As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Will the Cardinals make a spring trade?
This weekend saw some small signs of movement in the trade market surrounding the Cardinals bubble to the surface. That began with reports of reignited trade talks between St. Louis and Houston regarding Nolan Arenado. While the two teams seem to have touched base again in the wake of Alex Bregman signing in Boston, a trade sending Arenado to Houston is considered to be a “longshot.” Arenado isn’t the only Cardinals player whose name came up as a potential trade candidate this weekend, however; the Cards could be open to late conversations surrounding right-hander Erick Fedde. Trading either Arenado or Fedde before Opening Day would more clearly set the tone for St. Louis’s 2025 campaign after an offseason where the club has signaled they want to focus on the future without many concrete moves backing that up.
2. Madrigal to undergo MRI:
After already losing Frankie Montas to a lat injury, the Mets suffered another potential hit to their depth yesterday when utility infielder Nick Madrigal suffered a dislocated shoulder while fielding a grounder. Madrigal will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the issue, per MLB.com, which could require surgery if the dislocation is particularly severe. Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty give the club some infield depth, but Mauricio isn’t even getting into spring games until mid-March after last spring’s ACL tear (per Newsday’s Tim Healey), and Baty isn’t the backup shortstop option that Madrigal or Acuña would be. As such, Acuña seems likeliest to step up, but it bears mentioning that Jose Iglesias remains unsigned if the Mets want to look outside the organization and focus on getting their in-house youngsters regular at-bats in Triple-A.
3. Will the Twins be sold?
News broke Friday that Justin Ishbia, the reported leading candidate to purchase the Minnesota Twins, had pulled out of the bidding to pivot toward acquiring a larger stake in the White Sox — a club in which he already holds a minority stake. It’s since been reported that “everything is on the table” for the Twins and the Pohlad family, including the possibility that the club is taken off the market. More clarity surrounding the future of the franchise is expected within the next month or two, and it figures to be a top story to keep an eye on given the massive potential impact a sale would have not only on the Twins organization but the AL Central as a whole.
The Cards really need to figure it out!
In fairness to them, they are in a position that they are not used to being in. The Cardinals have been one of the most year-in year-out successful franchises of the 21st century (and the 20th for that matter). This is not the Tigers or the Reds where a rebuild usually comes along every 5 years or so like clockwork. This is not the Pirates or Marlins where a rebuild happens almost every year. This is a team that has to do something they are not used to doing, losing.
It’s bad planning – placing all of your eggs in one basket with an entire offseason hinged upon trading Arenado. Now they want to move an affordable Fedde, with demand at its lowest, with S.T. underway.
I really don’t think the Cardinals’ position is all that confusing. With Gibson, Kitteridge and Lynn gone, they have opened up spots for younger pitchers to get innings (though they need to find a way to keep at least one of Matz and Mikolas out of the rotation; probably both). They haven’t lost anything offensively from last year given that Goldschmidt was a 98 OPS+ last season. The only veterans who are going to start every day are Contreras and Arenado (and Donovon, if you count him). Nobody of note is being blocked by Arenado being on the team (maybe unless Wetherholt forces his way onto the team).
Last year they won 83 games. I actually think as currently constructed the team has a lower floor but higher ceiling than it did last year. The division sucks. Roll with Arenado, Fedde and Helsley until the deadline and see what happens. I have no interest in watching a team lose 100 games.
Being in the NL Central is the one bright spot for them. I would love for my Rockies to be able to be in the Central. Since every team is playing every team now, they need to start some sort of interchangeable divisions. Keep it at 3 divisions per league, but in one division put the 5 teams with the best record the year before. In the second, the middle 5 teams. In the third, the worst 5 teams. You could guarantee at least one losing team per league from last year a postseason spot this year. And you would guarantee that at least a couple playoff teams from last year would miss out this year. Then you could just do the schedule as you would any other year.
How much better for the fan bases of the Nats, Reds, Pirates, Rockies, and Marlins to know they are competing with each other for a division instead of the Dodgers and Mets of the world.
I wouldn’t mind some kind of realignment since the leagues don’t mean anything anymore anyway. I think it would make the most sense to just get rid of the divisions altogether. Or maybe do two divisions per league. I don’t think I like the idea of reorganizing them by record every year, though.
Y’all get your wish when the Lords of Baseball impose a salary cap, even if it means going without the major leagues in 2027.
There is an outside chance that every team in the NL central finishes below .500 this season.
Cards seem to be half a**ing this rebuild. I get keeping a “winning” product on the field but they can easily get stuck in the at or near being .500 cycle for quite some time. Need to tank one or two years and completely retool the farm, which is mid tier. They have some top end talent in the farm system, but will need to supplement that down the road.
This isn’t football or even hockey, and there’s no cap. They need to do a better job at player development, which they used to do without ever picking in the top 10. They don’t need to tank to find young talent, and they can supplement the top-end talent in the farm system with free agents if ownership ever spends money again.
They’ve done a smart thing to this point, which is not to go buy a bunch of mid-tier free agents to try and field a team with a ceiling of 85 wins. And if the team is bad they obviously should move veterans at the deadline, just like they did a couple years ago. But I have no problem with how this has shaken out so far, other than I wish they had found a way to unload Matz and Mikolas. You can’t tell me that nobody in the league would take either of them if the Cardinals at 80% of their salaries. Just do that. The roster spots are more valuable than the money.
They didnt have to make the decision to go out and get mid teir players becuase the roster is chalk full of graduated or just about to graduate prospects. And that seems to be the direction the FO wants to go in. Some will pan out and some wont. The real decisions come after the 2025 season. 3 out of 5 SP are free agents and Helsely is gone(all barring trades at the deadline), and this is in addition to what other roster spots need to be filled by underperforming prospects. Thats a tremendous amount of innings to replace. There is some serious growing pains for this roster the next few years. Luckily, they only have $69 million dedicated to next years payroll, so they are going to have to go out and get some bigger names next offseason and have plenty of flexibility to do so.
baseballpun: What ever happened to Jordan Walker? I thought he was supposed to be the next third baseman for the Cards.
I think he’s going to be the every day right fielder, regardless of how he performs.
Not a White Sox fan, apparently.
At a payroll level of $125M for 2025, the Cardinals will never be able to compete with the Dodgers, Mets, Yanks etc. The days when clubs like the Cards, Rays, Twins could compete are fading fast. And it’s not just FA contracts but International $$$, facilities etc. Al.
I’m not saying I agree with this condition. I’m simply saying it is what it is.
If the Pohlad’s pull the team off the market that is my final straw as a Twins fan. Crazy how just 18 months ago fans were as giddy about the future as they’d been in over 2 decades.
The injury hex of the White Sox has followed Madrigal to the Mets (and cubs). Hopefully he won’t need surgery this time.
Surgery it is
The problem with keeping Arenado is Gorman will be at 2nd instead of 3rd, moving Donovan to LF, Nootbar to CF and keeping Walker in Left. (Most days) Sure players will rotate and Donovan will get some infield, Nootbar will get some left, and Burleson will get some 1b and LF etc, That outfield is atrocious defensively. Adding to that, they have a catcher playing First. Seems crazy to have all those players play everywhere but their natural position(s)
Just spit balling here could Fedde have asked for a trade? Maybe I’m reading him wrong he doesn’t seem excited about being in St Louis.