photo: Roberto Clemente Award ceremony (St. Louis Cardinals)
Yadier Molina is front and center in St. Louis Cardinals news from the prior week. In our weekly history feature, the trade that sent pitcher Rick Wise to Boston for outfielder Reggie Smith is remembered.
Molina receives Roberto Clemente Award
Major League Baseball announced prior to the start of Game 2 of the World Series that St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is the recipient of the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award. The Clemente Award recognizes a player who exemplifies extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions. It is given annually and is considered the most prominent individual off-field player award in Major League Baseball.
Molina was honored for his personal and financial efforts to help rebuild Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He joins Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado as the only native Puerto Ricans to win the award.
The catcher not only provided money, food and supplies to aid his native land, but walked the streets of Puerto Rico for two weeks hand delivering supplies and helping to repair homes and rebuild infrastructure.
“Our days started at 5 a.m. and went to midnight. We would go from house to house, handing out bags of food and water." – @Yadimolina04 on his work in Puerto Rico that helped him win 2018 Clemente Award. More about his efforts: https://t.co/vca8sOzpUc #STLCards #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/DIhRRxYh7U
— Cardinals Magazine (@CardsMagazine) October 24, 2018
Molina is the fifth Cardinals player to win the prestigious award, along with Beltran, Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith, and Lou Brock.
He was unable to attend the ceremony in Boston as he was managing Puerto Rico’s U-23 national team in World Cup action in Colombia, but was represented by his wife, Wanda, and their two children in the ceremony at Fenway Park. They received the award from Clemente’s widow, Vera.
You can watch the full ceremony here: https://atmlb.com/2PTVVfB
Two Cardinals are Gold Glove Award top finishers
The top three vote-getters at each position in each league for the 2018 Gold Glove Awards were announced this past Thursday, and two Cardinals made the cut. Yadier Molina was named a “finalist,” along with fellow catchers Manny Piña of the Brewers, and Buster Posey of the Giants. Molina has won eight Gold Gloves in his career, most recently in 2015.
Also named was second baseman Kolten Wong. This top-three finish is Wong’s first. Wong’s competition for the award is Javy Baez of the Cubs and D. J. LeMahieu of the Rockies. Wong amassed 19 Defensive Runs Saved in 2018, one more than LeMahieu. Baez has five Defensive Runs saved at second base in 2018.
It would also be a first Gold Glove Award for Baez. LeMahieu is a two-time prior winner.
The winners will be announced on November 4.
Two Cardinals heading to Japan
John Brebbia will join Molina as Cardinals representatives in MLB’s Japan Series. A team of MLB players will face standouts from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in six games to be held across Japan from November 8-15. Miami’s Don Mattingly will be the squad’s manager.
The All-Star Tour games in November will mark the 37th time overall that Major Leaguers have toured Japan for exhibition games, dating back to 1908. The All-Star Tour will be hosted in Tokyo (Tokyo Dome), Hiroshima (Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium) and Nagoya (Nagoya Dome). The events will begin with an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo on November 8th, followed by three games in Tokyo from November 9th-11th, one game in Hiroshima on November 13th and two games in Nagoya on November 14th-15th. – per MLB.com
The full roster can be seen here: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-announces-roster-all-star-tour-in-japan/c-299919036
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 10/20 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Engels Martinez to a minor league contract.
- 10/20 The Cardinals signed free agent LHP Michael Ozoria to a minor league contract.
TCN members can read more about the signings here.
Injury Report
There are no new injury updates to report.
Looking Ahead
The World Series concluded in five games on Sunday night, October 28, with the Boston Red Sox and Joe Kelly defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers of David Freese.
All off-season activities will now begin. Pending free agents will officially become free agents today, the day after the World Series. Free agents can sign with their prior club during the next five days, after which they can negotiate with any team. Adam Wainwright has agreed to a one-year deal to return to St. Louis in 2019, which will now be finalized, and the terms of the new deal should be disclosed soon after.
In addition to Wainwright, the Cardinals pending free agents are Bud Norris, Tyson Ross, and Matt Adams. There have been no indications as of this writing of intentions to re-sign any of the three.
Status of players with contract options or opt-outs will be resolved by this Wednesday, October 31. The deadline to extend qualifying offers is 5 pm ET this Friday, November 2. Players have until November 12 to accept or reject the qualifying offer. No Cardinals are expected to be among this group, though it is relevant for potential free agent signings, as a 2019 draft pick would be forfeited if a player who rejected a QO is signed (such as with Greg Holland in 2018).
The 40-man roster must be finalized prior to the upcoming Rule 5 draft in December. The deadline for doing so is on or about November 20.
The non-tender deadline is November 30. The Cardinals have five arbitration eligible players. They are Marcell Ozuna, Michael Wacha, Dominic Leone, Chasen Shreve, and Greg Garcia. Of those players, Garcia is the most likely non-tender candidate.
November brings awards. The following are the major awards to be given and the dates the winners will be announced.
Nov 4 – Gold Gloves
Nov 5 – Executive of the Year
Nov 7 – Defensive Player of the Year
Nov 8 – Silver Sluggers
Nov 12 – Rookie of the Year
Nov 13 – Manager of the Year
Nov 14 – Cy Young
Nov 15 – Most Valuable Player
Nov 19 – Comeback Player of the Year
Nov 20 – Designated Hitter of the Year (AL only)
Blast from the Past
The trade and acquisition series continues with a trade that was not particularly memorable in and of itself, but was the end result of what many consider to be the worst trade the Cardinals ever made. That trade was the infamous Steve Carlton for Rick Wise deal.
On February 25, 1972, the Cardinals dealt left handed pitcher Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for right-hander Rick Wise in what is considered one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. This trade has been covered in past history articles, so that trade is not the subject of this week’s Blast from the Past, but the subsequent trade of Wise by the Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox.
Wise pitched for two seasons with the Cardinals, amassing a record of 32-28 with an ERA of 3.24. The trade looks to be fine at first blush, as Wise pitched fairly well in his two seasons in St. Louis. When compared to Carlton’s career after the Cardinals traded him though, the trade was a bust for the Cardinals. Carlton had the best seasons of his career with the Phillies, winning four Cy Young Awards and cementing his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
After his two seasons in St. Louis, the Cardinals traded Wise to the Boston Red Sox on October 26, 1973 along with Bernie Carbo, for outfielder Reggie Smith and right-handed reliever Ken Tatum. Tatum’s Cardinals career was short lived, as he was flipped after Spring Training 1974 to the Chicago White Sox. Smith played for three seasons with St. Louis, slashing .293/.371/.495 with 50 home runs and 199 RBI. Smith was traded in mid-season of 1976 to the Dodgers.
In the end, the Cardinals received two average seasons of Rick Wise and subsequently three average seasons of Reggie Smith while losing one of the greatest left handed pitchers in baseball history. It all happened because of a contract dispute that could have been resolved. Not the finest moment in the history of the Cardinals franchise.
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