photo: George Soriano (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired reliever George Soriano from Washington for Andre Granillo. The Spring Training TV and Radio schedule has been announced. Our history section highlights key events this past week in team annals.
Cardinals make a reliever swap
In a surprise move announced on Tuesday, February 10, the St. Louis Cardinals traded RHP Andre Granillo to the Washington Nationals for RHP George Soriano.
Granillo, 25, made his major league debut with St. Louis on June 12, 2025. In 14 appearances last season, Granillo posted a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings. He struck out 18, walked seven, and recorded one save.
Soriano, 26, made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins on April 16, 2023. Soriano spent much of the subsequent time traveling back and forth between the minor leagues and the major league team. In a combined 72 appearances over three MLB seasons, Soriano posted a 3-1 record with an ERA of 5.95. He struck out 117 and walked 55 in 118 innings.
Soriano was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on November 5, 2025. The Orioles designated him for assignment on January 5, 2026. The Atlanta Braves claimed Soriano on January 9, and he was designated for assignment again on January 26. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals on January 30, 2026, who then designated him for assignment on February 5. The Nats traded him to the Cardinals on February 10.
Unlike Granillo, Soriano has no minor league options remaining, so he will need to make the Cardinals out of spring training or will likely be back on the waiver wire.
Spring Training TV and Radio Schedule announced
The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that fans will be able to catch 29 of the club’s 30 spring contests on either Cardinals.TV, Matrix Midwest, KMOX 104.1 FM & 1120 AM/Cardinals Radio Network affiliates or MLB digital platforms.
The Cardinals Spring Training schedule will consist of 28 Grapefruit League games and two exhibition matchups against Team Nicaragua at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and the club’s Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field.
News and Notes
This section contains information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but may be of interest to Cardinal fans.
- Cardinals all-inclusive tickets, Opening Day tickets, Cardinals Theme tickets, and single game tickets are now on sale. Information on purchasing any of these tickets and more can be found here. Spring Training tickets are also available here.
- “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour. More information can be found here.
The Big Picture
Spring training is underway. Pitchers and catchers have reported and have begun workouts. Full team workouts begin on Monday, February 16. The team will play its first spring game on Saturday, September 21 against the Nationals.
RHP Andre Granillo had already reported to camp when it was announced he had been traded to the Nationals for RHP George Soriano. Soriano had an indifferent and short major league career with the Miami Marlins before he became a bouncing ball on waivers this offseason. He went from the Orioles to the Braves, to the Nationals within a three-month period. The Cardinals say they see something in Soriano they can improve upon, otherwise this trade doesn’t make much sense.
JoJo Romero is in camp. There were many rumors of a possible trade of Romero during the offseason, but none came to fruition. This is Romero’s walk season, so a trade at the deadline, if not before, seems likely.
Aside from Romero, unless the Cardinals find a desired acquisition of a right-handed outfielder or some other deal they can’t pass up, the 40-man roster that is in place is the roster that may begin the season. Of course, this assumes no non-roster invitees make the team.
Stay tuned for more happenings as spring training continues.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade or acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
- 2/10 The Cardinals traded RHP Andre Granillo to the Washington Nationals for RHP George Soriano.
Injury Report
- OF Lars Nootbaar has not yet reported to camp. Nootbaar’s rehab requires a piece of specialized equipment, and the team is waiting for that equipment to arrive at the Jupiter facility. Nootbaar will not report to camp until after the first workout begins on Monday and the equipment arrives at the facility.
- RHP Hunter Dobbins is still recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee which occurred in July. Dobbins can pitch but is being held out of agility drills. The team hopes to have a clearer answer next week.
- LHP Zack Thompson missed the entire 2025 season with a torn lat muscle and underwent surgery in August to clean up his left shoulder. Thompson is on a throwing program and he won’t be cleared to pitch until sometime after the regular season starts.
- As first reported by TCN’s Brian Walton, non-roster pitching invitee Ixan Henderson is on a non-throwing program after suffering a mild pronator strain.
- Another lefty NRI, Pete Hansen, is temporarily out of action due to minor shoulder soreness that is non-structural.
- Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera, who had shoulder surgery in the off-season, has pulled out of playing in the World Baseball Classic for his homeland of Panama due to inability to acquire insurance.
Looking Ahead
Spring Training is underway. Full workouts begin on Monday.
The Cardinals will play their first spring game at Roger Dean Stadium on Saturday, February 21 against the Washington Nationals.
The first full week of spring action will include a second contest against the Nationals, and two each with the Astros, Mets, and Marlins to conclude the month of February.
March begins with a slate of games that include two with the Pirates, one at home and one on the road, one each with the Marlins, Orioles, and Mets, and a March 4 tilt with the WBC Nicaraguan team in preparation for the World Baseball Classic, which begins on March 5.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events in the history of the franchise during a relevant period.
In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period February 9 through February 15. For each event, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.
February 11, 1934 – The Cardinals purchased RHP Flint Rhem from the Philadelphia Phillies. Rhem originally began his career with the Cardinals and made his debut on September 6, 1924. He pitched for the Cardinals for seven seasons and helped the team win the 1926 and 1931 World Series. He was traded to the Phillies in 1932. After Rhem returned to the Cardinals in 1934, he was part of the 1934 World Series victory. Rhem played two seasons with the Boston Braves and returned to the Cardinals for the third time in 1936 to close his big-league career.
February 13, 1996 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Dennis Eckersley from the Oakland Athletics for RHP Steve Montgomery. Eckersley pitched for St. Louis for two seasons and saved 66 games. “Eck” became a free agent at the end of the 1997 season and finished his career with the Boston Red Sox.
February 15, 2011 – Cardinal icon Stan Musial was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. The award was granted after a local grass roots group lobbied for his selection. Musial joined Hank Aaron, Moe Berg, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, and Ted Williams among baseball players who received the most prestigious award that can be given to a civilian.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Quantifying The St. Louis Cardinals’ Focus on Adding Pitching
Not yet a member?
Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Follow Marilyn Green on Bluesky @mrlyn59.bsky.social.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.