photo: Erick Fedde (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing baseball again, off to an 0-2 start in the Grapefruit League. Nolan Arenado and Erick Fedde are subjects of continued trade rumors. Our history feature investigates key St. Louis news made during this week in team history.
Spring game recaps
Saturday, February 22, 2025 – Cardinals 6, Marlins 7
The Miami Marlins edged the St. Louis Cardinals by one run in the opening game of their Grapefruit League schedules on Saturday. Erick Fedde started for the Cardinals at home and pitched one scoreless inning with two hits allowed. Fedde was followed on the mound in order by Matthew Liberatore, Ryan Fernandez, Chris Roycroft, Riley O’Brien, Bailey Horn, Rob Kaminsky and Matt Svanson.
The Cardinals put up one run in the fourth inning and five runs in the sixth to take a 6-0 lead. Iván Herrera drove in the first run on a sac fly. Jose Barrero plated two runs in the sixth. Matt Koperniak, Bryan Torres and Nathan Church each had an RBI in the sixth.
However, the Marlins came back with their seven runs in the final three innings. Horn, Kaminsky, and Svanson combined to give up all seven.
O’Brien committed a throwing error in his inning pitched. Matt Koperniak had an outfield assist, throwing a runner out at home.
Lars Nootbaar was the first Cardinal to challenge a pitch with the ABS system now in use in 13 parks during spring training. Nootbaar’s challenge was successful.
Sunday, February 23, 2025 – Cardinals 6, Astros 11
The Cardinals lost 11-6 to the Houston Astros in the second Grapefruit League game on Sunday. At Roger Dean, Miles Mikolas started and threw two scoreless innings with two hits and a walk. He was followed on the mound by Tekoah Roby, Sem Robberse, Zack Weiss, Andre Granillo, Oddanier Mosqueda, JoJo Romero, John King, and Ryan Loutos. Robberse gave up nine of the 11 Houston runs and took the loss. Granillo was responsible for the other two runs.
The offense scored two runs in the fourth on a single by Victor Scott II. The fifth was marked by a three-run opposite field home run by JJ Wetherholt. The final run came home in the ninth on a solo home run by R.J. Yeager.
The Cardinals committed two errors, both throwing miscues, by Robberse and Yeager.
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’ Season Tickets are available – Fans can purchase season tickets for 2025. Details at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/season-tickets. A telephone line and a chat feature are also available.
- Spring Breakout is back – The second annual Spring Breakout games will be held in mid-March. This prospect showcase features top prospects from each team playing in a spring training game. Once again, Cardinals’ prospects will play Marlins prospects on March 14 at 12:10 pm at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. The Cardinals team may include prospects such as Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence and JJ Wetherholt.
- Cardinals Spring Training Broadcast schedule announced – FanDuel Sports Network will televise 12 Spring Training contests in 2025. The team’s March 4th contest versus the New York Mets will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Four additional Cardinals Spring games are scheduled to be televised by opposing teams and will be streamed on MLB.TV. 15 spring games will also be carried on KMOX and the 156 Cardinals Radio Network affiliate stations. Details here: https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-2025-spring-training-broadcast-schedule
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
- MLB.com reported that the Astros re-engaged with the Cardinals about a trade for third baseman Nolan Arenado. However, subsequent reporting by The Athletic indicated that the talk was brief and that there was “no traction” for a trade.
- According to Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch, other teams believe the Cardinals are “open” to trading starting pitcher Erick Fedde, who is in the final year of his contract. The move could be motivated by both a desire to reduce payroll further and to open a rotation spot for Michael McGreevy. There is no indication that such a move is imminent or even at a point where actual talks are taking place.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
- Non-roster invitee LHP Drew Rom was shut down from throwing after feeling soreness in his left shoulder during a bullpen session. Rom had a PRP injection and will rest for a few days before resuming throwing. Rom had shoulder surgery last spring and sat out last season.
Looking Ahead
Grapefruit League game play has begun. The Cardinals lost to the Marlins on Saturday and to the Astros on Sunday.
On Monday, the Cardinals face the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. The team then travels to Dunedin to play the Blue Jays on Tuesday. They remain on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday against the Yankees.
The Cardinals return to Jupiter on Thursday for another shot at the Marlins. The weekend schedule begins in West Palm Beach with the Astros on Friday. Saturday’s contest will be in Jupiter against the Nationals. The weekend ends with the Marlins again on Sunday.
The 2025 Spring Training schedule can be found here.
Opening Day for the Cardinals will be at home against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, March 27, starting a four-game series that ends on Monday, March 31. Friday, March 28 is an off day in case there is a rain out on Thursday.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will look at some notable events that occurred during the period from February 17 through 23 in past seasons for the franchise. This series will extend through spring training during times when events worth noting occurred during a specific week of time.
The date of the event will be followed with a summary of what occurred and any other details worth noting.
February 18, 1998 – Former Cardinals broadcaster Harry Caray passed away at the age of 84 from a heart attack. The longtime broadcaster also called games for the Cubs, Athletics, and White Sox during his long, distinguished career. As fans know, current Cardinals play by play broadcaster Chip Caray is the grandson of Harry.
February 18, 2011 – Former Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds announced his retirement from baseball. Edmonds had signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals two weeks earlier but decided to call it quits after continuing to suffer symptoms from a torn Achilles tendon from the previous season.
Edmonds became a color analyst for the Cardinals with Fox Sports Midwest two years later and continued in that role through the 2024 season. He did not return for the 2025 season.
February 19, 1982 – The San Diego Padres completed the Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton trade by sending LHP Al Olmsted to St. Louis as the player to be named later. Olmsted was originally drafted by the Cardinals in 1975 and made his major league debut in September 1980. He was traded to the Padres by the Cardinals on December 8, 1980 along with six other players for Rollie Fingers, Bob Shirley, and Gene Tenace. Olmsted did not pitch for the Cardinals after the Smith trade.
February 20, 1953 –August A. Busch convinced the Board of Directors of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals from current owner Fred Saigh for $3.75 million. Saigh had been convicted of tax evasion and was threatening to sell the team to a group who would move it to Houston. The $3.75 million Busch paid for the team was less than the offer from the Houston group.
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