work out,” Kelly wrote. “May is only 28, and the Cardinals are rebuilding, so he’s an intriguing person to take a shot on. But if history is any indication, he’ll spend much of his one-year, $12 million deal on the injured list.”
25. Mariners manager Dan Wilson is happy to have Brendan Donovan on his team.
"He brings a lot of flexibility to our lineup, not only in the field but at the plate, as well," Wilson said of the interchangeable position player. "We are excited to have him, and he completes our lineup in a big way. As games get going here, and we figure out the lineup, he's going to plug right in.”
26. St. Louisan Tony Vitello, the new manager of the San Francisco Giants, absorbed some heat in his first week at spring training by talking so much about Tennessee, the mighty SEC baseball program he built in Knoxville. It wasn’t a big deal, but anything that Vitello does will be a big deal in San Francisco because he never played, coached or managed a single day in professional baseball.
One of Vitello’s former Tennessee players, Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, had this to say about his former coach’s transition to the big leagues:
“I think the biggest difference is that, in college, you recruit these guys, so even before they step foot on campus, they're already kind of looking to you as that leader, and almost like a father figure in a way In pro ball, you don’t call anyone ‘coach,’ but in college you do. So it’s like that sort of thing. But I think that V is very genuine and authentic, and the passion is very, very easy to see with him, and I think that’s really all it takes.”
Crochet wasn’t surprised to see Vitello take the Giants’ job. “He's a very competitive guy,” the pitcher said. “I think that the thought of being challenged in that way appeals to him. I think, for him, it’s all about the challenge.”
27. Sorry to be a nag and all, and I am repeating myself here … but over the last 10 days or so, I've see Cardinal-related bloggers making the case for St. Louis to sign free-agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen. They aren't as engorged over this now, but the sentiment is still there. Hey, I liked the idea at first … until I realized something.
28. Over the past three seasons, McCutchen has played 20 games – combined – in the outfield. He has started 16 games (combined) in the outfield. He has only 12 complete games (combined) in the outfield. See where I’m going here?
29. Let’s try this another way. Since the start of the 2023 season, 313 MLB players have played more innings in the outfield than McCutchen, 320 have played in more games than McCutchen in the outfield, and 314 have started more games in the outfield than McCutchen. And Cutch has only 12 complete games as an outfielder over the past three seasons.
30. To recap: Andrew. McCutchen. No. Longer. Plays. The. Outfield. So, you want the Cardinals to sign McCutchen because he can be a leader in the clubhouse? He won’t play in the outfield. He can DH against lefty pitchers, but how often will he serve that purpose on a rebuilding team that is highly motivated to go with the young players. You want McCutchen to take DH at-bats away from, say, Ivan Herrera? You want McCutchen to take DH at-bats away from Jose Fermin, or the intriguing Nelson Velazquez, or maybe Thomas Saggese … or perhaps big-man Blaze Jordan if he’s bombing away at Triple A Memphis? This bizarre obsession with finding a clubhouse leader is loopy.
Thanks for reading ...
-Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015. Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach. Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil on a daily basis.
Bernie has covered and written about many great St. Louis sports team athletes including Albert Pujols, Kurt Warner, Brett Hull, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Al MacInnis, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Aeneas Williams. Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues, Saint Louis U, and Mizzou football and basketball. Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STL Sports Central, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows. And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.