Miller Time: St. Louis Cardinals Sign Andrew Miller

One of the goals in the offseason for the 2019 season the St. Louis Cardinals wanted to do was find a left handed reliever for their bullpen. The Cardinals bullpen last season had trouble getting left handed hitters out. That may have changed on Friday with the Cardinals signing LHP Andrew Miller to a two-year contract worth $25 million with a vesting option for 2021. The option vests if Miller makes 110 appearances combined in 2019-2020. Miller's option is worth $12 million and it includes a buyout for $2.5 million. The contract includes a full no-trade clause.

Miller, 33, spent the last three seasons playing for the Cleveland Indians. He helped the Indians reach the 2016 World Series after being acquired from the New York Yankees. Miller struck-out a career high 123 batters. Miller was an All-Star in 2016, and 2017. In 2015, Miller served as the Yankees closer getting 36 saves in 61.2 innings with 100 strikeouts, and 20 walks. He'd later win AL Reliver of the Year for 2015. Miller didn't pitch in the playoffs in 2013 because he was injured but he won a World Series with the Red Sox.

Miller has played 13 seasons in the MLB. Over those 13 seasons his career stats are: 49-48, 3.98 era, 483 games, 66 starts, 53 saves, 725.1 innings, 853 strikeouts, 335 walks, and a whip of 1.34. Miller ranks among the MLB's top 10 in reliver era (2.00 - 4th), opponent batting average (.170 - 7th), strikeouts (263 - tied for 9th), strikeout/walk ratio (5.72 - 7th), holds (63 - 7th), and whip (0.88 - 4th) all over all the past three seasons.

Miller was injured for some of the 2018 season, but he still was able to get left handed batters out. They hit .227 against Miller last season. That's an upgrade compared to any lefty the Cardinals had last season. If healthy Miller should be fine for the Cardinals in 2019. The Cardinals even did more background work on Miller to make sure he was healthy. Andrew Miller, Alex Reyes, and Jordan Hicks could be a nice back end of the bullpen for the Cardinals. Will the Cardinals find another arm or two for the bullpen? They need a backup catcher for Yadier Molina at some point. The Cardinals are having one of their best off-seasons in awhile getting both Paul Goldschmidt and now Andrew Miller.

To make room for Andrew Miller on the 40-man roster the Cardinals have designated RHP Ryan Meisinger for assignment.

St. Louis Blues Sign Robert Bortuzzo To Extension

The St. Louis Blues have signed defense Robert Bortuzzo to a three-year contract worth $1.375 million per year. Bortuzzo, 29, is currently in his fifth season with the Blues since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade that sent defenseman Ian Cole. Bortuzzo is one of the Blues most consistent defenseman and is one of their best defenders.

He seems to get hate for whatever reason, my guess is because he isn't a big name compared to other players. Bortuzzo can get physical in front of the net and tends to do a good job overall.

Bortuzzo had a career high 13 points last season, and played in a career high 72 games. Overall Bortuzzo has played 8 seasons in the NHL. He's played 288 games, with 13 goals, 32 assists, 45 points, plus 13, and has 310 penalty minutes.

Bortuzzo's new contract will be until he's 33. The contract is team friendly and should work for both sides.

Cardinals Make Big Splash; Acquire Paul Goldschmidt

On Wednesday evening the St. Louis Cardinals made their first big move of the offseason. The Cardinals traded for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return the Diamondbacks get catcher Carson Kelly, starting pitcher Luke Weaver, prospect 2B Andy Young, and a 2019 Competitive Balance Round B 2019 draft pick. Goldschmidt 31, joins a Cardinals team that is looking to make the postseason in 2019 for their first time since 2015. Goldschmidt developed into a franchise player while playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Goldschmidt had made the All-Star team six times, all of them since 2013. If that isn't good enough he's won the Silver Slugger Award four times (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018). He's also won three Gold Glove Awards (2013, 2015, 2017), NL RBI leader in 2013 with 125, NL home run leader in 2013 with 36, and has also won the NL Hank Aaron Award which was in 2013. He has a pretty good track record coming to the Cardinals. He's played eight seasons in the MLB all of them were with the Diamondbacks. Over those seasons, his career stats are: 1,092 games, 709 runs, 1,182 hits, 267 doubles, 19 triples, 209 home runs, 710 rbi's, 124 stolen bases, 695 walks, and a .297 batting average. He also likes hitting Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers pitching

Against the Brewers in Goldschmidt's career he hits .366 with 10 home runs and 32 rbi's. He hits .420 in Miller Park. Against the Cubs he hits .353 with 14 home runs and 39 rbi's. At Wrigley Field he hits .337.

What do the Diamondbacks get in Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver, and Andy Young? Kelly, 24, is a catcher who use to play third base. He's still young and has the potential to be a good player if he gets playing time. Playing time is hard for any catcher behind Yaider Molina. Kelly saw some playing time with the Cardinals, but he didn't show much of anything when he got chances. He's played in 63 games with 10 rbi's, an a .154 batting average. Kelly has won a Gold Glove before in the minors so he can play good defense.

Weaver, 25, has shown flashes that he could be good. He needs to work on developing a breaking ball. In 2017, he went 7-2 with an era of 3.88 in 60.1 innings. For whatever reason in 2018, he seemed up and down. He went 7-11 with an era of 4.95 in 136.1 innings. Was it because it was his first full season in the MLB? Time will tell. The good thing for both Kelly and Weaver is that they are still young enough to develop into better players than they currently are.

Any Young, 25, seems like an intriguing player. He has power, hitting 41 home runs so far in the minor league career. Last season combined he hit 21 home runs with 58 rbi's, and hit .289. The season before he hit 17 home runs with 59 rbi's. Overall he hits .281 in his career in the minors.

On paper the Cardinals seem to win this trade, but you never know who the Diamondbacks will draft with their pick and if that player will end up good. You also don't know if Kelly or Weaver or both will improve. The Cardinals will need to keep Paul Goldschmidt beyond 2019. If they are able to keep him it becomes a big steal for the Cardinals. They have a good track record at keeping players who are rentals. The players tend to fall in love with St. Louis and want to stay. Past players who ended up staying after being traded to the Cardinals were Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, and Matt Holliday. Jason Heyward broke that trend, but still that's a pretty good track record with players coming to St. Louis and staying put.

The Diamondbacks could have gotten a lot more for Goldschmidt. Maybe not allowing the Cardinals to talk to him about a contract extension hurt his trade value. The word is the Diamondbacks asked him where he wanted to be traded. Goldschmidt chose St. Louis. The Cardinals didn't even need to give up Dakota Hudson, Austin Gomber, or even Alex Reyes. That's a big win for the Cardinals not needing to give up either of those prospects. Having Andrew Knizner made Carson Kelly expendable. Knizner is said to be the Cardinals future catcher whenever Molina retires. It should be interesting to see what the Cardinals do next. The Cardinals getting Goldschmidt could be a big message for the rest of the NL Central.

St. Louis Cardinals Re-sign Adam Wainwright

On Thursday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that they have officially re-signed starting pitcher Adam Wainwright to a one-year contract. The terms of the contract aren't known, but it's probably a team friendly with performance based incentives. Wainwright, 37, will be entering his fifteenth season as a Cardinal. Wainwright's fifteenth season will tie him with former Cardinals starting pitcher Bob Forsch for third-most as a pitcher in a Cardinals uniform. Wainwright missed a lot of the 2018 season, but in the final month he showed the Cardinals he could still help a little.

Yes, his era was high with an era of 4.84 in 4 starts but the strikeouts were up, and he had less walks. His best start was on September 16, 2018 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched 6 strong innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts, and 3 walks. The Cardinals won 5-0. He seemed fine against the San Francisco Giants in his next starts, but the defense hurt him in that game. He finished the 2018 season going 2-4 in 8 starts, 4.46 era, 40.1 innings, 40 strikeouts, and 18 walks.

Wainwright's career numbers are: 148 wins, 85 losses , 3.32 era, 352 games, 285 starts, 22 complete games, 10 shutouts, 3 saves, 1,932.0 innings, 1,623 strikeouts, 512 walks, and a whip of 1.21.

Wainwright may be near the end of the road but his presence means a lot to the team. Teams value that a lot to help younger player. Wainwright has been a big influence for starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. What will Adam Wainwright's role be in 2019? Will he be a starting pitcher or work out of the bullpen? To me he could be a good spot starter if needed. Wainwright if he does have a good season left in him can retire as a Cardinal, and go out on a good note. I think Wainwright himself wants to go out a better way somehow.

Mike Shildt Has Interim Tag Removed, Named Manager

Mike Shildt managed his first game as a MLB manager on July 15, 2018 against the Cincinnati Reds. That was a day after Mike Matheny got fired. The St. Louis Cardinals were 47-46 in 3rd place in the NL Central right at the All-Star break. Something had to be done. Maybe the Cardinals waited too long to fire Mike Matheny, but they did. Mike Shildt was named interim manager. He ended up winning his first game as manager. Under Mike Shildt the Cardinals have gone 26-12. Since the All-Star break the Cardinals have 25 wins, the most in the MLB. The Cardinals have won 9 consecutive series, which is their first time since 2009. Before that happened in 2009, the last time a Cardinals team won 9 consecutive series was in 1944.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinals decided to remove the interim tag from Mike Shildt naming him the organizations 50th manager in franchise history. Shildt, 50, gets a two-year contract through 2020. Shildt started out with the Cardinals as a scout in 2004, he served as an area scout in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. At the time of his hiring Shildt told the Cardinals he wanted the change to coach. He served as a part-time coach for two seasons. He got a full-time coaching position in 2006. In 2009, the Cardinals made Shildt manager for the Johnson City Cardinals. He went 37-30. In Shildt's second season as manager, he guided them to a record of 42-24. His team won the Appalachian League championship. Shildt ended up being named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Manager of the Year. Shildt also was named Appalachian Manager of the Year.

The next season, in 2011, Shildt's team repeated as league champions. That was the first time Johnson City had won two league championships back to back since 1975, and 1976. In 2012, Shildt moved up to manage the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. He managed them for five seasons. In his first season as their manager, they won their first ever Texas League Championship. That team was named Baseball America's Team of the year. Shildt later managed the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds from 2015-2016.

Cardinals players seem to have responded to Mike Shildt well since he became manager. He works well with the younger players, which is something the Cardinals wanted Mike Matheny to do. You can tell the players respect Mike Shildt a lot. They talk on the field, and are playing well together. Is it maybe too soon or should the Cardinals have waited until after the season? Maybe, but to me if the wheels were to fall off that would have been on Sunday because of Saturday's 9-1 loss in Colorado to the Rockies at Coors Field. Instead they bounced back well on Sunday and won 12-3.

The Cardinals went 5-1 on their recent road trip. The last time a Cardinals team went 5-1 on a road trip was in 2008. Shildt has also managed a lot of the current players in the minors. That's a plus when a manager knows the players well, and they know him.

On paper it seems like a win-win for both sides.

Patrick Maroon Comes Home, Signs With Hometown Team

Fee agent left wing Patrick Maroon was maybe the best free agent left in NHL free agency. On Tuesday, he went off the free agent market and signed with his hometown team the St. Louis Blues. Maroon, 30, went to Oakville High School in St. Louis. He's always wanted to play for his hometown team. Now he gets his wish. In an interview a few years ago after a game against the Blues, he teared up seeing his son's reaction to him scoring a goal. Maroon said that he didn't get to see them as much. He now can see his family more too.

Maroon, signs a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. When the Blues have more money in January, they will offer him a contract extension. The Blues could have draft Maroon back in June 2007, but instead they drafted Anthony Peluso in the sixth round. Right after Peluso was drafted, the Philadelphia Flyers drafted Maroon at 161 overall. He never got the play for the Flyers though, they ended up trading him to the Anaheim Ducks on November 21, 2010 with right wing David Laliberte for center Rob Bordson, and defenseman Danny Syvret. After not really getting much of a chance on the Ducks in 2011-2012, or 2012-2013 he finally got a chance in 2013-2014. Maroon played in 62 games, scoring 11 goals, with 18 assists, 29 points, and was a plus 11.

The next season, he got 34 points playing in 71 games. Maroon helped lead the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Finals, even though they lost to the New York Rangers. Maroon was one of the Ducks' best playoffs during their playoff run. He played in 16 games, scoring 7 goals, with 4 assists, 11 points, and was a plus 4. A few seasons later, Maroon was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He became a line-mate for Connor McDavid, and had a career year in 2016-2017. Maroon played in a career high 81 games, scoring 27 goals, 15 assists, 42 points, and was a plus 13.

Last season at the trade deadline the Oilers traded Maroon to the New Jersey Devils for center J.D. Dubek, and a 3rd round pick in the 2019 NHL draft. In his short time playing for the Devils, the did well enough for make them interested in bringing him back.

Maroon will be entering his eight season in the NHL. His overall in his career he's played in 375 games, with 78 goals, 100 assists, 178 points, 451 penalty minutes, and is a plus 12. In the playoffs, Maroon has played in 47 games, with 13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points, and is a plus 2.

What does Maroon bring to the Blues that they were maybe missing? Maroon brings the Blues the ability to create time and space for his teammates. Maroon being 6'3 allows him to do that. He also adds toughness and grit. If a player wants to make a run at Vladimir Tarasenko or even Alex Pietrangelo then they might want to think about dealing with Maroon. Last season players were able to get to them. I think that hurt the Blues when that happened, because the Blues need both of those players. You can't have team's going after your top players and expect to win.

Maroon may not have a Connor McDavid to help him on the Blues, but he can still help their team in lots of ways. If Robby Fabbri needs help coming back healthy, Maroon even takes some of the pressure of him. He can play on any of the top lines, even though at best he's probably a third line player.

Maroon will become the third St. Louis born player to play for the Blues in franchise history. The other two players from St. Louis who have played for the Blues are Cam Janssen, and Christ Butler.

Blues Acquire O'Reilly In Blockbuster Trade

Sunday ended up being a big day for the St. Louis Blues, they weren't finished yet upgrading their roster for the 2018-2019 season. After signing David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Chad Johnson they worked a trade with the Buffalo Sabers to get center Ryan O'Reilly. For O'Reilly the Blues give the Buffalo Sabers center Tage Thompson, center Vladimir Sobotka, left wing/center Patrik Berglund, a first round pick in 2019, and a second round pick in 2021. The first round pick is top ten protected, which means if the Blues finish in the top 10 they get to keep the pick.

O'Reilly, 27, was probably the top free agent available for a team to get. Last season, he broke Rod Brind'Amour's single season faceoff record (1,269). The new faceoff record is (1,274). Blues star forward, Vladimir Tarasenko also needed someone who can help get him the puck. O'Reilly is that type of player who can accomplish that. He was an All-Star for the first time in 2015-2016.

O'Reilly is entering his tenth season, he's played in 651 games, 155 goals, 267 assists, 422 points, and is -53. He gets about 50-60 points every seasons. His career in goals was 28 back in 2013-2014, when he played for the Colorado Avalanche. That season he also had a career in points with 64. In the playoffs O'Reilly has played in 13 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, and is a plus 3.

What to the Sabers get? Tage Thompson, 20, was the Blues fourth best prospect. He played in 41 games last season, with 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, and a -12. He probably was one of the keys to the trade, along with the draft picks. He should be able to help the Sabers who are rebuilding and trying to become better.

Sobotka, 32, can be a reliable player at times. Last season was his first season back in the NHL, after playing in Russia for a few seasons. Sobotka played in a career high 81 games, with another career high 11 goals. He had 31 points, which were two away from tying his career high in points. He didn't show his toughness as much as he had before going to play in Russia.

He's entering his tenth season in the NHL, he's played in 463 games, 47 goals, 108 assists, 155 points, and is a -4. In the playoffs Sobotka has played 51 games, 5 goals, 13 assists, and 18 points.

Berglund, 30, tends to be hot and cold a lot of the time. He goes on streaks where he's good, and then other streaks where he isn't good. His best season came in 2010-2011, when he had 52 points.

He's is entering his eleventh season, he's played in 694 games, 168 goals, 154 assists, 322 points, and is a plus 10. In the playoffs Berglund has played 60 games, 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points, and is a -1.

The trade should help both teams. Both the Blues and Sabers got what they wanted if they were to make a trade. The Blues have improved their roster a lot on the first day of free agency. Will they have a few more moves or are they finished? Right now it looks like a good offseason for the Blues.

Blues Sign Tyler Bozak

The St. Louis Blues were desperate for a center, after prices on centers ended up being too high. Would it make sense to trade Robert Thomas for Ryan O'Reilly? No, it wouldn't. For now the Blues went a safer route signing free agent center Tyler Bozak from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bozak, 32, signs a three-year contract worth $15 million. He was probably the third best center on the market. He isn't a big name, but he can help a little.

Bozak went undrafted out of University of Denver. After being undrafted, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a two-year, entry level contract on April 3, 2009. He made himself into a fan favorite during his time with the Leafs. Bozak is able to put himself in good positions, and he seems aware of his own capabilities. He passes more than he shoots. Bozak was also a popular teammate, and a mentor for the younger players.

Among faceoff leaders last season, Bozak ranked 29th with 53.6%.

Bozak is entering his tenth NHL season, all of his seasons had been with the Maple Leafs. He's played in 594 games, 136 goals, 229 assists, 365 points, and is a -78. His career high in points came in 2016-2017, with 55. In 2014-2015, Bozak scored 23 goals. In the playoffs, he's played in 18 games, and has score 5 goals, with 5 assists, 10 points, and is a -1. Bozak looks to be an upgrade over Kyle Brodziak, who left to join to Edmonton Oilers.

David Perron Returns To Blues

On Sunday, NHL free agency started. The St. Louis Blues on the first day of free agency brought back a familiar name and face in free agent left wing David Perron. Perron, 30, signs a four-year contract worth $16 million. Perron was left unprotected in the expansion draft last offseason. The Vegas Golden Knights decided he'd be good for their team, so they took him.

Perron went on to have his best season of his career getting 66 points. He had 16 goals, and 50 assists in 70 games. He helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, but lost to the Washington Capitals. Perron seemed to wake up in the playoffs, having his best one of his career. He got 9 points in 15 games. This will be Perron's third stint with the Blues. Will the third time be a charm? He's a good player, but in order for Perron to do well he needs other players to do well. Perron can help if others are on their game. It's good that Perron knows the Blues system well.

Perron will be entering his twelfth season in the NHL, so far he's played 722 games, 175 goals, 269 assists, 444 points, and is a plus 2. The Blues need more than just Perron if they want to make the playoffs this coming season. Last season, the Blues missed by one point. Is a number one center coming next? The Blues lost Kyle Brodziak as a free agent to the Edmonton Oilers, so they will need to find someone to replace him.

Nationals Land Kevlin Herrera

The Washington Nationals looking to upgrade their bullpen for the late innings found help on Monday evening. They acquired Kelvin Herrera a two-time All-Star closer from the Kansas City Royals for prospects 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, OF Blake Perkins, and RHP Yohanse Morel. Herrera, 28, helped the Royals win the 2015 World Series. In 2015, he has an era of 2.71 in 69.2 innings.

Herrera, became the Royals closer in 2017, after they trade Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs during the offseason. His first season as a closer didn't go too well. He finished the season with an era of 4.25 with 26 saves. Herrera in 2018, has proven last season was an off year. So far he has an era of 1.05 with 14 saves, in 25.2 innings. He joins a Washington Nationals bullpen that already has Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson, Brandon Kintzler (currently on the disabled list), Shawn Kelley, and Tim Collins (he knows Herrera from their time with the Royals).

Over eight seasons in the MLB, Herrera's career stats are: 23 wins, 27 losses, 2.75 era, 57 saves, 441.1 innings, 438 strikeouts, 138 walks, and a whip of 1.13. Herrera can become a free agent after the season, unless the Nationals re-sign him.

As for both prospects heading to the Royals, both Gutierrez, and Perkins were ranked in the Nationals top 20. Gutierrez ranked no.10, and Perkins ranked no.11. Gutierrez, 23, currently is playing in Double-A, on the season he's hitting .274, with 5 home runs, 26 rbi's, and 10 stolen bases.

Perkins, 21, is currently in advanced A, he's hitting .234, with 1 home run, 21 rbi's, and 12 stolen bases.

Moreal, 17, is in his first season. He's pitching in the Dominican Summer League. He's made 1 start, with an era of 8.10, 3.1 innings, 5 strikeouts, and 1 walk.

Good move for both teams. The Royals upgrade their farm, and the Nationals add bullpen help to their roster.

St. Louis Cardinals Land Greg Holland

On Opening Day 2018, teams pretty much were ready to start the season. There was a closer named Greg Holland who went unsigned all offseason. He was an All-Star in 2017, and lead the NL in saves with 41. It was Holland's first full season back after having Tommy John surgery. He finished the season with an era of 3.61. There were lots of unsigned pitchers most recently finding new teams, one was Alex Cobb who signed with the Baltimore Orioles. When would Greg Holland be signed? Who was going to sign him?

That got answered with the St. Louis Cardinals still looking for a closer, they made one last addition to their roster signing Greg Holland to a one-year contract; worth $14 million. Holland, 32, should help the Cardinals improved bullpen. They already added Luke Gregerson, and Dominic Leone. Both of them can be good setup men, that's if Gregerson can stay healthy and do well. The Cardinals will also have Alex Reyes at some point, and prospect Jordan Hicks made the jump skipping Double-A and Triple-A.

Holland joins the Cardinals, after spending 2017 with the Colorado Rockies. Holland could have stayed with the Rockies for 2018, but he declined his player option. Holland's option was for $15 million. The Rockies gave Holland a qualifying offer for $17.4 million, but he declined it. Why did he sign for only one-year, and $14 million? Was it because he was asking for too much and his agent is Scott Boras or is it because in August he had an era of 13.50 or is it both? Regardless he signed for less money, and he should have signed for more.

Holland is entering his eight MLB season, over his previous seven seasons his career stats are: 21 wins, 18 losses, 2.60 era, 370 games, 186 saves, 377 innings, 500 strikeouts, 151 walks, and a whip of 1.13. He's only blown 20 saves, and his save percentage is 90.3%. Holland has been an All-Star three times (2013, 2014, and 2017). He won AL Reliever of the Year in 2014, and won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

Does Greg Holland joining the Cardinals now make them a playoff contender if they weren't already? To me they have the the right pieces in place, but it starts with starting pitching and Mike Matheny trusting and listening to his coaches.

Paul DeJong Inks Contract Extension

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals and shortstop Paul DeJong reached a contract extension. DeJong, 24, signs a six-year contract, worth $26 million. The contract includes two team option years, so it could end up being $51.5 million over eight years. The extension is a new record for players who have less than one full season in the MLB, the record has belonged to Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson's contract was six-years, worth $25 million. It also including two team option years, and could be worth $50.5 million when it's finished.

DeJong got called up on May 28, 2017. He hit his first MLB home run that day at Coors Field, off of Colorado Rockies closer Greg Holland. DeJong would end up earning NL Rookie of the Month for May, he was the first Cardinals player to earn that award for the month since Kolten Wong in 2014. From there, DeJong ended up hitting .285, with 55 runs, 119 hits, 26 doubles, 25 home runs, 65 rbi's, and 1 stolen base. The 25 home runs, lead all National League shortstops. The only Cardinals rookie to have more home runs in a season was Albert Pujols in 2001 with 37. DeJong finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger.

Does this mean the Cardinals long run at finding a new shortstop each season is finished with? Hopefully it does. Ever since David Eckstein left after 2007, the Cardinals have had trouble finding a long-term shortstop. They've gone through nine different shortstop since then. The nine you ask? Cesar Izturis (2008), Khalil Greene (2009), Brendan Ryan (2010), Ryan Theriot (2011), Rafael Furcal (2012), Pete Kozma (2013), Jhonny Peralta (2014-2015), Jedd Gyorko (2016), and Aledmys Diaz (2017). So it's kind of like the NFL's Cleveland Browns, except the Browns can't find a Quarterback.

It looks like it will be a good move for both DeJong and the Cardinals. There's always the chance DeJong could have a sophomore slump and people would say it's horrible. The good side is that the contract is team friendly, even if that happens.The next player who could be in line for a contract extension on the Cardinals would probably be centerfielder Tommy Pham.

St. Louis Cardinals 2018 Season Preview

Offseason Additions: Marcell Ozuna, Miles Mikolas, Luke Gregerson, Dominic Leone, Bud Norris, Connor Greene, Yairo Munoz, Max Schrock, J.B. Woodman, Steven Baron, Francisco Pena, Ramon Urias, Wilson Soriano, Jason Motte, Preston Guilmet, Edward Mujica, Nester Molina, Granden Goetzman, Victor Roache
Offseason Subtractions: Lance Lynn, Seung-Hwan Oh, Trevor Rosenthal, Aledmys Diaz, Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, Juan Nicasio, Miguel Socolovich, Rowan Wick, Magneuris Sierra, Sandy Alcántara, Zac Gallen, Daniel Castano

Point team prediction: 85-87 wins, 2nd place. The Cardinals will enter the season hoping to get back into the playoffs somehow. They are looking to avoid missing the playoffs for three straight years in a row. The last time they missed the playoffs three years in a row was 1997,1998, and 1999. After the 99 season, they became one of the most dominate teams of the 2000's. That seems to have slipped a little knowing the Chicago Cubs are now better. It makes the rivalry more fun, but the Cardinals need to do their part to remain competitive. Could the Cardinals be trying to send a message to Mike Matheny?

The Cardinals made changes to Matheny's coaching staff in the offeason. They brought Mike Maddux in as pitching coach, he had been with the Washington Nationals as their pitching coach. He should be an upgrade over Derek Lilliquist, who was fired. Interestingly, Lilliquist became the new Nationals pitching coach. Lilliquist did a fine job for the Cardinals, but it seemed like Mike Matheny didn't want to listen to him much. So the Cardinals figured they'd try a new voice. They also brought back Jose Oquendo, to be third base coach. He had left the coaching staff to work the prospects. They Cardinals also added former Cardinals great, outfielder Willie McGee to the coaching staff. He will work with outfielders and base running. It's early but right now it seems like the new voices will help.

If the Cardinals start off bad who's on the hot seat hitting coach John Mabry or manager Mike Matheny or both? It seems like Matheny could be a better manager, but he hasn't fully figured it out. Maybe the new voices will help him improve a little? That would be nice if that happened. This will be Matheny's first season of his three-year contract.

The Cardinals seem to have a good lineup in place. What kind of scares me is the starting pitching. You can only count on Carlos Martinez, and Michael Wacha. Luke Weaver seems like he can be counted on, but he hasn't pitched much. Adam Wainwright seems to be at the end of the road. It would be nice to see Wainwright prove people wrong. Starting pitchers Jack Flaherty, and Alex Reyes might both be starting at some point. Matheny will probably go with an extra pitcher at first, so that means John Brebbia will be on the team. The bullpen looks better on paper, except they don't have a closer. If I were the Cardinals, I'd give Sam Tuivailala first shot at closing. He's out of options.

Starting rotation:
Carlos Martinez
Michael Wacha
Adam Wainwright
Luke Weaver
Miles Mikolas

Bullpen:
Sam Tuivailala
Bud Norris
Dominic Leone
Luke Gregerson
Matt Bowman
Brett Cecil
Tyler Lyons
John Brebbia

Lineup:
Dexter Fowler, RF
Tommy Pham, CF
Matt Carpenter, 1B
Marcell Ozuna, LF
Jedd Gyorko, 3B
Yadier Molina, C
Paul DeJong, SS
Kolten Wong, 2B
pitcher

Bench:
Carson Kelly
Greg Garcia
Harrison Bader
Jose Martinez

Prospect(s) to watch:
OF José Adolis García
RHP Ryan Helsley
RHP Jordan Hicks

Fantasy Stud: Carlos Martinez

Martinez will be in his 4th season as a starting pitcher. In his previous three he ranks 6th in wins in the National League, with 42. He's tied for 11th with an era of 3.26. Innings pitched you ask? 579.3, which ranks 5th. In strikeouts he ranks 7th with 575 strikeouts. Martinez has 60 quality starts, which ties him for 6th. He has a ground-ball rate at 54 percent, that ranks 2nd best. If you like WAR, 10.1 ranks him 12th.

There's only two other starting pitchers who have those numbers close to Martinez. Those two pitchers you ask? Max Scherzer, and free agent Jake Arrieta.

Cardinals Acquire Dominic Leone

On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals worked on improving their roster a bit more for the 2018 season. They traded outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Dominic Leone and starting pitcher Conner Greene.

Leone, 26, came up with the Seattle Mariners in 2014. He was a bright spot for the Mariners bullpen that season, 8-2, with an era of 2.17, 70 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 66.1 innings pitched in 57 games. The eight wins led all of MLB rookie relievers. His strikeouts were 2nd to New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances (135). His era ranked 3rd for rookie relievers.

He started 2015 season with the Mariners, but was later traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. For whatever reason, Leone wasn't good in 2015. He had an era of 8.40, with 9 stirkeouts, and 9 walks.
In 2016, he did a little better with the Diamondbacks; but had an era of 6.33. He had 23 strikeouts, and 12 walks. The Diamondbacks designated Leone for assignment  after the season.

The Blue Jays claimed Leone off of waivers in November 2016. He started the 2017 season in the minors, but later was on the Blue Jays roster for good. Leone ended up having his best season since 2014. Leone went 3-0, with an era of 2.56, 65 games, 1 save, 81 stirkeouts, 23 walks, 70.1 innings, and a whip of 1.05. His era ranked 12th among AL relievers, and 9th for innings. He was able to strand 42 of 54 inherited base runners, 78 percent. Where did that rank for AL relievers? Fourth best.

He was able to hold lefties to a 183 batting average, and righthanders to a .211 batting average. 

Leone has played four seasons in the MLB, his career stats are: 11 wins, 8 losses, 3.48 era, 160 games, 1 save, 183 strikesouts, 69 walks, 178.2 innings, and a whip of 1.32.

Greene, 22, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 7th round of the 2013 MLB draft. Last season he ranked as the Blue Jays 5th best prospect. Coming into 2018, he ranked as their 11th best prospect. Greene has five minor league seasons in his career. His career stats are: 31 wins, 31 losses, 4.04 era, 103 games, 91 starts, 1 complete game, 1 shutout, 377 strikeouts, 226 walks, and 501.1 innings pitched. Greene's best season was in 2016, when he went 10-9 with an era of 3.51, 99 strikeouts, and 146.1 innings pitched.

Grichuk, 26, fell out of favor after the Cardinals got Marcell Ozuna as the teams new leftfielder. Grichuk would have been the Cardinals fourth outfielder if they had kept him. He reached the MLB in 2014, and his first full season was in 2015. He seemed to show some promise hitting .276, with 17 home runs, and 47 rbi's. Strikeouts tend to hurt Grichuk a lot, but he can hit if he figures himself out on the Blue Jays.

Grichuk has played four seasons in the MLB, his career stats are: 404 games played, 179 runs, 321 hits, 83 doubles, 14 triples, 66 home runs, 182 rbi's, 15 stolen bases, 81 walks, and a .249 batting average.

This trade seems to be good for both teams. The Blue Jays needed another bat, and Grichuk can start. The Cardinals get bullpen help in which they needed badly. On paper it seems like the Cardinals could have a better bullpen than last season, but right now they are missing a closer.