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.