Ozzie to Present Clemente Award to Yadi

The St. Louis Cardinals will recognize catcher Yadier Molina for his 2018 Roberto Clemente Award win during a pregame ceremony on Friday night. Major League Baseball bestows the Roberto Clemente Award annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Molina was selected as the 2018 recipient for his charitable work through Foundation 4, an organization he and his wife Wanda established in 2010 to benefit youth impacted by poverty, abuse and cancer, as well as his ongoing humanitarian efforts to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.
Previous Cardinals to win the Roberto Clemente Award include Carlos Beltran (2013), Albert Pujols (2008), Ozzie Smith (1995) and Lou Brock (1975). Roberto Clemente’s son, Luis Clemente, and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith will be on hand to present Molina with the prestigious award.
“Yadi had to miss the ceremony during the 2018 World Series because he was managing the Puerto Rico national team, so we wanted to make sure he knows we appreciate his ongoing contributions by presenting this award in person,” said Luis Clemente.
Fans will have the opportunity to learn more about the award during two Artifact Spotlight presentations at the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday afternoon at 3P PM and 3:30 PM. Additionally, the award will be available for photo opportunities on Saturday from 10 AM-12:30 PM in the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum before it is placed in its display case where it will remain through August. Visit cardinals.com/museum for museum hours and ticket information.
The Cardinals are also celebrating Molina’s achievement Friday with a Yadier Molina and Roberto Clemente Double Bobblehead, presented by Coca-Cola and Walmart, available to 30,000 fans ages 16 and older. Visit cardinals.com/promotions for more information.
For more information about Molina’s charitable foundation, Fundación 4, visit yadiermolina4.com

St .Louis Cardinals

Pena Traded to The Giants

The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve acquired catcher Francisco Pena from the Cardinals in exchange for cash. Pena, who was not on the St. Louis 40-man roster, will report to Triple-A Sacramento.
San Francisco recently brought veteran backstop Stephen Vogt from Sacramento up to the big leagues, so Pena will step into the spot that had previously been occupied by Vogt. In six games for Triple-A Memphis so far in 2019, Pena has batted .333/.429/.611 with a homer in 21 plate appearances, although that type of production shouldn’t be expected moving forward. Pena is a career .216/.249/.311 hitter at the MLB level and owns a .253/.298/.455 slash in just under 1400 PAs at the Triple-A level. Pena, 29, has caught 32 percent of would-be base thieves at the Triple-A level in his career and has generally received positive marks for pitch framing, though he did struggle in that regard both in the Majors and the minors with the Cards last season.
Stockpiling depth behind the plate has been a clear priority for new Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi in the first year of his tenure with his new organization. Under Zaidi, the Giants have signed or acquired Vogt, Pena, Erik Kratz, Tom Murphy and Rene Rivera, although the latter two are no longer in the organization. (Murphy was traded to the Mariners, while Rivera was released and signed with the Mets on a minor league deal.)

Source: Steve Adams

Cardinals Make Roster Moves

I am so happy to announce that Tyler O’Neill, Matt Wieters , and Mike Mayers has been added to Opening Day Roster. I always had a strong feeling from the beginning of Spring Training he would make the team.

Here is more from Cardinals Beat Writer Jennifer Langosch…..

With a series of roster moves made Friday morning, the Cardinals inched closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster.
Among those earning spots on it were catcher Matt Wieters, who will back up Yadier Molina, and power-hitting outfielder Tyler O’Neill. Reliever Mike Mayers has also been named to his first Opening Day roster in a decision that nudged lefty Chasen Shreve off.
The Cards designated Shreve for assignment and plan to fill their seventh (and final) bullpen slot closer to Opening Day on Thursday. Right-hander John Brebbia and lefty Tyler Webb stand as the leading candidates to claim it.
The addition of Wieters also leaves Francisco Pena in limbo with only two days remaining before St. Louis departs Florida. He will remain a non-roster invitee in camp, but he can request his release to take a job elsewhere if he doesn’t want to report to Triple-A Memphis.

Pena’s agent will spend the next few days gathering intel on whether another club is interested in the 29-year-old catcher.
Pena arrived in camp earmarked to be Molina’s backup for a second straight season, but he found unexpected competition in Wieters, who signed a Minor League deal with the club on February 27. Wieters went 3-for-24 with one extra-base hit and nine strikeouts after getting a late start in Grapefruit League play. His inclusion on the roster gives the Cardinals an experienced second catcher and a switch-hitter off the bench.
“He came in, did a nice job,” manager Mike Shildt said. “[We’re] excited to have him, excited to have his experience, his presence and his ability. He’s taken good at-bats this spring. He looks healthy. He’s feeling good. He’s fit in seamlessly. He’s a real pro. He’s been a nice addition to the clubhouse.”
Wieters joins a bench that will also include O’Neill, who has blasted a team-high five home runs in a team-high 55 spring at-bats. Eight of his 10 total hits have gone for extra bases.

“Tyler had to come and earn it,” Shildt said. “Spring Training is about getting ready for the season. It’s also showing what you can do, and Tyler has more than demonstrated that he has the skill set to help us win games and earn a spot.”
O’Neill and Jose Martinez will serve as extra outfielders for the Cards. O’Neill brings the versatility to play all three outfield positions.
Three candidates — Jedd Gyorko, Yairo Muñoz and Drew Robinson — remain for the final two bench jobs. Gyorko’s health is still a question mark, as he hasn’t appeared in a Grapefruit League game since March 3 due to a right calf injury. He was scheduled to take a few at-bats in a Minor League setting on Friday and will continue to work on the back fields early next week. Gyorko has been cleared for moderate-intensity running.
By Wednesday, the Cardinals will have to decide if Gyorko is ready to begin the year on the active roster.
“We want him to be able to be ready to play a full game and do all the things that he would expect to do in a full season and not feel compromised at the moment and not be compromised moving forward,” Shildt said. “It’ll be a constant evaluation.”
If Gyorko were to start the season on the injured list, both Munoz and Robinson would open the year with the big league team.
The other roster unknown is in the bullpen. Mayers has been told that he will begin the year in St. Louis’ bullpen, along with Andrew Miller, Jordan Hicks, Dominic Leone, Alex Reyes and John Gant. If the Cardinals were to carry Brebbia, as well, that would leave Shildt only one lefty (Miller) in his bullpen.
Shreve had been projected to be another, but his so-so spring left him on the outside. He was scored upon in four of his eight outings and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in his most recent appearance on Thursday.
The Cards can try to trade Shreve or place him on waivers within the next week. If he were to clear waivers, Shreve — who joined the club as a midseason acquisition last year — could be outrighted to Triple-A. The more likely scenario is that he’ll be claimed by another team.
“Chasen has done everything we’ve asked him to,” Shildt said. “He’s fit in wonderfully. It came down to, really, the fact that we’re carrying seven in our bullpen.”
Worth noting
• The Cardinals have four players who are confirmed to be starting on the 10-day injured list: right-hander Carlos Martinez, righty Luke Gregerson, left-hander Brett Cecil and outfielder Justin Williams.
• The club has not determined whether Matt Carpenter (back tightness) will appear in another Grapefruit League game. If he does, it won’t be until Sunday. Carpenter’s last appearance came on March 15.
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Goldschmidt Nearing Extension Deal

Well at first I thought Goldschmidt would of been signed by the Cardinals after the 2019, it looks like I am wrong. This is a very smart move by the Cardinals organization. The six-time All-Star has generally been a model of consistency at the plate, and he has shown little sign of declining. Even if Goldschmidt’s performance starts slipping a bit, he should more than justify St. Louis’ investment.

This deal will l come in at “around $130MM,” per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That’s on top of Goldschmidt’s existing deal, it seems, which would indicate he’ll now be under contract through the 2024 season.
As Goold notes, if Goldschmidt passes his physical, this will become the largest deal in Cardinals history.

Here is the rest of the story……

The Cardinals are closing in on an extension with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’s expected to cover “at least” five years and $110MM, though precise details on the structure and guarantee are not yet known. In particular, it’s not evident whether his existing contract ($14.5MM for the 2019 season) is included in the tally.
No matter the details on the price point, it seems the Cards are going to accomplish what they set out to do when they acquired Goldschmidt earlier this winter. The club made no secret of its desire to hammer out a long-term arrangement with its new first bagger. Indeed, achieving exclusive negotiating rights likely helped motivate the St. Louis organization to part with starter Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young and a Competitive Balance Round B selection to land Goldy in the first place.
Getting the deal done now means that both the Cardinals and Goldschmidt (along with his representatives at Excel Sports Management) need not think about alternatives next winter. It surely would have been interesting to see how the star performed on the open market. It’s hardly an optimal time for a defensively limited slugger to reach the open market. The Chris Davis deal (seven years, $161MM) is scarcely three years old, but seems a relic in retrospect. We’ve seen a steady reduction in earning expectations for such players in recent years. Still, significant money has still been there for the very best players. J.D. Martinez took down $110MM over five years despite profiling as a DH. Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion each commanded $20MM annual salaries over three-year terms. And first bagger Eric Hosmer — a much younger but lighter-hitting first baseman — went for eight years and $144MM.
There’s an argument to be made that Goldschmidt could have earned more on the open market. He’d have faced little competition at the top of the first base market outside of the older Jose Abreu, though there are a few notable other players available next winter. But it’s frankly difficult to argue with the decision to sign onto this contract, particularly with another year of health and performance risk still separating Goldschmidt from free agency. The Cards obviously were quite fond of their new acquisition — and, perhaps, felt no small amount of pressure to get something done. It’s no small achievement in this climate for a first baseman to secure a $26MM AAV over a five-year term that begins in his age-32 season.
Goldschmidt, of course, is no ordinary first baseman. Comparing him to his peers at first base, in fact, isn’t quite the right scope. Over the past three years — that is, not including his personal-best 2015 campaign — Goldy has been among the dozen top position players by measure of fWAR. He’s in a dead heat with Freddie Freeman and Joey Votto in that regard. Now, he’ll join that pair of star performers in securing a large and lengthy contract extension.

 

Source: Jeff Todd

Run Joe Run…Cancer, My Dad and 70s Cardinals

It has been about twenty months since being diagnosed with Stage Four Colon Cancer. I am now at the point in which most of the cancer is gone. I now live with cancer that will remain with me but controlled through chemo. I have found my peace of mind and comfort from memories of my dad and 1970s Cardinals baseball.

My dad Mac McBrayer loved sports, his roots started from playing stick ball with his brothers in the dusty fields of Texas. When World War II was over he left Texas to be with my mom Mitzie in St. Louis where they married and lived their lives. He was a true Cardinal Baseball Fan but would not give up his Dallas Cowboys for the Cardinals Football team. I always remember my dad telling me that the most exciting part of his life was when  his nephew Charlie James signed with the Cardinals.

My earliest memory of my Dad and the Cardinals was when he would work outside pulling weeds or cleaning up the yard, he would have KMOX on  listening to the Cardinals game. I would sit on the porch and play with my toys while I heard names like, Ted Simmons, Jose Cruz, Bob Gibson and Joe Torre. I was fascinated by the commentary of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon but when the games where televised I became all eyes and ears. The towering homeruns from Reggie  Smith , the stolen bases by Brock, the defensive skills of Kenny Reitz and The Mad Hungarian’s intensity was inspiring to me.

I don’t recall my first Cardinal Baseball game but I can still visualize me and my dad way up behind home plate taking in a Cardinals game. I can close my eyes and see him cracking open peanuts from the shell and drinking Cocoa-Cola. The peanut shells would be all over the concrete floor and he looked so happy being there with me. I remember dad showing me the right way in cracking open a peanut. I would get it right or make a big mess but my mind was on Keith Hernandez’s at bat.

As a pre-teen my dad eventually signed me up for youth baseball. I was interested in the catchers position since I was a Ted Simmons fan. It took me a while to develop the skills but I recall the coaches seeing potential in me. The weapon of choice was my Joe Torre bat. I recall my dad and one of the coaches working with my hitting skills. It paid off for me. It was a hot sunny day I remember my mom and dad watching the game but I would never look over to see them. I was up at bat waiting for a high fast ball for me to crank. The pitch was in my zone and I swung my Joe Torre bat like Thor’s hammer. The ball flew into the sunlight in which I couldn’t see where it was going or if it was caught, all I can hear is Run, Joe, Run!!!! Well I have no idea if it was a home run or if our team won or not what was important to me was that I touched home plate. I also got big hugs from mom and dad plus a look from mom, she had broke her glasses when she jumped up from her seat when I hit that ball. It was then I kept my George Hendrick baseball card on my night stand.

My memories are important to me. I believe it helps the healing process.

I can proudly say I have finally got to meet Ted Simmons, Lou Brock, Joe Torre, and Al Habrosky.

Run Joe Run

Cardinals Sign Flaherty

The Cardinals announced Saturday that they’ve renewed the contracts of pitchers Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks for the 2019 season.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty throws to a Kansas City Royals batter in the first inning of a baseball game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
The team also said it has agreed to terms and signed one-year contracts for the 2019 season with 20 players.

Among the team’s 0 to 3 Major League service time players agreeing to terms were
Pitchers:

John Brebbia
Génesis Cabrera
Giovanny Gallegos
John Gant
Austin Gomber
Ryan Helsley
Dakota Hudson
Mike Mayers
Daniel Ponce de Leon
Alex Reyes
Tyler Webb

nfielders:
Yairo Muñoz
Drew Robinson
Edmundo Sosa
Ramŏn Urías
Outfielders:
Harrison Bader
Adolís García
Tyler O’Neill
Lane Thomas
Justin Williams

Source: KMOV-Staff

Cards Grab Matt Wieters

 

The Cardinals have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran catcher Matt Wieters, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). Salary terms are not yet known.
While he held out in hopes of securing a MLB commitment, the 32-year-old Wieters will settle instead for a chance to serve as a backup to Yadier Molina. The competition is fairly limited. Francisco Pena seemingly held the edge at the outset of camp after re-joining the organization on a minors pact. Joe Hudson is the only other backstop in camp with MLB experience.
Wieters can still put the ball over the fence, and posted career-best plate discipline marks in 2018, but he has not been very productive with the bat of late. Since the start of the 2016 season, he’s producing at only a .235/.303/.376 rate through 1,200 trips to the plate. That’s a far cry from the .254/.317/.436 output that Wieters managed over the prior half-decade.
Wieters isn’t generally regarded as a high-quality overall defender at this stage of his career, and fares poorly in particular in pitch-framing metrics, but does still block, throw, and manage a staff well. It’s possible there’s still some hope that he’ll restore some of his lost luster with the bat, making this a nice low-risk move for the St. Louis organization.
For the Cards, the addition deepens the catching unit as Molina closes in on his 37th birthday and works to recover from an offseason knee procedure. The switch-hitting Wieters has historically performed better against right-handed pitching, as has Molina, but neither carries significant career platoon splits. If Wieters can beat out Pena for the job, he seems like a potentially solid mate for Molina.

Source: Jeff Todd

Carlos Martinez Shoulder Woes Continue

Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez is wearing a sling on his right arm in camp this morning, and manager Mike Shildt revealed to reporters that the right-hander received a platelet-rich plasma injection yesterday and is still two weeks from throwing (Twitter links via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Goold reported overnight that Martinez was headed for a second opinion on his right shoulder and now adds that if Martinez is ready for Opening Day — which is not a certainty — he’ll be in a relief role.
Shoulder troubles in 2018 also sent Martinez to a bullpen role late in the year, and he’ll apparently reprise that role for at least some of the 2019 season. Subtracting him from the early rotation mix would give the Cards a group of Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Michael Wacha, Adam Wainwright and one of Alex Reyes, John Gant, Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber and Daniel Ponce de Leon — barring an addition from outside the organization, of course. Left-handers Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez are the top two unsigned starters on the market, while other depth options include Clay Buchholz and old friend Edwin Jackson.
Goold noted within his column that Reyes’ early work in spring is thrusting him into the conversation for an Opening Day rotation spot. But, it should be noted that the right-hander only threw a combined 27 innings between the Majors and Minors in 2017-18 combined as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery and then underwent shoulder to repair a torn tendon in his lat last June. Reyes has never reached 120 innings in a professional season, and the Cards will surely want to monitor his workload in 2019. In other words, if he does open the year as a starter, it seems unlikely that he’d be expected to hold that role all season. Even if that is the organization’s hope, his injury history suggests that he can’t be penciled in for that type of workload.
Moving Martinez to the bullpen may not be ideal, but when he’s eventually healthy, he should make for a high-quality pairing with offseason signee Andrew Miller and flamethrowing sophomore Jordan Hicks. That trio would be joined by some combination of Luke Gregerson, Brett Cecil, Dominic Leone, Chasen Shreve and perhaps some of the aforementioned rotation candidates who don’t ultimately claim a starting role. For now, the more immediate focus is on the strength and overall health of Martinez’s shoulder, as there’s an increasing chance that the Cardinals’ 2018 Opening Day starter will now open the 2019 season on the injured list rather than anywhere on the active roster.

Source: Steve Adams

Martinez Receives Two Year Deal

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have signed outfielder José Martínez to a two-year contract (2019-20). Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
“José has been a key contributor to our team since his acquisition in 2016, and we’re pleased to announce this new two-year deal,” stated Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. “José has proven to be a key member of our roster and he is someone who brings high energy and passion for our team and its fans.”
Martínez, 30, led the Cardinals in batting (.305) and hits (163) in 2018, finishing 7th among National League batting leaders. The right-handed hitting outfielder finished 2nd among the team’s RBI leaders in 2018, with 42 of those RBI coming with two outs, ranking 3rd in the Senior Circuit to Trevor Story (57) and Christian Yelich (52).
Martínez, the son of the late former Major Leaguer Carlos Martínez, played in 887 games in the minors before making his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2016. The Venezuela native owns a .408 career batting mark (20-for-49) as a pinch-hitter, ranking 2nd all-time in MLB history (min. 50 plate appearances) to Kevin Seitzer (.411).

Source: St. Louis Cardinals

Dodgers Don Newcombe Passed Away

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Don Newcombe has died at the age of 92 after a lengthy illness, the team announced on Tuesday.
“Don Newcombe’s presence and life established him as a role model for major leaguers across the country,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said in a statement. “He was a constant presence at Dodger Stadium and players always gravitated toward him for his endless advice and friendship. The Dodgers meant everything to him and we are all fortunate he was a part of our lives.”

Newcombe started his big league career as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 and won Rookie of the Year. After a break to serve in the military during the 1952 and ’53 seasons, he returned and with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella helped create a World Series champion.
In 1955, the Dodgers won it all, and Newcombe went 20-5 with a 3.20 ERA.

His best season on the mound came in 1956 when he led the league with 27 wins and won the Cy Young and MVP awards.
He never reached some lofty heights again. After and 0-6 start to the season in Los Angeles, he was traded to the Reds.
Newcombe finished his 10-year career as a four-time All-Star with a 149-90 record and 3.56 ERA.

Source: ESPN

Martinez Shut Down

The Cardinals have shut down righty Carlos Martinez from throwing for two weeks, per MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch Twitter links). While there’s no concern of structural damage, the club believes that the hurler needs to build up shoulder strength.
Given the timing of the news, it seems reasonable to anticipate that Martinez will not be ready to join the rotation on Opening Day. There are indications the club may prefer to utilize him in a relief capacity, though even in that case it’d seem prudent to chart a conservative course. Beyond the immediate needs, the Cards have to protect their future investment in Martinez ($34.5MM over three years, plus two options).
Martinez, 27, has mostly been healthy and productive since joining the Cards’ rotation on a full-time basis in 2015. But he has dealt with some health issues in that time. Things came to a head last season, when shoulder troubles sidelined him for a stretch and forced him to return as a relief pitcher late in the season.
It’s hard to know just what to make of this latest news. Martinez could respond well to the strengthening program and jump right back into action. Then again, the shoulder is a complicated part of the body; uncertainty there is most unwelcome for any hurler. We’ll just have to see how Martinez progresses. For the Cards, the news represents an early test of the club’s pitching depth.

Source: Jeff Todd

Gyorko Ready to fit in Anywhere

Uncertainty is hardly something new for Jedd Gyorko, who has been through this exercise before. It’s one in which he comes into camp assured a spot on the roster, but not necessarily one on the field.
His fit became a little less obvious following the acquisition of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in December. That move prompted one for Matt Carpenter, who now plans to make third base his everyday home. That was where Gyorko made 71 starts last year.
So with the corner infield spots set and Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong returning to cover the club up the middle, Gyorko once again profiles as the team’s primary utility infielder. His work at all four infield spots this spring will reflect that.

“Any time you can get a guy like Goldschmidt, it’s huge for the team,” Gyorko said. “Unfortunately, it kind of puts me in a weird spot where I don’t really have a spot or a clear role. But in today’s game, you have to have that guy who can give guys breaks where it’s not that big of a [production] dropoff, and where you’re not losing power. You have to have a guy who can fill in or do well in situations.”
Gyorko also knows how quickly things can change. In his first year with the Cardinals, he ended up helping fill in for an injured Jhonny Peralta and an inconsistent Wong. In 2017, an ineffective combination of Aledmys Diaz and Peralta on the left side of the infield led to sweeping changes and more at-bats for Gyorko than initially anticipated.
Last year was the exception, as Gyorko entered camp projected to be the team’s everyday third baseman. Incidentally, he finished with the fewest plate appearances (402) of his six Major League seasons.

“It’s hard to tell sitting here on February whatever-it-is exactly how the season is going to go,” Gyorko said. “Things are going to happen. It’s just how it works. Stuff is going to go weird and not how you want it. It’s hard to predict. I’m just getting myself prepared like I do every year to go out there and play every day.”
Preparation this spring will require flexibility. Gyorko will see time at all four infield spots, though he’ll likely be used most often at second and third base this season. His career .819 OPS against left-handed pitching makes him an intriguing candidate to sub in for either of the team’s two left-handed-hitting infielders (Wong and Carpenter) against lefty starters.
Gyorko even offered to engage in some outfield work as a way to increase his versatility. It’s unlikely the Cardinals will have him dabble in that too heavily, mostly because of a lack of need.
“Jedd knows he has a lot of gloves in his bag,” manager Mike Shildt noted.
Gyorko is also aware of how important health will be. Hamstring strains knocked him out for stretches in both 2017 and ’18. He also missed time late last season due to a groin injury. In an effort to try and combat the recurrence of lower body injuries, Gyorko added more running into his offseason workouts. He also packed on a few additional pounds of muscle.
“I think I’ve prepared myself as much as I can,” Gyorko said. “Right now, I feel really good, and I feel like I’m in a really good spot.”
Jenifer Langosch has covered the Cardinals for MLB.com since 2012, and previously covered the Pirates from 2007-11. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Winter Warm Up Memories

As I look outside my window watching it snow while the Patriots play the Chiefs my mind seems to be on something else, Winter Warm Up and Pitchers/Catchers meet Feb. 12 down in Jupiter. I have to admit I miss going to the Cardinals Winter Warm Up, its been a long time since attending. I still have memorabilia from my time spent year after year that I am proud to have.  In 2000 I will always remember a rookie sitting at table with very little amount of people getting his autograph, it was Albert Pujols. He signed my ball with a smile and wished me a good day. I now look at the ball which now has a fading autograph. My other favorites include Keith Hernandez, Jim Edmonds, Fernando Vina and J D Drew. I also have signed photos of Rick Horton, Eli Marrero, Jeff Suppan and Tom Henke. I would also see my cousin Charlie James a local that became a fan favorite with his five career with the Cardinals. I also came across a signed score card by Tony LaRussa, this was hard to pass up so I nabbed it. I also got to meet and chatted with Cardinal players Scarborough Green, Dennis Eckersley and Andy Benes. I have to admit I cannot remember what we chatted about, must be my old age. I am hoping to go back sometime in the near future which is now hard to do regarding my health, I would love to get some autographs from Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Miller and Harrison Bader. My collection of signed balls and photographs now takes up space in my son’s room.

Here are a few pictures from this weekends Winter Warm Up…..

Cards Plan to Extend Contract to Goldschmidt

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals believe they have a sense of what it would take to extend recently acquired first baseman Paul Goldschmidt as well as the ability to make a “strong, market-right offer” to the slugger. A five-year extension offer from the team “would look something like five-years, $150 million,” per Goold, who suggests that it’s possible that the Cards could tweak an offer to technically be for six years and subsequently include a bump in Goldschmidt’s 2019 salary. All of that, of course, depends on how comfortable Goldschmidt is in betting on himself, how strongly he wants to test free agency and how he takes to his new environs in St. Louis. And, it should also be emphasized, it does not appear that any formal offer has been made at this point. The suggested terms would align closely with the $151MM extension signed by Jose Altuve in Houston last offseason, although Altuve’s new contract begins in his age-30 season, while any deal extending St. Louis’ control of the already 31-year-old Goldschmidt would begin in his age-32 campaign.

Source> Steve Adams

Cardinals Plan to Sign Pena

The Cardinals have agreed to a minor league contract to bring catcher Francisco Pena back to the organization, tweets Mark Saxon of The Athletic. Although Pena won’t be immediately added to the 40-man roster, Saxon suggests that Pena is being re-signed to serve as Yadier Molina’s backup in 2019.
Pena, 29, logged a career-high 142 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2018 while Molina missed time due to injury, though he hit just .203/.239/.271 in that time. He’s generally turned in strong pitch-framing marks and caught-stealing percentages throughout the upper minors, but Pena struggled at the Major League level in both regards this past season — particularly when it came to controlling the running game (1-for-15 in throwing out base thieves).
Pena has demonstrated some power at the Triple-A level, where he’s a career .252/.296/.452 hitter with 59 home runs in 1376 plate appearances. For the Cards, it’s possible that they find a more experienced option at a palatable rate as the offseason progresses, but it seems that for the time being, the plan will be for Pena to function as the backup in place of the recently traded Carson Kelly.
Eventually, it stands to reason that well-regarded catching prospect Andrew Knizner will surface in the Majors as a backup to Molina. With Kelly traded, Knizner is now the heir-apparent to Molina, who is signed through the 2020 season. However, Knizner is entering just his age 24 season and has only 61 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, so the Cards understandably will get him some more minor league development time before giving him his first look in the Majors.

Source: Steve Adams

Cardinals Rule 5 Draft Results

 

This afternoon the Cardinals picked Alberto Triunfel-shortstop from the Angels and John Fasola RHP from the Rangers. I am not too impressed with Triunfel, his plate discipline is poor and his foot speed needs improvement.  In regards to Fasola he is a minor league relief pitcher who has been pitching for AA Frisco this season, will miss the rest of 2018 after tearing his ACL and spraining his knee in a collision at home plate earlier this week. Fasola had been working his way back from April, 2017, Tommy John surgery which cost him all of 2017. This is bad news for the 26 year old Fasola, who was a 31st round draft pick of the Rangers in 2014. Fasola had put himself on the map as a legitimate righthanded reliever prospect prior to his surgery, and in 2018 had a 4.05 ERA in 28.2 IP for Frisco, with 27 Ks against 11 walks and no home runs allowed, prior to this injury.Fasola is Rule 5 eligible after this season, and would have been in consideration for a September callup if he had finished the season strong. Instead, he will be rehabbing his knee, and likely will not be added to the 40 man roster this offseason.

Alberto Triunfel Scouting Report:

Pull-happy, very aggressive at the plate and looking to hack almost exclusively to his pull side; never saw him go up the middle or out the other way over an entire series in Visalia. Big leg kick for leverage, but weight change leaves him susceptible to over-extending, leaning out in front; above-average bat speed, decently quick hands create some torque that works for a little bit of gap power to his pull side, but never saw him hit one ball the other way. Poor plate coverage and plate discipline; will chase. Visalia had the book on him and played him to shift accordingly; no adjustments to hit against it, kept rolling over ground balls without much authority … Either lacks great foot speed or lacked real effort in my late May look; just 4.38 and 4.42 out of the RHH box there, but I question his motivation running through close plays; 4.76 and 4.77 on two turns at first base; question effort/hustle and make up from seeing lackadaisical attitude to running through close plays; need to see him for a more extended time to really make a final judgment call on that … Defensively is where Alberto Triunfel makes his money. Pretty solid at shortstop, but probably destined for utility/bench/platoon life that’ll see him move all over. Good first step; reads well on balls off the bat. Quick particularly to his backhand side; showed exceptional range deep in the hole. Arm is OK; works fine at short, throws well on the run, probably not quite enough strength for a big league everyday gig in the six-hole, but not far off it. Undersized/underweight; some durability questions playing a premium position there, perhaps. Saw him against younger/less-experienced competition in my look here; he needs to be going up older, more experienced guys. Glove-first as far as carrying tools go, but ultimately, Alberto Triunfel’s eventual ceiling will be dictated at least in part by how much his bat develops. For me, I can’t see him hitting enough in the show to reach a 50 FV; I’ll slap a 45 FV ceiling on him here for that reason, with maybe a more likely 40 (or org depth) within reach…….Bobby DeMuro

Cardinals Make a Trade for Robinson

The Rangers have acquired third baseman Patrick Wisdom from the Cardinals for infielder/outfielder Drew Robinson, according to an announcement from Texas. Additionally, the Rangers have hired former major league right-hander Brandon McCarthy as special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels.
Wisdom, 27, was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2012, though he didn’t reach the majors until last season. He impressed over a small sample of work, hitting .260/.362/.520 with four home runs in 58 plate appearances. In Texas, the former well-regarded prospect may have an opportunity to receive quite a bit of work at third base, as the club lost Adrian Beltre to retirement and may trade Jurickson Profar this offseason. That wouldn’t have been the case in St. Louis, which boasts Matt Carpenter as its starting third baseman and has quality depth in the form of Jedd Gyorko (if he’s not dealt), Yairo Munoz and now Robinson.
The 26-year-old Robinson will give the Cardinals the lefty-hitting utility player they’d been seeking, having garnered big league experience at second, third, shortstop and all three outfield positions. Robinson hasn’t hit much, however, with a .204/.301/.366 slash and nine HRs in 246 trips to the plate. He did rake at the Triple-A level last season, though.

Connor Byrne

Cardinals Claim Ryan Meisinger

The Cardinals have claimed righty reliever Ryan Meisinger off waivers from the Orioles, the Baltimore club announced.
Meisinger, 24, cracked the bigs last year for the first time and surrendered six long balls in 21 innings. Still, he has turned in some intriguing numbers at times in the minors. Last year, for instance, he worked to a 3.13 ERA in 46 innings in the upper minors, with 10.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Fastball/Slider reliever, high ¾ release and an arm stab that keeps the ball hidden adds deception. FB 92-94, arm-side run when he is sharp. Average SL, 82-84, throws it a lot, can command it at times. He started the season looking good, he had above average command, run on the FB. As the season progressed he started falling off more and more to the 1B side due to an unbalanced landing position, this seemed to kill the movement on his fastball and negatively affected his command. He kept getting people out, but he stopped missing bats. Middle relief profile.

Lee Smith Voted Into Hall of Fame

I am so happy to announce that Lee Smith has finally been voted into The Class of 2019 Hall of Fame.  Lee Arthur Smith spent 1990 to 1993 as the Cardinals reliever and amassed 206 Saves with the Cardinals.  He also been in three All-Star Games  1991-93 with the Cardinals but been in seven All-Star Games in his eighteen tear career. His overall saves total is 478.  Lee Smith is third in most all time saves.  I still remember the 1991 Cardinals season. I recall going to many games watching Ozzie Smith, Rex Hudler, Ray Lankford and Todd Zeile  but it was Lee Smith throwing fire striking out our opponents. What a fun season but it all came to an end in 1993 when we traded him to the Yankees for Rich Batchelor……Joe McBrayer

In a vote of the Hall’s Today’s Game Era committee, Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday along with Harold Baines. Both players received at least 12 votes from a 16-person panel that met Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on the first day of the winter meetings. Smith was a unanimous selection.

Smith retired with 478 saves, and only two players in history have had more — Trevor Hoffman, who was inducted to the Hall this past summer, and Mariano Rivera, who is eligible for election this winter. He spent four seasons with the Cardinals and until Jason Isringhausen came along more than 10 years later, Smith’s 160 saves for the Cardinals was the franchise record.

The committee that elected both players Sunday included Hall of Fame managers Tony La Russa and Joe Torre, both of whom managed the Cardinals, and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, a teammate of Lee Smith’s in St. Louis. The modern eyes on the committee may have helped both players who are products of the modern game: a pitcher specialized for the end of games and a player who rarely needed a glove.
Smith and Baines are the first members of the Hall’s Class of 2019. The other members will be revealed later in January after voting is complete from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America……..Derrick Goold

Cardinals Ready for Winter Meetings

With the Winter Meetings on the verge of beginning, Goold has the latest on where the 2019-minded Cards could attempt to upgrade next:
While the Cardinals have been connected to outfielder Bryce Harper, arguably the best free agent available, Goold hears their interest may hinge on the length of his next contract. If Harper’s desired length on his forthcoming deal drops to fewer than 10 years, St. Louis would be more inclined to get seriously involved, Goold indicates.
With left-handed relief help high on the Cards’ list, they “remain engaged” on free agents Zach Britton and Andrew Miller, Goold reports. And though Mozeliak has expressed confidence in flamethrower Jordan Hicks’ potential to serve as the Cardinals’ primary closer in 2019, the team could offer the ninth inning to Britton or Miller, Goold writes. Both the 30-year-old Britton and Miller, 33, come with plenty of game-ending experience, having combined for 195 saves. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Jeff Todd forecast both hurlers to sign three-year deals in the $30MM range.
The Cardinals are also seeking a lefty-swinging utility infielder, which could lead to a reunion with ex-Redbird Daniel Descalso. The club has had talks with Descalso’s agent, according to Goold. A third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2007, Descalso played for the team from 2010-14, during which he was part of its most recent World Series winner (2011). The 32-year-old generally hasn’t been much of an offensive threat during his career, but he found another gear last season in Arizona, where he hit far more line drives and fly balls and far fewer grounders. The changes helped Descalso bat an above-average .238/.353/.436 (111 wRC+) with career highs in home runs (13), walk rate (15.1 percent) and isolated power (.198).

Source: Connor Byrne

Carddinals Winter Warm Up 2019

Autograph tickets for the 23rd annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will go on sale Monday, December 10 at 12:00 p.m. CT at cardinals.com/WWU and the Busch Stadium Box Office. A Winter Warm-Up admission ticket is required to obtain autographs at the event.
The 2019 Winter Warm-Up event will be held January 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. Newly signed first baseman, Paul Goldshmidt, as well as returning members of the St. Louis Cardinals, including Yadier Molina, Carlos Martínez, Matt Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Harrison Bader, Paul DeJong, Kolten Wong, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, Michael Wacha, Jedd Gyorko, José Martínez, Tyler O’Neill, John Brebbia, John Gant, Austin Gomber, Dominic Leone, Mike Mayers, Yairo Muñoz, Chasen Shreve, and Tyler Webb are scheduled to appear at the event. Top prospects Alex Reyes, Dakota Hudson, Adolis García, Andrew Knizner, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Patrick Wisdom, Ryan Helsley, Max Schrock, Lane Thomas, and Justin Williams are also scheduled to attend along with Manager Mike Shildt and First Base Coach Stubby Clapp. In total, more than 50 players, coaches and alumni will be on hand for the event. Autograph schedule is subject to change.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating the 23rd year of Winter Warm-Up to launch the 2019 baseball season,” said Michael Hall, Executive Director of Cardinals Care and Vice President of Community Relations. “The autograph sessions are the perfect opportunity for fans to meet their favorite past, present and future Cardinals players all while helping kids in our community.”
Player autograph sessions are one of the most popular attractions of the Warm-Up. While some autograph tickets are available to obtain for free, other autograph tickets require a specific additional donation. Every dollar donated for autograph tickets—as well as all proceeds from the Winter Warm-Up weekend—will benefit Redbird Rookies and charitable grants to other non-profit organizations that help kids.
A limited supply of free autograph tickets will be available online and at the Busch Stadium Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans can obtain up to two free autograph tickets per signee and up to five free autograph tickets per transaction. A full list and schedule of free autograph signing dates can be found at cardinals.com/WWU.
All autograph tickets will be sold online through Thursday, January 17 at 12:00 p.m. CT. Remaining autograph tickets not sold online will be available at the Winter Warm-Up. Those who order their autograph tickets online by noon on January 10 will receive their tickets in the mail. Fans who order after January 10 can pick up their autograph tickets at the Busch Stadium Box Office during regular box office hours or at the Ticket Booth and autograph ticket kiosks at the Winter Warm-Up. Autograph tickets are the sole responsibility of the ticket purchaser and cannot be reissued, reprinted or refunded. Free autograph tickets are not for resale.
For complete up-to-date details about autograph dates, signing times, donation amounts and frequently asked questions, or to purchase admission or autograph tickets, visit cardinals.com/WWU.

St. Louis Cardinals

 

Molina to have Knee Surgery

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will undergo a minor clean-up surgery on his knee next week, according to reports first brought to light by Primera Hora, which cited Molina’s agent Melvin Roman.
The reports did not specify which knee will be operated on, but Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed to St. Louis Baseball Weekly that Molina will undergo a “very small procedure” that shouldn’t sideline the nine-time All-Star for anything more than a few days. The team fully expects Molina to be ready by Spring Training.
To public knowledge, Molina hasn’t previously dealt with anything in his knees beyond some soreness in 2013. The backstop claimed his ninth Rawlings Gold Glove Award this offseason after spending 1,017 2/3 innings behind the plate for St. Louis in ’18. Molina’s bat remained potent, too, as he hit 20 home runs while compiling a .750 OPS.
St. Louis traded Minor League catcher Carson Kelly — long seen as Molina’s heir apparent — this past week in a trade that netted the team superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, further signaling the Cardinals’ belief in Molina in the next handful of years.

Source: Matt Kelly

The Cardinals Struck Gold..Paul Goldschmidt

It finally happened the Cardinals traded Carson Kelly, Andy Young and Luke Weaver for the bat they needed…..Paul Goldschmidt.

The Cards landed Goldschmidt without losing anyone they were counting on for 2019. Kelly, who was ranked the No. 46 overall prospect by MLB.com before last season, figured to be a possible heir to Yadier Molina. But Molina’s age-35 season looked more than enough like the ones that came before it—a .750 OPS, 120 starts behind the plate—to trust him to carry the load in 2019. As for Weaver, whom the Cards picked No. 27 overall in 2014, it’s hard to know whether he can hold down a rotation spot on a playoff contender. He finished last year in the bullpen, thanks to the 4.66 ERA he posted as a starter, and he had been surpassed by fellow 2014 first-rounder Jack Flaherty and fourth-round lefty Austin Gomber. Young, meanwhile, spent his 2018 split between High-A and Double-A; St. Louis was unlikely to call on him as more than a bench part next year.

If the Cardinals can manage to sign Goldschmidt long-term, the prospect price they paid will seem trivial. And if they can’t, and the team struggles, well, they’ll presumably be able to replace Weaver, Kelly, and Young by trading Goldschmidt this summer. Right now, it’s hard not to think of St. Louis as having every bit as viable a shot at the NL Central title as the Cubs and Brewers do. This was a good day in Bird Land .next year.

Source: Jack Dickey

 

Cardinals On a Moose Hunt?

The St. Louis Cardinals may be in the market for a third baseman, which would allow them to shift Matt Carpenter to first base on a permanent basis and move Jedd Gyorko into a heavy utility role.
The Cardinals have been linked to Josh Donaldson for some time, but on Monday he signed a one-year deal with the Braves. Plan B? Perhaps it’s Mike Moustakas, as Jon Heyman reports …
Jon Heyman
✔
@JonHeyma #STLCards have Mike Moustakas on radar. The difference this year: no draft choice attachment. Rival Brewers, Moose’s most recent team, among others with possible interest

.Moustakas, who turned 30 in September, is coming off a 2018 season in which he batted .251/.315/.459 (108 OPS+) in a combined 152 games for the Royals and Brewers. For his career, Moustakas has an OPS+ of 98 with 147 home runs across parts of eight big-league seasons. Moustakas was not eligible for a qualifying offer this offseason, so he can be signed without his new team forfeiting a draft pick.

As for his merits, Moustakas certainly has power from the left side, as he’s tallied 66 home runs over the past two seasons. However, he’s also lugging around a career on-base percentage of .307, which isn’t acceptable for a corner defender. That pop is good, but the Cardinals have to ask whether Moustakas going into his age-30 season is really an adequate solution for a team that aspires to contend in the same division as the Brewers and Cubs.

Source: Dayn Perry

 

More On Goldschmidt & Greinke

According to  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cards have talked to the D-backs about a trade for Goldschimdt. As Goold explores in great detail, the slugger checks several boxes — the Cards prefer to trade for a bat rather than sign one and are especially interested in corner infielders — but there are question marks as well. He’d only add to a deluge of right-handed bats in the St. Louis lineup, for example, and there is of course no guarantee he’d be willing to sign an extension — something the Cards would be likely to pursue.
While Goldschmidt is the best player the D-backs could move this winter, he’s hardly the only high-profile candidate to change hands. Zack Greinke, too, has emerged as a potential trade candidate, though circumstances surrounding the two are quite different. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that while the D-backs want young players or prospects back in any Goldschmidt deal — hence the mention of Eflin in Stark’s report — the primary motivation in trading Greinke would be to escape the burden of the three years and $104.5MM remaining on his contract (which includes his annual salaries and a trio of $3MM payouts as part of an $18MM signing bonus that was spread out evenly over the duration of the contract). Greinke’s six-year, $206.5MM contract is the largest ever in terms of average annual value and was signed by the previous front-office regime in Arizona. At 35 years of age, the right-hander is still a highly effective pitcher, but it’s understandable that as payroll has risen beyond the organization’s comfort level, the new-look front office is hoping to unload some of that financial burden.
It’s natural to suggest that the D-backs could try to kill two birds with one stone by trading Goldschmidt and Greinke in one franchise-altering blockbuster. Attaching a player of Goldschmidt’s caliber to Greinke’s contract would hold appeal for an acquiring team, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported this morning (subscription required) that the D-backs aren’t interested in watering down a return on Goldschmidt by packaging him with Greinke. Rosenthal, in fact, notes that Cardinals already had internal discussions about attempting a trade to acquire both, but they’re cognizant of the fact that they’re on Greinke’s 15-team no-trade list. Goold tweets that the Cardinals’ inclusion on Greinke’s no-trade list is tied to geographic preferences.

Winter Warm Up Tickets Sale Friday

Cardinals Care, the charitable foundation of the St. Louis Cardinals, has announced that admission tickets for the 23rd annual Winter Warm-Up will go on sale Friday, November 23, at 10:00 a.m. CT. The largest fundraising effort organized by Cardinals Care, the 2019 Winter Warm-Up will take place Saturday, January 19, through Monday, January 21 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day), at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. Event times are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday.
Beginning Friday morning, fans can purchase admission tickets for the three-day Winter Warm-Up online at cardinals.com/WWU. Fans can also purchase tickets at the Busch Stadium Box Office starting Monday, November 26. Those who order online by noon on January 10 will receive their tickets in the mail. Fans who order after January 10 can pick up their admission tickets at the Busch Stadium Box Office during regular box office hours, weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from Thursday, January 10 through Thursday, January 17 (box office closed on weekends). Winter Warm-Up Will Call opens on Friday, January 18, at the Hyatt Regency at 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
The prices for admission tickets, which are valid for all three days of the Warm-Up, will remain the same as previous years; $40 for fans age 16 and over, $10 for children age 5 to 15. Kids under 5 years old are admitted free of charge. Members of the military, police and fire departments with an active ID can receive one free adult admission ticket which must be obtained in person at the Busch Stadium Box Office, during regular box office hours, from November 26-January 17 or at the event. Please note the Busch Stadium Box Office will be closed November 23, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and on weekends.
Winter Warm-Up provides fans with countless unique opportunities while raising money for Cardinals Care, the team’s charitable fund whose mission is caring for kids in the Cardinals community. Fans can meet their favorite players at autograph sessions, play interactive games, share memories with Hall of Famers, take photos with Fredbird, find collectible memorabilia, bid on one-of-a-kind items at live and silent auctions, experience live presentations and ask tough questions of players, owners, scouts, broadcasters and officials at Q&A sessions.
“The Winter Warm-Up is the kick off to the 2019 season,” said Michael Hall, Executive Director of Cardinals Care and Vice President of Community Relations. “It’s the perfect opportunity for our passionate fans to meet their favorite players and hear from our front office leadership about the upcoming season, all while helping kids here in our community.”
Many popular alumni autographs are free with an admission ticket, while current players require an autograph ticket available through a specific additional donation. All autograph tickets will be sold online and at the Busch Stadium Box Office beginning Monday, December 10 at 12:00 p.m. CT through Thursday, January 17 at 12:00 p.m. CT. Fans can visit cardinals.com/WWU for the latest details, including player autograph dates, times and, if required, additional donation amounts. #CardsWarmUp

Mystery Free Agent on Cardinals Table

As Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes, in a general encapsulation of the state of play in the current free agent market, there’s still not much clarity regarding superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Perhaps, as Kepner suggests, with the two belles of the ball still waiting to find a dance partner, the rest of the participants are still milling about, afraid to commit.
Of course, the market is also operating in the shadow of last winter’s dud of a dance, so the factors influencing the secondary tiers of free agency could reflect broader changes mostly unrelated to Machado and Harper. Whether the matchmaking process will be as slow as it was last year remains to be seen; the more interesting question, though, is simply whether there’ll be more money out there for the good-but-not-great players available. As for Machado and Harper, there’s every reason to believe they’ll be paid handsomely.
It’s interesting, though perhaps not surprising, that the conversation thus far has mostly focused on Harper. As Kepner notes, Harper’s gunslinging agent Scott Boras is selling Harper to suitors as an “iconic” and uniquely marketable player. The ever-visible Boras is, of course, also making that same pitch in very public fashion to and through the media. Machado’s agent, Dan Lozano, has negotiated some monster deals of his own, so he’s no amateur. Clearly, though, he is not pursuing the sort of media strategy that Boras is.
The differences in the agents’ approaches are perhaps in some part reflections of genuine personality differences in their respective clients. While he hardly carries any kind of reputation for off-field antics, Harper seems to be enjoying his time in the spotlight, playfully dropping hints on social media and an assuredly unscripted TMZ spot. (Did you know: Harper’s dog is still named Wrigley and he quite likes deep dish!)
Machado, meanwhile, has been more or less off the radar entirely — leaving many to hem and haw over the generally distasteful impression he left during the World Series. In an interview published this morning by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, Machado has perhaps launched his effort at shifting the narrative somewhat. The 26-year-old casts himself as a humble, hard-working player who shows up every day and cares about winning — which, generally, was his reputation both in and out of baseball circles prior to the recent shift.
Of course, the change in public perception — one that was likely not fully embraced by those that have known him in person for years — was a self-inflicted wound caused by Machado’s cringeworthy comments on hustling as well as some highly questionable on-field actions. Machado says he accepts the blame for how his words came across, but explains: “I was trying to talk about how I’m not the guy who is eye wash. There’s a difference between fake hustle for show and being someone who tries hard to win. I’ve always been the guy who does whatever he can to win for his team.”
Machado unsurprisingly declines to divulge any details about his thinking on an ultimate destination. Generally, he suggests to Feinsand that he’s open to any and all suitors. And he says he won’t do anything to make the process a more-publicized one than it already promises to be. “When the time comes,” Machado says, “there will probably be a few of the teams that I will sit down with in person, but it’s not something I plan on being very public about.” There’s plenty more to digest from his chat with Feinsand, which is a must-read piece, though Machado surely will still have plenty to answer to when he sits down with team owners who are considering committing hundreds of millions of dollars to employ him.
Generally, the final dollar tallies these two excellent young players will command will be the result of an auction process, the course of which will be determined by the quantity and intensity of team owners waving bidding paddles from the gallery. We don’t yet have a firm sense of the field of Machado bidders, but the rough contours of Harper’s market are beginning to emerge. Notably, it seems he may have two more interesting potential suitors.
It won’t surprise anyone to hear the Cardinals and Braves mentioned as possibilities, as they’ve both long been discussed as teams to keep an eye on. But it’s still notable to see some increasing evidence of real involvement. The owner of the St. Louis franchise, Bill DeWitt III, tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that a move for a top-tier free agent is on the table — though he doesn’t necessarily do so in terms that suggest it’s the likeliest outcome. “We could do it, sure,” says DeWitt. “It’s about (considering) putting all our eggs in one basket. We have the payroll room.”
As for the Atlanta organization, which is owned by a corporate entity (Liberty Media) that is theoretically less likely to be swayed by emotion, it remains a bit difficult to gauge the true level of interest. But David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets that he’s getting signs the Braves will be “players in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes.” Whether or not the club will turn into a front-runner, let alone land Harper, is obviously still unclear. But it seems fair to presume that the involvement of multiple, serious suitors increases the likelihood that Boras (or, for Machado, Lozano) will be able to convince one team to enter a new contract stratosphere of the kind MLBTR predicted in its ranking of the top fifty free agents.

Source: Steve Adams

Cards Talking Goldschmidt

This morning Ken Rosenthal reported that the Cardinals are talking to the Diamondbacks about Goldschmidt but no traction at this time. He did mention that the Diamondbacks will be interested in the Cardinals young pitchers.

Rosenthal of The Athletic also tweets, the Astros and Cardinals “have had the most meaningful discussions” of any organizations in baseball. But that’s just relative to their peers, not an indication that either club is particularly likely (let alone close) to striking a deal for one of the game’s best and steadiest offensive performers. Of course, it’s also still entirely unclear just what the D-Backs will look to do with such a key player. An extension still does not appear to be out of the question, though there have been no hints that one is in the works. Even in a trade scenario, the team will have to decide whether to try to use Goldschmidt as a vehicle to shed salary (by attaching another contract) or recoup talent.

Cardinals Add Non-Roster Invitees

The Cardinals announced a slate of minor league signings, including right-hander Mike Hauschild, left-hander Hunter Cervenka, catcher Joe Hudson, catcher Jose Godoy and first baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo. Each received an invitation to Major League Spring Training. St. Louis also announced previously reported Spring Training invites for Tommy Layne and Williams Perez, as well as minor league deals without Spring Training invites for righties Harold Arauz and Ramon Santos. Hauschild, 29 in January, has been hit hard in 16 1/3 MLB innings but has a career 4.02 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 437 Triple-A innings (all as a starter). Cervenka posted a 3.53 ERA in 43 1/3 innings between the Braves and Marlins back in 2016 but showed serious control problems along the way and has scarcely pitched in the Majors since. Hudson,27, made a brief big league debut with the Angels in September after a quality showing between their Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. The 24-year-old Godoy and 26-year-old Ravelo are returning to the Cardinals organization. Godoy showed some solid OBP skills in High-A, while Ravelo raked at a .308/.392/.487 pace in 399 PAs with Memphis in his first season with the organization.

Source: Steve Adams

Cardinals Bring Back the Powder Blue Uniforms

The St. Louis Cardinals today unveiled a new road alternate jersey that players will wear during select Saturday road games starting with the 2019 season. The uniforms are powder blue in color, similar to the “Victory Blue” uniforms that players wore from 1976 through 1984.
“We are very excited about the new powder blue “Saturday Road” uniform,” said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, who led the design efforts. “I know it will be popular with both players and fans — particularly those who remember the great teams of the 70s and 80s who wore this same color on the road.”
The Cardinals will be the 21st MLB team with at least two alternate jerseys. The road alternate uniform will debut on Saturday, March 30th at Milwaukee, and will be worn only on Saturday dates away from Busch Stadium. Similar to the team’s first Saturday alternate unveiled before the 2013 season, the front of the Power Blue jersey features “St. Louis” in script along with the player’s number. The jersey and matching pants have red piping and will be complimented with players wearing a red hat.
National Baseball and Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith presented current Cardinals outfielder, Harrison Bader, with the new uniform at an event this morning at Ballpark Village. Bader will show off the club’s new threads when he drops the ceremonial first puck before tonight’s St. Louis Blues game at Enterprise Center.
Former Cardinals outfielder (2001-03), current professional scout and St. Louis-native, Kerry Robinson, who was also on hand for today’s event, has strongly advocated for resurrecting the powder blue jerseys. “I always loved the look and style of the powder blue uniforms,” said Robinson. As a kid, I dreamed of being just like Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee, so bringing them back is nostalgic for me.”
Fans may purchase the new road alternate jerseys exclusively at the Cardinals Official Team Store at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals Authentics Store and the Cardinals Majestic Store at Ballpark Village through November 26th. While supplies last, these outlets are offering fans a free Cardinals Timex watch with purchase of an adult-sized jersey, and a free hat with purchase of a kid-sized jersey.
The stores are open 10 AM – 6 PM seven days a week, except holidays. Beginning today, the Official Team Store will extend its hours (10 AM – 8 PM) through Saturday, November 24th and again Monday, November 26th through Saturday, November 30th. Fans can order the new road alternate jersey by calling (800) 421-3263. More details are available at cardinals.com/jersey.

Source: St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Making Moves

The St. Louis Cardinals announced a series of roster moves today that leaves the team’s Major League roster at 38 players,
The team added recently re-signed free-agent pitcher Adam Wainwright to the 40-man roster in addition to four players who were reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Those players included outfielder Dexter Fowler, and pitchers Luke Gregerson, Alex Reyes and Michael Wacha.

The Reds announced Friday that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Matthew Bowman off waivers from the division-rival Cardinals. Additionally, infielder Dilson Herrera and outfielder Mason Williams have cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville.
Bowman, 27, was a quality middle-relief option for the Cards from 2016-17, working to a 3.70 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 in 126 1/3 innings. He stumbled in 2018 however, requiring multiple DL stints for ongoing blister issues and generally performing poorly when on the field. In 23 innings this past season, he posted a 6.26 ERA with a career-best 10.2 K/9 mark but also a career-worst 4.1 BB/9 mark. Bowman does have a minor league option remaining, so he could be a flexible ’pen option for the Reds in 2019.

he Cardinals also put catcher Francisco Pena through outright waivers, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Pena, unlike Garcia, cleared waivers (as also noted on the team’s transactions log) and will become a minor league free agent.
The 29-year-old Pena registered career-highs in games played (58) and plate appearances (142) this past season while filling in for the injured Yadier Molina. Long regarded as a glove-first option behind the plate, Pena managed just a .203/.239/.271 batting line in his time with the Cards. He’s a career .252/.296/.452 hitter in 1376 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, though, and he’s controlled the running game well in the minors even if he struggled to do so in his limited run with St. Louis. He’ll surely latch on somewhere this offseason on a minor league deal, as there’s never enough catching depth to go around in the Majors and he’s a viable third or fourth option to bring up to the big leagues in the event of injuries.

St. Louis Cardinals-Steve Adams

Goodbye Greg Garcia

The Padres announced today that they have claimed infielder Greg Garcia off waivers from the Cardinals. He’ll head out west after spending his entire professional career in the St. Louis organization.
Garcia, a native of the San Diego area, has received significant MLB playing time in the past three campaigns. All told, he’s a .248/.356/.339 hitter in the big leagues. With just ten career home runs, there isn’t much pop, though Garcia has managed a 12.3% walk rate in the bigs.
Unfortunately, the 29-year-old oversaw a downturn at the plate last year, with his walk rate sinking into the single digits and his overall output falling along with it. Garcia managed only a 72 wRC+ on the year.
With experience playing all over the infield, Garcia could represent a utility option for the Pads. At the moment, the San Diego organization is largely unsettled on the left side of the dirt.

Jeff Todd

 

Rosenthal Signs with Nationals

 

Rosenthal on the move to extend his career good luck my friend…..

The Nationals are “finalizing” a contract with free agent right-hander Trevor Rosenthal, according to Bob Nighengale of USA Today (Twitter link). Terms of the prospective agreement are not yet known.
Rosenthal, a client of the Boras Corporation, recently put on a showcase to exhibit his form after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Evidently, he impressed the Washington brass, who’ll take a shot on the hard-throwing former Cardinals late-inning standby.
While it’s not yet clear just what role will be given to Rosenthal, who’s still just 28 years of age, the report suggests he’ll “anchor the bullpen.” Though southpaw Sean Doolittle figures to have the inside track on the ninth inning, given his outstanding (albeit injury-shortened) 2018 showing, the Nats could certainly use Rosenthal as their top set-up option or perhaps get more creative in their pen usage based upon situations.
The chance at high-leverage innings seems to have been a motivating factor for Rosenthal, who said as much in an interesting recent chat with Rob Rains of STLSportsPage.com. Rosenthal also held true to his stated desire to put pen to paper before the start of November.
Rosenthal’s TJ procedure took place in late August of 2017, so he is now already about 14 months out from the operating table. There’s every reason to think that he’ll be a full go for Spring Training, particularly since he has already shown that he’s capable of working in his customary upper-nineties velocity.
Of course, the real question with Rosenthal has never been one of arm strength. He has at times dealt with control issues, dishing out 5.4 walks per nine in the 2014 season and a hefty 6.5 free passes per nine in 2016. That latter campaign was a rough one for the flamethrower: he also surrendered a whopping .425 BABIP, lost his closing job, and ended the season with a 4.46 ERA.
In camp in 2017, Rosenthal dabbled with a return to a starting role — he functioned in that capacity in the minors, but never in the bigs — but ultimately returned to the St. Louis relief corps. Before going down to a torn UCL, Rosenthal threw 47 2/3 innings of 3.40 ERA ball with a career-high 14.3 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9. Rosenthal carried a personal-high 15.9% swinging-strike rate for the season, finding an extra gear as he completely abandoned his curve in favor of his slider.

Jeff Todd

Mozeliak Speaks…..

Is Bryce Harper the Right Fit?

 

I have been seeing a lot of chatter from my fellow Bloggers about Bryce Harper being a good fit with the Cardinals more so than free agent to be Manny Machado. My gut feeling tells me Harper and the Cardinals would be very compatible.

So why do we need Harper well,  Bryce Harper is a diligent baseball player who produces prodigiously and yearns for a championship. Again, this will be the free agent outfielder’s age-26 season — he’s primed for his prime. He’s a career .900 OPS player. He walks well, even when he’s not hitting. Oh, and he’s that alluring lefty bat the Cardinals have coveted in the middle of their lineup.

The Cardinals will need a hard line sales pitch plus the right offer. “When you look at the past offseasons, we’ve definitely had some swings and misses,” Mozeliak said. “We’ve had some successes. We have to find a way to get over that hump. Because we now know 88 was not good enough. And our division doesn’t look like it’s going to get any weaker. It’s going to require investment and intelligence to get us over that hump.”

 

Cardinals News & Notes

The Cardinals will face some changes in the coaching ranks, as third base coach Jose Oquendo has informed the team he will not return in 2019, president of baseball ops John Mozeliak announced to reporters Tuesday (links via Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Mark Saxon of The Athletic). Oquendo, who was offered the opportunity to return, will work with the club in Spring Training but will spend the bulk of the season away from the game with his family.
In Oquendo’s absence, bench coach Ron Warner is moving to third base coach. First base coach Oliver Marmol is taking the reins at bench coach, while hitting coach George Greer will be a minor league hitting coordinator moving forward. That leaves the Cards with a vacancy both at hitting coach and first base coach, and Goold notes that Triple-A manager Stubby Clapp is expected to be offered one of those two positions if he is not hired away from the team. Clapp, who has been quite successful in his current role with the Cardinals’ Memphis affiliate, is also a rumored candidate for the Blue Jays’ managerial post (though he has denied hearing from the Jays to this point).
More out of St. Louis…
Goold notes that Mozeliak plans to speak with Rick Ankiel about the former left-hander/outfielder’s desire to make a comeback in 2019. Ankiel announced back in August that he was planning on pursuing a return to the Majors as a relief pitcher. He told Yahoo’s Tim Brown that month that he has “nothing to lose” and feels that he’s “in a better place” than he was when his career on the mound was derailed by the yips nearly two decades ago. While Ankiel would be nothing more than a roll of the dice, Mozeliak did express a desire to improve the left-handed pitching in the Cardinals’ relief corps. Zach Britton and Andrew Miller headline this year’s crop of free-agent lefty relievers, though there are ample names beyond that pair (to say nothing of countless options on the trade market).
Details of Adam Wainwright’s contract to return to the Cardinals won’t become clear for a few weeks, but Mozeliak indicated (via Saxon) the venerable right-hander was “willing to bet on himself,” adding that the risks associated with the contract are low. Obviously, that indicates that the contract will come with a fairly small base salary. It’s already been reported that Wainwright’s contract will have both rotation- and bullpen-based incentives, so the team may not yet even have a determination on what his role will be in 2019. Mozeliak did note that the rotation, which is loaded with depth options, is “probably not going to be our focus of energy.”
Rather, Saxon notes, supplementing the offense seems to be a greater focus. The preference, Mozeliak implied, would be a left-handed bat, though he added that he “[doesn’t] think it has to be.” The longstanding head of baseball ops for the Cards firmly indicated that the team hasn’t given up on Dexter Fowler being able to bounce back, though he also wouldn’t make any declarative statements about Fowler’s role in 2019. Mozeliak called the positions filled by Yadier Molina (catcher), Paul DeJong (shortstop), Marcell Ozuna (left field) and Harrison Bader (center field) all “pretty certain,” and indicated that Matt Carpenter would be in the lineup as well, most likely at first base. Beyond that, Mozeliak emphasized that he’s been a “big advocate” for Kolten Wong and hopes the defensive stalwart can continue to improve.
As Goold notes, third base and right field seemed the two most plausible areas for upgrade based on Mozeliak’s comments. That’ll lead to no shortage of speculation tying the Cards to top free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, though when asked about free agents, Mozeliak explained that he has “to be pragmatic and understand what that looks like” from a long-term vantage point.

Steve Adams

Fowler Looking forward to 2019

Dexter Fowler’s season was ended after he suffered a fractured foot on August 3, though it had already been a trying year for the Cardinals outfielder, as he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fowler hit a career-worst .180/.278/.298 over 334 PA, and while he said physical injuries weren’t to blame for his struggles, “I think it was more mental health” that led to the down year. Fowler had to deal with public comments from president of baseball operations John Mozeliak about his level of effort (Mozeliak apologized for citing only Fowler as part of a larger issue within the team) and a seeming rift with former St. Louis manager Mike Matheny. The Cards have thoroughly turned their season around since Mike Shildt took over as manager, and Fowler has been excited about his team’s progress and his future in St. Louis. “Shoot, I’m watching what’s happened and I’m excited for 2019….I think that’s going to be awesome. I look forward to being a part of that,” Fowler said.

Mark Polishuk

Jose Martinez and Cardinals to help Venezula

The St. Louis Cardinals, in collaboration with outfielder José Martínez, announced the team will sell specially-priced $10 tickets for the upcoming series with the Milwaukee Brewers on September 24-26 to help those impacted by the socioeconomic and political crisis in José’s and bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran’s home country of Venezuela. Fans can purchase the specially-priced tickets now at cardinals.com/helpjose.
For every specially-priced $10 ticket purchased, 75% will be donated to José’s relief efforts to assist those in need in Venezuela. The team is partnering with a four-star Charity Navigator organization who has served more than 100 million people in more than 110 countries throughout the world to distribute aid items on the ground in Venezuela.
“As I think about returning to Venezuela when the seasons ends, I wanted to do something for the people of my country,” Martínez stated. “They are in need of basic things, the most important of which is food. This generous ticket offer by the Cardinals during the team’s postseason push will be a tremendous help to the cause.”
Martínez has been an integral part of the Cardinals over the last two seasons, leading the team with a .306 batting average while ranking third in games played (249) and fourth in RBI (126).
Spanish speaking fans can purchase the specially-priced tickets at cardenales.com/ayudajose.

St. Louis Cardinals

Shildt Officially Named Cardinals Manager

The Cardinals will make official today what had increasingly become obvious: interim manager Mike Shildt is going to stay in the job beyond the present season. He’s slated to receive a three-year contract in addition to having the interim label removed. Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter) and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) had the news.
Since taking the helm of a club that was sitting just one game over .500 just past the season’s halfway point, Shildt has guided the Cards to a 26-12 record. The club is now firmly back in contention. Of course, numerous roster moves came along with the firing of Mike Matheny, and it’s always hard to allocate praise and blame for managerial performance, but the organization obviously had cause to be pleased with the early returns on the new skipper.

 

St. Louis Cardinals 2019 Schedule

The St. Louis Cardinals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s league-wide release, today announced their 2019 regular season schedule. The home opener for the Redbirds is set for Thursday, April 4 against the San Diego Padres as part of a seven-game home stand with San Diego (April 4, 6-7) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (April 8-11).
The Cardinals will open their 2019 season on the road with a four-game series at Milwaukee against the division rival Brewers beginning on Thursday, March 28, followed by a two-game series at Pittsburgh (April 1 & 3).
The 2019 season will feature 26 home series and 26 road series, including 14 weekend series at Busch Stadium: April 4, 6-7 vs San Diego, April 19-21 vs New York Mets, April 26-28 vs Cincinnati, May 10-12 vs Pittsburgh, May 24-26 vs Atlanta, May 31-June 2 vs. Chicago Cubs, June 21-23 vs. Los Angeles Angels, July 12-14 vs Arizona, July 26-27 vs Houston, August 9-11 vs Pittsburgh, August 23-25 vs Colorado, August 30-September 1 vs Cincinnati, September 13-15 vs Milwaukee and September 27-29 vs Chicago Cubs.
The Cardinals will host the Chicago Cubs for two weekend series (May 31-June 2 & September 27-29), including the final series of the 2019 regular season, and one mid-week series (July 30-August 1) at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals 20-game interleague schedule will feature a pair of two-game home-and-home series with in-state rival Kansas City (May 21-22 at Busch Stadium & August 13-14 at Kansas City) and with the Oakland Athletics (June 25-26 at Busch Stadium & August 3-4 at Oakland). In addition, the Cardinals will host three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels (June 21-23) and Houston Astros (July 26-28), and will play three-game road series at Texas (May 17-19) and at Seattle (July 2-4).
The Cardinals are scheduled to play 43 of their 81 home games before the July 8-11 All-Star Break, playing 16 home games in April, 13 in May, 14 in June, 11 in July, 13 in August and 14 in September. The Cardinals are scheduled to play home games on Easter Sunday (April 21 vs. Mets), Mother’s Day (May 12 vs. Pirates), Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26 vs. Braves) and Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1 vs. Reds & Labor Day, Sept. 2 vs. Giants).
The Cardinals longest home stands of the 2019 season consist of two nine-game stands (April 19-28 & June 17-26). Their longest road trip is 10 games (June 7-16). The Cardinals will play 20 consecutive games without a day off from June 4-23 (10 home games & 10 road games).
The season opener on March 28 against the Brewers represents the first time in franchise history that the Cardinals will begin the season at Milwaukee. The two teams have faced each other three times previously on Opening Day (2004, 2003 & 1999), all in St. Louis. The March 28 season opener will also be the earliest in franchise history.
The Cardinals will make future announcements regarding game times, ticket pricing and ticket availability for the 2019 season. To view the full 2019 regular season schedule, visit cardinals.com.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 2019 HOME SCHEDULE

April 4, 6-7 vs. San Diego
April 8-11 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
April 19-21 vs. New York Mets
April 22-24 vs. Milwaukee
April 26-28 vs. Cincinnati

May 6-8 vs. Philadelphia
May 9-12 vs. Pittsburgh
May 21-22 vs. Kansas City
May 24-26 vs. Atlanta
May 31-June 2 vs. Chicago Cubs

June 4-6 vs. Cincinnati
June 17-20 vs. Miami
June 21-23 vs. Los Angeles Angels
June 25-26 vs. Oakland
July 12-14 vs. Arizona
July 15-17 vs. Pittsburgh
July 26-28 vs. Houston
July 30-August 1 vs. Chicago Cubs

August 9-11 vs. Pittsburgh
August 19-21 vs. Milwaukee
August 22-25 vs. Colorado
August 30-September 1 vs. Cincinnati

September 2-5 vs. San Francisco
September 13-15 vs. Milwaukee
September 16-18 vs. Washington
September 27-29 vs. Chicago Cubs

The Return of Big City

 

The Cardinals have announced the waiver claim. Fowler has been moved to the 60-day DL to open space on the 40-man roster, while corner infielder Patrick Wisdom has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
1:36pm: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (on Twitter) that Adams is headed to St. Louis via waiver claim, meaning there’s no trade at play here. Rather, the Nationals will simply offload the remainder of his salary on the Cardinals in the deal. Adams is still owed about $877K of his $4MM salary through season’s end.
1:24pm: The Cardinals have agreed to a deal with the Nationals that will bring first baseman/outfielder Matt Adams back to St. Louis, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (on Twitter). Between this move from the Cards and the reported impending deal sending Daniel Murphy to the division-rival Cubs, it appears that the Nationals have embarked on a late-August sale. General manager Mike Rizzo has called a press conference for 3pm ET in which he will presumably address these and any other deals that have been made witWith this trade, the 29-year-old Adams returns to the organization with which he cut his teeth as a pro player. The Cards selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft and watched him eventually blossom into a solid Major League hitter across parts of six seasons in the organization. However, St. Louis flipped Adams to the Braves early in the 2017 season in order to loosen an infield logjam. Though Adams produced at a solid clip in Atlanta, he was non-tendered in the offseason and eventually signed a one-year, $4MM deal in Washington.
Thus far in the 2018 season, Adams has produced numbers that are roughly in line with his career marks. Through 277 trips to the plate — nearly all of which have come against right-handed pitching, given Adams’ deficiencies against left-handers — he’s logged a quality .257/.332/.510 slash with 18 home runs and nine doubles.
It’s not clear just yet how the Cardinals will utilize Adams. He’s limited to first base or the occasional dalliance into left field, and the Cards already have options at both of those positions in the form of Matt Carpenter and Marcell Ozuna, respectively. But Carpenter is capable of bouncing all over the infield and could see time at second base or third base in the event that the Nationals wish to get Adams some time at first base against right-handed opponents.
That’s perhaps the key element of the Cardinals’ acquisition of Adams. Prior to this deal, the only lefty bats on the roster were Carpenter, light-hitting second baseman Kolten Wong and backup infielder Greg Garcia. Switch-hitting Dexter Fowler gives the Cards another lefty bat when healthy, but he’s currently on the DL and is mired in the worst season of his professional career. Adding Adams will give the Cards a notable lefty bat both off the bench and against righty starters, helping to balance out the lineup and further fueling their recent surge under interim skipper Mike Shildt.
While Adams will surely receive a warm welcome in his return to St. Louis, the reunion could prove to be short-lived. He was non-tendered last winter in his final offseason of arbitration eligibility and will finish out the 2018 campaign with more than six years of big league service time. As such, he’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and free to sign with any team he chooses. It’s possible that the Cards will have interest in retaining a slugger whom they know well and clearly like as a player, but Adams will be able to field interest from 29 other teams as well.

Steve Adams MLBTradeRuors

 

Nolan Gorman on the Rise

I am so very impressed with Nolan so far. He is having a monster start to his professional baseball career and he n is clearly one of the best hitters in that league. He’s batting .302 with 10 RBI and his six home runs, which is tied for top of the league. Between June 30 and July 5, he hit five home runs in five games.
His .660 slugging percentage is 4th-best and .422 on-base plus slugging is 15th best in the Appalachian League. hasn’t even reached 60 career at bats, the power ability of the 18-year-old is rock solid. He is clearly one of the best hitters in that league. He’s batting .302 with 10 RBI and his six home runs, which is tied for top of the league. Between June 30 and July 5, he hit five home runs in five games.

I would like to share a article by Randy Reinhardt that appeared in the Herald & Review

PEORIA — ​Nolan Gorman’s first hit as a professional baseball player was a home run at rookie level Johnson City, Tenn.​
On Friday, Gorman’s first hit as a member of the Peoria Chiefs also cleared the fence.
That’s exactly what St. Louis had in mind.

Gorman’s plus power is a huge reason the Cardinals selected the Phoenix high school standout as their first-round draft pick (and 19th pick overall) in June’s first-year player draft.
Gorman made his Dozer Park debut Saturday after an unusual promotion to full-season ball. According to Baseball America, Gorman is only the seventh player in the last 10 years to go from high school baseball to Class A in the same year.
“I think it’s awesome,” Gorman said Saturday in the Chiefs dugout 90 minutes before first pitch. “Not many guys get to do this. But at the same time, they put me in advanced rookie to start, and I showed them I could handle that so I’m here now. I’m going to show them I can handle this, too.”

Gorman terrorized the Applachian League in his short stay at Johnson City with a .345 average, 11 home runs and 28 RBIs in 142 at-bats.The Cardinals needed no more convincing to promote a third baseman who was playing prep baseball three months ago to the Midwest League. Gorman is the first Cardinal position player draft pick to play in Class A in his first season since Garry Templeton in 1974.

“My mindset hasn’t really changed,” said Gorman. “I’m playing pro ball. I’m playing every day. I’ve got to stick to the approach and try to help the team win.”
MLB Pipeline already thinks highly of Gorman. The prospect arm of Major League Baseball’s web site lists Gorman as the No. 3 prospect in the St. Louis system, the No. 9 third baseman in all of the minor leagues and the No. 100 pagainst Clinton (Iowa). The Chiefs continue that home series Sunday through Tuesday.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about Peoria. I know the fans are excited, and I’m excited, too,” Gorman said. “Guys have more control of their pitches here. It’s been good getting adjusted to it. Getting my at-bats is going to help.”rospect overall.
Peoria took a 28-17 second-half record into Saturday’s game

 

 

 

Cardinals Call Up Wisdom

Its time to check out Patrick Wisdom and what he can do at third base. I have been peaching how the Cardinals need a steady hitter at the hot corner.

The Cardinals announced that they’ve selected third baseman Patrick Wisdom’s contract from Triple-A Memphis. He’ll take the place of infielder Yairo Munoz on the Cardinals’ 25-man roster. Munoz landed on the 10-day disabled list with a right wrist sprain. To make room for Wisdom on its 40-man roster, St. Louis transferred reliever Luke Gregerson to the 60-day DL.
The 26-year-old Wisdom, whom the Cardinals chose in the first round (No. 52) of the 2012 draft, is finally in position to make his major league debut. Wisdom had been among the Redbirds’ top prospects in the few seasons after they drafted him, but his production and stock fell as he climbed the minor league ranks. To Wisdom’s credit, though, he mashed 31 home runs at Triple-A last season and returned this year to hit a solid .289/.363/.479 (119 wRC+) with 14 HRs in 405 trips to the plate en route to his first MLB promotion.

Source; Connor Byrne

Cardinals Purchase Adolis Garcia Contract

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – August 6, 2018 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s series opener in Miami that they have purchased the contract of rookie outfielder Adolis (ah-DOLE-lees) Garcia from Memphis (AAA), and placed rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day disabled list (inflammation of the groin area), retroactive to August 4.
García, 25, a minor league free agent signing out of Ciego de Avila, Cuba, in February of 2017, is batting .269 (94-for-350) with 21 HR and 67 RBI in 98 games this season for the first-place Redbirds, ranking 6th in the Pacific Coast League in home runs, T4th in extra-base hits (47), 7th in slugging percentage (.531) and total bases (186), and T9th in RBI.
The red-hot García is the most recent recipient of the PCL Player of the Week and Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month awards.
With his first game appearance, García, who has been assigned uniform no. 28, will become the seventh player to make his Major League debut for the Cardinals this season, joining Jordan Hicks, Yario Muñoz, Tyler O’Neill, Austin Gomber, Daniel Poncedeleon, and Dakota Hudson.
O’Neill has appeared in 23 games for St. Louis during his Major League debut season, batting .309 (17-for-55) with three home runs and nine RBI. Since his most recent recall on July 31, the Canadian outfielder has hit safely in all four games (.636, 7-11)

St. Louis Cardinals

 

Tyler O’Neill and Tyler Webb Called Up

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have recalled rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill and left-handed reliever Tyler Webb from Memphis (AAA). The team also announced that right-handed pitcher Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list.
O’Neill, who is batting .311 with 26 home runs (1st in Pacific Coast League) and 61 RBI at Memphis, appeared in 19 games with the Cardinals earlier this season, hitting three home runs.
Webb made his Cardinals debut on Sunday night with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief against Chicago. He’s appeared in 14 career games between the New York Yankees, Milwaukee, San Diego and St. Louis.
O’Neill wears uniform no. 41 and Webb wears no. 30.

 

 

 

 

Pham Traded to the Rays

The St. Louis Cardinals announced this morning a four-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, acquiring outfielder Justin Williams, left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera and right-handed pitcher Roel Ramirez in exchange for outfielder Tommy Pham and International Cap Space.
Williams, 22, is a left-handed hitting outfielder who was batting .258 with 8 home runs and 46 RBI for the Durham Bulls (AAA), where earlier this season he was named an International League All-Star. The 6-2, 215 pound Williams hails from Houma, Louisiana. Williams, a former 2nd round draft pick by Arizona (52nd overall) in 2013, made his Major League debut earlier this month.
Cabrera, 21, has fashioned a 7-6 mark with a 4.12 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for Montgomery of the Southern League (AA), striking out 124 batters in 113.2 innings pitched while limiting the opposition to .218 batting mark. The 6-1, 170-pound native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was named to the Southern League All-Star team last month.
Ramirez, 23, was 3-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 26 games as a reliever for the Montgomery Biscuits, fanning 46 batters in 40.2 innings. The 6-1, 210-pound Ramirez is from Laredo, Texas.
Pham, 30, a member of the Cardinals organization since being drafted in 2006, was batting .248 this season with 14 home runs and 41 RBI.

Luke Voit Traded Yankees

I was just getting ready to go to bed and got a ping on my phone, when looking at the message it said Luke Voit traded. So what is going on?

MLBTradeRumors Connor Byrne….

The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luke Voit and international signing bonus pool money from the Cardinals for relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos, per an announcement from New York.
The 27-year-old Voit joins Tyler Austin as the second right-handed-hitting first baseman at the Triple-A level for the Yankees. Voit, who has a minor league option remaining, has racked up 137 major late appearances since 2017 (just 13 this year) and batted .240/.307/.432 with five home runs. He has been far better as a member of Triple-A Memphis this year, with which he has hit .299/.391/.500 with nine homers in 271 PAs. It’s unclear whether Voit will get a big league shot immediately with the Yankees, though they could arguably use some offensive help after losing superstar slugger Aaron Judge to the disabled list Friday.
The most proven major leaguer in this swap is Shreve, whom the Yankees deemed redundant after adding fellow lefty Zach Britton to an already loaded bullpen earlier this week. Shreve, 28, saw extensive action with the Yankees in each season from 2015-18 and combined for a 3.88 ERA/4.89 FIP with 10.42 K/9, 4.56 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent groundball rate over 173 2/3 innings. He has posted similar numbers through 38 frames this year, with a 4.26 ERA/4.98 FIP, 10.89 K/9, 4.26 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent grounder rate. The long ball has haunted Shreve this season, as he has allowed homers on 23.5 percent on fly balls, and has given up an unappealing .240/.356/.551 line to left-handed hitters. Nevertheless, the Cardinals seem to be banking on a turnaround from the out-of-options Shreve as they radically reconstruct their bullpen. The additions of Shreve and Gallegos are the latest moves to make over a relief unit that said goodbye to relievers Greg Holland, Sam Tuivailala and Tyler Lyons on Friday.

Cardinals Still Interested in Archer

Archer would be a awesome addition to the Cardinals rotation. With injuries to most of the pitching staff Archer would be a good addition to keep us afloat. The Cardinals better put up a pretty good offer with the Dodgers and Yankees showing a lot of interest in Archer too.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that the Cardinals “remain interested” in Archer, noting that the club attempted to deal for the 29-year-old just this past winter. Goold’s sources tell him that the Cards believe they can line up a “competitive offer”. It’s no surprise that St. Louis would be checking in on all available options to patch their injury-ravaged rotation; the club’s seen right-handers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez succumb to oblique injuries and can’t know what type of late-2018 contributions to expect from either at this point. Meanwhile, top prospect Alex Reyes, who was expected to play a big role in the club’s plans this year, suffered a season-ending lat injury at the tail end of May. Adam Wainwright continues to be injury-prone and can’t be counted on for any type of meaningful production. The club is currently placing its playoff hopes on the resurgent Miles Mikolas and a cast of rookies including Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver and John Gant.
To be fair, it’s not clear whether Archer is truly worth the price of an “ace”. The right-hander has posted ERAs north of four in each of the past two seasons and currently sports a six-year high figure of 4.31. While it’s true that his FIP (3.62) suggests quite a bit of bad luck has been involved, the same can also be said of each of his previous three seasons- Archer has a reputation as a pitcher whose results consistently fail to keep up with his peripherals. Still, it’s easy to imagine him catching fire and putting together an impressive second-half run, a possibility which plenty of contenders would like to take a chance on.

2018 Contract Status: Signed thru 2019, 6 yrs/$25.5M (14-19) & 20-21 team option

Cardinals Making Moves

The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s series opener with Chicago a series of roster moves, including a trade with Seattle that sent right-handed pitcher Sam Tuivailala to the Mariners in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Seth Elledge who is being assigned to Springfield (AA). Below is a listing of today’s moves:
· Acquired right-handed minor league pitcher Seth Elledge from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for righthanded pitcher Sam Tuivailala;
· Recalled right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver from Peoria (A);
· Recalled left-handed pitcher Tyler Webb from Memphis (AAA);
· Recalled right-handed pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon from Memphis (AAA);
· Purchased right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson from Memphis (AAA);
· Designated left-handed pitcher Tyler Lyons for assignment;
· Designated right-handed pitcher Greg Holland for assignment;
· Placed left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil (right foot inflammation) on 10-day disabled list, retroactive to July 23.
Hudson, 23, the Cardinals supplemental 1st round draft choice (34th player overall) in 2016 out of Mississippi State University, will be making his Major League debut with his first appearance. Hudson was 13-3 with a 2.50 ERA at Memphis in 19 starts in an all-star season that also included the MLB Futures Game during All-Star Week.
Webb, 28, a waiver claim from San Diego in late June, will be making his first appearance with St. Louis, but has appeared in a combined 13 games (13.0 IP) in relief with the Yankees, Brewers and Padres over the past two seasons. Webb was a combined 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 25 games at triple-A this season between El Paso and Memphis, striking out 41 in 34.1 innings pitched while walking just 12. He appeared in six games at Memphis (2.19 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 12.1 IP).
Poncedeleon, who on Monday in Cincinnati became one of just five pitchers since 1961 to throw 7.0 or more nohit innings in their Major League debut, was 9-3 with a 2.15 ERA for Memphis in 18 games (17 starts).
Elledge, 22, recently rated as the 10th best prospect in the Mariners system by Baseball America, was 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA and 9 saves in 31 games for Modesto (A), striking out 54 in 38.1 innings while being named a California League All-Star.
Hudson has been assigned uniform no. 43 and Webb no. 30. Poncedeleon wears uniform no. 62.

Source: St. Louis Cardinals

Holland DFA & Hudson Called Up

This weekend the Cardinals will be redoing their bullpen and a possible trade? ! guess we will see. Here is the lowdown on Holland…..

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Holland will be designated for assignment — not released. That may well be a moot point, as the DFA will merely give the Cardinals a week (it had been 10 days prior to the new version of the CBA) to either trade Holland or place him on outright or release waivers. Holland would be able to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency anyhow, so if the Cards aren’t able to find a taker on the trade market — which would assuredly require them to eat the vast majority of Holland’s remaining $4.89MM salary — then it seems he’ll hit the open market regardless.

The Cardinals are expected to release right-hander Greg Holland today, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter links). His roster spot will go to pitching prospect Dakota Hudson, who is set to have his contract selected from Triple-A Memphis, per Morosi.
That report certainly meshes with some recent comments made by president of baseball operations on the Bernie Miklasz Show on ESPN 101, in which Mozeliak said to “expect changes” to the club’s bullpen in the near future (Twitter link). The Athletic’s Mark Saxon recently speculated that Holland would be cut loose and that Hudson would be brought up to the big league roster (Twitter link).
The Cardinals’ decision to sign Holland to a last-minute, one-year contract with a $14MM guarantee on Opening Day proved to be a catastrophic misstep for the club. Not only did St. Louis surrender a valuable selection in the 2018 draft to do so, but the Cardinals received nothing in the way of on-field value from the 2017 National League saves leader.

Holland missed all of Spring Training while waiting to find a deal he and agent Scott Boras dubbed suitable, and the Cardinals made the eyebrow-raising decision to bring him to the Majors after just two minor league appearances. Holland struggled immediately, walking four batters in his Cardinals debut on April 9. Those struggles were the first of many in 2018 for Holland, whose Cardinals tenure will come to a close with a 7.92 ERA, 22 strikeouts and 22 walks over the life of 25 innings.
As for his replacement on the roster, Hudson will come to the Cardinals having drawn considerable fanfare since being selected with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 draft. He ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect on this week’s updated Top 30 rankings from Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, and while he falls outside that duo’s Top 100 overall prospects, Hudson is still viewed as a potential mid-rotation arm. The 23-year-old has pitched to a 2.50 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a hefty 57.7 percent ground-ball rate through 111 2/3 innings in Triple-A Memphis this season.
Though Hudson is being promoted to replace a reliever, it seems quite likely that the organization will deploy him as a starter. Saxon speculated before that John Gant and/or Austin Gomber could be moved to the bullpen, with Hudson stepping into a starting spot and giving the Cards a couple of months to evaluate his future. Callis and Mayo note that while Hudson has four average or better offerings, led by his fastball and his slider, he still doesn’t miss many bats. His fastball/slider combo is strong enough, though, that he could work in relief even if he doesn’t pan out as a starter, per their report.

Source: Steve Adams/MLBTradeRumors