A Circle Of Changes: Mike Yeo Joins Blues

Last year in 2015, around this time the St. Louis Blues fans wanted Ken Hitchcock gone as head coach, and Mike Yeo's Minnesota Wild had just knocked out the Blues in 6 games in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Blues were a team that hadn't won a first round playoff series since 2011-2012, when they beat the San Jose Sharks in 5 games. The Blues then lost to the Los Angeles Kings in 6 games in the second, who later went onto win the Stanley Cup. You could see why Blues fans were frustrated with Ken Hitchcock after three straight first round exits.

The Wild were the underdog team, and people expected the Blues to win. People didn't know if Ken Hitchcock would stay as head coach or leave, since his contract was up. Hitchcock decided to stay as Blues head coach for the 2015-2016 season, he took a one-year contract. The one-year contract was his own decision, the Blues had wanted to give him a long-term contract, but he wanted to see if he still could coach.

After coming back for one season, Hitchcock and the Blues went on a run to the Western Conference Finals. They ended up losing to the San Jose Sharks in 6 games, but the Blues hadn't been on that kind of run since 2000-2001. This was the Blues seventh time in franchise history to ever reach the Conference Finals.

This time, shortly after the Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks, Ken Hitchcock re-signed with the Blues for another one-year contract. Hitchcock announced that this coming season 2016-2017 will be his last season as a head coach. Assistant coaches Brad Shaw and Kirk Mueller left to take other jobs elsewhere. They both wanted longer contracts, than only one-year.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong hired Mike Yeo to become the Blues head coach after the season. Yeo, 42, will be on Hitchcock's staff as an assistant. He went 173-132-44 as head coach for the Wild, and was fired earlier during the season. Doug Armstrong tried to hire Yeo as head coach a few seasons ago, when the Peoria Rivermen had an opening. Instead, Yeo went to become head coach for the Houston Aeros (AHL). Yeo gets a four-year contract from the Blues.

In addition to Mike Yeo, the Blues also hired former Blues defenseman Rick Wilson as an assistant coach. Wilson, knows both Yeo and Hitchcock. He won the cup as part of Hitchcock's staff with the Dallas Stars in 1999, and the past few seasons he was on Mike Yeo's staff with the Wild. Wilson tends to work well with defensemen.

Yeo should be a good hire for the Blues moving forward after Hitchcock retires this coming season.

Ruben Tejada Joins Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed free agent shortstop Ruben Tejada to a one-year contract, worth $1.5 million. Tejada, 26, was placed on waivers by the New York Mets on Tuesday. He cleared waivers and was released by the Mets the following day. The Mets felt like they didn't need Tejada any longer, so he became expendable.

The Cardinals were looking for help at shortstop because they will be without All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta for 10-12 weeks, after he had surgery on his thumb. They didn't feel fully comfortable with just having Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia, and Jedd Gyorko while Peralta was out with his injury. Diaz needs more time in Triple-A Memphis, he's only played 14 games in Memphis and saw 58 plate appearances. If Diaz is ready, all he needs to do is go to Memphis and hit. The Tejada signing also means the Cardinals think Greg Garcia is only a bench player, and Gyorko is more needed for his current role they are going to have him in, which is super-sub (a player who is able to play multiple positions).

Tejada was signed as an international free agent in 2006 by the New York Mets. He ended up make his MLB debut April 7, 2010 against the Miami Marlins (back then the Florida Marlins).

Tejada's been in the MLB for 6 seasons. His career's stats are: 580 games played, 198 runs, 493 hits, 99 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 148 rbi's, 16 stolen bases, 187 walks, and a batting average of .255. He's known more for his defense and his ability to get on base. His career OPS is .653. Last season, he hit .261, with 3 home runs, 23 doubles, and 28 rbi's. He does well leading off, if the Cardinals try him there at times, and he hits lefties well in his career (.281).

Tejada will wear no.19 for the Cardinals. It could be a good move for both Tejada and the Cardinals. Time will tell, if it doesn't turnout to be good, Tejada will be gone whenever Peralta is ready for if Diaz does well in Memphis, and shows the Cardinals that he's ready to play. It's a low risk move too and shouldn't hurt the team, because they didn't lose anything. The Cardinals also don't know which Peralta they'll get when he comes off the DL (disabled list). Having depth at shortstop is important and the Cardinals now have more depth.

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.