The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve signed right-handed reliever Josh James to a minor league contract. The 30-year-old hasn’t pitched in the Majors for two seasons and was non-tendered by the Astros after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair his right flexor tendon in 2022. He’s represented by CAA.
Prior to that injury, James spent parts of four seasons in the Houston ’pen as a hard-throwing but command-challenged middle reliever who could miss bats in droves. He’s pitched 106 1/3 innings in the majors and carries a 4.64 ERA with a huge 34.3% strikeout rate but an ugly 13.2% walk rate. James averaged 97.1 mph on his heater from 2018-20 but saw that mark tumble to 94.8 mph in 2021. Injuries limited him to just 25 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the big leagues in ’21, and he managed only 27 2/3 frames in the minors the following year before requiring surgery.
Between his injuries and his history of command troubles, James is a project for the Cardinals and little more than a roll of the dice at this point. If he can get back to full strength and back on track in the upper minors, he could eventually be called up when injuries and/or poor performance create an opening in manager Oli Marmol’s relief corps.
As it stands, however, the St. Louis bullpen figures to include Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge, Andre Pallante and Zack Thompson, with a handful of candidates for the final two spots (John King, Nick Robertson, Riley O’Brien, Rule 5 pick Ryan Fernandez and non-roster invitee Wilking Rodriguez among them).
If joe mauer got into the Hall of Fame (laughable) then it will be an outrage if they really end up rejecting Albert from the Hall of Fame.
What? Pujols is a first-ballot HOFer.
He should be. He should be..
He will be. He will be…probably >95% of the vote.
They might end up saying that he “doesn’t have the right numbers for it” – especially with all the new age pseudo stats that continue to be invented- even though they let joe mauer in (which is a joke).
I didn’t live to see many greats from the past, but I did live through all of Albert’s era. He will always be my favorite player and, in my opinion, he’s right there in talks with anyone who has ever held a bat in the Bigs as the GOAT (in my opinion!!) Barry knowingly robbed Albert of 3 MVPs while he was cheating. Albert was The Machine.
Without a doubt.
Oh, wait, you’re the same guy who said in the previous post that Bellinger is being blackballed and should get $350M, so you’re either a troll, delusional, or both.
Mauer is easily a top 10 catcher of all time.
Based on anyone playing over 900 games at Catcher you might be right. The real argument is whether he played enough back there.
Spoiler alert. He didn’t.
Basically all of his accolades came as a catcher. That’s the point.
Dont the Cardinals have enough projects already?
Yeah, but he’s Billionaire Bill Dewallet’s kind of signing, cheap.
This is an unusually reasonable signing. There is always room for a power arm on a minor league deal.
It’s certainly worth taking the chance on him.
Yeah he’s headed to AAA. Can you name 5 relievers on the 2024 Memphis Redbirds? I can’t. Nothing to lose.
He’ll be at spring training with a shot at making the team.
Yeah he will get a shot to make the team I imagine. Is he fully healthy and ready to pitch at a high level again? That’s the question.
Who?
Like the deal. It shows they are at least still coming into the office.
I wasn’t sure Mo’s phone was working
Not the way I hoped St. Louis would rebuild this offseason, but it’s not necessarily a disaster on paper.
This offseason reminds me of last offseason in the sense that needs were met, although not in the ideal way. Last year they needed a catcher and the ideal was Sean Murphy. They could have acquired him, deemed the price too rich for their tastes, and acquired Contreras instead. Was Contreras a slam dunk? No. He’s a flawed player. But, he had a quality season, and last year’s team struggles were not his fault.
This offseason they needed pitching in the rotation and bullpen. The ideal (for many) was to sign a 1/2 level arm like Sonny Gray, trade for another like Cease or Luzardo, and sign a back end arm that could offer upside (Giolito, Mahle, or Montas) or innings (Gibson or Lynn, for example). Instead they signed a single TOR arm in Gray and added two back end innings eaters in Gibson and Lynn. They also added volume to the bullpen, but virtually every addition is an upside play with flaws as opposed to semi-established arms like Hector Neris etc.
Have they accomplished their goals the last two off-seasons? Technically, yes. Will the sub-optimal routes they took work out? The jury is still very much out on that question, but fan frustration is understandable. I don’t dislike Contreras (I’m actually glad the team has him…he can definitely swing it) but imagine how much better people would feel about this team with Murphy as the starting catcher on an extension like he has in Atlanta? Imagine if it wasn’t Gray by himself at the head of the rotation but with Cease or Luzardo in the 2 spot behind him? Or even a signing like Stroman? Imagine, instead of both Lynn and Gibson, you replaced one of them with Giolito or Manaea? Imagine they had traded for Kitteredge and still signed Maton, for example.
So yeah, the team has filled needs and even has some quality (Gray and Contreras and Kitteredge are indeed quality), but it could have been so much more over the last two years. One wonders what Arenado thinks of all of this given that he rejected his opt outs?
I do believe the team is better than it was last year, if only slightly, but the team can very much crash and burn again if the old players play old and the young players don’t make key strides. It also feels like a lot in the rotation is riding on Matz staying healthy and pitching like he did in the second half, pre injury. If that happens, he’s the solid, low-end #2 that the rotation needs after Sonny Gray. It’s such a big if, though.
While we don’t know exactly what they wanted, I trust the Cardinals when they said the price for Murphy was too high. Would you still want Murphy over Contreras if it meant they no longer had, say, Gorman, Donovan, and Tink Hence?
I agree that the bullpen is still pretty weak, but they may still be able to make a notable relief pitching signing before the end of the offseason. At least, I hope they do.
Gorman/Donovan/Hence was certainly too steep if that was the proposal. My impression was that it was Carlson, one of Gorman or Donovan, plus Hence, but maybe I’m wrong. I’m not attached to Hence, so I wouldn’t mind losing him and one of Gorman/Donovan in order to Have Murphy for the next 6 or 7 years or whatever.
Ultimately, that why I’m happy with Contreras personally, but I know many are not.
I would have done Gorman, Carlson and Herrera for Murphy. Is that crazy? I hope Gorman rakes and Herrera is the next great Redbird backstop, however.
It would be difficult for them to be worse than last year but they can try. They’ve had years to address the rotation, and continued to kick the can down the road. Sonny was a good signing. And yes Matz could contribute but these inning eaters are only as good as the innings they eat. Sure Lynn can go out and give you 7, but what’s the point if he gives up 6 in those? Same with Gibson. and no doubt Miles will regress even further.
As far as the offense, it’s basically the same with the subtraction of O’Neil. They can mash and they can also play situationally. Defensively the infield is high caliber even with Gorman at 2B who does just fine there. The Outfield has questions with Walker and Edman in CF but Carlson is an excellent safety net if either one fails.
I’m still seeing a sub .500 team at 80 wins. I just don’t think they improved that rotation enough.
Totally agree regarding Lynn, Gibson, and Mikolas. I think the main problem is the FO probably thought Mikolas was a 2 to begin with (he’s not, he’s actually a 3) and are assuming he will bounce back to that level. I see the rotation as a true 1 with Gray, an injury-prone low 2 (at the very best) solid 3 in Matz, a 4 in Mikolas (best case scenario) and two 5’s who should be on minor league flier deals in Lynn and Gibson. I really wanted them to roll the dice on Giolito instead (innings and upside) and leave the #5 slot for a cheap signing like Weaver/Teheran/Carrasco or whoever. Basically the 5 should be so cheap that they keep the spot warm for one of the prospects and if they out perform expectations, then you’re thrilled.
I don’t think losing O’Neill is a big deal. He’s been a non-factor for a few years now.
I’d rather have Gibson than Giolito. Gibson will probably be the better pitcher this year. He pitched decent in the AL East. He’ll be just fine in the NL Central.
I’m thinking Giolito over Lynn, personally. I don’t mind Gibson too much.
Mikolas WAS a 2 and even close to a legitimate #1 back in 2022. He just declined further than expected last year.
Still, there are good signs that he can rebound back into a solid #3, as he also had a number of really good starts that were unfortunately countered by a number of really bad ones, and it’s highly suspected that his misuse in the World Baseball Classic led to his bad April.
Anyway, the hope is that the below average pitching staff will mix with the well above average offense and decent defense to overall make for a contending team that at least manages a winning record.
I feel like you and I went round and round on what Mikolas is last year. Was that you or someone else?
Anyway, Mikolas only ever looked like a 1 in 2018. He was a 2 in 2022. Every other season he has looked like a 4 or worse (last year his ERA was almost 5). You might be able to make a case that he was a low 3 in 2019 when his ERA+ was basically average. This team will be thrilled if he is around league average next year.
I have the same hope for the rotation, although I get there differently. I expect Gray to pitch like a 1 again next year (I believe in his new sweeper), but I do not expect Mikolas to pitch like a 2. He will, best case scenario, be a low 3, but is more likely to pitch like a 4. I expect Gibson to pitch like a 4 or 5, but he can perhaps produce like a low 3 given the stadium and (hopefully) improving team defense. I doubt Lynn is any better than a 5, though I do not expect him to stick in the rotation throughout the season unless there are injuries. I hope I am wrong.
The only wild card for me is Matz. My hope is he stays healthy for most of the year and picks up where he left off in the second half. If he can make 28-30 starts and pitch 150 innings, then he can repeat last year’s second half or his entire season in Toronto in 2021. He’s still “young” enough to dream on, just slightly. If Matz doesn’t reach that low 2-solid 3 level, then this rotation will have to hope for a prospect to pick up the slack or the team will need a Quintana-esque acquisition sometime during the season (assuming they are in the hunt via their offense).
I’d rather have:
1. Gray
2. Matz
3. Mikolas
4. Giolito
5. Gibson
than:
1. Gray
2. Mikolas
3. Matz
4. Gibson
5. Lynn
At least Giolito has the potential and youth to bounce back. I’m concerned that Lynn is cooked.
I gotta say Slider, that is a pretty fair assessment coming from you. Did you turn over a new leaf Jan 1st? 80 wins sounds about right. But will they have the guts to trade Goldy if they look bad early on again? It’s amazing that they can maintain an average farm system when they never pick top 15 and have sold at the deadline for the first time in about 20 years last year.
What if they shocked the baseball world signing Bellinger and trading for Luzardo? Maybe Winn, Thompson and Hjerpe go to Miami? Edman would play SS, Donovan and Gorman 2B, Bellinger in CF. Walker would play RF/DH when Contreras or Gorman aren’t. Bellinger could slide to 1B if they don’t extend Goldie. Scott should be ready for CF soon enough.
They don’t have the money for Bellinger, even if they wouldn’t just plug Carlson into CF in the very unlikely event they would trade Winn.
Pretty spot on. It seems like they get burned on an approach ( extensions to rookies, paying up for bullpen arms) and just stop doing it instead of improving their method.
As an Astros fan this is a name i never thought I’d hear again. I was a fan of his. Hopefully he gets his control and injury issues resolved. I always rooted for the guy
I consider Pallante to be far from a lock for an Opening Day roster spot (even without counting the possibility of a Spring Training injury), as he had a very lousy season last year and still has options remaining.
I agree
The Cardinals have been almost completely incapable of signing expensive established relievers that are still actually good after they come over. So I’m all for signing about 30 minor league deals and having them battle royale it in ST to see who still has it, it’s a much better strategy. Keep up with the ex Astros and go get Ken Giles too
Josh James. I like his work with My Morning Jacket.
Cards got that hacked data on James.
I’m still hoping to see a Maton or Neris signing to shore up the pen. Cease or Luzardo would have been nice, but I suspect Chicago as well as Miami are asking for too much. The question is whether they get traded by the AS break. I bet they do for an MLB-ready player, two top 30 prospects and a lottery ticket. Would love to see Graceffo, Roby or Liberatore elevate their game and contribute down the stretch. Remember how much fun it was to see Martinez, Lynn, Wacha & Miller? Gosh, that like 11-12 years ago.
Neris just went to the Cubs on a contract the Cardinals couldn’t have matched.
that’s what I suspected. I figured anything over 4-5 would be out of their comfort zone. Maton could still be had, I think.