The MLB lockout continues with spring training certain to be delayed. The Cardinals have announced their minor league staffs and player development personnel for 2022. Our history feature highlights Cardinals Olympians.
MLB lockout updates
The Major League Baseball lockout continues with no hope in sight of a quick resolution. The league and the MLB Players Association met on Saturday as MLB finally made a counteroffer to the union’s last offer. The parties met for an hour, and MLB laid out an economic proposal that the union reportedly found “underwhelming”.
The MLB proposal included a $5 million dollar increase in the proposed pre-arbitration bonus pool. The increase was to $15 million from $10 million. The MLBPA initially proposed $105 million, then came down to $100 million. The sides remain very far apart on this issue.
Other aspects of MLB’s proposal include:
- A raise of $2 million in the luxury tax thresholds. Their prior proposal included a 50% penalty for exceeding the first tier, which remained in this latest proposal. A penalty of a third round draft pick was removed. The rest of MLB’s proposal remained the same.
- An increase in the minimum salary to $630,000. A tiered salary alternative was also proposed; $615,000 for 0-1 year players, $650,000 for 1-2 year players, and $725,000 for 2-3 year players. The MLBPA’s last proposal was $775,000 for all levels.
- Teams receive two draft picks for players who finish in the top three for major awards. This is to disincentivize service time manipulation.
There was no movement by MLB on two important issues to the union, revenue sharing and arbitration. MLB representatives have previously stated those issues are non-starters for the league.
Commissioner Rob Manfred declined to officially delay the start of spring training, which is set to begin this week. Nevertheless, a delay is almost certainly going to happen. Manfred has previously stated teams need four weeks to prepare for the season, which leaves about two weeks to come to an agreement or the start of the regular season will be delayed as well.
In a press conference on Thursday, Manfred announced there has been agreement on a universal designated hitter and elimination of draft pick compensation. The MLBPA has not confirmed this but has not issued a denial.
Manfred has stated that the league is prepared to miss games and most recently that a delay to the season would have a disastrous outcome. The two comments are incongruous, and Manfred has issued no clarification. At least one player, Francisco Lindor of the Mets, has indicated a willingness to lose games, but there is no indication that this is the official position of the MLBPA.
It should be noted that the league, which is solely responsible for the lockout, waited 43 days before making their first core economic proposal. MLB can lift the lockout at any time and keep negotiating but has not stated any plans to do so.
No follow on meetings have been scheduled as of this writing.
For further updates check back to this report every Monday.
Cardinals announce minor league staff for the 2022 season
On Wednesday, the Cardinals announced the minor league staff for the 2022 season. The list includes former Cardinals Ryan Ludwick and Jason Isringhausen as special advisors.
Jose Oquendo has been given the title of “Coordinator of Instruction”. Russ Steinhorn and Tim Leveque return as hitting coordinator and senior pitching coordinator respectively.
New coaching staff announcements are as follows: Patrick Anderson will manage High-A Peoria, Gary Kendall is named as bench coach for Low-A Palm Beach, Willi Martin will be the hitting coach at Peoria, and Kedeem Octave was named Palm Beach hitting coach. Anderson is the former manager of the Princeton Whistle Pigs, a collegiate summer team, and Kendall is the former manager of the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles.
Fifteen minor league managers and coaches from last season are returning, including the managers and coaches for Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield.
More details for members of The Cardinal Nation
Insight on Cardinals’ 2022 Minor League Coaches and Player Development Assignments
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
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Transactions
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Injury Report
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Looking Ahead
On December 1, the MLB/MLBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement expired. No new agreement was reached and the Commissioner’s Office announced that the owners of all 30 teams voted unanimously to institute a lockout of MLB players effective immediately.
As a result of the lockout, all major league transactions are halted indefinitely. Players and team personnel are prohibited from communicating with each other and players are not permitted to use team facilities. The parties may continue to negotiate to reach an agreement that would end the lockout.
The deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to submit salary figures was originally on January 14. This deadline has been extended to a date after the lockout ends.
There will be no major league activity to report for the foreseeable future as long as the lockout continues.
Blast from the Past
With the Winter Olympics taking place in Beijing, China, this week’s Blast takes a detour into the role the sport of baseball has played in the Olympics. What follows is a history of Baseball at the Olympics, which teams earned medals, and St. Louis Cardinals who competed.
Baseball debuted in the Olympics as part of the Summer Games in 1904 in St. Louis. Baseball appeared as a demonstration sport only seven more times – in 1912, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1984, and 1988. In all but 1984 and 1988, Baseball at the Olympics was a single game. In 1984 and 1988, it was played in a tournament format.
Baseball became an official Olympic sport in 1992 in Barcelona. Though the U.S. fielded a team, they did not medal. Medal winning teams in Barcelona were Cuba (Gold), Chinese Tapei (Silver) and Japan (Bronze).
The U.S. team in the 1992 Olympics finished fourth. Only one former Cardinal, Ron Villone, participated. Villone was a left-hander who pitched for 15 seasons in the major leagues for 12 different teams. Villone played one season in St. Louis, in 2008. He was signed initially to a minor league contract but made the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 74 games exclusively out of the bullpen.
Baseball again was an official sport in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The U.S. team received the Bronze Medal, with Cuba winning Gold and Japan taking Silver. Three former Cardinals competed in Atlanta.
- Troy Glaus – Glaus came to the Cardinals in 2008 in the trade of Scott Rolen to Toronto. Glaus was the starting third baseman for the Cardinals in 2008 but missed most of the 2009 season with an injury. Glaus left the Cardinals as a free agent to sign with the Braves in 2010.
- Braden Looper – Looper was a right-handed pitcher and first round draft pick of the Cardinals in 1996. Looper debuted March 31, 1998 but pitched in only four games for the Cardinals early before being optioned to Triple-A for the remainder of the season. At the end of the 1998 season, he was traded to the Marlins for Edgar Renteria, but returned for the 2006-2008 campaigns.
- Jeff Weaver – The right-handed pitcher was acquired by the Cardinals in a mid-season 2006 trade with the Angels. Weaver was part of the 2006 World Series winning Cardinals, pitching in three games of the NLCS and twice in the World Series. Weaver left as a free agent to sign with the Seattle Mariners.
In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the U.S. men’s baseball team won the Gold medal. Cuba took the Silver and South Korea captured the Bronze. Two former Cardinals competed.
- Ryan Franklin – Franklin signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in January 2007. The right-handed pitcher played his last five seasons in St. Louis and was on the 2009 All-Star Team that was held at Busch Stadium. He was released by the Cardinals in June 2011 and retired from baseball after that season.
- Marcus Jensen – Jensen was a catcher who signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in January 1999. After playing the majority of the season in Triple-A, he was called up late and appeared in 16 games for the Cardinals. He left as a free agent and signed with the Twins.
The United States team did not participate in the 2004 games in Athens, as they lost in the qualifying round to Mexico. The qualifying rounds were single elimination games, and the U.S. team was unable to field even minor leaguers so had to rely on college players.
The United States did send a team to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. That team won the Bronze Medal. South Korea took the Gold and Cuba won the Silver. Three former Cardinals competed.
- Dexter Fowler – Fowler was signed to a five-year contract by the Cardinals as a free agent in 2016. He played in the outfield for four seasons and was traded to the Angels in February 2021 to make room for rookie Dylan Carlson.
- Brian Barden – Barden was an infielder who was acquired by the Cardinals off the waiver wire from the Arizona Diamondbacks in August 2007. Barden played in 76 games across parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, moving up and down from Triple-A. He signed as a free agent with the Marlins at the end of the 2009 season.
- Jeremy Cummings – The pitcher was selected by the Cardinals in the 21st round of the 1999 draft. Cummings never made it to the major leagues. He moved to the Phillies as a minor league free agent in 2006 and ended his career in the Rays organization in 2008.
Baseball was removed as an Olympic Sport after 2008. It returned in 2020 in Tokyo and the U.S. team won the Silver Medal. Japan took the Gold and the Dominican Republic won the Bronze. Two former Cardinals competed.
- Edwin Jackson – This right-handed journeyman pitcher was acquired by the Cardinals in the mid-season 2011 Colby Rasmus three-team trade and was part of the 2011 World Series Champion team. Jackson was offered a one-year arbitration salary to return to the Cardinals in 2012 but declined, signing with the Nationals instead.
- Brandon Dickson – The Cardinals signed the right-hander as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He remained in the Cardinals minor league system until 2011, when he made his major league debut on July 2, 2011, to replace the released Ryan Franklin. Dickson pitched in four games in 2011 and four games in 2012 before being released by the Cardinals. Dickson went to Japan where he pitched until the 2021 season. That June, the Cardinals signed him to a minor league contract. He was called up on September 1, 2021 and made two appearances before being designated for assignment on September 6 and released on September 18.
Baseball will not be a part of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but it is expected it will returned for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Former Cardinals Will Clark and Mark McGwire were on the 1984 U.S. team when it was a demonstration sport. In 1988, another demonstration sport games, former Cardinals Andy Benes and Tino Martinez were on the U.S. team.
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