St Louis Cardinals

The Philadelphia Phillies may not be the only National League team who signs an impact shortstop this offseason.

After Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Phillies agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal with a no-trade clause with Trea Turner, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Cardinals are also involved in the shortstop market and are interested in Dansby Swanson.

Signing Swanson could help St. Louis in multiple ways, as Morosi suggested such a move could also help the front office use another position player to land a catcher in a trade. He mentioned Sean Murphy of the Oakland Athletics or Danny Jansen of the Toronto Blue Jays as possible targets.

With Yadier Molina retiring after the 2022 campaign, the National League Central team could use a backstop.

As for Swanson, he would bolster an already formidable infield that includes Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

The free-agent shortstop is in the middle of his prime at 28 years old and coming off a season that saw him earn his first Gold Glove and All-Star selection. He slashed .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases all while playing excellent defense, underscoring his ability to impact the game in a number of ways.

He was also responsible for nine defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

It is a testament to the shortstop market this offseason that Swanson, who has played for the Atlanta Braves his entire career, is likely the fourth-best option in a free agency class that also features Carlos Correa, Turner and Xander Bogaerts.

Yet he is a difference-maker in the field and at the plate, which is surely what a Cardinals team looking to take the next step after three straight losses in the National League Wild Card round is pursuing this offseason.

Coming off a stellar 2022 season split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, José Quintana is attracting a lot of attention on the free-agent market.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cardinals "have competition" as they attempt to re-sign the 33-year-old left-hander.

Teams that need a starting pitcher but don't want to spend at the top of the market will likely take a hard look at Quintana.

It's unclear at this point which clubs are in on Quintana. The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox had interest in him before the trade deadline. The Cardinals ultimately acquired him and Chris Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for Malcom Nunez and Johan Oviedo.

The Pirates signed Quintana to a one-year, $2 million deal that turned into a massive bargain last offseason. He finished 2022 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 165.2 innings over 32 starts between Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

It was the first season since 2016 that Quintana posted a sub-4.00 ERA and first time since 2019 he threw at least 100 innings.

Given the inconsistency in his performance and lack of durability in recent years before 2022, Quintana does present significant risk to teams as a free agent.

One encouraging sign for teams was the performance of Quintana's fastball last season. It was tied for the 19th-most valuable pitch in Major League Baseball with a minus-17 run value. His curveball was also an above-average pitch with a minus-10 run value.

Quintana's age and durability questions do make him an affordable option for clubs that want another starter. He probably won't get back to being an All-Star player at this stage of his career, but a solid mid-rotation starter who can eat innings has a lot of value.

Two of baseball's biggest stars put together tremendous bounce-back seasons in 2022.

St. Louis Cardinals great Albert Pujols and Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander were named the National League and American League Comeback Players of the Year, respectively, on Tuesday.

Pujols, 42, became the third Cardinals player to win the Comeback Player of the Year award, joining Chris Carpenter, who won it in 2009, and Lance Berkman, who won it in 2011.

The 22-year veteran returned to the Cardinals for the 2022 campaign, his final season in Major League Baseball, and managed to turn back the clock to put together one of his best performances in years.

Pujols slashed .270/.345/.550 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI in 109 games. He became the fourth player in history to hit 700 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.

Pujols' 24 home runs are the most he hit in a season since the 31 he put up as a member of the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. Furthermore, his .550 slugging percentage was the highest since he posted a .596 in 2010, and his .895 OPS was the highest since he posted an .906 OPS in 2011.

Pujols spent 11 seasons with the Cardinals to begin his career before joining the Angels in 2012. In his first stint in St. Louis, he won Rookie of the Year, three MVP awards, six Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, one batting title and two World Series titles.

Once he signed with the Angels, Pujols was still effective, but his performance wasn't nearly as good as it was during the first half of his career as his injuries piled up. The Angels traded him to the Dodgers during the 2021 campaign.

Pujols announced before the 2022 campaign that he would be retiring after the season.

As for Verlander, this award comes on the heels of his third Cy Young award and second World Series title. He is the first Astros player to ever win Comeback Player of the Year.

Verlander was limited to just six innings in 2020 and missed the entire 2021 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. There were questions about how he would perform in 2022, but he returned and put together one of the best seasons of his career.

The 39-year-old posted a 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings across 28 starts. His ERA was the lowest by any American League pitcher in a non-pandemic-shortened season since Pedro Martinez in 2000.

Verlander intends to return in 2023, but he is currently a free agent, and it's unclear if he'll end up back in Houston.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt have been named this year's Hank Aaron Award winners as the game's top offensive players for the American League and National League, respectively.

Judge hit an AL-record 62 home runs. He also posted MLB highs with 131 RBI, 133 runs and a 1.111 OPS. His .311 batting average was second in the AL as well.

Goldschmidt amassed 35 home runs and 115 RBI to go with a .317 batting average. His .981 OPS led the NL.

Judge put the Yankees offense on his back en route to a 99-63 record, an American League East title and an ALCS appearance.

No other regular hit better than .261, and only one other Yankee (Anthony Rizzo) posted an OPS better than .761.

The 30-year-old looks primed to win the AL MVP award. He's now a free agent, however, adding his name to a loaded class that includes fellow All-Stars Trea Turner, Willson Contreras and Carlos Rodón, among others.

Thanks largely to Goldschmidt's efforts, the Cardinals won the NL Central with a 93-69 record. They fell to the eventual NL champion Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round.

Still, Goldschmidt enjoyed a tremendous season that also included his seventh All-Star appearance. The four-time Gold Glove winner is the presumptive favorite for the NL MVP award as well.

The 35-year-old will be back in St. Louis next year and has two years left on his contract.

Albert Pujols' 700th home run ball has sold at auction for $360,000:

Pujols hit a pair of home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 23 to become the fourth major leaguer to hit 700, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. The 700th homer came off Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford and gave the Cardinals a 5-0 lead en route to an 11-0 win.

Marlowe Leal, who caught No. 700, ultimately kept the ball after it was authenticated at Dodger Stadium. He then co-signed with Goldin Auctions to sell the prized possession. The entire 33-bid history for the ball can be found here.

Pujols didn't mind that he wouldn't get the keepsake.

The since-retired superstar ended his career with 703 career home runs. He enjoyed a fantastic finish to his career in 2022 thanks to 24 home runs in 109 games during his age-42 season.

St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols' performance in the second half of the season proved that he still has a lot left in the tank, but he won't be backing off his retirement plans.

According to MLB Network's Mark Feinsand, Pujols officially signed his retirement papers on Monday, solidifying the end of his playing career after 22 seasons.

Pujols announced in March that the 2022 season would be his last. He returned to St. Louis, the franchise with whom he spent the first 11 seasons of his career, for his final year after spending time with the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was already considered a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his resurgent performance put him in rarified air.

The 42-year-old finished his career with 703 home runs, becoming the fourth player in MLB history to join the 700-club. This past season, he slashed .270/.345/.550 with 24 home runs, 17 of which came after the start of August, and 68 RBI.

Pujols helped lead the Cardinals to a National League Central title, but the team fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

St. Louis drafted Pujols in 1999, and he made his major-league debut in 2001. He made an immediate impact, earning NL Rookie of the Year. Over the course of his legendary career, Pujols earned 11 All-Star selections and three NL MVP awards. He helped lead the Cardinals to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011.

Coming off an MVP-caliber season, Nolan Arenado is staying with the St. Louis Cardinals after he opted into his deal with the club.

Per The Athletic's Katie Woo, Arenado has informed the Cardinals he will play out the five years and $144 million remaining on his contract rather than test the free-agent market.

This move was expected, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in September that Arenado intended to opt in. But it wouldn't have been a surprise if the seven-time All-Star elected to test the market given how much leverage he would have this winter.

Arenado and his Cardinals teammate Paul Goldschmidt were front-runners for the National League MVP award throughout the 2022 season.

Arenado was second in the NL in FanGraphs wins above replacement (7.3) thanks to his combination of offensive value and sure-handed work at the hot corner.

The 31-year-old could be on his way to winning a 10th consecutive Gold Glove award. He was named one of three finalists at third base, along with Ke'Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies, last week.

The Cardinals acquired Arenado in a sweetheart deal with the Rockies in February 2021. The Rockies also gave St. Louis $51 million in the trade.

As part of the deal, the Cardinals added an additional year to the back of Arenado's contract and gave him opt-outs after 2021 and 2022.

Things worked out well for the Cardinals by doing so. Arenado was instrumental in their winning the National League Central for the first time since 2019.

Despite the possibility of securing another lucrative contract if he became a free agent, Arenado will still be one of the highest-paid players in MLB.

Per Spotrac, Arenado's $32.5 million average annual salary is tied with Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager for ninth among all players.

There's also the risk of teams being wary about paying a player at his age big money. Arenado will turn 32 in April. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, but things can change quickly for athletes over the age of 30.

The Cardinals seem to have a great thing going, even with Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols retiring after the season, but Arenado and Goldschmidt proved in 2022 they are the driving forces for the organization.

Arenado's opt-in means the Cardinals will have both of their superstars under contract together through the 2024 season, after which Goldschmidt can become a free agent.

One of the greatest pitchers in St. Louis Cardinals franchise history is reportedly not ready to call it a career.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Adam Wainwright will return to St. Louis next season.

Before the 2022 season started, the 41-year-old signed a one-year deal to remain with St. Louis. He addressed the possibility of retirement and left the door open on returning for another year.

"I would be willing to tell you that I think it’s probably my last year, but I’m not going on record to say it is my last year,” he said in March. “I just don’t want to put [retirement] out there until I know, and I don’t know that. ... But I’m still having a really, really good time pitching. I’m still executing, and I feel I can do it at a high level, so I’m not crossing that bridge."

Wainwright backed that up with a strong season, going 11-12 with a 3.71 ERA and 143 strikeouts.

The three-time All-Star has spent his entire MLB career with the Cardinals. He began as a reliever, briefly assuming the team's closer role. He closed out St. Louis' series-clinching victories in the 2006 National League Championship Series and World Series. The next season, he transitioned back to starting pitching and quickly emerged as the team's ace.

Wainwright has finished in the top three in Cy Young Award voting four times and twice led the NL in wins. He also won two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award, as well as the Roberto Clemente Award in 2020.

His 2,147 career strikeouts are second in franchise history behind only Hall of Famer Bob Gibson's 3,117. For his career, the 6'7" righty has a record of 195-117, a 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. His 213 wins alongside veteran catcher Yadier Molina are the most by a pitching battery in MLB history.

By returning for another season, Wainwright will be hoping the Cardinals are able to push for a return to the World Series in 2023. Alongside fellow starters Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson, he should be able to help St. Louis remain in contention in the NL next year.

The Miami Marlins have reportedly interviewed St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker for their vacant managerial job.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, Schumaker is considered one of the top candidates for the Marlins job.

Miami is looking to replace Don Mattingly, who agreed to part ways with the Marlins at the conclusion of the 2022 regular season after spending seven years as the team's manager.

Schumaker, 42, has been in coaching since 2017 when he was hired as first base coach of the San Diego Padres. The team later promoted him to associate manager before the 2020 campaign.

The Cardinals hired Schumaker as their bench coach prior to the 2022 season, and he helped lead them to a National League Central Division title and playoff berth.

Prior to becoming a coach, Schumaker spent 11 seasons as an MLB outfielder and second baseman for the Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, hitting .278 with 28 home runs and 284 RBI. He also won the 2011 World Series with St. Louis.

The Marlins are coming off a 69-93 season, and they have reached the playoffs just once since winning the second World Series in franchise history in 2003.

That playoff appearance came during the COVID-shortened 2020 season when each league had eight playoff teams. Miami qualified with a 31-29 record and upset the Chicago Cubs in the first round before falling 3-0 to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series.

Over the course of a full 162-game season, the Marlins have not finished with a winning record since going 87-75 in 2009, meaning Schumaker or whoever secures the managerial job will have their work cut out for them.

The Marlins do have some solid players who could lead a turnaround in the near future.

Most notably, Miami boasts a starting rotation led by 2022 NL Cy Young Award candidate Sandy Alcantara, along with other promising, young arms like Pablo Lopez, Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers.

If the Marlins can acquire or develop more offensive firepower, they have a chance to be far more competitive.

Baseball Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter has died at the age of 69.

The St. Louis Cardinals issued a statement on Twitter about Sutter's death on Friday:

Sutter was originally selected by the Washington Senators in the 21st round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. He was unable to sign with the club because he hadn't yet graduated from high school.

After a brief stint in college at Old Dominion and on semi-pro baseball teams, Sutter signed with the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent in September 1971.

Working his way through the minors, Sutter helped popularize the split-finger fastball before he was called up to the big leagues by the Cubs in May 1976.

Sutter spent the first five seasons of his career with Chicago, posting two top-10 NL MVP finishes and winning the NL Cy Young award in 1979. He finished the '79 campaign with a 2.22 ERA, MLB-best 37 saves and 110 strikeouts over 101.1 innings in 62 appearances.

The Cubs traded Sutter to the Cardinals in December 1980. The right-handed closer continued to dominate opposing hitters over the next two seasons. He led the MLB with 36 saves and helped St. Louis defeat the Milwaukee Brewers to win the 1982 World Series.

The 1984 season marked the end of Sutter's peak as an MLB player. He led the league in saves and posted a 1.54 ERA in 71 games, and finished third in NL Cy Young voting and sixth in NL MVP voting.

Sutter signed with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent prior to the 1985 season. He dealt with a series of injuries over the next four years before retiring after being released by Atlanta in November 1989.

In 12 MLB seasons with three different teams, Sutter was named to the NL All-Star team six times and led the league in saves five times from 1979 to 1984. His 300 saves were the most by an NL pitcher until Lee Smith broke the mark in 1993.

Sutter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, his 13th time appearing on the ballot. He has also been inducted into the Cubs and Cardinals Hall of Fames. The Cardinals also retired the No. 42 twice for Sutter and Jackie Robinson.