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2025 MLB Winter Meetings: Jed Hoyer speaks

The Winter Meetings so far are notable for one thing: The lack of major signings. The “biggest” thing that’s happened so far is Steven Matz, formerly of the Cardinals, signing a two-year deal with the Rays. Meanwhile, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer talked relief pitching: After signing veteran reliever Phil Maton, team president […]

From Bleed Cubbie Blue | about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Cardinals Have a Chance to Land Number 1 Pick in Draft Lottery

Today at 4:30 PM ET, MLB will unveil the results of the Amateur Draft Lottery. The Cardinals currently have the 8th best odds of landing the number 1 overall pick at 2.35%. The Chicago White Sox (27.73%), Minnesota Twins (22.18%), and Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%) round out the top 3. The Orioles, A’s, Braves, and Rays […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 6 reads

Free Agent Profile: Munetaka Murakami

I don’t necessarily intend to write about players I don’t think the Cardinals will ever get. It feels like a waste of time. But well, I don’t know who I could write about if I focused on players I thought the Cardinals might get. It’s a short list and most of the list aren’t very […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 2 reads

This Day in Braves History: Braves acquire Dansby Swanson from the Diamondbacks

Braves Franchise History  1928 – The Cardinals sell veteran SS Rabbit Maranville to the Braves. 1987 – Atlanta trades shortstop Rafael Ramirez to the Astros for a pair of minor leaguers. 2001 – The Braves sign infielder Vinny Castilla also to a two-year contract. 2005 – The Braves acquire shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Boston […]

From Talking Chop | about 1 month ago | 3 reads

St. Louis Cardinals Nemesis Jeff Kent Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

No second baseman hit more home runs than Jeff Kent and he’ll now take his place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame according to the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. The National Baseball Hall of Fame has shared the news tonight that Jeff Kent will be enshrined as part of the class of 2026. He […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Could a six-man rotation answer more questions for the Cardinals in 2026?

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially committing to the rebuild after teasing with the transition idea at this time last year. With Sonny Gray gone, the Cardinals need to go fully into this new direction and truly look to take advantage of their trade pieces. By now, you know to me that means dealing Nolan […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Breaking Down Bloom’s Hitter Blueprint: Approach, Contact, and Damage

Hello Viva El Birdos! I am excited to break down some Cardinals hitters today, but  I wanted to briefly introduce myself. I have been reading VEB for well over a decade at this point and credit this site’s writers and commenters with much of my education in baseball analytics. I appreciate the quality that this […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 1 read

St. Louis Cardinals Winter Meetings Predictions

As I write this, we are only a few days away from the beginning of the MLB Winter Meetings. There seems to be a consensus that the St. Louis Cardinals will be active, but what will President of Operations Chaim Bloom and his team accomplish over the next week? Let’s make some somewhat educated guesses. […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 1 month ago | 2 reads

St. Louis Cardinals 2026 Roster Construction

Last week, I published a breakdown (here) of what could be enough “starZ” to make up a competitive roster. This week you’ll read my musing about how the Cardinal FO could apply such a model to their current roster and look to build a roster that can be competitive. There are multiple ways to get […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Cardinals Rumors: JoJo Romero Top Trade Target of Seattle Mariners

As we get closer to the MLB Winter Meetings, the rumor mills are kicking into high gear and that includes new interest in a St. Louis Cardinals reliever. New reports indicate that JoJo Romero is one of the favored targets for the Seattle Mariners. There’s a new update just shared today by MLB Trade Rumors. […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Elephant Rumblings: The Ballpark Experience

After the Devin Williams to the Mets announcement, there hasn’t been much activity in yesterday’s hot stove. The biggest move might have been the “The Athletic” beat writer Katie Woo jumping from covering the St. Louis Cardinals to the LA Dodgers. There’s no proof to the rumor that she deffered all but a dollar of […]

From Athletics Nation | about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Should the Phillies pursue Willson Contreras in a trade?

Earlier this week, it was reported by Katie Woo of the Athletic that St. Louis Cardinals’ 1B/catcher Willson Contreras has become more open to waiving his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade out of St, Louis. It comes in the wake of former teammate Sonny Gray doing the same thing and in turn being traded […]

From The Good Phight | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

What could the Cardinals receive in a trade for Willson Contreras?

So you want to trade Willson Contreras? I hadn’t intended on making this post, but since Contreras is apparently more open to getting traded, if it’s the right fit, might as well see what any potential return will bring back. I already did this with Sonny Gray (I was wildly wrong, so take this with […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 5 reads

3 Days in December Whitey Herzog Turned Cardinals into Champions

As a child of the 1970’s, I remember the St. Louis Cardinals when they rarely threatened to win their division. Contending for a World Series during that era was nothing more than a pipe dream. Looking back now, I can pinpoint 3 different December days when Whitey Herzog made key moves that turned the St. […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Reds Re-Signing Reliever Emilio Pagan to a Very Healthy Two-Year Deal

Another later-inning reliever is off the board, though it’s not one who is changing teams. Emilio Pagan is sticking with the Reds on a very healthy deal: Free-agent right-hander Emilio Pagán back to Reds, pending physical. Story with @ctrent : https://t.co/Ns0Mwc2rPA — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2025 Two years and $20 million for Pagan, AND he gets an opt out in-between the two years. So he’s getting the same deal as Ryan Helsley, but just a little less cas...

From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Report: St. Louis Cardinals Willson Contreras More Open to Trade Now

As the offseason began, it appeared that among the St. Louis Cardinals veterans Willson Contreras would be the most likely to remain with the team during the rebuild. A new report seems to indicate that his desire to remain with the team might have changed. Katie Woo of The Athletic dropped this curious share on […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Cardinals 2025 Rule 5 Draft Targets

On December 10th in Orlando, Florida. Major League Baseball and all 30 clubs with an open 40-man roster spot will have the opportunity to steal eligible young talent from another organisation in hopes of finding a marginal advantage on the roster. Most recently, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Ryan Fernandez in the 2023 Rule 5 […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 1 read

Willson Contreras Must Really Love St. Louis

Even as the St. Louis Cardinals stand to post their third sub-.500 season in four years, and even as attendance and fan support plummets, and even as new management explicitly undertakes a rebuilding process that could take years, Willson Contreras reportedly wants to stick it out. In other words, don’t expect Contreras to follow Sonny Gray out the door in the next Cardinals sell-off trade. He has a no-trade clause, it sounds like he still plans to wield it: . @dgoold reports that Wi...

From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Former Cardinal outfielders who Cardinals might bring back

I noticed a curious thing when I was perusing potential outfielders for the Cardinals to sign. I noticed this when I made a case for Michael Conforto, which was understandably not received that well. If you hyper focus on right-handed outfielders, there’s a bunch of former Cardinals. It’s actually kind of crazy how many of […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

OTM Open Thread 12/1: Rare footage of Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox

Good morning! It can be hard to return to work after an extended break. So do yourself a favor this morning and ease into things. Instead of going through your emails, watch this 15 minute home movie footage of the 1946 Red Sox — including the World Series against the Cardinals. Talk about what you […]

From Over the Monster | about 2 months ago | 2 reads

The pitching revamp continues for the Cardinals

Reports at the start of the offseason stated that the St. Louis Cardinals were expected to be a popular target for rival teams looking to enhance their rosters for next season. While we are used to the Cardinals usually being the ones hoping to add to a postseason roster, the organization has fully committed to […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Former St. Louis Cardinals Closer Ryan Helsley is Now a Baltimore Oriole

The wheels continue to turn as the baseball offseason rolls on with another free agent signing. This time it’s former St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley who is now reportedly a Baltimore Oriole. I first saw this shared by MLB Trade Rumors. It’s based on a share on X by Katie Woo of The Athletic […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Orioles Reportedly Signing Ryan Helsley

Scratch one of the best late-inning options off the board, as Ryan Helsley is headed to Baltimore. Jeff Passan reports that it’s a two-year deal with an opt-out in the middle, AKA a one-year deal with a player option for the second year: Closer Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a two-year contract with an opt-out after the first season, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. Helsley, who fielded interest from teams to convert to a starter, will be the ninth-inn...

From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | about 2 months ago | 6 reads

Cardinals Rumors: Latest on Nolan Arenado & Brendan Donovan

As the Winter Meetings in December draw closer, we’re likely to learn the fate of Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan and maybe even Alec Burleson soon as the St. Louis Cardinals continue to reshape their roster for the 2026 season and beyond. Here’s the latest reports on which teams seem to be interested and what the […]

From Viva El Birdos | about 2 months ago | 1 read