The Cardinals’ players are now “on notice” after the team fired manager Mike Matheny on Saturday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic tweets. If the Cardinals (47-46) don’t turn things around during the coming weeks under interim manager Mike Shildt, there may be “sweeping changes” to their roster, per Saxon. St. Louis’ front office, for its part, “has pined for years to be a seller and stock up for the future,” Saxon writes. With the All-Star break on the doorstep and the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline soon to follow, the Cardinals won’t have a lot of time to reverse course on the field in the next couple weeks, though they’re only four games out of a wild-card spot.
- Since Matheny’s ouster, former Yankees and Marlins skipper Joe Girardi has come up frequently as a speculative fit for St. Louis. The Cardinals will indeed consider Girardi, who already has a “good rapport” with president John Mozeliak and is thought of highly by the organization, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. It’s unknown whether Girardi will want to get back into managing after a long, successful run in New York, however. Girardi was unwilling to comment on St. Louis’ managerial situation when Joel Sherman of the New York Post contacted him.
- Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish, out since late May with triceps tendinitis, told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday that he’s hopeful he’ll be able resume throwing off a mound next weekend. However, there’s still no timetable for Darvish’s return to the Cubs’ rotation. With Darvish unavailable (and having struggled before his injury) and Tyler Chatwood in the throes of a rough year, the Cubs are looking for pitching as July 31 nears, according to general manager Jed Hoyer. “No matter what happens [with Darvish], we’re going to be trying to acquire pitching and try to acquire depth,” Hoyer said. “That’s our focus no matter what.”
- Head injuries have been an all-too-common occurrence for Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli, whom concussion issues forced to the disabled list on Saturday for the fourth time since last June. It doesn’t appear his playing days are in peril right now, though. Asked Saturday if Cervelli’s career could be in jeopardy, Pirates director of sports medicine Tom Tomczyk said (via Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic): “A good question. We have the head of neurology (at Allegheny Health System) leading the direction and advising our internal team of doctors … and that recommendation hasn’t been relayed to him as of yet.” One way the Pirates could make Cervelli’s life easier is by giving him some playing time elsewhere on the field, and they are considering using him at first base on occasion, Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relays.
- The Brewers announced that they’ve placed second baseman Jonathan Villar on the 10-day DL with a right thumb injury and recalled outfielder Brett Phillips from Triple-A. It’s not known how much time Villar will miss, but it’s the latest disappointing development for a player who has experienced a marked drop-off since a great 2016. Villar has bounced back since a disastrous 2017 to some extent, though he has still batted a subpar .261/.315/.377 with six home runs and 14 steals in 279 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has been a key part of a generally weak middle infield, an area Milwaukee may bolster with a trade for Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. [UPDATE: An MRI revealed that Villar had just a sprained thumb and no structural damage, Brewers manager Craig Counsell told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters.]
The Cardinals will more than likely go with a cheap replacement which points in house to Stubby Clapp…they will let him finish out their good season and become the new manager next year.
Came down w Stubby Clapp in college. Thank the lawd for modern medicine
I think that’s hereditary
Your mom needs to see someone about that.
I think it’s much like Rodney Dangerfield in back to school who went to his english teacher to straighten out his Longfellow.
“Your mom needs . . . “
If “your mom” insults are the best you have you might as well concede now.
oh come on…your mom jokes are classic humor.
Your mom jokes will always be funny, just like replying “nice” when anyone says 69
Do you really want to guess how many STDs Marley had? Just a bad handle all around…start over and do better
The root of the Cardinals problems didn’t get fired. The guy who has put the past 4 lackluster teams together. They should have added one more name to the exit list. That being John Mozeliak. Mathaney could only play the players Mozeliak obtained for him to use. A bunch of cripples, has beens and I have no idea what Cecil would be classified as.
I might add a true reality point. As long as the Cardinals sell 38,000 to 40,000 season tickets in January, there is no need to pick up elite, star players. Just put another $260 million into Ballpark Village instead. Harsh, but true.
That’s the obvious path that ownership has decided to take. Put more money into the cash cow or in this case Ballpark Village
What does it mean for a player with guaranteed money to be told they are “on notice”?
They might get traded to a contender. The horror!
That’ll show ’em!
If I were 30 plus, have a multi year, multi million dollar guerenteed contract, and I focused on baseball and only baseball for the last 25 years, I think “being placed on notice” would be my ticket to not trying and waiting for the day I get DFA’d so I could sit on the beach for the rest of my life.
More likely they might get dumped to a bottom dweller who needs a warm body on someone else’s dime. Additionally, look at the Cardinals roster, there is a large portion of it that is not getting paid.
What if a last place team is located to a great steak place? See, glass half full fellas…
Aaaand there goes all the respect I had for the Cardinals as an organization. Do nothing but win, and still can’t wait to take the easy way to building a team and tear everything down
How is firing the manager mid season indicative of tearing everything down?
@djhorvath did you miss the part in the article where it says the front office has pined for years to be sellers? and @JKB higher draft picks, bigger bonus allotments.. advantages you don’t have when your a team that’s actually worth a damn
And never has.
That is a weird statement, but that just means for this season. They still plan to compete in 2019, and with all the great, young starting pitching they have, why wouldn’t they still try to compete?
So prove to me then who they have sold off in the last five years that makes them a team that is tanking…. The Cardinals have been lauded for their ability to continue to stock their farm while winning at the mlb level…
Winning? The cards are just over .500 over their last 500 games.
How is tearing a team down and rebuilding the “easy way”
Pining to be sellers is not tearing it down…the Cardinals already have a strong farm…it would be more of a restructuring because obviously what they have is t working…and as far as getting the incentives of tanking, that would never happen because the Cardinals would never lose enough to get high drafts picks…the Cardinals have way to much good pitching…plus they would never get the talent back for Ozuna that they gave up for him so why trade him…I could see Pham, Martinez getting something back but everybody else like, Fowler, would just be a salary dump…plus the Cardinals already have a better replacement for Fowler…the cardinals aren’t in a position to tank…they are only 4 games out of the wild card and two games above .500…only one bad contract in Fowler
The Cardinals really didn’t give up that much for Ozuna.
Lol the marlins got a pitcher who is a possible number 1 is not a solid number 2 for their rotation…and Sierra is definitely going to be a great defending mlb outfield player…if you think the cardinals can get a solid rotation piece alone for Ozuna you are delusional
Cardinals players are on notice? What does that even mean? Let’s see. We’re falling behind the Cubs and Brewers and I might get traded to a contender? Uh oh! That really frightens competitive players.
I have a new respect for Rondon. I’d want to get as far away from that organization as possible.
Huh?
here’s who I see the cubs targeting:
Loup lhp tor
Watson lhp sf
Doolittle lhp was Depending on if Nationals sell
Duke lhp min
Erlin lhp sd
They really need 1 if Montgomery goes back to BP, or 2 if he stays a starter.
Or the Cubs can just turn to the Padres and kill “two birds with one stone”. They just happen to be in San Diego as they conclude the “first half” and have been able to scout the Padres pitching staff first hand.
Theo & Co. can aim high for a controllable Andrew Miller type reliever with more closing experience in southpaw Brad Hand while also kicking the tires on a cheap rental like Tyson Ross as insurance for their rotation. The Cubs can also set their sites lower on a pair of “controllable” right-handed veteran relievers in Kirby Yates or Craig Stammen who are each having fine seasons setting up Hand in the Padres bullpen.
Lol the cubs don’t have enough to get Hand
They have plenty if they are willing to part with a prime asset off of their active roster, perhaps someone like Ian Happ who is getting squeezed for playing time in an over-crowded Cubs outfield.
I’ll give you that…they would definitely have to trade from the major league roster…but the problem is it would take more than Happ…and anything beyond that any other contender would easily beat anything the cubs could offer…I think the cubs don’t do anything during he trade deadline and hope for the best…they already are going to make the playoffs with what they have and they aren’t going to find anyone on the market that would improve their playoff chances…maybe a reliever at most
One thing we know for certain is that the Cubs front office has shown some grande cajones when it comes to pulling the trigger on deadline trades. You could be right but it will shock nobody it they actually do pull off a blockbuster deal.
Fact is, the Cubs are in a tight divisional race with a Brewers ballclub that may be equally or more aggressive by July 31st. The Cubs could also stand to enhance their chances in the NL playoffs with a key move to say nothing of upping their odds against some very formidable AL clubs in a potential World Series matchup.
It is no longer acceptable for the Cubs to simply win divisions and advance to the NLCS. They now consider anything less than a World Series title as being a disappointment. In a matter of a few years, they have gone from 108 years of futility to the point where anything less than a championship is unacceptable. The organization and their fan base is taking on the persona of the NY Yankees! Theo Epstein accomplished this in Boston and is now doing the same on the North Side of Chicago.
Theo ran the Boston organization into the ground…of course this was after winning a World Series…he is on track to do the same thing with the Cubs imho…it really doesn’t matter about the WS…there is no NL team at this point who can compete with the Yankees, Red Sox or Houston…but I will give you this…the Cubs seem to be the team to beat in the NL…that is a backhanded compliment because the NL sucks
Theo Epstein was at the helm for two World Series titles with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007. The team hadn’t celebrated one since 1918. If you don’t want to give him full credit for the 2004 title after he was promoted to GM following the 2002 season then you should at least acknowledge his hand in their 2013 championship two years following his departure from Boston.
Say what you will about the “Boy Wonder” but he helped change the culture of baseball in Boston. He is doing likewise on the North Side of Chicago with a Cubs World Series title in 2016 following a 108 year championship drought.
More than that to get a set up guy? You are nuts.
No way they woud trade Happ or Hand
Happ is getting squeezed for playing time because he isn’t a prime asset on the active roster. If he were, he would be playing.
Beer and fried chicken in the dugout soon enough…now I’m just trolling lol
Hand is a solid closer not a setup man…with many controlled years on his contract…it will take more than Happ easily…Who is Happ? An over valued player by cubs fans…
Ian Happ was the #9 overall pick in the 2015 MLB June Draft. He made his MLB debut with the Cubs within two years of being drafted. In 693 PA’s he has produced a not too shabby .254/.349/.490 triple slash with 100 runs scored, 35 HR’s, 94 RBI’s and 12 SB’s good for a 3.3 oWAR. His defense needs some work and should improve with his plus athletic ability once Joe Maddon quits trying to make him the next Ben Zobrist.
Happ was drafted as a 2B prospect where he hadn’t even played during the latter part of his collegiate career. Since joining the Cubs he has been asked to play 6 different positions but could develop into a plus defensive player if he was limited to a corner OF spot, especially with a Gold Glove caliber player like Albert Almora generally occupying CF.
Lol thanks for proving my point…it will take more than Happ to get Hand…any player could become anything…Hand is a proven closer not a could be, should be player like Happ
Lmfao stop buying the sour grapes
Lmfao
If the Cubs dare call on their city rivals after last summer’s blockbuster trade they might also find some starting pitching and bullpen help with a single deal.
The White Sox have veteran starter James Shields more than available who is well known to the Cubs front office from his days as a Ray. Shields is even more familiar to manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Jim Hickey from his time in Tampa as a top of the rotation pitcher. Unlike Tyson Ross, Shields also comes with a formidable postseason resume. He would also cost considerably less in any young talent or prospect currency than Ross.
The White Sox also have a few veteran relievers available in closer Joakim Soria and left specialist Luis Avilan who also have ample playoff experience in comparison to Brad Hand who has never appeared in a postseason game. They would also figure to be relatively cheap acquisitions even it the South Siders were willing to pay down some salary. Avilan also comes with some arb-eligible control for 2019. Cheaply controllable but injury prone flame-thrower Nate Jones might also be a possibility if he can get back on the mound prior to the July 31st trade deadline.
Of course, the Cubs can also aim higher with the White Sox and inquire about Carlos Rodon who is looking dominant after finally overcoming a couple of shoulder procedures in the past year or so. Rodon comes with plenty of promise and team control through 2021. He also happens to employ Scott Boras as his agent who has a far better working relationship with the Cubs front office than with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Perhaps the Cubs would be willing to part with a young player or two off of their MLB roster in exchange for Rodon, maybe a slugger like Kyle Schwarber who seems tailor made for “Guaranteed Rate Field” and the A.L. A young and more athletic talent like switch-hitter Ian Happ is another offensive minded hitter who should appeal to the White Sox. Like Schwarber, Happ is getting squeezed for playing time in a crowded Cub outfield.and would see regular playing time on a rebuilding White Sox club.
Happ is not getting squeezed, neither is Schwarber.
Perhaps its a matter of semantics but when a club has five outfielders worthy of regular MLB duty each one of them can make a claim to being “squeezed for playing time”. Joe Maddon has been able to use most all them on a near-daily basis with his incessant and perhaps necessary micro-managing but none are getting the regular playing time they might enjoy with some other clubs. I can guarantee you that either Schwarber or Happ would be getting 600+ PA’s each if they were playing on the South Side of Chicago.
If the Cardinals want to “make hay” in the NL Central they will have an opportunity with 8 games versus the Cubs before the July 31st trading deadline including a 5-game series in Wrigley Field following the All-Star break starting on Thursday. Of course, the Cubs would like nothing better than to “hey, hey!” them right out of the playoff race and force them into seller mode in the next couple of weeks.
As a cards fan a big part of me hopes for that too. This isn’t a legit World Series winning team. Sure lightning can strike and they can sneak in as the second wild card and somehow luck into winning it all, but those odds are slim to none. I don’t want a tank, or a total rebuild. I just want spots cleared for guys who are currently blocked, or like Bader who gets sporadic playing time. Restock the farm a bit, get a breath of fresh air on the club, and hopefully improve the atmosphere in the club house. Shedding salary only concerns me if DeWitt will put that money back into the team to try and get a missing piece or two, not if it goes into his wallet. Besides I am a little worried that if they don’t retool soon then the players who are getting up there in years might really hit a wall and drag the team down to cellar where we will need an actual rebuild. Shed some age and get some more youth…maybe they will even know how to run the bases and field like MLB players should be able to.
Even players with guaranteed contracts may prefer to not uproot their families, suddenly, or find out that their playing time might diminish because of a trade to a contender. It’s nice to win, but if you don’t get the full time role, you’ll get paid like a bench player. I bet it’s not much fun, the year before FA, to find yourself in the other league and have to learn all new pitchers or hitters. That five years of experience against mostly the same competition suddenly holds little value. It’s only their career on the line. No worries.
pined for years to be sellers, yet continue to give bad contracts and extensions to free agents and players.
Besides Fowler who is a bad contract?
Sorry forgot about Cecil? But other than that who?
There’s 14 million on Holland (one year), 20m on Wainwright (last year of contract), 23m to Cecil over the next 2 and 58m to Fowler over the next 3 years. All numbers including the rest of this season.
It’s I guess not a ridiculous amount of money, but these are some of the highest paid players on the team and not only have they not performed, they’ve been straight up detrimental to have out there.
I’d be fine with a Cardinals rebuild, but I don’t trust Mo and Girsch to pull one off correctly.
Lol those one year contracts are not bad contracts…it sucks that Wainwright couldn’t finish his last year year but he very well upheld his contract…Holland has been looking good and there is still hope of a strong second half…and the number one reason for not being a bad contract is that they are one year contracts…plus it in no way handicaps the cardinals if they want to make a move…like I said Fowler and Cecil are bad contracts but they still don’t handicap the cardinals and their spending imo
I mean Holland has been pretty bad, he’s single handedly lost us about 5 games this year. But yeah those are the only notable expenditures that aren’t panning out.
We have a ton of money and don’t spend it, to clarify, since I didn’t mention it before, if anything I think the problem is the Cards don’t spend enough – not that they spent a lot on bad contracts. The only people who benefit from not opening the pocketbook when there’s money there is the ownership, not the team, the fans or the brand.
Totally agree with you about the spending…with attendance and ball park village I just don’t see how they can’t push the luxury tax…I know the cardinals are top ten in spending but they could spend more
Girardi, as a player for the cubs, did announce the kile death on tv.
Cards-Martinez for Moose. Royals would never admit they screwed up in not giving him a chance, but he would be cost-effective hitter in American League. Moose might jump-start Cards a little, and if not he is gone after season and Martinez doesn’t fit in NL. Brewers really need to look at Merrifield. He would be a great fit in the NL. Send Royals some prospects.
Cubs already have pitching depth. They have basically 2 big league bullpens worth of depth. They need a 1-2 top of the rotation guy.
The Cubs bullpen has more depth than proven quality, especially when it comes to a “light’s-out” closer with postseason experience. They had that in 2016 with Aroldis Chapman and last season with Wade Davis. It remains to be seen how effective Brandon Morrow might be in that role in 2018.
The Cubs have had a legit 1-2 starter in Jon Lester and perhaps another in Kyle Hendricks who not only led the NL in ERA in 2016 but also produced a 5.4 WAR season in doing so. In the past year they thought they were adding to that mix with the trade acquisition of Jose Quintana and the FA signing of Yu Darvish. They no longer have the prospect capital in which to trade for another top of the rotation arm this summer. They would have to offer up some quality young talent from their active roster to make that a reality. What the Cubs need more than anything else is for their current group of starters to step up and produce like they were expected to. Only Lester has met those expectations in 2018.
Cardinals need a new front office. I hate that they made a smart move by firing Matheny, but as long as Mo remains, the downfall will continue so no worries.
How much can the Cardinals realistically shake up the roster, though? Molina is a franchise icon. Their excellent starting pitching is either hurt, too good to move (and under control/contract for at least 2019), a young building block, or multiple of the above. Aside from Norris, the bullpen is an absolute mess with little value plus a few decent youngsters worth holding on to for now. They’d be fools to sell so low on Wong or Fowler (if anyone would even take Fowler). It’s too early to give up on Ozuna. Carpenter is their best hitter and still under contract for another year or two. Most of the rest of the position players are still decent to good players with years of team control left.
So even if the Cardinals do become sellers, all they really have to offer of significant value are Norris and maybe Gyorko.
They could offer Pham and Martinez
The only reason to trade Pham is if you think he cannot do better than what he’s done this year. Him and Martinez are under team control for several years. Only free agents are holland and bud Morris. Ozuna has next expiring contract.
Carpenter is only older guy that can bring a big return, but I’m not sure what message that sends if you trade him. He would be a perfect fit at 1st for the Yankees. Huge upgrade over bird.
Agreed that the Yankees would be a good fit for carp but I don’t think the cards trade him because they lack a replacement…Martinez is a offseason trade st this point…sorry but he is a DH because his defense is horrible…it will be hard to get a great return because AL teams know he is only going to be a DH…but the man can hit so that is tough…Pham is also tough but is an easy trade because he can be replaced…sorry Pham, should have took that contract the cardinals offered…but alas, it would be hard to get a good return…he has bad eye sight which makes him risky…but if the cardinals want to shake things up those trades are plausible
So no to Girardi. He’s unkind to rookies and older veterans. If you aren’t in your prime years, you’re garbage in his eyes. Great manager otherwise but man, he’s tough.
If I was a Cardinals player, on that sad excuse for a baseball team, and living in St. Louis (the armpit of the Midwest), I’d gladly welcome this whole “on notice” thing.
NO, PLEASE don’t get me out of this he l l hole city, and off this bad baseball team.
I would never want to play on an actual contender, in a great city, like Chicago, New York City, Boston, or Los Angeles. Lol.
You tell em’ Cardinals management. Lol.
Cardinal are still an above average club this year and are fairly young. If you like to compete it’s one of the top organizations to be a part of.