St. Louis Cardinals 2016 Season Preview

Offseason Additions: Brayan Pena, Jedd Gyorko, Mike Leake, Seung-Hwan Oh, Jayson Aquino, Jeremy Hefner, Deck McGuire, J. C. Sulbaran, Juan González, Carlos Peguero, Eric Fryer

Offseason Subtractions: Jason Heyward, Jon Jay, Peter Bourjos, Mark Reynolds, Pete Kozma, Tony Cruz, John Lackey, Matt Belisle, Steve Cishek, Carlos Villanueva

Point team prediction: 90-95 wins, 1st place.  Last season they won 100 games, that was with lots of injuries, including Adam Wainwright missing a lot of the season. At times you wonder why they won 100 games, if you look at how many injuries they had. A lot of it was because they had depth, which they still have. Are they a better team that last season? That's debatable. A lot because the team is similar to last season, with a few upgrades. Stephen Piscotty replaces Heyward in right field, he could put up the same numbers or better with less of a salary. Bench should have more power than last season's bench did.  

Starting rotation: Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Mike Leake, Carlos Martinez, Jaime Garcia

Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal, Seung-Hwan Oh, Jonathan Broxton, Jordan Walden, Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist

As of right now one bullpen spot in open, that's assuming Walden is healthy and ready to go on Opening Day. If not then someone else like, Sam Tuivailala could make the team. The Cardinals need a second lefty too. That seems like it will be Tyler Lyons, he's out of options. Marco Gonzales still has options, along with Tim Cooney and they can be in Memphis starting in case an injury happens.

Lineup (would be nice to see the Cardinals try this):

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

Carpenter has become a power hitter, and the Cardinals best hitter. Usually, the best hitter on a team hits third. That could help give the Cardinals more offense too.

Bench:

Brayan Pena, Matt Adams, Jedd Gyorko, Tommy Pham

One bench spot is open too. Will that be Aledmys Diaz or Greg Garcia? It will be Diaz, if he's able to show he's ready and picks up where he left off in Memphis last season.

Fantasy Stud: Stephen Piscotty

He ended up being one of the Cardinals best hitters last season after being called up in July. He improved on hitting too, which is was already petty good at doing. He was able to drive in runs, and be a spark in the Cardinals offense.

Prospects who could be up at some point during the season: SP Alex Reyes (after his 40 games remaining on his suspension), LHP Dean Kiekhefer, OF Charlie Tilson, OF Anthony Garcia

Cardinals Sign Seung-Hwan Oh

The St. Louis Cardinals offseason heading into the 2016, looks like it's been a solid one. The Cardinals went into the offseason looking to add a starting pitcher, bench help, and a setup man for the bullpen, and maybe another bat. So far the Cardinals have done everything except land a bat. Today they signed RHP Seung-Hwan Oh. The Cardinals signed him to a one-year contract with an option for the 2017 season, his contract is worth $5 million.

Oh, 33, has been a closer in both Korea and Japan since 2005. He played for the Samsung Lions from 2005-2013. During those seasons, he had a record of 28-13, 444 games, 1.69 era,  277 saves, 625 strikeouts, 510.8 innings pitched, and a whip of 0.84.

He earned two nicknames in Korea. Those nicknames were "Stone Buddha", because he's said to be unshaken and he maintains an emotionless face in every situation. The other nickname is "The Final Boss", that's because of his prowess as a relief pitcher.  Oh is considered to be one of the greatest closers in Korean baseball history. To Korea, Oh is the Mariano Rivera of Korea. In Japan, Oh played two seasons with the Hanshin Tigers (2014-2015). He had a record of 4-7, 127 games, 2.25 era, 80 saves, 147 strikeouts, 135.3 innings pitched, and a whip of 0.99.

Seung-Hwan Oh has pitched eleven seasons during those 11 seasons his career record is: 32-20, 571 games, 1.81 era, 357 saves, 772 strikeouts, 149 walks, 646.1 innings pitched, and a whip of 0.85. He's been an eight time All-Star, and Rookie of the Year just to name a few award he's won over his career.

Oh will be the setup man for closer Trevor Rosenthal, and he joins Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist, Tyler Lyons, Jonathan Broxton,  Seth Maness, and Miguel Socolovich in the Cardinals bullpen. There's some people who could take one of the spots. So that bullpen might not be fully final. Jordan Walden could be healthy and ready to pitch. Dean Kiekhefer will try to beat Tyler Lyons for the second lefty spot, and Matt Bowman a 5 rule draft pick from the New York Mets would need to be on the team the whole season. If injuries happen the Cardinals also have Mitch Harris, and Sam Tuivailala as options for the bullpen.

Could a trade happen? I have a feeling one could happen, there's some teams who could use pitching. And the Cardinals still need a bat. Teams can also never have enough pitching.

A nice solid pickup for the Cardinals 2016 bullpen.

Cardinals Sign Mike Leake

The Cardinals were looking for some starting pitching after free agent starting pitcher John Lackey left for the Chicago Cubs. And then they found out starting pitcher Lance Lynn would miss the entire 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery. It took awhile to find a starting pitcher, to me that's because of the free agent market and players wanted to see what similar players were getting with other teams. Well, that ended today when the Cardinals signed free agent starting pitcher Mike Leake.

Leake, 28, signs a five-year contract, with an option for a sixth. Leake's contract is worth $80 million, and the option for the sixth year is worth $13 million, so the total could end up being $93 or $94 million. It includes a full no-trade clause and the option is a mutual option. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round of the 2009 MLB draft (8th overall), out of Arizona State. He ended up getting an invite to to spring training with the Reds in 2010, and made their team. His MLB debut was against the Chicago Cubs on April 11, 2010, in which he won 3-1, while pitching 6.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 5 strikeouts, 7 walks, and 1 earned run. He stayed with the Reds until July 30, 2015 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

Last season, Leake went 11-10 with an era of 3.70, in 30 starts, with 192.0 innings pitched. His best season was in 2013, when he went 14-7, 31 starts, 192.1 innings, with an era of 3.37. Life time against the Chicago Cubs, Leake is 9-2, with an era of 3.15 with 19 starts. And against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he's 8-3, with an era of 3.01 with 24 starts.

Leake has played six seasons in the MLB over those 6 seasons, his career record is: 64-52, 177 games, 172 starts, 4 complete game, 1 shutout, 3.88 era, 730 strikeouts, 275 walks, 1083.2 innings pitched, and a whip of 1.27.

What do you get in Mike Leake? He's a pitcher who isn't an ace type, but he's a middle of the rotation guy, who can eat innings and pitch about 200 inning. He's only pitched 200 innings once so far in his career, which was in 2014 when he pitched 214.1 innings. To me looking at stats, he reminds me of Jeff Suppan. And Leake can also hit for a pitcher, so what's not to like about him?

Mike Leake's stats at Busch Stadium: 2-2 with an era of 3.19, with 1 complete game in 6 starts.

As of right now the Cardinals rotation looks like it will be: Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Mike Leake, and Jaime Garcia, or if need be you could let Leake be the no.2 to take pressure off of Martinez some (Leake was the Reds no.2 starter last season).

Solid pickup for the Cardinals, he was a pitcher I was mainly hoping for on the free agent market. It would be nice if the Cardinals added another bat, but I think their offseason could be complete, unless no one looks good in spring training in the competition for the starting first base job.

Jonathan Broxton Re-signs With Cardinals

Free agent reliever Johnathan Broxton has re-signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Broxton gets a two-year contract, worth $7.5 million. His deal include a full no trade clause. Broxton, 31, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002, in the 2nd round of the MLB draft. He made his MLB debut on July 29, 2005 against the St. Louis Cardinals. His first career strikeout was former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols. He later would become the Dodgers closer full-time in 2009. While, as the Dodgers closer he was selected to the All-Star Game two times, in 2009 and 2010. After leaving the Dodgers he's made stops for the Kansas City Royals (2012), Cincinnati Reds (2012-2014), and the Milwaukee Brewers (2014-2015).

The Cardinals acquired Broxton from the Brewers on July 31, 2015 for prospect outfielder/second baseman Malik Collymore. At the time of the trade, Broxton was 1-2 in 40 games, with an era of 5.89, 37 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. He appeared in 26 games for the Cardinals down the stretch run, he went 3-3 with an era of 2.66, 26 strikeouts, in 23.2 innings. Combined he finished the 2015 season, appearing in 66 games, with a record of 4-5, with an era of 4.62, 63 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.

Broxton has played eight seasons in the MLB over those 11 seasons, his career record is: 39-35, 608 games, 3.23 era, 685 strikeouts, 118 saves, 124 holds, 599.2 innings pitched, and a whip of 1.23.

Broxton isn't what he once was when he was younger, but still can be a reliable bullpen pitcher for late innings. He'll take some of the pressure off of Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist, and closer Trevor Rosenthal. No one knows yet, what relievers Jordan Walden's status is for the 2016 season. That should be found out in spring training. Walden even can be risky even if he's ready to pitch, because he's coming off of an injury and missed a lot of time. Hopefully, Walden will be ready to role. If he is that helps the Cardinals bullpen having both Walden and Broxton.

Broxton and Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright are both best friends. The Cardinals even could use another bullpen arm. What will the Cardinals next move be? I hope it's Jason Heyward or a starting pitcher.

Cardinals And Padres Swap Jay For Gyorko

On day 2 of the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres started things off with a trade. The Cardinals dealt centerfielder Jon Jay to the San Diego Padres for infielder Jedd Gyorko and cash considerations. Jay, 30, has been with the Cardinals since 2010. The Cardinals are loaded with outfielders right now, and Jay may not have had enough playing time. In San Diego, Jay gets a fresh start and he can either platoon with Melvin Upton Jr, or slot in a corner role either in leftfield or rightfield. Jay is a like-able player for a team, and tends to be liked by fans. Until this season he, had always been pretty much a .300 hitter for his career.

Jay battled a wrist injury in 2015, which hurt his play. One of the downsides on Jay is that he doesn't have much power, and his arm isn't that great. He'll give 100% if healthy. He's been in the MLB for 6 seasons. Jay's career's stats are: 757 games played, 325 runs, 676 hits, 113 doubles, 14 triples, 29 home runs, 227 rbi's, 43 stolen bases, 185 walks, and a batting average of .287. He'll be a free agent after the season.

The Padres tend to like former Cardinals centerfielders. Over the past seasons the Padres have traded for Ray Lankford, Jim Edmonds, and now Jon Jay.

Who is Jedd Gyorko? What do the Cardinals get in him?

Gyorko, 27, has been with the Padres since 2013. He's been their starting second baseman, even though he can also play shortstop, and third base. He isn't a free agent until at best 2020, he has a $13 million team option or a $1 million buyout. Since 2013 the second baseman who have hit the most home runs in the MLB are: Brian Dozier (69), Robinson Cano (62), Neil Walker (55), and Jedd Gyorko (49).

Gyorko's been in the MLB for 3 seasons. His career's stats are: 364 games played, 133 runs, 309 hits, 58 doubles, 1 triple, 49 home runs, 171 rbi's, 4 stolen bases, 96 walks, and a batting average of .236.

As of right now, it looks like Gyorko will be a super utility player for the Cardinals. The Cardinals seem to have made another by acquiring Gyorko. He can help give Jhonny Peralta rest, and sub for Kolten Wong. And he can even give Matt Carpenter a break, if he needs one. People have been saying the Cardinals need more power and Gyorko adds to that.

Hopefully more moves are to come. Still come holes to fill for the 2016 Cardinals roster.

Brayan Pena Joins Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals went shopping on cyber Monday, and got one of their needs off of their off-season wishlist. One of those needs was an upgrade for a backup catcher behind Yadier Molina. They did that by signing free agent catcher Brayan Pena to a two-year contract. He'll earn a total of $5 million in the contract, getting paid $2.5 million for 2016 and 2017. Pena, 34,
joins the Cardinals after spending the last two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.

He was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2000 as an amateur free agent. He made his MLB debut on May 23, 2005 against the New York Mets. After the Braves, the played for the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers. He's been in the MLB for 11 seasons. Pena's career's stats are:  629 games played, 136 runs, 466 hits, 92 doubles, 2 triples, 23 home runs, 164 rbi's, 6 stolen bases, 104 walks, and a batting average of .260.

Pena coming to the Cardinals looks like it means the era of Tony Cruz as backup catcher is over. Cruz is arbitration eligible, and could be traded or non-tendered before the deadline on Wednesday. The Cardinals carrying three catchers on the 25-man roster probably won't happen.

It's nice to see the Cardinals kick off their off-season with a solid move. It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals do next.

Mariners land Trumbo, in six-player swap

The Seattle Mariners at 24-29 and in need of offensive help traded for Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/right fielder Mark Trumbo and pitcher Vidal Nuno. In return the Diamondbacks received catcher Wellington Castillo, reliever Dominic Leone, and two prospects in infielder Jack Reinheimer and outfielder Gabby Guerrero. In both of the prospects the Diamondbacks landed two of the Mariners top 15 prospects. Guerrero ranked no.5, and Reinheimer was ranked 14th. The Diamondbacks needed a catcher after Tuffy Gosewisch, landed on the disabled list and will be out for the rest of the season after tearing his left ACL. Castillo should be able to fill the Diamondbacks need for help at catcher.

As in Mark Trumbo the Mariners get a former All-Star (2012), who is capable of helping an offense. He has home run power, when healthy. Last season he wasn't healthy. He's under contract until 2017. He's in his sixth MLB season.

Trumbo's career career stats are: 594 games played, 278 runs, 551 hits, 105 doubles, 10 triples, 118 home runs, 368 rbi's, 20 stolen bases, 154 walks, and a batting average of 248.

His best season was back in 2013 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. That season he hit 234, with 85 runs, 145 hits, 30 doubles, 34 home runs, and 100 rbi's. While he isn't that great at hitting for average, his best batting average was 268 back in 2012. On the season right now he's batting 259, with 9 home runs, and 23 rbi's.

As for Vidal Nuno, he's a pitcher who can either be a starting pitcher or be a reliever for the Mariners. He's in his third MLB season.

There's still hope for the Mariners to turn their season around. If their offense can catch fire and  starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma due back from the disabled list soon, that could help their team out.

I like the trade for both teams as of right now. The Diamondbacks are rebuilding, and they got a nice return for Trumbo. From the Mariners side their trying to find a way to make the playoffs, which they haven't been there
since 2001.