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.