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NL Central Notes: Taillon, Cardinals, Grandal

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Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon has yet to make an in-game appearance this spring due to soreness in his calves. That was set to change today as he was poised to make his first start since camp began, though those plans were scuttled when the club scratched Taillon from his start earlier today.

As noted by Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, manager Craig Counsell indicated to reporters that Taillon was dealing with lower back tightness and that the right-hander’s back “locked up” while throwing warm up pitches prior to his scheduled start, though there hasn’t been imaging scheduled for the right-hander and Counsell indicated the club hopes to know more about Taillon’s status tomorrow. Sharma goes on to note that the Cubs are hopeful the issue was just a spasm and that Taillon has dealt with a similar issue previously in his career and that it often subsides after just a few days. Though Chicago is remaining optimistic that the 32-year-old will be able to avoid a trip to the shelf to open the season, the right-hander missing time to open the season would be a blow to the club’s chances in a crowded NL Central division.

Taillon figures to occupy the middle of the club’s rotation this season alongside fellow veteran righty Kyle Hendricks, behind southpaws Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. The fifth spot in the Cubs’ rotation has not yet been determined but appears likely to go to one of Jordan Wicks, Drew Smyly, Javier Assad, and Hayden Wesneski as things stand. Taillon’s four-year deal with the Cubs got off to a rough start last season as he struggled to a 6.90 ERA in his first 13 starts with the club, though he settled in to provide mid-rotation results late in the season with a 3.57 ERA and 4.23 ERA across the season’s final three months.  [UPDATE: Counsell told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and other reporters Sunday that Taillon “came in today pretty much the same as he left yesterday.  Probably not the improvement we were hoping for.”  While the manager admitted to “a level of concern for Opening Day,” Counsell doesn’t “think it’s a long-term absence for Jameson, so don’t think it’s one of those concerns.”]

More from around the NL Central…

  • Cardinals manager Oli Marmol provided a positive update regarding veteran righty Sonny Gray today, as noted by MLB.com’s John Denton. Marmol told reporters that Gray has been able to throw from 120 feet and do agility work without issue in recent days, and could progress to throwing off the mound sometime next week. The 34-year-old veteran is battling a mild hamstring strain that has put his odds of making a start for St. Louis on Opening Day in doubt. While Marmol’s comments regarding Gray today didn’t indicate whether or not the righty will be able to avoid opening the season on the injured list, it’s nonetheless encouraging news for Cardinals fans given the important of Gray to the club’s rotation this year. Gray signed with the Cardinals on a three-year, $75MM deal this winter on the heels of a strong 2023 season that saw him finish second to Gerrit Cole in AL Cy Young award voting on the back of a sterling 2.79 ERA in 32 starts.
  • Sticking with the Cardinals, shortstop-turned-center fielder Tommy Edman recently spoke to reporters (including Denton) regarding his own injuries woes in the wake of reports that he is now doubtful for Opening Day due to wrist issues. It appears as though those concerns are justified, as Denton notes that the switch-hitting Edman has been unable to swing right-handed at all and has not been cleared to face live pitching from either side this spring. That being said, Denton adds that Edman expressed optimism regarding a recent diagnosis, which indicated that the pain in his wrist is “more inflammation than structural.” With fellow outfielder Lars Nootbaar’s availability also questionable ahead of Opening Day, St. Louis appears likely to turn to one or both of Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson in the outfield alongside Jordan Walker to open the 2024 campaign.
  • Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke to reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) earlier today to announce that veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal is dealing with plantar fasciitis this spring, which has prevented him from catching over the past two weeks. With that said, Shelton appeared to be optimistic about Grandal’s status, noting that the veteran is expected to return to games in the near future. Grandal signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh last month and figures to feature prominently in the club’s catching mix, which also includes Henry Davis, Jason Delay, and Ali Sanchez among options currently on the 40-man roster. Grandal enters the 2024 season in search of a bounceback after struggling badly across his final two seasons with the White Sox, where he slashed just .219/.305/.306 in a combined 217 games.

Lars Nootbaar Diagnosed With Rib Fractures

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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced this afternoon that outfielder Lars Nootbaar has two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs on the left side, per John Denton of MLB.com. He underwent a CT scan yesterday after injuring himself making a catch in a recent game. Nootbaar will have a period of 10-14 days where he can swing the bat but have limited work otherwise, per Derrick Goold and Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His readiness for Opening Day is now in doubt but not ruled out just yet. That issue is compounded by the fact that Tommy Edman is also doubtful for Opening Day as he recovers from arthroscopic wrist surgery, per Goold.

In a vacuum, neither situation is devastating for the Cards but it’s not ideal for the club to be heading into the season with two thirds of its outfield now in jeopardy. Nootbaar has taken 974 trips to the plate for the Cardinals over the past three seasons, hitting 33 home runs while drawing walks at a 14% clip and limiting his strikeouts to a 20.3% rate. His combined batting line of .246/.351/.429 translates to a wRC+ of 117, indicating he’s been 17% better than the league average hitter. He’s also swiped 17 bags and received strong grades for his outfield defense.

Removing that kind of production from the lineup would be unwelcome at any time but having him out of action at the same time as Edman would be an unfortunate coincidence. Mozeliak suggested that Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson will likely step up for the time being, per Denton.

Carlson, 25, is a strong defender but hasn’t quite broken out with the bat yet, having hit .243/.322/.394 thus far in his career for a wRC+ of 99. Burleson is generally considered a bat-first guy, though his major league production hasn’t matched his work in the minors just yet. He’s hit .300/.350/.492 on the farm but just .237/.295/.375 in the big leagues, the latter line translating to a wRC+ of 85.

With those two likely to be slotted next to Jordan Walker on a regular basis, that could bump Michael Siani up to fourth outfielder status. Siani is a speed-and-defense guy who has hit just .138/.167/.138 in his big league career. That’s a tiny sample of just 30 plate appearances but his minor league offense has also been subpar. He slashed .227/.347/.350 in Triple-A last year for a wRC+ of 81.

Brendan Donovan is also on the roster and can play all over the diamond, but the club doesn’t have a regular designated hitter. That likely means Donovan will either be the DH or moving around to give someone else a partial day off most of the time. If Matt Carpenter could seize the DH job, perhaps that frees up Donovan to slot into the outfield more regularly but Carpenter is now 38 years old and hit just .176/.322/.319 for the Padres last year. Donovan also might need some infield time regardless as Brandon Crawford currently profiles as the backup infielder but he’s never played anywhere other than shortstop.

With the outfield injuries, speculation has turned to Victor Scott II, who is one of the club’s best prospects. But Mozeliak tells Denton that the club will take “a measured and patient approach” with the decision to promote him to the big leagues. Scott was just drafted in 2022 has yet to reach Triple-A, so it’s understandable the club may not want to rush him to the big leagues to cover what is likely a temporary need.

All told, there are many moving parts and there’s still a few weeks for the Cards to get everything figured out, but it’s at least somewhat concerning that health has become such a huge focus here in March. The club is looking to bounce back after a nightmare season in 2023 and is already dealing with notable injuries to two thirds of its starting outfield as well as Sonny Gray, their marquee offseason pickup, who is dealing with a hamstring strain.

Sonny Gray Diagnosed With Hamstring Strain, Could Open Season On Injured List

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Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray has been diagnosed with a “mild” strain of his right hamstring, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced Tuesday morning (X link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). While Mozeliak called it “encouraging” news that Gray had dodged a more serious strain, he acknowledged that it could be “challenging” to get Gray ready for the beginning of the season and that Opening Day is now “in question” for the team’s top offseason acquisition.

Gray missed time with a pair of strains in this same hamstring as a member of the Twins back in 2022, though Mozeliak told reporters today that the team is confident this is less severe. It’s a mild enough issue that Mozeliak has already spoken out against the possibility of Gray’s injury spurring further additions on the starting staff (X link via John Denton of MLB.com).

“I definitely feel it’s not something that is required at this point,” Mozeliak said when asked about potentially bringing in some additional help for the rotation. “Obviously if something changes, we’d have to look at it differently, but we’re not thinking we’ll have to do anything now.”

The Cardinals haven’t spoken with the Boras Corporation about either Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery recently, and a “mild” injury for Gray would’ve been an unlikely catalyst for such a major response anyhow. Mozeliak’s comments make it unlikely that remaining second-tier arms like Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger will be considered, though it’s possible the Cards could look to add some modest depth either via waivers or perhaps with a minor league deal for a veteran who’s amenable to a non-guaranteed pact.

With Gray presumably on the shelf to start the season, the Opening Day nod feels likelier to fall to veteran Miles Mikolas. He’d be followed by lefty Steven Matz and righties Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, both of whom signed a one-year contract in free agency this past offseason. (Matz is entering the third season of a four-year, $44MM free agent deal himself.) The top in-house options to step into the fifth starter spot, if needed, are lefties Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson. Fellow southpaw Drew Rom made eight starts for the Cards last season but struggled to an ERA north of 8.00 in the process.

The Cardinals signed Gray to a three-year, $75MM contract this offseason and forfeited their second-highest draft pick as well as $500K of space from next year’s international bonus pool in order to do so. He’d already been tabbed the team’s Opening Day starter. Gray finished second to Gerrit Cole in American League Cy Young voting last season after giving the Twins 184 innings of 2.79 ERA ball through 32 starts. He fanned 24.3% of his opponents against a 7.3% walk rate.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, posted the fifth-worst ERA in baseball at 5.08 — a number that includes 21 starts from Montgomery (3.52 ERA) and 20 from Jack Flaherty (4.43 ERA) — both of whom were traded at the deadline. The trio of Gray, Gibson and Lynn was signed in large part to provide some stable veteran innings, though Gray obviously comes with a front-of-the-rotation ceiling as well. For now, his ability to lead the staff will be placed on hold, but if it’s a short enough absence there’ll still be time for Gray to perhaps make 30 starts for the Cards when all is said and done.

Cardinals Have Not Recently Inquired On Snell, Montgomery

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With top left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still unsigned into March, agent Scott Boras declared today that four new teams had checked in regarding those pitchers since the opening of spring camps. It doesn’t seem the Cardinals are among that group. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that, as of this afternoon, the Cards had not recently reached out to Boras about Snell or Montgomery.

That’s not a surprise, particularly as it pertains to Snell. St. Louis hasn’t been substantively tied to the defending NL Cy Young winner at any point. They’d left the door ajar to bringing Montgomery back at the time they traded him to the Rangers, but that possibility seemed more or less closed with the front office’s activity early in the offseason. The Cardinals added Sonny Gray on a three-year, $75MM pact as their big rotation pickup. They brought in Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson as hopefully stable sources of innings at the back end.

Gray’s tenure in Cardinal red has started somewhat shakily. The three-time All-Star was removed from his Spring Training appearance today with right hamstring tightness. Gray declined comment pending the results of an MRI; the team is expected to provide more information tomorrow.

While Gray’s status could theoretically spur the Cardinals to seek out additional pitching depth, that won’t be known until the team gets clarity as to whether he’s still on track to be ready for Opening Day. Even if he does need to spend time on the IL, a push for Montgomery or Snell would be a surprise.

St. Louis has roughly $185MM on the books for the upcoming season, according to RosterResource. That’ll be a franchise high for Opening Day, approximately $8MM above last year’s team-record figure. Their competitive balance tax number is around $215MM. Signing either pitcher, especially Snell, would push them near or beyond the $237MM luxury tax threshold. The cost for narrowly exceeding the threshold for the first time isn’t all that significant — a 20% hit on spending between $237MM and $257MM — but Goold notes that team officials have suggested they have no desire to push into tax territory.

If Gray remains on track for Opening Day, he’ll front a rotation also including Gibson, Lynn, Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz. Should anyone from that group miss time, young southpaws Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson are probably next on the depth chart. Drew Rom made his MLB debut late last year but was tagged for an 8.02 ERA over eight starts. Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein are also on the 40-man roster and have yet to reach the big leagues.

That’s a questionable group of depth starters for a team expecting to compete in the NL Central. Mike Clevinger and Michael Lorenzen headline the crop of unsigned starters beyond Snell and Montgomery. If the asking price for that duo is beyond the Cardinals’ liking, players like Zack Greinke, Eric Lauer and Noah Syndergaard wouldn’t command more than a few million dollars if they’re able to find a major league offer of any kind.

Sonny Gray Headed For MRI After Early Exit; Tommy Edman May Not Be Ready For Opening Day

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Top Cardinals starter Sonny Gray exited today’s spring start with a trainer in the middle of an at-bat against Washington’s Nick Senzel. The team announced shortly afterward that Gray was experiencing tightness in his right hamstring. Gray declined to comment on the potential injury after exiting, instead stating that he wanted to talk to the team’s training staff and learn more about the issue before speaking with the media (link via Derrick Goold of the St.  Louis Post-Dispatch). Gray missed roughly a month of the 2022 season with a strain in that same right hamstring as a member of the Twins back in 2022. Goold further tweets that Gray is headed for an MRI to determine the severity of the issue.

An absence of any real note would be a nightmare scenario for the Cardinals. While the Cards overhauled their rotation this winter, Gray is the lone front-of-the-rotation arm the team brought in. Lance Lynn isn’t far removed from posting high-end results himself, but he’s 36 years old and coming off arguably the worst season of his career. He, like fellow mid-30s veteran Kyle Gibson, was signed more as a durable source of innings than to be a clear playoff-caliber starter.

Gray, 34, is fresh off a Cy Young runner-up finish in the American League. He pitched 184 innings of 2.79 ERA ball last season, fanning 24.3% of his opponents against a 7.3% walk rate. Gray’s 2.83 FIP was a near-identical match with his ERA, though metrics like xFIP and SIERA, which normalize home run rate, were more bearish and pegged him in the mid- to upper-3.00s. Gray’s 5.2% homer-to-flyball ratio was less than half the 12.3% career mark he carried into the 2023 campaign. The Cardinals signed him for three years and a total of $75MM back in November. He’s slated to be joined by Gibson, Lynn, Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas in one of the game’s oldest rotations.

Even if Gray can’t quite replicate his 2023 performance, he’s the clear top starter on that St. Louis staff. Were he to miss time, the drop-off between Gray and his replacement would be substantial. At present, the top options to step into the staff in his stead would presumably be lefties Matthew Liberatore, Zack Thompson and Drew Rom. Righties Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein are both on the 40-man roster as well, though neither has made his MLB debut yet.

The Cardinals, at least thus far, haven’t brought in any veteran big league starters on non-roster deals. That’s understandable, as most players open to that type of deal would take a look at the veteran rotation in St. Louis and see a lack of opportunity — but the lack of any proven depth could also be an issue in 2024, depending on how the rest of the staff holds up.

Gray isn’t the only key member of the Cardinals who’s facing some health-related uncertainty. Tommy Edman, formerly the team’s shortstop and now slated to serve as the Cardinals’ everyday center fielder, isn’t recovering from arthroscopic wrist surgery as swiftly as the team hoped. Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that “internal concern is growing” that Edman might not be ready for Opening Day. Edman still hasn’t been cleared to face live pitching, Woo writes, and despite the fact that Opening Day is just over three weeks away, there’s not even a timetable for when that might happen.

Fourth outfielder Dylan Carlson would step into the starting job in center field if Edman is on the injured list to begin the season, per the report. Lars Nootbaar played plenty of center field last season, but perhaps if the plan is for him to play left field regularly when Edman is healthy this season, the team simply wants Nootbaar getting as many reps in that position as possible. Carlson’s role as a fourth outfielder would be cycling through all three spots anyhow.

Edman, 28, had a disappointing 2023 at the plate while playing through pain in that now surgically-repaired wrist for much of the season. The versatile switch-hitter spent nearly a month of the ’23 season on the injured list due to inflammation in that wrist, and when he was healthy his output at the plate dropped from .265/.324/.400 in 2022 (106 wRC+) to just .248/.307/.399 in 2023 (92 wRC+).

In the event that Edman indeed requires a stint on the injured list to begin the season, that’d open up a spot on the bench for the Cards. That wouldn’t necessarily need to be an outfielder, as utilityman Brendan Donovan is no stranger to the outfield, and as previously noted, Nootbaar can handle center field work as well. That said, an outfielder would be the most logical candidate. Lefty-swinging Michael Siani and Alec Burleson are both on the 40-man roster already and both have minor league options remaining. Siani is regarded as a plus defender in center field and would offer premium speed off the bench, while Burleson would be limited to first base and the corners but give the Cards some power that the bench currently lacks.

NL Central Notes: Happ, Pirates, Liberatore

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Cubs left fielder Ian Happ won’t be appearing in games for the time being after he suffered a mild hamstring strain during a game earlier this week, club manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times). Counsell added that the club remains “optimistic” that Happ will be ready for Opening Day, though he added that the 29-year-old will need to get additional reps in before Spring Training comes to a close in order to be ready for the start of the season.

The ninth-overall pick in the 2015 draft, Happ is entering the first year of the three-year, $61MM extension he inked with the Cubs early last season. The switch-hitter has settled in to become one of the club’s most reliable regulars in recent seasons, slashing a solid .259/.351/.435 (119 wRC+) across the past two seasons while earning his first career All Star appearance during the 2022 season and back-to-back Gold Glove awards in left field. In 2023, Happ posted a career-best 22.1% strikeout rate while walking at an impressive 14.3% clip. That strong plate discipline has left Happ as a key piece of the club’s core entering the 2023 season alongside the likes of Seiya Suzuki, Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, and Nico Hoerner.

Losing Happ for any amount of time entering the regular season would surely be a blow to the Cubs, though Chicago has plenty of other options for its outfield mix available should their longest-tenured hitter start the season on the shelf. With top outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong expected to begin the season at the Triple-A level, the likes of Mike Tauchman and Alexander Canario figure to be the most likely options for a reserve outfield spot with the big league club to open the season currently on the 40-man roster. Veteran left fielder David Peralta is also in camp with the club after signing on a minor league deal last month, with slugging prospect Owen Caissie also among the club’s non-roster invitees.

More from around the NL Central…

  • Pirates outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Joshua Palacios have yet to appear this spring after being slowed by injuries entering camp, though manager Derek Shelton recently told reporters (including those at MLB.com) that each figures to see the field at some point in the next week. McCutchen, 37, has been working on defensive drills and taking swings this spring while rehabbing the partially torn achilles that ended his 2023 campaign in early September. The veteran figures to enter the 2024 season penciled in as the club’s regular DH, though he did make occasional appearances in right field last season. Palacios, meanwhile, figures to battle with the likes of Edward Olivares and Connor Joe for playing time in the outfield alongside regulars Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski. The 28-year-old slashed .239/.279/.413 in 91 games with Pittsburgh last year but has been slowed this spring by a lower leg injury.
  • Cardinals southpaw Matthew Liberatore spoke to reporters (including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) recently about his goals for the coming season, and while he indicated that he still hopes to have a future with the club as a starting pitcher at some point, right now his priority is contributing in the majors regardless of his role. Liberatore struggled to a 5.88 ERA in 11 starts for the Cardinals last year but was dominant out of the bullpen, posting a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings of work with a 24.5% strikeout rate. The club’s starting five appears set with Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn all poised to take spots in the rotation, though Liberatore has stretched out as a starter alongside the likes of Zack Thompson with Worthy noting that manager Oli Marmol hasn’t ruled out the possibility of opening the season with a six-man rotation.

Injury Notes: Scherzer, Donovan, Lodolo, Chang

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Max Scherzer is one of a trio of key Rangers starters who’ll open the season on the injured list. The three-time Cy Young winner underwent surgery in mid-December to repair a disc herniation in his back. The team announced at the time that the injury would keep him out of action into June or July.

It appears things are going well in the early stages of Scherzer’s rehab process. Manager Bruce Bochy told MLB Network this week the team envisions the star righty being back on an MLB mound by June (X link). The veteran skipper said that’s “a little bit earlier” than the team initially expected. Bochy indicated the club was shooting for a July return for offseason signee Tyler Mahle and a potential August timetable on Jacob deGrom, both of whom are working back from Tommy John procedures.

A few other health notes around the league:

  • Brendan Donovan is preparing for a rebound after his 2023 season was cut short. An injury to his throwing arm initially required the Cardinals infielder to move to designated hitter. With the team out of contention by the trade deadline, Donovan shut things down and underwent season-ending surgery. While that was initially reported as a flexor tendon repair in his forearm, Donovan clarified to John Denton of MLB.com that he actually had an internal brace procedure to fix the UCL in his elbow (on X). The 27-year-old is back in action this spring and should split most of his time with Nolan Gorman between second base and DH.
  • Reds starter Nick Lodolo was limited to seven appearances in 2023 because of a stress reaction in his left tibia. That bothersome issue kept him out of action from mid-May on. The southpaw apparently isn’t quite at 100%. Lodolo has yet to make his Spring Training debut because of residual leg discomfort on days after his bullpen or live batting practice sessions, manager David Bell told reporters (link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds are sending Lodolo for additional testing on the bone before deciding on the next step in his build-up process. That’s at least somewhat alarming, although Bell said the team is still hopeful that Lodolo will avoid opening the season on the injured list.
  • The Rays lost one of their depth infielders to what’ll be a fairly significant injury. Yu Chang will be out six to eight weeks after suffering an oblique strain, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (relayed on X). That was the concern when the team revealed that Chang was dealing with left side soreness earlier in the week. The defensive specialist is in camp on a minor league contract. He had a shot at securing an Opening Day bench spot, particularly with Taylor Walls opening the season on the IL, but that’s no longer in play. The Rays have declared José Caballero their expected starter at shortstop. Recent free agent pickup Amed Rosario is on hand as a multi-positional option who’d likely be Caballero’s primary backup.

Tigers Claim Buddy Kennedy, Designate Andre Lipcius

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The Tigers have claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the Cardinals, per announcements from both clubs. The Cards had designated him for assignment earlier this week. The Tigers designated infielder Andre Lipcius for assignment in a corresponding move.

Kennedy, 25, has 40 games of major league experience, all with the Diamondbacks. He has hit a mere .206/.293/.299 in his 123 major league plate appearances thus far, though that’s obviously a small sample size. But in Triple-A last year, his work was much more impressive. He walked more than he struck out, 16.8% walk rate versus a 16.3% strikeout rate, and slashed .318/.444/.481. That production was in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but nonetheless translated to a 133 wRC+, indicating he was 33% better than league average.

The Snakes designated him for assignment in September and he has bounced to a few rosters since then. He was claimed off waivers by the Athletics towards the end of last season, then was claimed again by the Cardinals in October. That makes today his third waiver claim in the past six months.

The Tigers are likely intrigued by that minor league offense, as well as Kennedy’s positional versatility. He has played all three non-shortstop infield positions as well as a brief look in left field. He also has an option remaining, so they can keep him in Triple-A as depth if he doesn’t earn a spot on the active roster.

The Detroit infield is likely to be Gio Urshela, Javier Báez, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson from left to right. There’s a bit of uncertainty there as Keith has yet to make his major league debut, Urshela missed the second half of 2023 due to a pelvic fracture and Báez is coming off the worst full season of his career. Their depth/bench options include Zach McKinstry, Matt Vierling, Andy Ibañez, Ryan Kreidler, Eddys Leonard and Wenceel Pérez. Many of those guys also play the outfield so the depth chart will likely be affected by overall health of the position player mix in Detroit. Kennedy will try to earn his way up the ladder, as long as he continues to hang onto a 40-man spot.

Lipcius, 26 in May, would have been in that mix as well but he has been bounced off the roster for now. He made his major league debut last year and put up a solid line of .286/.342/.400 but in just 38 plate appearances. His 419 Triple-A appearances finished with a walk 12.4% of the time and he produced a line of .272/.363/.419, though that only translated to a 99 wRC+ in last year’s robo-ump-aided environment.

It seems the Tigers preferred Kennedy to Lipcius, so they will now have one week to work something out with the latter, either a trade or passing him through waivers. Lipcius has always drawn plenty of walks in the minors and can also line up defensively all over the diamond. He hasn’t played shortstop since 2019 but played the other three infield spots last year and the outfield corners as well. That versatility and his keen eye at the plate could garner some interest around the league, especially with a couple of option years remaining. If he were to pass through unclaimed, he would stick with the Tigers in a non-roster capacity.

Cardinals Designate Buddy Kennedy For Assignment

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The Cardinals have designated infielder Buddy Kennedy for assignment, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That opens up a roster spot for shortstop Brandon Crawford, whose previously-reported deal is now official.

Kennedy, 25, has never appeared in a game as a Cardinal, having just been claimed off waivers from the Athletics in October. The A’s themselves had only claimed him from the Diamondbacks the month prior. The infielder has 40 games of major league experience, all of it with the Snakes over 2022 and 2023. He’s hit .206/.293/.299 in his big league career thus far, though in a small sample of 123 plate appearances.

He’s generally fared better in the minors, including last year. In 463 Triple-A plate appearances in 2023, he drew walks at a 16.4% clip and slashed .307/.432/.455 for a wRC+ of 124. He also brings defensive versatility to the table, as he has played all three non-shortstop infield positions in his career as well as spending some brief time in left field.

The Cards will have one week to trade Kennedy or pass him through waivers. He may be able to garner interest from other clubs based on his strong work at the plate in Triple-A last year, defensive flexibility and the fact that he has one option year remaining. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the right to elect free agency by virtue of having a previous career outright.

Cardinals Sign Brandon Crawford

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February 27: The Cardinals made the deal official, announcing it today. Per Slusser, Crawford will make a salary of $2MM.

February 26: The Cardinals are reportedly in agreement with shortstop Brandon Crawford on a major league deal, pending a physical. Financial terms have not yet been reported. Crawford is a Wasserman client. The Cardinals will need to make a 40-man roster move once the deal is finalized.

St. Louis has been looking for a veteran infielder who could take on the backup shortstop job. Crawford was perhaps the top unsigned player who could fill that role. It’ll assuredly be a low-cost flier on the 13-year big league veteran, who’ll take on a depth job for the first time in his career. Crawford has been a starting shortstop since debuting with the Giants back in 2011.

The UCLA product had an excellent run over his time in the Bay Area. Crawford helped the Giants to World Series titles in 2012 and ’14. He was one of the sport’s preeminent defensive infielders during the last decade. Crawford won three consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2015-17 and took a step forward with the bat in his late-20s. He earned a Silver Slugger in 2015 and turned in average or better offensive production in six of the eight seasons between 2014-21.

Crawford inked a six-year extension over the 2015-16 offseason. That put him on track to reach free agency after the 2021 campaign. He surprisingly turned in the best season of his career that year, hitting .298/.373/.522 en route to a fourth-place finish in NL MVP balloting. The Giants kept him around for another two years at $16MM annually on an extension signed towards the end of that season.

While an understandable decision during Crawford’s resurgent season, the latter extension did not pan out. Crawford’s offensive production plummeted beginning in 2022. He hit .231/.308/.344 two seasons ago. His production fell off further last year. The left-handed hitter put up a personal-worst .194/.273/.314 slash line in 320 trips to the plate. Crawford punched out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances for the first time in his career.

Injuries have sent him to the shelf on a few occasions over the last two years. Since the start of 2022, he has had IL stints related to his left knee (twice), right knee, right calf, left forearm and right hamstring. None of those required a long-term absence, but it’s possible that playing through any number of those issues has taken a toll on his performance.

The Cardinals can’t expect much from Crawford offensively as he enters his age-37 campaign. Public metrics are split on how valuable he remains on the other side of the ball. Crawford isn’t the elite defender he was at his peak. Statcast still grades him as a solid gloveman, giving him above-average marks every season since it began tracking in 2015. That includes an estimated four runs above average a year ago.

Defensive Runs Saved has been far less forgiving. DRS has graded Crawford as a well below-average defender two years running. It marked him 14 runs below par in 725 2/3 innings last season. Among shortstops, only Tim Anderson and Amed Rosario fared more poorly by that estimate.

St. Louis will be hopeful of at least passable glovework in a rotational role. The Cards are going to turn the position to rookie Masyn Winn. The 21-year-old struggled in a very limited MLB look at the end of last season, hitting .172/.230/.238 in 37 games. Prospect evaluators have praised his defensive acumen and power upside, though, and the Cards haven’t made any effort to block his path to MLB playing time.

Winn’s presence pushed last year’s Opening Day shortstop, Tommy Edman, to center field. While he’s still capable of handling the middle infield, the Crawford signing will allow manager Oli Marmol to keep Edman in the outfield even on days when Winn needs a breather. It also affords the Cardinals some security in case Edman isn’t available early in the season. The switch-hitter is working back from an arthroscopic right wrist procedure. He’s hopeful of being ready for Opening Day but has yet to begin taking live batting practice with less than a month until the regular season.

Aside from Edman, St. Louis didn’t have a clear backup shortstop on their 40-man roster. Neither Brendan Donovan nor José Fermín is a great fit there. Crawford takes that role. Roster Resource projects the St. Louis payroll around $182MM, pending the Crawford deal. He shouldn’t add more than a couple million dollars to that ledger.

As for the Giants, they’ll officially bid farewell to one of the faces of the franchise’s recent history. It became clear towards the end of last season that things were headed in this direction. San Francisco is going to turn shortstop over to a top prospect of their own, Marco Luciano. They signed longtime division rival Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal to serve as glove-first veteran depth. Crawford returned from the injured list on the final day of last season so he could receive a proper send-off from the San Francisco fanbase. He’s the final player from their 2012 and ’14 World Series teams to depart the organization, although Pablo Sandoval has since returned on a non-roster pact.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first indicated Crawford and St. Louis were in talks. Katie Woo of the Athletic was first to report the sides had reached an agreement. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported it was a major league deal.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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