photo: Brendan Donovan, Gary LaRocque, John Mozeliak (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals, including Nolan Arenado, will hold their first full squad workout on Monday. Players went 2-for-3 in arbitration hearings. Spring TV and radio schedules have been announced. Our history feature investigates prior St. Louis trades and free agent signings made during this week.
Arenado reports to spring training
The ongoing offseason Nolan Arenado drama has reached its climax. The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman for the past four seasons has reported to camp in Jupiter, Florida.
As expected, Arenado met with the media, which tossed the expected questions at him. He handled it as well as anyone could in that type of situation and environment.
Arenado made it clear that his expectation is to be a better player in 2025 than he has been for the past two seasons. He expressed no ill feelings about anything that transpired over the offseason or concerning the team’s inability to find an acceptable trading partner. He made it clear that at no time was he demanding to leave the Cardinals.
When questioned about his reasons for having a short list of teams to which he would accept a trade and his unwillingness to expand that list, his rationale was that he had a family and did not want to uproot that family to go just anywhere. He reiterated that they were happy where they were and if he were to leave, it had to be to a place of his choosing, limited in number.
In the end, Arenado is focused on being a better ballplayer and in getting ready for the season and that is all. He said he feels he is in the right place; he feels good, he feels he has a lot to prove, and he is ready to play baseball.
The potential downside is that younger players will receive less playing time as a result of Arenado remaining.
Cardinals players go 2-for-3 in arbitration hearings
The Cardinals had three eligible arbitration players who went to hearings this month. Two players defeated the team in their hearings, and the Cardinals had a successful outcome in the other.
Lars Nootbaar’s hearing occurred on February 5 and the three-judge panel found in his favor. Nootbaar will be paid $2.95 million for 2025 instead of the $2.45 million the team offered.
Pitcher Andre Pallante was also successful in his arbitration bid. His panel awarded him the $2.1 million he requested instead of the $1.925 million the Cardinals proffered.
Nootbaar and Pallante are clients of the Wasserman Agency.
Brendan Donovan was the only one of the three Cardinals to be unsuccessful in his hearing. The utility player had requested a salary of $3.3 million, but the panel went with the $2.85 million offered by the Cardinals.
Donovan made it clear he holds no ill will toward the Cardinals despite the outcome.
All three players were in their first year of arbitration eligibility. Pallante had less than three years of service time but qualified as a Super Two with 2.145 years of service time. He will thus be eligible for arbitration for four years rather than the normal three years. The team controls his services through 2028. Nootbaar and Donovan are only controlled by St. Louis through the 2027 season.
News and Notes for Spring Training
In this space will be information on news and events of spring training that do not require extensive coverage. Check back each week to learn what is happening.
- Cardinals announce Spring Training television and radio schedule – Fans will be able to catch all 31 of the club’s spring contests on either FanDuel Sports Network, KMOX 1120 AM/Cardinals Radio Network affiliates or streaming via the MLB app or cardinals.com. The Cardinals Grapefruit League Spring Training schedule consists of 30 games followed by an exhibition matchup against the Memphis Redbirds, club’s Triple-A affiliate, at AutoZone Park. Details here.
- Edmonds not returning for 2025 – Jim Edmonds, who has been a part of the broadcasting crew for the Cardinals since 2013 and a color analyst in the booth since 2016, will not return to Cardinal broadcasting for the 2025 season.
- Cardinals 2025 Spring Training tickets on sale now – The Cardinals continue the sale of 2025 Spring Training tickets. You can access information and purchase tickets at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/spring-training
- Cardinals’ Season Tickets are now available – Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming 2025 schedule. Details at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/season-tickets. A telephone number and a chat feature are available.
- Spring Breakout is back – The second annual Spring Breakout games will be played in March. This prospect showcase features top prospects from each team playing in a spring training game. Cardinals’ prospects will play Marlins prospects on March 14 at 12:10 p.m. at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. The Cardinals team may include such prospects as Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence and JJ Wetherholt.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report. Nolan Arenado has reported to spring training and will remain a Cardinal until he is no longer a Cardinal, whenever that may be.
Transactions
- 2/8 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Nick Anderson to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
Spring Training has begun. The first full squad workout begins on Monday.
All three of the Cardinals remaining arbitration eligible players had their hearings. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar and RHP Andre Pallante won their hearings, but utility player Brendan Donovan lost.
Grapefruit League game play begins for the Cardinals on Saturday, February 22 against the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. The 2025 Spring Training schedule can be found here.
Opening Day for the Cardinals is at home against the Twins on March 27. They will play a four-game series through Monday, March 31. Friday, March 28 is an off day in case there is a rain out on Thursday.
The Cardinals remain in St. Louis and play a two-game series with the Angels on Tuesday and Wednesday. After taking Thursday off, the Cardinals will play their first road series of the season in Boston against the Red Sox. They end the road trip against the Pirates in Pittsburgh in a three-game set.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past is the final installment of the series on past transactions. This week we cover the period of February 10 through 16.
The following list of transactions made by the Cardinals during this period start with date of the transaction, the name or names of the players involved, the teams involved, and the nature of the transaction. Additional relevant details may be included.
February 10, 2012 – The Cardinals signed RHP Scott Linebrink to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. Linebrink did not make the major league roster, and after suffering injuries, he was released on June 8.
February 12, 2021 – The Cardinals acquired C Ali Sanchez from the Mets for cash. Sanchez was called up on April 27 and had four at bats with the Cardinals with two hits. He returned to the minors and was designated for assignment in June 2022.
February 13, 1996 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Dennis Eckersley from the Oakland Athletics for RHP Steve Montgomery. Eckersley was with the Athletics when Tony La Russa was the manager and essentially came with La Russa when he took over as the manager of the Cardinals in 1996. The future Hall of Famer was the Cardinals’ closer for two seasons.
February 15, 1989 – The Cardinals signed Leon Durham to a free agent contract. Durham began his career with St. Louis. He was their first-round draft pick in 1976 and made his major league debut on May 27, 1980. Durham played one season in St. Louis and then was traded in December 1980 to the Cubs for closer Bruce Sutter. Durham returned in 1989 as a free agent but played in only 29 games. He was suspended for 60 days for a violation of the MLB drug policy and retired after the season.
February 16, 1983 – The Cardinals signed C Jamie Quirk as a free agent, but he played in only 48 games. Quirk had spent the majority of his 18 major league seasons with the Kansas City Royals, and returned there after his major league career was over to coach. He also coached with the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs.
Head to The Cardinal Nation's free forum to guess which #stlcards player hits the first home run of the spring at Roger Dean and when. The winner will receive a free one-year subscription to The Cardinal Nation. Enter by this Saturday morning, 2/22. https://t.co/Lf2lWlWxJZ pic.twitter.com/ncmMvLLmoq
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) February 18, 2025
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