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Nolan Arenado Nolan Arenado Blocks potential trade to Houston
Wed, Dec 18, 2024, 4:01 PM
Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a potential trade to the Astros, Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com report.
Analysis: The report says the Cardinals were willing to send $15-20 million to the Astros to help cover part of Arenado's salary, but the third baseman informed St. Louis he would not waive his no-trade clause to go to Houston. It's not clear what the Cardinals would have received in return. While the two sides are still having "ongoing talks," the Astros "aren't holding out much hope that a deal will get done." |
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Nolan Gorman Nolan Gorman Will see significant playing time
Fri, Dec 6, 2024, 8:23 AM
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has said the team would like to see Gorman receive close to 600 at-bats next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Gorman spent the final five-plus weeks of the 2024 season in the minors and finished with a .671 OPS and 37.6 percent strikeout rate. However, the Cardinals are committed to giving their younger players a long leash in 2025 and Gorman will be one of the beneficiaries. What position Gorman plays is not yet clear. He's seen most of his starts at the major-league level at second base and could play there, but moving back to his natural third base position is also an option if the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado. |
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Ryan Vilade Ryan Vilade NRI deal with St. Louis
Tue, Dec 3, 2024, 2:58 PM
The Cardinals signed Vilade to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Analysis: Vilade saw limited action with the Tigers in 2024, producing a .453 OPS in 17 games. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Toledo, slashing .278/.346/.449 with 13 homers and 20 stolen bases. Slated to turn 26 in February, Vilade saw starts at every position but shortstop, catcher and pitcher with Toledo. |
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Nolan Arenado Nolan Arenado Willing to play first base
Tue, Nov 26, 2024, 8:35 AM
Arenado is willing to play some first base in order to create roster flexibility for the team acquiring him in a potential trade, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: A large part of Arenado's value comes from his defense at third base, so it's not clear how many clubs would be looking to shift him to the other side of the diamond even on a part-time basis. Still, some flexibility can't hurt, and the fact he's even willing to entertain the possibility also seems to speak to Arenado's eagerness to waive his no-trade clause. Woo notes that a few teams have expressed interest in Arenado, but those talks "have yet to yield any substantive progress." However, negotiations are expected to pick up around the winter meetings and there is a "growing sense" in the industry that Arenado will be dealt. |
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Drew Rom Drew Rom Outrighted to Triple-A
Tue, Nov 19, 2024, 3:07 PM
Rom (shoulder) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.
Analysis: The Cardinals added some prospects to the 40-man roster as Rule 5 draft protection, so Rom was a roster casualty. He had arthroscopic shoulder surgery in May and did not pitch at all in 2024. If he's healthy this spring, he should provide rotation depth at Triple-A. |
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Jose Barrero Jose Barrero Invited to Cardinals' camp
Sat, Nov 16, 2024, 1:01 PM
Barrero signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Saturday and received an invitation to spring training, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Analysis: Barrero owns just a .497 OPS across 447 plate appearances in his major-league career, and his offensive woes followed him to Triple-A last season, where he slashed .188/.277/.345 over 49 games. His chances of contributing for the Cardinals will remain low as long as he continues to struggle at the plate, though the 26-year-old may still see a healthy amount of playing time with Triple-A Memphis. |
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Ryan Helsley Ryan Helsley Move to rotation not considered
Tue, Nov 12, 2024, 11:07 AM
The Cardinals are not mulling a move to the rotation for Helsley, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: All 239 appearances for Helsley at the major-league level have come in relief, but he came up through the minors as a starting pitcher. While there has been some speculation the Cardinals might consider giving the 30-year-old another chance to start, it does not appear that is in the plans following Helsley's major-league-leading 49 saves in 2024. They will, however, reportedly entertain trade offers for Helsley, who is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility. |
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Nolan Arenado Nolan Arenado Trade possibilities to be explored
Thu, Nov 7, 2024, 8:51 AM
The Cardinals are expected to gauge trade interest in Arenado this month, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that at least one of the team's four players with no-trade clauses is open to the club exploring trade interest from other teams. It seems that player is Arenado, who is owed $74 million over the next three seasons (with $10 million of that being covered by the Rockies). Arenado will turn 34 in April and fell off to a .272/.325/.394 batting line with 16 home runs in 2024, although he was a Gold Glove finalist at third base. There would figure to be plenty of interest in the eight-time All-Star even as he's coming off a down season, although trade talks will be complicated since Arenado can essentially dictate his landing spot. |
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Pedro Pages Pedro Pages Splitting catching duties
Wed, Nov 6, 2024, 3:57 PM
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Pages and Ivan Herrera will split catching duties next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Willson Contreras will be a first baseman and designated hitter moving forward, clearing a path of playing time at catcher. Pages was the preferred option over Herrera down the stretch of the 2024 season while Contreras was hurt, mostly because he's viewed as a much better defender. The 26-year-old Pages slashed .238/.281/.376 with seven homers over 68 contests this season. |
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Ivan Herrera Ivan Herrera Set to split time at catcher
Wed, Nov 6, 2024, 3:54 PM
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Herrera and Pedro Pages will share playing time at catcher next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Willson Contreras is moving into a first base/designated hitter role, clearing the way for Herrera and Pages to handle catching duties. Herrera is much more intriguing of the two from an offensive standpoint, having slashed .301/.377/.417 in 85 games over the last season seasons with the Cardinals. However, his defense -- and particularly his throwing -- have drawn scrutiny, to the point that Pages leapt him on the depth chart down the stretch. How the playing time will ultimately break down between the two in 2025 is not yet clear. |
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Willson Contreras Willson Contreras Moving to first base
Wed, Nov 6, 2024, 3:22 PM
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Contreras will be a full-time first baseman and designated hitter next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Mozeliak added that it's unlikely Contreras will do any catching at all in 2025, with Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages set to split duties behind the plate. Contreras has played 11 games at first base in his career, with his last start there coming in 2019. Contreras has slashed a robust .263/.367/.468 with 35 home runs over 209 games in his two seasons in St. Louis, but he's had trouble staying healthy and his defense at catcher has often drawn criticism. The move enhances Contreras' fantasy outlook for 2025 since he should be in the lineup more often, and it also bumps up the playing time projection for Herrera and Pages. |
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Packy Naughton Packy Naughton Re-signs on minor-league contract
Mon, Nov 4, 2024, 12:05 PM
The Cardinals re-signed Naughton (elbow) to a two-year, minor-league contract Monday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: Naughton announced the move himself on his Instagram account and also revealed that he will be sidelined until 2026 after having Tommy John and flexor surgeries on his left elbow in July. That's in addition to the flexor surgery he underwent in June of 2023. The left-handed reliever holds a 4.98 ERA and 48:22 K:BB over 59.2 innings covering parts of three seasons at the major-league level. He will turn 29 in April. |
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Roddery Munoz Roddery Munoz Claimed by St. Louis
Fri, Nov 1, 2024, 1:57 PM
The Cardinals claimed Munoz off waivers from the Marlins on Friday.
Analysis: Munoz, 24, posted a 6.53 ERA and 70:42 K:BB over 82.2 innings in 2024, serving up a whopping 26 home runs. The right-hander will represent rotation depth in St. Louis. |
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JoJo Romero JoJo Romero To start throwing next week
Tue, Oct 22, 2024, 2:30 PM
Romero (forearm) is slated to begin a throwing program next week, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: Romero landed on the 15-day injured list during the final week of the regular season due to left forearm inflammation. However, as long as he can avoid setbacks, it would appear he is in line for his normal offseason routine. Romero held a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 59 innings for the Cardinals during the 2024 regular season. |
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Sonny Gray Sonny Gray Expected to have normal offseason
Tue, Oct 22, 2024, 2:27 PM
Gray is on track have a normal offseason after finishing the regular season on the 15-day injured list with right forearm flexor tendinitis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: Gray missed his final start of the season because of the forearm issue, but his offseason training is expected to be unaffected. The right-hander held a 3.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 203:39 K:BB across 28 regular-season starts during his first year in St. Louis. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Has cyst removed from hand
Tue, Oct 22, 2024, 2:24 PM
Winn underwent surgery following the conclusion of the season to have a cyst removed from his hand, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: It's not clear which hand was operated on, but it was a minor procedure which is not expected to affect his offseason workouts. Winn slashed .267/.314/.416 with 15 homers and 11 stolen bases over 150 regular-season games in his first full major-league season. |
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Alec Burleson Alec Burleson Drives in three in win
Mon, Sep 30, 2024, 11:40 AM
Burleson went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Giants.
Analysis: Burleson hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and drove in two more runs with another single in the sixth. While he was a bright spot for most of 2024 for the Cardinals, Burleson hit just .202 and slugged a mere .226 in September while slipping back into a strong-side platoon role. He finishes the year with a .269/.314/.420 slash line, 21 home runs, 78 RBI, 71 runs scored, 20 doubles and nine stolen bases over 152 games. |
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Brendan Donovan Brendan Donovan Goes deep in win
Mon, Sep 30, 2024, 7:46 AM
Donovan went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two walks in Sunday's win over the Giants.
Analysis: Donovan opened the game's scoring with a solo shot in the third inning and later added an RBI single in the fifth. It was his second straight multi-hit performance and fifth over his last 11 games. During that span, he posted a 1.045 OPS with five extra-base knocks. Donovan finishes the 2024 campaign with a .278/.342/.417 slash line, 73 RBI and 51 extra-base hits through 153 games. |
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Michael McGreevy Michael McGreevy Fires gem Sunday
Mon, Sep 30, 2024, 7:43 AM
McGreevy (3-0) allowed a run on five hits over eight innings Sunday, striking out six and earning a win over the Giants.
Analysis: McGreevy let just one Giant reach scoring position through six frames before finally coughing up an RBI single to Brett Wisely in the seventh inning. McGreevy was very efficient, throwing 64 of 91 pitches for strikes, though he forced only seven whiffs. He was impressive during his short rookie season; McGreevy posted a 1.96 ERA and an 18:2 K:BB through 23 frames. |
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Nolan Arenado Nolan Arenado Sitting again Sunday
Sun, Sep 29, 2024, 1:47 PM
Arenado is not in Sunday's lineup against the Giants.
Analysis: Arenado will get the last two games of the season off. Jose Fermin is starting at the hot corner, batting ninth. |
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