The St. Louis Cardinals head into the Winter Meetings with an eye on more pitching. Yadier Molina will not have a full-time staff role in 2024. Our history future highlights four consecutive Cardinals playoff seasons from 2012-2015.
News and Notes for the Cardinals offseason
This section features offseason news items each week that do not require extensive coverage.
- According to John Denton of com, the St. Louis Cardinals will go into the Winter Meetings looking to add to the bullpen. Denton did not say the Cardinals were also considering acquiring another starting pitcher in a trade. Despite the many declarations that the rotation has been fortified, the current group includes five pitchers whose average age is 35.
While the recent additions to the rotation may provide innings, no questions have been asked about the quality of those innings. It would behoove the front office to consider some younger pitchers who are available in trade, such as Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow or Shane Bieber. Otherwise, the Cardinals could be back in the same predicament in 2025 in which they found themselves for 2024.
- The Rule 5 Draft is set to take place on the last day of the Winter Meetings, Wednesday, December 6. The Cardinals added three players, Adam Kloffenstein, Sem Robberse, and Pedro Pages to the 40-man roster to shield them from the draft. They notably did not protect RHP Ian Bedell, who was taken in the shortened draft in 2020.
- Bally Sports Midwest reportedly intends to drop both the Cardinals and Blues telecasts following the 2024 season due to the corporation’s bankruptcy status. This would leave both franchises to make other television and streaming arrangements.
Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports Midwest, announced a net loss of $13.8 million for the period ending September 30, 2023.
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Yadier Molina (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports) Currently managing in winter ball in Puerto Rico, Yadier Molina says he received coaching offers for 2024 but no managerial ones. As a result, he is not becoming a full-time coach with the 2024 Cardinals, even though he has future MLB managing aspirations. Instead, the future Hall of Fame catcher will likely play an advisory role this coming season.
- The Contemporary Era Baseball Committee made its selection for the Hall of Fame and the winners were announced on December 3. This was a selection for managers and executives rather than players. Former Cardinal Bill White was a candidate but failed to get enough votes.
Jim Leyland, former manager of the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers, was the only candidate chosen.
Former Cubs manager Lou Pinella just missed being selected. Twelve votes were needed and he garnered 11. White received 10 votes.
- The annual Cardinals Winter Warm-Up is scheduled for January 13-15, 2024. Details can be found at com/WWU .
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
- POBO John Mozeliak stated in the presser to introduce Sonny Gray that he doubted a move would be made to add another starting pitcher. Despite that declaration, multiple sources, including Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, have reported that the Cardinals are in the mix for a trade with the White Sox for starter Dylan Cease. The Reds and the Orioles are seen as the top contenders for Cease, and it is believed the White Sox will wait to deal Cease until after the top free agents in the market have signed.
It should be noted that recent reports by non-local sources indicated that the Cardinals are open to trading LHP Steven Matz, who has two years left on his four-year contract and is set to be paid $12 million in both 2024 and 2025.
- Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch reported on the Cardinals bullpen interests. He indicated the Cardinals are interested in free agent reliever Phil Maton. He mentioned they have scouted Japanese LHP Yuki Matsui and are interested in a reunion with RHP Jordan Hicks.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
The offseason is well underway. The rosters have been set for the Rule 5 draft, and all players who the team wished to keep on the roster have been tendered contracts.
The Winter Meetings are being held on December 3-6 in Nashville. The Winter Meetings are when many offseason transactions occur. The Rule 5 draft takes place during the Winter Meetings, on the final day.
On December 5, the draft lottery will be held. The Cardinals finished the season with 91 losses. Based on lottery odds, the Cardinals have an 8.3% chance of getting the first pick, which is the fifth best odds. There are 17 teams eligible for the lottery, all non-playoff teams.
The Cardinals have never had the top pick in the draft. The highest they have picked is third.
The first important date of 2024 is January 12, the deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to submit salary figures. The Cardinals have five players who are arbitration eligible. They are Tyler O’Neill (3rd year), Tommy Edman (2nd year), Dylan Carlson (1st year), Ryan Helsley (2nd year), and JoJo Romero (1st year).
Blast from the Past
The Cardinals did not make the postseason in 2023. The reasons for that have already been hashed over and the historically bad season analyzed in every quarter. Now that the off-season is underway, the Blast from the Past will make a U-turn, and rather than bemoan the lost season, will celebrate those seasons in which the Cardinals did play in October.
This series looks at the Cardinals in the postseason by decade. The period from 1900-1920 was a tough two decades for the St. Louis franchise. It wasn’t until Sam Breadon purchased the Cardinals in 1917 that they began the ascent into the successful franchise it is today.
From 1920 until the present, the Cardinals made the postseason 32 times. In only two decades since then have they not made a single postseason appearance, the 1950s and the 1970s. In all other decades but one they have gone to the postseason multiple times.
The ninth installment in this series looks at the period 2012-2015. The Cardinals went to the postseason all four times and played in one World Series.
In 2012, MLB introduced a second Wild Card in each league, expanding the playoffs to 10 teams. The restriction against Division rivals playing each other in the Division Series was lifted. It was the final season for the Houston Astros in the National League.
The Cardinals went to the postseason each year during the period of 2012-2015. The team was still owned by Bill DeWitt Jr. and the GM remained John Mozeliak. Manager Tony La Russa left the Cardinals after the 2011 season. The Cardinals hired former Cardinal catcher Mike Matheny to manage the team beginning in 2012.
The 2012 Cardinals finished the season with a record of 88-74, good for second place in the NL Central, nine games behind the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals were the second NL Wild Card team.
There were no future Hall of Famers on the 2012 team. Albert Pujols, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame, had left the Cardinals after 2011 and signed a 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Cardinals played the other NL Wild Card, the Atlanta Braves, in the first Wild Card game, a one and done affair. The Cardinals beat the Braves in controversial fashion by the score of 6-3. The trouble arose in the eighth inning with the Cardinals leading 6-2. With one out and two men on, Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a pop fly to left field, and due to a miscommunication between LF Matt Holliday and SS Pete Kozma, the pop fly was not caught. The left field umpire signaled the Infield Fly Rule.
The Braves disputed that the Rule applied and had been called. The game was delayed as the Atlanta fans pummeled the field with trash, including beer bottles. The players had to leave the field and the fans were warned over the loudspeaker that the game would be forfeited in favor of the Cardinals if the behavior continued. After about a 20-minute delay, the game resumed. The Braves announced they would play the game under protest. The protest was denied afterward.
The 2012 team advanced to the NLDS against the Washington Nationals. The Series entered Game 5 at Nationals Park tied 2-2. Starter Adam Wainwright did not pitch well and was pulled in the third inning with the Nationals leading 6-0.
The Cardinals scored four runs in the next four innings to pull within two. In the eighth inning, Daniel Descalso hit a solo home run to make it 6-5. The Nationals made it 7-5 in the bottom of the seventh.
In the ninth, the Cardinals put up four runs to win 9-7.
The Cardinals went to the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants but were eliminated in seven games.
In 2013 the Cardinals won the NL Central Division by three games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2013 owner, GM and manager were the same. The final record was 97-65. There were no future Hall of Famers on the 2013 team nor have there been any since, though Yadier Molina will certainly be a strong candidate in the future.
In 2013, both Wild Card teams came from the NL Central. The second place Pirates defeated the third place Reds in the Wild Card game to advance to the NLDS against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals won the NLDS 3-2 and eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in six games.
The 2013 World Series pitted the Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals lost 4-2. They won Games 2 and 3. Game 3 featured a controversial obstruction call. The game was tied 4-4 entering the bottom of the ninth. Yadier Molina singled and Allen Craig doubled. Jon Jay followed with a grounder to second and Molina was thrown out at home. The Red Sox catcher then attempted to throw out Craig at third. The throw was wide and the Sox third baseman fell down trying to field the ball. Craig made contact with the third baseman lying on the ground, fell down, got up, and ran home. The catcher received a throw and tagged Craig. The third base umpire called obstruction of Craig at third and Craig was deemed to have scored. The Cardinals won the game 5-4 but eventually lost the Series.
The 2014 Cardinals again went to the postseason. The team owner, GM, and manager were the same. The Cardinals finished in first place in the NL Central with a record of 90-72, two games ahead of the Pirates.
The Cardinals beat the Dodgers in the NLDS 3-1. They then advanced to the NLCS against the Giants, losing again to the Giants in five games. The Giants were ahead 3-1 entering Game 5. This game was controversial to Cardinals fans because of a manager decision.
Game 5 was tied 3-3 entering the bottom of the ninth in San Francisco. Manager Mike Matheny, rather than bringing in his closer, Trevor Rosenthal, to pitch the ninth, instead went with Michael Wacha. Wacha, due to an injury in the late part of the season, had not pitched in over a month.
Wacha gave up a single and a walk, then a three-run walkoff home run to Giants LF Travis Ishikawa.
Had the Cardinals won Game 5, they would have played Games 6 and 7 (if necessary) in St. Louis.
When asked following the game why he did not pitch Rosenthal, Matheny responded that he couldn’t bring in his closer in a tie game on the road.
That game cemented a long brewing antipathy to Matheny among many Cardinals fans.
The 2014 postseason was marred by tragedy. On October 26, Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. Game 5 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants was played that evening.
The Royals Game 6 starter was Yordano Ventura. Ventura was close friends with Taveras. Ventura honored his friend by inscribing “RIP O.T. #18” on his hat. Ventura pitched seven scoreless innings against the Giants and the Royals won the game. The Giants won the Series in Game 7.
Tragically, Ventura was killed in a car accident in the DR in January 2017.
The Cardinals’ trip to the postseason in 2015 was a short one. The Cardinals owner and GM were the same Matheny remained the manager despite the poor decision made in the 2014 NLCS.
The Cardinals finished in first place in the NL Central with a record of 100-62, two games ahead of the Pirates. Once again, both Wild Card teams came from the NL Central. The third place Cubs defeated the second place Pirates in the Wild Card game.
The Cardinals played the Cubs in the NLDS. The 100-game season for the Cardinals did not help them as they were defeated by the third place Cubs 3-1.
The 10th and final installment of the series will cover the period 2019-2022. The Cardinals under the management of Matheny failed to reach the postseason for the next three seasons following the 2015 early exodus in the NLDS. Matheny did not finish the 2018 season. He was fired on July 14, 2018.
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