photo: Steven Matz (Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports)
In our weekly St. Louis Cardinals news recap… A new Director of Pitching is joining as trade rumors continue to swirl around multiple players. Our history feature investigates prior trades and free agent signings made during this week.
Cardinals select Director of Pitching
An addition to the St. Louis Cardinals’ player development staff was disclosed this past week, as former Mariners minor league pitching coordinator Matt Pierpont announced his move to the Cardinals as their Director of Pitching. The team has not yet confirmed the hiring.
Pierpont, 33, was a pitcher in the minor leagues for seven seasons before landing a job with the Mariners as a coach and eventually to minor league pitching coordinator for the last two seasons.
Pierpont has worked with some of the top pitchers in the Mariners organization, including Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Emerson Hancock. These pitchers were a part of a Seattle rotation that led the majors in ERA and BB/9 and was fourth in WAR in 2024.
Pierpont will be taxed with helping build a pipeline that led to a Cardinals rotation that was 20th in ERA and 14th in WAR in 2024. That pitching has been somewhat of a liability for St. Louis over the last several seasons is undeniable, requiring them to spend considerable amounts on veterans in free agency.
Pierpont’s experience in helping to advance what was arguably the best pitching staff in the majors last season could be called somewhat of a coup for the Cardinals if it works out.
For more:
News and Notes for the Offseason
In this space will be information on news and events of the offseason that do not require extensive coverage. Check back each week to learn what is happening.
- Former Cardinal announces retirement – Brandon Crawford, longtime shortstop for the San Francisco Giants who concluded his career with five months with the Cardinals in 2024, has announced his retirement from baseball.
Crawford disclosed the news in a post on Instagram this past week. He thanked both of his former teams for allowing him to play the game and that it was time to move on to other endeavors.
Crawford’s former Giants’ teammate Buster Posey, who retired in 2021, is now the President of Baseball Operations for the Giants. Perhaps a future of another kind in baseball is on the horizon for Crawford as well.
- Cardinals 2025 Spring Training tickets on sale now – The Cardinals have opened sale of 2025 Spring Training tickets. You can purchase tickets at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/spring-training.
- Cardinals 2025 Winter Warm-Up – The plans for the 2025 Winter Warm-Up have been announced. You can access information about the event at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/fans/winter-warm-up.
- Cardinals’ Season Tickets are now available – Fans can now purchase season tickets for the upcoming 2025 season. Details about season tickets at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/season-tickets. A telephone number to call and a chat feature are available.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
- According to Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch, the Cardinals are expected to “field interest” to trade starting pitcher Steven Matz.
Matz, 33, is entering the final season of his four-year contract with the Cardinals that will pay him $12.5 million in 2025. The left-hander has suffered through a considerable period of the contract with injuries, and his effectiveness as a starter has been lacking. Matz has pitched better in his brief periods out of the bullpen, and this may be where his greatest value lies, if any team were to be interested in acquiring him.
- In an addendum to last week’s coverage of the trade potential for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, a report from Katie Woo of the Athletic said that Arenado has publicly expressed a willingness to move to first base. It is believed this decision was made with the idea that a move to a different position would expand the number of teams who may be interested in acquiring Arenado, but do not have an opening at third base, such as the Padres, for example.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
Key dates for December are:
- December 1 – Competitive balance draft picks are assigned. These picks are given out to teams that reside in the bottom 10 in revenue and/or market size. The Cardinals are not one of these 10 teams.
- December 8 – Results of the voting for the nominees for the Hall of Fame from the Classic Era Committee are announced. One former Cardinal, Ken Boyer, is a nominee.
- December 8-11 – The Winter Meetings will take place in Dallas, TX. The Winter Meetings are typically when the Hot Stove heats up and transactions are made.
- December 10 – The 2025 draft lottery takes place. This lottery determines the top six draft picks for the annual draft. All 18 non-playoff teams from 2024 have a chance to get the No. 1 pick in the draft, including St. Louis. Last season the Cardinals did not receive one of the first six picks and ended with the seventh pick, despite finishing the season tied with the Nationals for the fifth-worst record.
- December 11 – The Rule 5 Draft takes place on the last day of the Winter Meetings. In 2023, the Cardinals picked up RHP Ryan Fernandez from the Boston Red Sox. Currently, St. Louis has two 40-man roster openings.
Blast from the Past
With the offseason well underway, and the Winter Meetings on the horizon, this is the time when teams begin to make deals to add to, or in the Cardinals’ case, subtract from, their major league rosters. Whether free agent signings, trades, or other kinds of transactions, teams get prepared for the next season.
This week’s Blast from the Past recalls past Cardinals transactions that occurred during the period of November 25 through December 1.
The following list starts with the date of the transaction, the name or names of the players acquired and how and from what team they were acquired. Additional relevant details may be included.
November 27, 2023 –The Cardinals signed Sonny Gray as a free agent to a three-year/$75 million contract with no-trade protection. After Gray pitched one year for the Cardinals, it was rumored that the team would look to trade him to free up salary, but it appears Gray will remain.
November 28, 2006 – The Cardinals signed Adam Kennedy to a three-year/$10 million contract. Kennedy was drafted by the Cardinals in the 20th round in 1997. He made his debut in August 1999 and was traded to the Angels in March 2000.
After six years with the Angels, Kennedy became a free agent and returned to the Cardinals. He did not finish his contract, as he requested a trade at the end of the 2008 season. Instead, the Cardinals released Kennedy in February 2009. From there, he became a journeyman, playing for four different teams over his final four MLB seasons.
November 29, 2021 – The Cardinals signed LHP Steven Matz to a four-year/$44 million contract. This transaction is particularly relevant this week because of current rumors that the Cardinals are shopping Matz in trade. Matz has been oft injured and not particularly effective as a starting pitcher for his three seasons with St. Louis.
November 30, 2010 – The Cardinals signed LHP Brian Tallet to a one-year/$750,000 contract. Tallet pitched in 18 games for the Cardinals in 2011 before being sent to the Blue Jays on July 27, 2011 as part of the three-team Colby Rasmus trade.
November 30, 2010 – On the same day as the Rasmus trade, the Cardinals dealt RHP Blake Hawksworth to the Dodgers for infielder Ryan Theriot. Theriot was with the Cardinals for only one season, which culminated in the 2011 World Series Championship. Theriot signed with the Giants and won another World Series with them in 2012.
December 1, 2016 – The Cardinals traded left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia to the Atlanta Braves for John Gant, Chris Ellis and Luke Dykstra. Gant pitched for the Cardinals for parts of five seasons. Ellis and Dykstra did not play for the major league team.
December 1, 2006 – The Cardinals signed free agent Ryan Ludwick. The outfielder played for the Cardinals from 2007 through mid-season 2010. Ludwick was traded at the deadline in 2010 to the Padres in a three-team deal that brought starting pitcher Jake Westbrook to St. Louis.
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