Cardinals Sign Miles Mikolas

On Tuesday morning, the St. Louis Cardinals signed 29-year-old starting pitcher Miles Mikolas to a two-year contract, worth $15.5 million. Who is Mikolas? Fans might be wondering. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2009, in round seven of the MLB draft. In 2012, the Padres called him straight-up from Double-A. He only spent two seasons with the Padres, before being designated for assignment in November 2013. The Pittsburgh Pirates picked up Mikolas in a trade and then traded him to the Texas Rangers.

In 2014, he started 10 games for the Texas Rangers. He went 2-5 with 38 strikeouts, 18 walks, 57.1 innings, and an era of 6.44. He ended up being released by the Rangers in November 2014.

After being released by the Rangers, he found his way to Japan. The Yomiuri Giants signed him to a one-year contract, worth $700,000. He started 21 games, going 13-3 with 107 strikeouts, 23 walks, 145 innings, and an era of 1.92. He did well enough for the Giants to keep him beyond 2015. He made 14 starts in 2016, and went 4-2 with an era of 2.45. Last season in 2017, he made a career high 27 starts. He went 14-8, 187 strikeouts, 23 walks, 188 innings, and an era of 2.25.

Mikolas has three seasons in the MLB, his career stats are: 4 wins - 6 losses, 5.32 era, 37 games, 10 starts, 62 strikeouts, 34 walks, 91.1 innings, and a whip of 1.42.

In his career in Japan, his career stats are: 31 wins - 13 losses, 2.18 era, 62 starts, 378 strikeouts, 69 walks, and 424.2 innings.

It seems like pitchers who don't do that well in the MLB tend to go to Japan and figure out how to pitch. Will Mikolas become one of those? A few pitchers who went to Japan and became better were Colby Lewis, Ryan Voglesong, and Tony Barnette. Mikolas is an interesting pickup to the Cardinals. There had been a few other teams interested in Mikolas. He also knows Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux from their days with the Texas Rangers.

Will Mikolas start? It seems like the could be the Cardinals fifth starter. Other teams could try to bring in pitchers from Japan like Mikolas, just to get pitching.

Mikolas has an interesting nickname, which is "Lizard King".

Cardinals Acquire Juan Nicasio

On Wednesday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired right handed reliever  Juan Nicasio from the Philadelphia Phillies for infield prospect Eliezer Alvarez. Nicasio, 31, started the 2017 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He became their setup man for their closer. In 65 games for the Pirates, he had an era of 2.85 with 2 saves in 60 innings. He struck-out 60 batters, and walked 18.

Last Thursday, the Phillies picked him up off of waivers from the Pirates. He pitched in two games for the Phillies, getting 1 win, and striking out 1 batter. He comes to the Cardinals with a record of 3-5, with 2 saves, 61 strikeouts, 18 walks, 61.1 innings, and an era of 2.79.

Nicasio is in his 7th season in the MLB. His career record is: 35 wins, 37 losses, 4.60 era,
260 games, 82 starts, 3 saves, 558 strikeouts, 230 walks, 618.2 innings, and a whip of 1.41. Other than the Pirates, and Phillies, he's playing for the Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Nicasio won't be eligible for the Cardinals playoff roster, if they make the playoffs. That's because he was picked up by them after August 31. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season. He could be back if he does well, and he should be able to help the Cardinals bullpen.

Alvarez, 22, started the season as the Cardinals 10th best prospect, currently he ranks 19th. He signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in July 2011. Alvarez, struggled the first two seasons, but then developed into a better player. In his minor league career, he's a .285 hitter, with 330 hits, 82 doubles, 18 triples, 17 home runs, 155 rbi's, and 73 stolen bases.

The Phillies got a pretty good prospect in return for Nicasio. Are the Pirates upset at themselves for letting Nicasio go for nothing? He had been one of their best pitchers out of the bullpen, and he even served as their setup man for their closer. The Cardinals needed bullpen help to try to make a push for the playoffs. A move is better late than never even if it's late.

Colton Parayko Avoids Arbitration

The St. Louis Blues and defenseman Colton Parayko, looked like both sides were going to go to arbitration. The Blues and Parayko had been said to be far apart from agreeing to a long-term contract. That all changed on Thursday morning, with Parayko signing a five-year contract extension worth $27.5 million. That's a sweet contract for both sides. If Parayko can stay healthy, and devolping into the player he can be then it's great for both sides. Parayko could end up out perform his contact.

Parayko, 24, was drafted by the Blues in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft (86th overall). He ended up on the Blues roster in 2015-2016. In his first full NHL season, he played in 79 games, scoring 9 goals, with 24 assists. He ended up having 33 points, and finished as a plus 28. In his second season, last year he showed more promise than he did in his rookie year. He played in 81 games, scoring 4, with 31 assists, and 35 points. For the season he was a plus 7.

His game currently makes him seem like he's developed into a late bloomer. Lot's of teams passed him up in the 2012 NHL draft. For the 2012 draft, he was the the 28th defenseman picked. Why didn't other teams pick him earlier?

Parayko is known for his offensive talent at best. He's showed he's a cornerstone piece for the Blues future. The Blues had been holding off on signing other free agents, so they could get Parayko taken care of first. That was a smart move by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. Armstrong is in a contract year, but he's had one of his best offseason's in along time. Is a lot of it from Martin Brodeur maybe waiting in the wings, or is it that both seem to work well together? Maybe it's both.

It looks like the Blues are done as far as the offseason, even though they still have a little cap space if they feel they need to keep a player like Scottie Upshall.

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.