- The Cardinals’ decision not to add an impact bat this offseason is biting the team, writes Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but Ortiz also argues that at this point it’s too late to make a significant play for a bat. Adding the necessary caliber of player would be too costly to a farm system that has routinely produced quality big leaguers that help to build a sustainable contender in St. Louis. The fact that the NL Central is weaker than expected could still allow the Cards to sneak into the postseason via the Wild Card and hope that their pitching can carry them, Ortiz concludes, adding that the offense and improved defense should once again be offseason priorities.
Cardinals Rumors
Cardinals Reluctant To Trade For Short-Term Offensive Fix
- The Cardinals will have to decide before the trade deadline whether their current lineup will suffice, observes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ranking 26th in the majors in runs and 21st in wRC+, the Cardinals’ offense lacks a hitter capable of inspiring fear in opposing teams, several talent evaluators told Goold. They’re unlikely to acquire that type of hitter if he’s only a short-term rental, though, as Goold relays that the Redbirds “remain reluctant” to sacrifice significant assets for a stopgap. Internally, St. Louis isn’t convinced it needs to make a notable upgrade offensively. Rather, the club could pin its hopes on Matt Carpenter, Dexter Fowler and Aledmys Diaz recovering from slow starts. All three, especially Carpenter, have been resoundingly successful offensive producers in recent seasons.
Cardinals Could Sign Cuban RHP Hector Mendoza
- The Cardinals are candidates to add Cuban righty Hector Mendoza, who’s eligible to sign with a major league organization July 2, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended). The 23-year-old Mendoza is exempt from bonus pools, meaning the Cardinals won’t have to pay an overage tax if they sign him, notes Badler. Mendoza, who has pitched in both Cuba and Japan, features “a three-pitch starter’s mix,” per Badler, though he’s likely to end up in the bullpen if he cracks the majors.
Cubs, Mariners Offered Brett Cecil Four-Year Deals
- It came as something of a surprise when lefty Brett Cecil landed four years from the Cardinals, but Rosenthal says other organizations were also willing to do four-year deals for the 30-year-old reliever. The Cubs and Mariners had such offers on the table, though both are said to have underbid St. Louis. As Rosenthal notes, the scuffling Cecil has shown at least some signs recently of emerging from his malaise.
Cardinals Release Jonathan Broxton
The Cardinals have released struggling right-hander Jonathan Broxton, GM John Mozeliak told reporters (Twitter link via Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Right-hander John Gant has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot in the St. Louis bullpen.
Broxton, who’ll turn 33 in a little more than two weeks, has been roughed up for a 6.89 ERA with the Redbirds through 16 1/3 innings this season. In that time, the former Dodgers closer has yielded 12 earned runs on the strength of 23 hits and 11 walks (two intentional).
Broxton’s 42.6 percent ground-ball rate is the second-lowest mark he’s posted in any full season of his big league career, as well. His 11.9 percent swinging-strike rate is his best since 2009, however, and he’s still averaging better than 94 mph on his heater, which helped him tally 16 punchouts in those 16 1/3 frames. That, of course, is a modest silver lining, though it does at least create a bit of optimism that the veteran could at least resurface as a serviceable relief arm.
The veteran Broxton is playing out the second season of a two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Cardinals, which guarantees him $3.75MM this year. The Cards will be on the hook for the remainder of that salary even if Broxton signs with another club after formally clearing release waivers. A new team would only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time Broxton spent on its Major League roster. (That sum would be subtracted from the remaining $2.54MM that the Cardinals owe Broxton.)
Gant, 24, was one of three prospects acquired by the Cardinals this offseason in the trade that sent left-hander Jaime Garcia to the Braves. He struggled a bit in 50 big league innings with Atlanta last season but has pitched to a very strong 2.19 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate through three starts (12 1/3 innings) with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate this year. He missed the first several weeks of the season due to a groin strain.
Mozeliak On Decision To Demote Grichuk
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the team’s decision to option struggling outfielder Randal Grichuk to Class-A Adavanced Palm Beach as opposed to Triple-A Memphis. Mozeliak indicated that the drop to Class-A ball was about the specific people in Palm Beach with which Grichuk could work and also perhaps about trying something different with a player that has twice been optioned back to Triple-A in the past. “My feeling is, you’ve always heard me say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different outcome,” said the GM. “This is no different, so I really felt like we had to do something different here, and it’s outside the box, but he’ll work with (offensive strategist) George Greer for a week or so and see how things go.” As Goold also notes on Twitter, with extended Spring Training still in progress in nearby Jupiter, Grichuk will also have the opportunity to rack up extra at-bats on the back fields.
- Braves GM John Coppolella chatted with FOX’s Ken Rosenthal about James Loney’s abbreviated tenure in his organization. Loney was signed almost immediately in the wake of Freddie Freeman’s wrist fracture, but he was granted his release four days later after the Braves landed Matt Adams from the Cardinals. Coppolella tells Rosenthal that the Braves were not yet engaged with the Cardinals in trade talks when Loney was signed and wasn’t sure the Adams deal would get done even after negotiations with St. Louis kicked off. The Atlanta GM added that Loney was offered the option to remain with Triple-A Gwinnett and showcase for the other 29 teams, but Loney and his reps elected to once again explore the open market.
Cardinals Option Randal Grichuk
The Cardinals have optioned outfielder Randal Grichuk to Class-A Advanced so that he can put in extensive work on his pitch-recognition, GM John Mozeliak tells David Solomon of KTRS 550 AM (Twitter link). Per a team press release, the Cardinals have also activated outfielder Jose Martinez from the disabled list.
[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals depth chart]
The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, but Grichuk’s struggles at the plate recently have been pronounced; he’s hitting just .222/.276/.377 this season and has fanned in 30 percent of his plate appearances. The month of May, in particular, has been a rough one for the 25-year-old, as evidence by a .202/.253/.333 triple slash.
Strikeouts have long been an issue for Grichuk, though despite his penchant for whiffs he was a productive member of the Cardinals’ lineup in 2015-16. Over the course of those two seasons, Grichuk appeared to have solidified himself as a regular in the St. Louis outfield, hitting a combined .255/.306/.508 with 41 homers through 828 plate appearances. He also turned in quality defensive work in both center field and left field in addition to above-average contributions on the basepaths.
Grichuk’s demotion likely means more playing time for hot-hitting Tommy Pham, who has forced himself into the team’s outfield mix with a brilliant .333/.410/.621 batting line and five homers through 78 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A. Dexter Fowler, of course, will continue to serve as the primary center fielder, with Stephen Piscotty handling right field duties.
Grichuk’s production in the minors will likely determine the length of his stay (barring other injuries in the Majors), but it doesn’t seem likely to impact his long-term control. He needs just 67 more days of big league service time to reach three full years of Major League service, which would put him on track to qualify for free agency following the 2020 season. While it’s possible that he does spend a fair chunk of time in the minors, it’d be a surprise to see him spend enough time there to delay his free agency by a year. The Cardinals made a somewhat similar move early last June in optioning Kolten Wong to Triple-A — a stay that lasted only a couple of weeks.
Cardinals Place Kolten Wong On DL, Promote Paul DeJong
The Cardinals have placed second baseman Kolten Wong on the 10-day disabled list with a left elbow strain. His roster spot will go to infield prospect Paul DeJong, whose contract has been purchased from Triple-A.
[RELATED: Updated Cardinals Depth Chart]
After a down season last year in which he lost playing time at the keystone to Jedd Gyorko, Wong created a mini-controversy in March when he expressed unhappiness about being part of a timeshare at second base. The 26-year-old quickly walked back those comments, though, and he and Gyorko have managed to coexist this season. The power-hitting Gyorko has mainly played third base, leaving second to Wong, who has improved offensively this season. Wong has slashed .278/.378/.414 with 18 walks and 20 strikeouts in 157 plate appearances, but the normally adept defender hasn’t been as effective in the field as he has been at the plate (minus-two Defensive Runs Saved, minus-12.7 UZR/150).
With Wong on the shelf, Gyorko and Greg Garcia present the Cardinals’ most logical options to fill in at second. Those two, along with Jhonny Peralta and DeJong, also offer options at the hot corner. DeJong, 23, is only two years removed from going to the Cardinals in the fourth round of the draft. He now ranks as the Redbirds’ 11th-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, which classifies the potential shortstop’s power as “legitimate.” DeJong has shown off that power at Triple-A this year, having swatted 11 home runs and posted a .247 ISO in 182 trips to the plate. Overall, the righty-swinger has batted a strong .294/.331/.541, though his walk and strikeout rates (4.4 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively) could certainly stand to improve.
Cardinals Select John Brebbia’s Contract, Designate Miguel Socolovich
The Cardinals have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty reliever John Brebbia from Triple-A Memphis. To clear space on their 40-man roster, they’ve designated fellow righty Miguel Socolovich for assignment.
[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]
The 27-year-old Brebbia spent time in the Yankees system and in independent ball before the Cardinals selected him in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft prior to the 2016 season. He mostly struggled at Double-A and Triple-A in 2016, although he posted solid peripherals. This year, he has fared well in Triple-A, posting a 1.69 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and a strong 1.7 BB/9. He has never pitched in the Majors.
The 30-year-old Socolovich shuttled back and forth between Memphis and St. Louis in 2015 and 2016 and generally did quite well in his big-league opportunities, but the Cardinals never cleared a more regular place for him in their bullpen, and removed him from their roster after he allowed 20 runs, 18 earned, in 18 2/3 innings this year. He was also out of options, so the Cardinals couldn’t simply send him back to Triple-A. Given his solid Triple-A record and his big-league performances this year, and the fact that his salary is near the league minimum, he could be a waiver claim for a team in need of relief help.
Keith Law On Luis Robert
- ESPN’s Keith Law wonders (Insider subscription required and recommended) whether the White Sox made a mistake in making such a substantial commitment to Cuban star Luis Robert. As Law notes, position players from Cuba have flopped in the Majors more than they’ve succeeded. Law also adds that he’s spoken to a number of scouts to gauge Robert’s abilities, as he’s yet to be able to see Robert himself, and each scout to whom he spoke offered concerns about Robert’s hit tool. All agreed that he’s athletic and is a plus runner in addition to possessing above-average bat speed and raw power as well, however. Conversely, Law suggests that if one team was going to “overpay” and take such a significant gamble on Robert’s upside, the Cardinals had the best rationale. The Cards are without their top three picks in the 2017 draft after forfeiting one to sign Dexter Fowler and losing another two as punishment in the notorious data breach scandal, thus depriving them of means to add high-impact young talent. While Robert is certainly a risk, the Cardinals’ lack of alternative means of acquiring young talent would’ve made them a better fit to make the gamble. St. Louis was also already over its bonus pool even without Robert, while the Sox only just pushed themselves into the penalty bracket with Robert’s deal.
