photo: Alec Burleson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation.com)

Selected press interviews from Day 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Sunday, January 18, 2026. You can read short synopses or listen to each individual in their entirety.

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Sunday’s Day 2 of the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up charity event at Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village offered an increased blast of cold as a blustery welcome to the throngs of Cardinals fans attending.

Among the popular presentations on the main stage included a panel discussion with assistant general managers Moises Rodriguez, Rob Cerfolio and Randy Flores and an individual session with JJ Wetherholt.

Autograph sessions with these current Cardinals were scheduled on Sunday to conclude the two-day event: Dustin May, Leonardo Bernal, JJ Wetherholt, Brycen Mautz, Kyle Leahy, Alec Burleson, Michael McGreevy, Hunter Dobbins, Jose Fermin, Thomas Saggese, Andre Pallante, Masyn Winn, Yohel Pozo, Victor Scott II, Bill DeWitt III and Bill DeWitt Jr.

Cardinals alumni signing on Sunday included Aaron Miles, Randy Flores, Brad Thompson, Preston Wilson, Jeff Suppan, So Taguchi and others.

Typically, either before or after they sign for fans, the players meet with team physicians and are brought to the media area for a question and answer session. Some players also have fan and kids-only Q&A sessions.

Following are my notes from selected interviews held during the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Sunday, January 18, 2026. Following my summary is the audio for those who want to listen to the full content.

Content will be added at multiple points during the day and into the evening.

Dustin May (10:16)

Already gained 20 pounds. Want to add a couple more before spring training. Then hold it during the season. Have to be mindful about food eaten. Watch weight and keep maintained.

Took eight months post-surgery to feel like a normal person again (Feb. 2025).

When joining the Cards, didn’t know he would be the oldest. Excited about new adventure.

Regaining fastball command would be huge. Pens have been going great.

It has been a grind over the last five years. Having his health this offseason was good for his body.

Comes in with clean slate. Show up and do job.

In precontract discussions, the Cardinals pushed their good injury track record (no arm-related injuries in 2025). Brought trainers on the first call.

Wants to get sweeper locked. Trying to get changeup there.

Since number 85 is retired, he picked #3. No reason other than it was available. His wife noted 8-5=3. Also three letters in M-a-y.

Absolutely hates the nickname “Gingergaard”.

Talked with Fitts a lot in Boston. Crossed paths with Dobbins.

His World Series experience also came up in StL calls. Will be fun to use experiences. Didn’t know any Cardinals when he signed.

Brycen Mautz (12:44)

Was doing right things, focused on several wrong things. Had been super upper half focused. Lost direction.

Changes enabled him to throw harder and with more consistent velo. Needed to log reps in new way to introduce new pattern. In game and in drills, used lower half better.

Going on 40-man roster was surreal. Had Pitcher of the Year call from LD (farm director Larry Day) before. This one surprised  him. Very emotional moment.

The front office let them come to Busch late in the season and get on the mound.

Prior player development group had the right ideas, but did not talk about it enough. Now it is all laid out. Comes from (Director of Pitching Matt) Pierpont. Explains what they are doing and why.

Two changes for 2026.

1. Grip change on changeup. Hadn’t been consistent in past. Before it was off the four seam. Change to get more efficiency, more depth.
2.  Consistency. Showed it at Double-A. Now can he do it 10 of 10 times instead of 8 of 10?

Got a bunch of Triple-A baseballs. Only using them this off-season.

Bernal is awesome. So young (21). Growth. Became more of a student of the game. Already had the talent. At Palm Beach, if a pitch was working, he would stay with it. At Springfield, he considered the strategy of the situation, prior at-bats, etc.

Going to Jupiter on February 8.

Had a huge issue with righties in 2024. Worked on cutter in off-season. But it affected his slider and curveball negatively. This fifth pitch upside was outweighed by decline in other pitches so he stopped using it.

Close with fellow lefties Pete Hansen and Ixan Henderson. Lived with Hansen last couple of years. All lefties are different. Ixan weirdest of the three.

Michael McGreevy and Thomas Saggese (18:28)

MM: Looking to build something long term. Want a clear defined clubhouse and to make the new guys comfortable. Lead by example.

TS: Happy to play wherever they ask. Not said anything to him about the outfield, but it is something to think about in spring training.

TS: Aware of the moving roster pieces, but try to stay out of it Just get ready for the season.

MM: Sticks to routine. When going up and down to Memphis, it was tougher. Parents, girl friend, Memphis coaches great help.

MM: Happy with weight at 230 now. Last two off-seasons have been good.

TS: Number one is to be comfortable. Not chase results so much. Be consistent. Trust process. Not chase pitches as much.

TS: Young position player group is super fun. Everyone same age, helpful. Similar goals bring us together.

MM: On ABS, gotten accustomed to it. Only challenged once. Won’t do it again. Seen it work at Triple-A. Doesn’t take human access away. Only two calls allowed per game.

TS: Really likes ABS. Consistency. Helps umps learn strike zone. Black and white.

MM: Will miss Sonny Gray a lot. When gave up runs in first inning, Gray told him to throw his first inning in the pen. Great advice. Tries to keep loose before game and not get exhausted before the game.

MM: Tries to help Quinn Mathews. Too hard on himself. Needs to give himself some grace.

TS: Offseason focus on pitch selection. Doing it in cage helps. No nitty-gritty changes being made. Honing in on being more selective while still being aggressive. Making it a priority. Challenge system will help. Taking pitches if not what he wants.

Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III (26:47)

Jr.: Excited about 2026. Chaim and group did good job. Good young players.

III: FanDuel situation internally disruptive. Two options – either renegotiate with FD or go with MLB Media. Shouldn’t be disruptive for fans. Just on a different channel. Would also love to be on YouTube TV, for example, but that is a step away from them.

Jr.: Hard to quantify success in 2026. Winning season. If core is doing well.

Jr.: On labor situation, many teams prefer less disparity. Will be addressed in labor agreement.

III: Competitive balance is commissioner’s no. 1 role. Multiple ways to address. Disparity exacerbated in recent years.

Jr.: Oli has done good job, excellent job. Defer contract to Chaim. On Chaim vs. Mo, own styles. No two are the same. So far, so good with Bloom. We are optimistic that he can do a good job.

Jr.: Send out more money in trades to get young players back. Could have saved money by not doing that.

Jr.: Not a rebuild, but a build. Chaim is a draft and develop exec. On same page with the plan. Don’t give up draft choices. Hopefully won’t take long. Said (incorrectly) that Baseball America ranks the Cardinals farm system no. 1.

III: Fans are smart, glad strategy clarified. Challenged the last few years because of roster construction. Maybe more moves this offseason.

III: Less revenue makes job more difficult. 31st season. Bucked trends. Will look back on his experience as growth.

III: 20-year-old stadium needs multifaceted changes in near future. See how Royals situation plays out.

Jr.: His succession plan. III is perfect age to continue. We’re third generation baseball people.

III: 2028 is last year of national TV package. MLB will do like NBA which will help all teams. Local media is the question. It will be different. Cautiously optimistic it will come around. Didn’t know it would be so volatile. Can roll with the punches separately from ticket sales.

Andre Pallante (14:21)

Three goals:

1. Throw strikes with all pitches that are not 4-seam.
2. Kick change. Different look
3. Carry fastball. Cuts it now. Stay behind it better.

Has been trying to throw change since college. Still inconsistent. Tough to grab. Solid offering. Changeup works best against left-handers but can also be effective against right-handed bats.

Making 31 starts and throwing 163 innings, they know about you. So come up with different ways of getting outs.

Limited home runs two years ago, but they were way up in 2025. Due to predictability, familiarity.

Regarding new competition in rotation. If you belong in big leagues, you will be there. Can’t control anything but his prep.

Need to limit home runs, get more strikeouts. Limit damage when behind in count.

Struggling does not instill confidence, but am a different pitcher now, with confidence.

Working with same guy in offseason as McGreevy, but they are different. McG throws a lot of different pitches. Pallante has small arsenal.

Has to pre-grip his kick change. Get shapes with it he can’t get otherwise. Learned about it on social media.

Last year, didn’t hit velo until Game 1 of the season. This year, starting throwing 1 1/2 months early. Have thrown 6-10 pens already. Up to 92 mph (against 90 last year).

Jose Fermin (4:18)

Usually played winter ball, but not this year.

Versatility is main thing. Am taking reps in outfield. More value as player.

Trying to get bat speed up on off side. Add more power.  Already makes good contact.

At same facility in Tampa. Doing a lot of weighted bat work.

Lost great leaders from team. Young guys need to step up and play to best of abilities.

Last year a little shocked not to make the team but didn’t put head down. Kept working.

Masyn Winn (19:55)

Off-season focus getting knee back right.

Retired glove with gold patch. Signed and gave to his mom.

Bought engagement ring for fiancé.

Take pride in leadership but team has Noot, Donny, Burly.

Looking forward to playing with JJ Wetherholt. Want him to come in comfortable and play his game. Both were at Cressey this winter.

Am very vocal and emotional but in the right way. Also Nootbaar. Be a good example.

Felt great a week after surgery. Affected him more last season than he thought.

Grow up fast. Doesn’t feel like rebuild. Still good young core. 4-5 guys could have a crazy year.

Will not be a longball team. Will be scrappy.

Put trust in Mr. Bloom. Wants to stay here for career.

Saw name on wall at Busch with other Gold Glovers. Didn’t expect it yet. Feels great. Ozzie presented him the award.

Offense is always his focus. Had down year but don’t want to do it again.

On Walker, we all know his potential. Has higher ceiling than all of us.

Winn got too HR happy in 2025. Wants to be annoying at plate, wasting pitches.

On stealing, got thrown out early last season, lost confidence. Will run more in 2026. No competition with Victor Scott. He has track speed, not baseball speed. Would like to be within five steals of Scott in 2026.

On only three errors all last season. Only had 2-3 days all year without taking grounders pre-game.

Don’t know JJ on defensive side yet. Can’t let rookie outhit us! The dude rakes.

On Donovan. This is a business. He is still working. Will show up at spring training wherever prepared.

Joked with Arenado that if he takes a hit away, I will slide into him cleats first.

Sad they will never let him pitch again after one inning rookie year.

Victor Scott II (16:48)

When 14 years old, told his mom he would get her a new car after his first year in MLB. Did it. Both cried.

Want to come back as complete player. Add offense to speed and defense. Went to West Virginia for motion testing. Learned movements were inefficient. Set biomechanics plan. Hip movement, shin angle, ankles, etc.

Started swinging in December. Facing live pitching now. Has shorter swing. Get on front side more. Can adjust to breaking balls better, which he saw a lot of last year. Grounders to second are bad because he cannot run them out.

Casey Chenoweth was his coach in 2023. Understands swing. Provides help.

Wetherholt has very good hit tool. Very humble.

Want to get on base more in 2026. Steal and get in scoring position. Drive ball in gaps. Home runs are not me. Hit ball the other way. Been bunting every day in off-season.

Center field is more process oriented. Gain 1% more doing drills one hour, four days a week.

Double stolen bases from 30-35 last year. Winn will get within five if he steals 65.

Still uses baby glove all the time in training.

Last season was process, system, but didn’t have enough to carry beyond good spring into the season.

Players he’s looking forward to are Jordan Walker and Andre Pallante. Walker says he is shorter to the ball like old self. Pallante’s arsenal.

Yohel Pozo (7:50)

Getting ready for spring competition.

Was surprised to stay with St. Louis all year.  Was a great year, especially first half. Less chance to play in 2H.

Ready for pinch hitting, DH, catching, first base backup.

2 big moments in 2025. HR in Chicago. HR vs. Yankees with bat from hospital visit. Likes to spend moments with fans. It is who he is.

Told agent he didn’t want to leave StL. Non-tendered, then offered split contract two days later. Communications better here than his other teams.

Pedro, Ivan and I are all together. Healthy competition. All are friends.

Have been doing own scouting on new pitchers to learn what they throw. More in spring training.

Note:

In order to attend the aforementioned AGM Roundtable discussion, I had to leave the media room for an hour. During that time, I missed the interviews with Leonardo Bernal, JJ Wetherholt, Kyle Leahy and part of Alec Burleson.

Thanks to my podcast partner Kyle Reis, these recordings follow. However, I was not there to summarize them.

Leonardo Bernal 

Leonardo Bernal https://t.co/ZxeGBhUwOI

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 18, 2026

JJ Wetherholt (two parts)

JJ Wetherholt https://t.co/CvsfS2RuIv

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 18, 2026

JJ Wetherholt pt 2 https://t.co/UMrnA4LiwZ

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 18, 2026

Kyle Leahy

Kyle Leahy https://t.co/sLhMCV22aV

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 18, 2026

Alec Burleson (partial written comments)

Working on solidifying offensive routine so can reel it in more quickly if things go awry.

Arriving at spring training on February 14. Will be ready, but can use the time to ramp up. Doesn’t have to prove to people that he can hit at this level. Takes some pressure off mentally.

First two seasons, knew he was doing the right thing. Didn’t let results bother him. Always made adjustments. It was good to see a few balls drop in 2025 that didn’t before.

What Donovan brings is on the field. Never takes a day off. Played through things that others wouldn’t. Process/routine is always good. Will show others how it should be done. When JJ Wetherholt comes up, tell him to do what Donny does.

Alec Burleson https://t.co/dBJEbAOvlu

— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) January 18, 2026

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Cardinals Winter Warm-Up – In Their Words: Saturday, 1/17/26

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photo: 2026 Winter Warm-Up opening (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)

Press interviews from Day 1 of the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Saturday, January 17, 2026. You can read short synopses or listen to Cardinals players in their own words.

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Day 1 of the two-day 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up opened on Saturday morning, January 17 at Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village. The assembled fans were greeted by cold, flurries and windy conditions typical for January.

The most popular presentation on Day 1 had to be Chaim Bloom’s main stage event, following a Q&A session with the media. The president of baseball operations also signed autographs. Manager Oliver Marmol did the same.

Signing sessions, one or two hours each, with these current and future Cardinals players, were scheduled on Saturday: Liam Doyle, Jimmy Crooks, Gordon Graceffo, Jordan Walker, Nathan Church, Joshua Baez, Blaze Jordan, Richard Fitts, Ivan Herrera, Quinn Mathews, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Granillo and Riley O’Brien.

Also signing for fans are Cardinals alumni including Al Hrabosky, David Eckstein, Matt Adams, David Freese, Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay. The latter two are also current Cardinals coaches.

Before or after they sign for fans and in some cases take questions and answers from fans, players meet with team physicians and are also brought to the media room for individual Q&A sessions.

Following are selected interviews held during the St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up on Saturday, January 17, 2026. I summarize them and follow with the audio for those who want to listen to the full content.

Check back this afternoon and evening as additional content is added throughout the day.

Nathan Church and Jonathan Baez (11:13)

JB: Just getting on 40-man roster is amazing. Gives him more reassurance.

JB: Attributes his 2025 breakout to more mental cues and that he did not do too much different physically.

NC: Focusing on getting better in areas he did not do so well. Fastballs at top of zone. Working with Brant Brown on keeping his swing short.

JB: Organization involved more every year. More personalized plan.  Trying to make in season changes same night doesn’t work well. Get to reset/play around if off-season.

NC: Not trying to put up power numbers. Focus on sync, training room, cage. Understanding body better.

JB: Stole more bases by getting to know pitchers better. Identify patterns, tendencies. Know count, score, situation.

Blaze Jordan (12:55)

Super excited to have family and friends at first game with Memphis. Bloom was one of first calls after trade. Feels wanted.

More pressure coming home for the first couple of weeks of games.

Pujols is one of his favorites. Went to World Series game in Texas when he hit three home runs. Met him a few years later.

Needs to work on getting power numbers up, more athleticism, quickness, mobility. Work in gym, bat speed. Working hard on defense at first base and third base. Already improved. Wants to do more. No one has mentioned outfield.

Wetherholt is a special player. Learned from how he works day in and out.

Also talked about fishing, past connections with Walker and Winn and his High School Home Run Derby success.

Oliver Marmol (31:06)

Changes bittersweet but some really good conversations. Transactions done right. Will remember Arenado comments.

Chaim did good job connecting. Coaches have made trips to meet with guys.

Changes = opportunity. Players fired up. Their time is now. Ton of enthusiasm. Compete to win together. Learning how to win together. Guys below needed playing opportunity.

Excited for Masyn Winn and Victor Scott to get to next level.

Burleson to hone in on strike zone. He does leadership differently, Not loudest, but has credibility. Very confident of him playing at first base.

Still some moving pieces at third base. Gorman can get at-bats.

Herrera in good spot. Taking catching seriously, bought into curriculum. Starting throwing one week ago. Will be hitting in a few days. Elbow chips were a problem for his throwing. Will be hard to evaluate in spring. Acknowledges catching roster questions.

Left field – hard to answer today. Nootbaar making good progress, but it is still early. Moving parts.

Will not be announcing all jobs are open. Wouldn’t be smart. Will clearly define guys they believe in.

Wetherholt mindset is special. Carries himself well. Definitely has a chance of making roster out of spring camp. He would be comfortable at second base (if Burleson is gone).

Will be different ways to construct lineup. Will be creative. Optimize daily. Balanced lineup.

On rotation. May. McGreevy and Liberatore to take next stop. Will see what Leahy can do. Lay eyes on new guys.

Last year, tried to be smart about building guys up because a lot of injuries occur early. Used six-man last April.

Mentioned without a question now excited he is about Scott.

Winn feels better than he has for a long time. Feeling hungry. Will be more aggressive. Offensive ceiling high.

Scott didn’t have season he wanted. Very process focused on getting better.

Noticed huge line outside stadium before opening. Cool to see excitement in young group,

Have talked about his contract, but asked that Bloom speak about it.

Gordon Graceffo (9:28)

Fine tuning his new kick change. Strange grip. Wants to even his splits out. Was fastball usage heavy in 2025. Threw changeup in past, but lost it with changing mechanics.

Make money pitching out of stretch with guys on base in close games. Pens focused on stretch.

Look at movement on Trackman and iPad of kick change. But hitters will tell him all he needs to know. 2021 was first time using Trackman. Data is awesome.

Fun to have new pitch in spring training, which is tough because hitters know him.

More velo last year was a confidence thing. Make it more consistent.

His role may depend on what they need.

Looking forward to pitching in Yankee Stadium. Family had season tickets. Mariano Rivera was his favorite.

Corralled his emotions early, but let it show when more comfortable.

Quinn Mathews (14:14)

Offseason focus outside of baseball. Preparation for season same.

Lot of things didn’t pan out in 2025. Focus strayed. Should have paid more attention to advice given early on by Sonny Gray. Keeping details private for now. He was Gray’s “dog” in camp last year. Gray is his own machine.

2026 is new year.

Never dealt with lingering injury before.  First time in career he could not take health for granted. Never had to sit out before.  Tyler Glasnow uses term “mound traumas”. Wants high expectations.

Hopefully more strong minded and handling failure better.

Was first guy sent down last spring. Joked that he hoped to stick until second cuts this year.

Striking out Vlad Guerrero was awesome opportunity, but swinging and missing in spring training likely not important to him.

Not thinking about StL rotation today, Just day to day, Not thinking that far ahead.

100% arm health. Feeling good about mechanics right now. Didn’t know where baseball was going last year.

Liam Doyle (11:17)

Main focus is getting body ready for spring. Stay in shape, maintain body mass, muscle.

Matt Pierpont (director of pitching) gave him schedule. Throwing 4-5x per week. Already threw a bullpen.

Going to Jupiter tomorrow.

Has fun playing villain role. Likes to think he has different mound personality.

From Southern New Hampshire. Went to Red Sox games. Liked to watch Chris Sale. Likes to emulate Max Scherzer. Adam Sandler went to his high school one year.

No inning target in 2026 that he knows of.

Cards made it clear he will be a part of their future. Says he will beat Tanner Franklin to MLB. TF also going to FL this week.

Jimmy Crooks (9:05)

Taste of MLB in 2025 was fun. Added more fuel to fire in offseason. Get stronger, quicker, work on hitting. Joked he is going to get a couple of bags (steals).

In past, just went out and played. Now working on mental side, slowing game down.

Focusing on lower half, core. Throwing and hitting all start from there.

Want to take more walks and not go after everything.

Good core catching group. Help each other. Has been a sponge.

Bond with pitchers starts in spring. Mathews working on confidence. Love him to death. Worked his butt off. Dog on mound. Both learned to handle mental side. Wants Mathews to not overuse the heater and use his mix of pitches more.

This spring will be quicker and easier.

Jordan Walker (15:57)

Returned to Jupiter a week and a half ago. Adapted Driveline program and worked at Cressey.

Basestealing confidence via studying pitchers better. Learned from Jon Jay and Scott.

Goal to get to spring training at 260 pounds. Was 265-267 last year. Feel better lighter.

When hitting off backside, has better results. Not roll over pitches with top spin. Org. has asked for more consistency.

Can’t anticipate MLB struggles. Tough to deal with. Good family and teammates.

Wetherholt also hit a few times at Cressey. Level headed, not fazed. Learn from him to relax at-bat. Looks so easy.

Haven’t thought about where he will hit in the lineup.

Offseason Facetime sessions with Brant Brown where he hits live and goes through drills while the coach watches. Brown does not sugar coat. Knows body movements well.

Feels he is moving a lot better on defense. Been throwing. Will work off machine in Jupiter with Jon Jay.

Was not surprised Masyn Winn won the Gold Glove.

Was down a week with the flu – fever, etc.

Matthew Liberatore (13:38)

Always tried to prep as starter. Less stressful to prepare that way if switched later.

Happy how he finished 2025. Wish he had an extra month. Started throwing better last two starts. Had mid-season lull which was foreign to him. Led to trial and error. Learned he could compete when not at best physically.

Put on a few extra pounds to help endurance.

Spent three hours with Kyle Leahy recently talking mechanics and pitch grips. Most similarly-minded pitcher on the team.

Focus most on execution especially in two-strike counts. More swing and miss will result. Hitters smell blood in water if confidence is lacking.

Gray recommended moving hitters feet and make them uncomfortable.

Valuable lessons learned through different pitching roles.

Goal in 2026 is to throw 170-180 innings but no ERA, K, win goals. More process oriented. Has execution measures by pitch with goal of 70% or better.

As seven year old, wore #32. Dad linked to Josh Hamilton (hitter) and Sandy Koufax (pitcher). Asked for number after Matz traded.

Would be super cool to start Opening Day. Who wouldn’t want that?

Chaim Bloom (39:29)

Fanbase expects need to change and have gotten behind it.

Never stop trying to win. Can’t let that distract us. Wants to see core progress in front and behind curtain. Wants to see moving down path.

Offseason calendar is pretty late. Spring training is close. Ideally, the club would be set by the start of spring training. May be moves around margins of club, waivers, guys with no options, etc. later.

Donovan’s impact on the club adds layers (of complexity?).

Expects Jupiter to be spring training-ready. Though not everything will be done, will have everything we need. Roll with punches.

Player development trying try to do a lot at once while also moving too slowly. Needs to be a little uncomfortable.

If we are only catching up, not trying to find the next thing, will never be #1. On its way to happening culturally. Everyone pushed out of comfort zone. Meet, get best experiences of others and put together more than the others individually had.

Will have to be a part of AI, or in five years, we will get beat.

On Jordan Walker, will find out more soon. Monitoring, Better and more engaged offseason. Encouraged where he is at. Upside is worth staying with him. Both patience and urgency. Hopes he gets 500 at-bats, but not going to give it to anyone. The lane is open for him.

On Ivan Herrera, early steps of throwing. Get better equipped to throw out guys.

Identify best guys and go get them. Added exec under Randy Flores to do this.

On Doyle modeling after Scherzer, would like that outcome. Glad he set high bar. Help him get there. Good match in intensity. Would be disruptive for him to be in big league camp this spring.

On Marmol, he keeps main thing the main thing. Hope they can work together for a long time. Thinks Oli can navigate.

On Triple-A to MLB promotions, want to feel they did not skip steps. Will still be tough up there.

On Victor Scott, offensive discussions about how to get back there and stay there. A lot of optimism.

On Masyn Winn, growing pains and success. Grow and take steps in other ways. Not in rehab mode. Ready.

In his seat, values what can be done to bring people together. Need to direct more clearly to ensure alignment. Clarity where to go and why. Targets.

On Lars Nootbaar, longer process. Doing well, no timetable. He will say ready for Opening Day.

On potential 2027 labor problems affecting 2026 decisions, don’t get too cute.

On Brendan Donovan, he has been awesome, total pro. Ideally, not (traded) during camp, but never say absolute. But this is a people business. Can’t give answer today.

On Hunter Dobbins, fielding, etc. is last step. Highest risk of reinjury. Arm-wise, he should be ready.

On big contracts elsewhere, it is MLB action above my paygrade. Landscape is different from team-to-team. Never allow it to be an excuse. Don’t get more focused on obstacle vs. goal.

Richard Fitts and Andre Granillo (18:40)

RF: Organization has been great. Drove from Boston to St. Louis this week in two days.

RF: On arm numbness, has been throwing bullpens.

AG: Struggles last season gave him plan for off-season. Fell into a lot of patterns. Kept throwing sliders.

RF: Already met entire staff over the phone. Working on a changeup and pitch usage. Going to Jupiter on the first.

AG: Players discussed fact that no Cardinal had an arm injury in 2025. Staff wants to care for you. Felt great all year.

AG: When came up, gave some hitters too much credit. Shied away. Needs to attack and get ahead. Needs changeup to complement offerings.

RF: Watching Pedro Pages catching a lot. Having conversations via text. Likes the way he moves behind the plate as I miss a lot in the middle.

RF: Had no issue with ABS at Triple-A. Umpires are very good. Misses that appear larger are only a half-inch off.

RF: Wants to be a guy who fans cheer for.

AG: Remembers well day of first win, first strikeout and first save. Only MLB player in history to do all three on same day.

Ivan Herrera (16:22)

Elbow coming along. Couldn’t straighten before surgery. Rehabbing in Jupiter. A week after pitchers and catchers report, should be good to go.

If he plays in World Baseball Classic for Panama, it will only be as DH.

Plan is for first hitting 10 days after first throwing, which is next week.

Was signing (autographs today) with Jordan, then he was done. Then Liberatore came, signed them all, and went and he (Herrera) was still signing. Fans care a lot about what he is doing with the team.

Never had surgery before. Usually starts working out the week after the prior season ends. Feels lazy sometimes because of limitations with arm. Took months before he could lift weights.

Reason he wants to keep catching. Already above average blocking and above average in receiving. Couldn’t throw because of elbow.

Designated hitter was hard. 20 minutes between action. Being in the game keeps him warm.

Show up early and work hard. Mentality 2-3 years ago was to hang around. Now wants to win with family.

Believes in himself. Told Oli last year that goal was to bat .300 and hit 20 home runs. Won’t share goals, but will be higher this year.

One of best MLB hitters vs, LHP. Wasn’t the case two years ago. So made it extra focus.

Body feels good now, but not so at end of season.

Can tell his kids he hit a home run off Justin Verlander. Other targets are Skenes, Skubal and Chapman.

Riley O’Brien (9:20)

Still feels like young guy, but realizes he is one of only a few Cardinals over 30. Building muscle, working on timing. Had more confidence in off-season.

Feels like he thrives late in games and hopes to get more opportunities.

Will pitch for Team Korea in WBC. Getting game ready earlier than usual as a result.  Mom’s side of family very proud. Making plans to see him. He has never been in Korea or Japan. Reached out to Tommy Edman, who was on Team Korea before and he recommended it.

2026 team is like 2025 bullpen in second half. Guys had to step up. Helsley was perfect role model (before he left).

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