Blues Busy On First Day Of NHL Draft

The St. Louis Blues had a busy first day at the NHL draft on Friday night in Chicago. They drafted Robert Thomas a center in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) for the London Knights with their 1st round pick (20th overall). The Blues had another pick in the first round, at no.27. They ended up trading that pick to the Philadelphia Flyers, along with center Jori Lehtera for center Brayden Schenn. As part of the trade, the Flyers also get a conditional draft choice in 2018.

After doing that, the Blues swung another trade. This time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They traded fan favorite Ryan Reaves and their 51st pick in the 2nd round to the Penguins for their 31st pick in the 1st round and center Oskar Sundqvist. The Blues used that pick on forward Klim Kostin.

Thomas, 17, was ranked no.22 by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau. That ranking is for North American skaters. He compares his game to forward Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) and forward Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators). Last season, he played in 66 games. He scored 16 goals, and had 50 assists. Those were good for 66 points.

Klim Kostin seems to be the most interesting player. Kostin, 18, has been compared to Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin. He would have been a top 10 pick, if he didn't have a shoulder injury. He's known for his speed, puck handling, and likes going hard to the front of the net. Kostin is 6'3, and weighs 207.

Sundqvist, 23, was a Penguins top prospect. He was drafted in the 3rd round back in 2012. People seem to like his size, and physical style. He is able to play all three forward positions.

What do the Blues get in Brayden Schenn? He's a player who the Blues need. He will go to the front of the net. While, he doesn't do much on 5 on 5; he makes up for that on the power play. Last season, he scored 25 goals (17 on the power play). The last two seasons, Schenn has scored a total of 51 goals (28 of them on the power play). He isn't scared to fight as well. He'll start out as a center, but he can also play all three forward positions.

While, fans will miss Ryan Reaves the Blues upgraded their team a lot. It was worth it. Doug Armstrong made off with highway robbery. The Penguins needed someone to protect Sidney Crosby.  Jori Lehtera was a player the Blues wanted to get rid of. He really hasn't done anything since his first NHL season. Last season, Lehtera was hurt. Was that a reason why did bad? It could be, but no one really knows.

Matt Adams Traded To Braves

On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Braves starting first baseman Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Loup. The pitch fractured Freeman's wrist, which will cause him to miss 10 weeks. At the time of the injury, Freeman was an early candidate for the MVP award. He was hitting .341, with 14 home runs, and 25 rbi's. The 14 home runs, had lead the league.

The Braves needed a stop-gap to fill first base, while Freeman is out. On Saturday evening they acquired first baseman Matt Adams and cash consideration from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for 1B/3B Juan Yepez. Yepez, 19, out of Caracas, Venezuela was signed as an international free-agent in July, 2014. He's said to have raw power, but has been slowed by injuries. That's why it may not show much in his stats so far. It would be nice to see him progress and see if that is true, and stay healthy.

Right now Yerez is hitting .275, with 1 home run, 15 rbi's, and 4 stolen bases in 36 games for Class A Rome. He's a .281 career hitter, with 125 hits, 34 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home runs, 54 rbi's, and 7 stolen bases.

As for Matt Adams, he had been a Cardinals since reaching the MLB in May, 2012. Adams, 28, seems like he's always had the potential to be a good player. He hasn't fully shown that yet.

Adams' best season came in 2014, when he hit .288 with 15 home runs, and 68 rbi's.

In his career, Adams has played in 486 games, 164 runs, 387 hits, 83 doubles, 5 triples, 56 home runs, 217 rbi's, 4 stolen bases, 93 walks, and a batting average of .271. Adams also has a OBP of .315.

Not sure what to expect in Yepez, since he seems to be still developing. It would be nice if his scouting reports are true. Matt Adams needed a change of scenery. The trade could be a win-win for Adams, while Freddie Freeman is out. Adams could be traded to a different team, once Freeman is fully healthy. 

Yadier Molina Signs Extension With Cardinals

Reports broke on Thursday evening that the St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina were close to agreeing to a new contract, that would keep him a Cardinal. On Sunday, they officially signed off on the contract.  Molina signs a new contract for thee-years, worth $60 million. It runs through 2020. He becomes the highest paid catcher in baseball with his new contract.

Molina, 34, is entering his 14th season in the MLB. He's been a Cardinal forever. The Cardinals drafted him in June 2000, in the 4th round (113th overall). He ended up making his MLB debut on June 3, 2004 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since then, Yadier Molina has developed into one the best catchers to ever play the game. He's appeared in 7 All-Star games (2009-2015), 3 World Series (winning 2 of them), 8 gold glove award (2008-2015), 4 platinum glove awards (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), and 1 silver slugger award (2013).

His offense didn't fully show when he first came up, he was more known for his defense. His offense started to show a bit in 2006, during the Cardinals run to the 2006 World Series.

Molina's career stats: 1,611 games played, 541 runs, 1,593 hits, 308 doubles, 6 triples, 108 home runs, 703 rbi's, 47 stolen bases, and a career batting average of .285.

Great move by the Cardinals at keeping Yadier Molina around. He's an icon in St. Louis, and maybe as big as Yogi Berra was, even though he never played for the Cardinals but was from St. Louis. Molina is a future Hall Of Fame catcher. The Cardinals have never had a Hall Of Fame catcher spend their entire career with the team, Molina looks like he'll become the first one.

Only two Cardinals players have had their number retired by the Cardinals, who didn't play with any other teams: Bob Gibson, and Stan Musial. Yadier Molina could very well become the third player to never where a different uniform.

Happy Opening Day to everyone!

Jose Ramirez Agrees To Contract Extension

Jose Ramirez, 24, last season playing for the Cleveland Indians enjoyed a breakout season. On Friday, the Indians and Ramirez agreed to a contract extension. Ramirez gets a four-year contract extension, that is worth $26 million. The contract also includes two $11 million options. The total contract, could end up being worth $50 million.

Ramirez helped lead the Indians to their first World Series appearance since 1997. He hit .312, with 84 runs, 176 hits, 46 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, 76 rbi's, 22 stolen bases, and 44 walks. He played in 152 games. The 46 doubles and 22 stolen bases were the second most in the American League. Ramirez also hit .355 with runners in scoring position.

Ramirez has played three seasons in the MLB. His career stats are: 332 games played, 166 runs, 311 hits, 70 doubles, 9 triples, 19 home runs, 120 rbi's, 42 stolen bases, 91 walks, and a career batting average of .275.

The contract extension for Ramirez and the Indians is a good long-term investment. He is currently the Indians starting third baseman, but he is a versatile player. He is capable of play shortstop, second base, and left field.

Solid move by the Indians.

Patrik Berglund Signs Extension With Blues

Patrik Berglund, 28, was set to become a free agent at the end of the 2016-2017 season. That changed on Friday, when the St. Louis Blues agreed to a five-year contract extension with Berglund. Berglund's new contract is worth $19.25 million. The contract includes a partial no-trade clause. He has played in 60 games this season, and is currently second on the team with 17 goals, 7 assists, and is 10th in points with 24.

There had been rumors that Berglund could be traded on March 1, 2017 (NHL trade deadline day), instead Berglund will remain with the Blues. He was drafted by the Blues in the 1st round of the 2006 NHL draft, no.25 overall. He's played in 615 games, 145 goals, 141 assists, 286 points, 206 penalty minutes, and is a plus 17. The 615 games are tied for seventh for most games played in Blues franchise history.

Berglund's best season so far was back in 2010-2011, when he played 81 games, scoring 22 goals, 30 assists, 52 points, and was a -3. Last season, during the Blues playoff run he did well scoring 4 goals, and getting 5 assists. He seems to have improved dating back to last season. Berglund made it known he wanted to stay a Blue, and if he had hit free agency he could have made more money. It's a win-win for Berglund and the Blues.

Cardinals Sign Cuban OF Jose Adolis Garcia

The St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent Cuban outfielder Jose Adolis Garcia to a minor league contract, with an invite to spring training. The contract is for one-year, and is worth $2.5 million. He's the younger brother of Atlanta Braves third baseman Adonis García

Adolis Garcia, will now be in a battle to win a roster spot. The players he's battling are Todd Cunningham, Chad Huffman, Jose Martinez, Tommy Pham, and Jordan Schafer. Harrison Bader could be in the mix too, but it seems like the Cardinals might want him to get more playing time in Memphis first.

Garcia, 24, played in Japan last summer. That didn't go too well for him, he hit .234 in 117 at bats, and 37 strikeouts. He walked only six times. He was the MVP for the Cuban national league in 2015, he hit .319, with 14 home runs, 71 rbi's, 11 stolen bases, and 34 walks in 81 games. The season before, in 2014, he played 85 games and hit .322, with 12 home runs, 53 rbi's, 11 stolen bases, and 20 walks. Besides the outfield, Garcia can play second base.

Baseball America ranked Garcia as their 20th best player in April 2015, that was when he was still in Cuba. Can Garcia find success coming to the Cardinals? Time will tell, it seems like he has a chance if he's willing to improve and work on the things he needs to get better with. If he doesn't make the Cardinals out of spring training, he could wind up in Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis and try to work his way up from there.

St. Louis Cardinals 2017 Season Preview

Offseason Additions: Brett Cecil, Dexter Fowler, John Gant, Chris Ellis, Jordan Schafer, Zach Phillips, Eric Fryer, Gabriel Lino, Luke Dykstra, Wilfredo Tovar, Austin Wilson, Todd Cunningham, Chad Huffman

Offseason Subtractions: Matt Holliday, Brandon Moss, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Brayan Pena, Jaime Garcia, Seth Maness, Tim Cooney, Dean Kiekhefer, Jordan Walden, Jerome Williams

Point team prediction: 87-90 wins, 2nd place (wild card). Last season the Cardinals didn't do so great, yes they came within one game from getting the wild card, but they went 86-76. A lot of that was because of bad defense, and bad base running. The Cardinals also let some of the teams do better than them when the played them, teams that shouldn't be better than them: Milwaukee Brewers 13-6, and Cincinnati Reds 10-9 are a few teams the Cardinals should have been better against. The Cardinals right now look somewhat better than last season, because of Fowler and Cecil. Cardinals could use another bat or bullpen help at some point. But, they have the makings to be a good team. Doing well at home would help.

Starting rotation: Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake, Michael Wacha, Lance Lynn

Bullpen: Seung-Hwan Oh, Trevor Rosenthal, Jonathan Broxton,  Matt Bowman, Miguel Socolovich (if Tyler Lyons isn't ready to start the season), Kevin Siegrist, Brett Cecil

Lineup:

1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Aledmys Diaz, SS
3. Matt Carpenter, 1B
4. Stephen Piscotty, RF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, 3B
7. Randal Grichuk, LF
8. Kolten Wong, 2B
9. pitcher

Bench:
Eric Fryer, Jedd Gyorko, Matt Adams, Greg Garcia, Tommy Pham

Prospect(s) to watch:
Breyvic Valera could be someone to watch in camp, if he does well he could force Greg Garcia out of a job. Harrison Bader, Luke Weaver, and Rowan Wick (could see the MLB in 2017).

Fantasy Stud: Carlos Martinez

He evolved into an ace for the Cardinals in 2016. Martinez won a career high 16 games. The 16 wins were good for 5th in the National League. He started 31 games, and had 20 quality starts (good for 6th). He pitched 195.1 innings (10th), his era was 3.04 (9th). While doing all of that, Martinez was able to hold opponents' to a .233 batting average (12th).