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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.

Jose DeLeon, MLB Pitcher From 1983-95, Passes Away At 63

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Former major league pitcher José DeLeón has passed away at age 63, according to a report from The Associated Press. His death was announced last night by the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League. DeLeón, not to be confused with the free agent pitcher who played for the Twins last season, pitched in the major leagues between 1983-95.

A native of the Dominican Republic, DeLeón entered the professional ranks in 1979 as a third-round pick by the Pirates. The 6’3″ right-hander pitched in four minor league seasons before reaching Pittsburgh. He had an impressive debut season, working to a 2.83 ERA and striking out 118 hitters in 108 innings covering 15 starts. He earned a seventh-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

DeLeón would hold a spot in the Pirates rotation for a few seasons. He worked to a 3.74 ERA over 192 1/3 innings during his second big league campaign. He struggled to a 4.70 ERA with an MLB-leading 19 losses the next season. Midway through the ’86 campaign, Pittsburgh dealt him to the White Sox in a lopsided swap that landed future MVP finalist Bobby Bonilla.

Chicago plugged DeLeón into their rotation for the next year and a half. While he wasn’t anywhere close to as impactful as Bonilla became in Pittsburgh, he enjoyed a solid showing on the South Side. DeLeón turned in a 2.96 ERA in 13 starts after the trade in ’86 and logged 206 frames of 4.02 ball in 1987.

Over the 1987-88 offseason, Chicago flipped DeLeón to the Cardinals for reliever Ricky Horton and young outfielder Lance Johnson. He was a rotation fixture in St. Louis over parts of five seasons. DeLeón topped 225 innings in each of his first two years with the Redbirds. He had the best year of his career in 1989, pitching to a 3.05 ERA with a National League-leading 201 strikeouts across 36 starts. DeLeón again lost an MLB-worst 19 games in 1990 but rebounded with a personal-low 2.71 ERA over 28 appearances in ’91.

The Cardinals released him in August of the following season. DeLeón signed with the Phillies and remained in Philadelphia into the next year. He converted to the bullpen by 1993. The White Sox reacquired him for reliever Bobby Thigpen the next August. DeLeón reached the postseason for the only time in his career with Chicago, making two relief appearances in an eventual ALCS loss to the Blue Jays. He’d pitch in two more seasons, working with the Sox and Expos through 1995. DeLeón didn’t return to the majors thereafter, although he pitched in Taiwan until his age-37 campaign in 1998.

Over parts of 13 seasons, DeLeón tallied nearly 1900 innings while allowing 3.76 earned runs per nine. He struck out almost 1600 hitters with an 86-119 record. He surpassed 150 frames on seven occasions and donned five major league uniforms. MLBTR sends our condolences to DeLeón’s family, loved ones, friends and former teammates.

Cardinals Interested In Brandon Crawford

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The Cardinals and shortstop Brandon Crawford reportedly have mutual interest. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle mentioned earlier today that the Cards were believed to have interest in Crawford, though she also reports that there’s an A.L. West club in the mix. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed that the Cards are interested in Crawford and relayed that the interest is mutual.

Last week, it was reported that the Cards were looking for some extra shortstop depth, with Crawford, Nick Ahmed and Elvis Andrus mentioned as speculative fits. Ahmed signed a minor league deal with the Giants earlier today, removing one option the Cardinals could have considered.

Crawford, 37, has spent his entire career with the Giants thus far. The Bay Area native was drafted by them in 2008 and made it to the majors by 2011, winning the World Series with them in 2012 and 2014.

Over the past decade-plus, he’s had many good years but is coming off a couple of frustrating campaigns. In 2021, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and slashed .298/.373/.522 for a wRC+ of 140. Along the way, the club signed him to a two-year, $32MM extension so that he wouldn’t reach the open market. Though that deal kept a franchise icon on the roster, it didn’t work out especially well for them.

Crawford spent time on the injured list in 2022 due to knee issues and hit just nine home runs in 118 games. Hit batting line dipped to .231/.308/.344, leading to a wRC+ of 88. His defense also may have slipped, depending on your favored metric. Outs Above Average still had him at +7 but Defensive Runs Saved put a -6 on him.

Last year, things got even worse. There were IL trips due to a right calf strain, left knee inflammation, a left forearm strain and a right hamstring strain. He got into only 94 contests and mustered a tepid batting line of .194/.273/.314. The defensive metrics were split again, with Crawford posting +6 OAA but -14 DRS.

Up until today, a return to the Giants would have been somewhat plausible. That club is slated to have rookie Marco Luciano as its regular shortstop, making it sensible that Crawford could have been brought back as a backup/insurance policy/veteran mentor. But the signing of Ahmed seems to make that less likely and may push Crawford out of San Francisco for the first time in his career.

St. Louis is also set to turn over the shortstop job to a rookie, with Masyn Winn slated for the lion’s share of playing time for the Cards. He has just 37 games of big league experience so far and hit just .172/.230/.238 in that time. The primary fallback option would be Tommy Edman, though he’s penciled in as the club’s everyday center fielder and is also working back from undergoing arthroscopic wrist surgery in October. Utility player Brendan Donovan underwent flexor tendon surgery in August of last year. José Fermín is also on the roster but doesn’t have much of a track record in the majors or even at Triple-A.

Given the state of the depth chart at shortstop, bringing in another option would make sense. Perhaps playing in a part-time role would allow Crawford more opportunity to stay healthy and productive. Or even if he doesn’t play much, he could serve as a mentor and share his accumulated wisdom with Winn, who hasn’t even turned 22 years old yet. Given his struggles over the past two years, he likely wouldn’t cost much, if he’s even able to secure a guaranteed roster spot.

Cardinals Could Look For Depth Addition At Shortstop

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The Cardinals are set to turn shortstop over to rookie Masyn Winn. The 21-year-old debuted late last season and is still set for the starting job despite hitting .172/.230/.238 in his first 37 big league games. That’ll push last year’s Opening Day shortstop Tommy Edman to center field on most days.

Edman is delayed in camp after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right wrist. While he is confident he’ll be ready by Opening Day, manager Oli Marmol acknowledged yesterday that the Cards are considering various options to back Winn up (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

That includes evaluating options outside the organization. Goold writes that St. Louis has considered adding a depth shortstop. It’s not clear precisely which players they might target, although each of Nick Ahmed, Elvis Andrus and Brandon Crawford remain available via free agency.

All three would be limited to either minor league or low-base MLB offers. Ahmed, 34 next month, was released by the Diamondbacks last September after a 10-year run in Arizona. The two-time Gold Glove winner has continued to post good, albeit no longer elite, defensive grades as he has gotten into his mid-30s. His already subpar offensive numbers dropped off last season, as he hit .212/.257/.303 through 210 plate appearances.

Andrus, 35, appeared in 112 games for the White Sox a year ago. That included 43 starts and 404 innings at shortstop. He hit .251/.304/.358 over 406 plate appearances. Andrus has typically posted solid defensive marks throughout his career. His numbers have predictably tailed off as he’s gotten into his 30s, but both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average pegged him as an average defender in nearly 500 second base innings last season. Statcast rated him slightly above average at shortstop, while DRS had him a bit below par there.

There was an even sharper divide in the defensive metrics on Crawford’s work last year. Statcast rated him as four runs better than average over 725 2/3 innings. DRS, on the other hand, tagged him with a grisly -14 runs that’d make him one of the sport’s worst defensive shortstops. Crawford’s bat has fallen off since his 2021 resurgence. He hit .194/.273/.314 over 320 plate appearances last year. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote last night that the career-long Giant has received some interest but could consider retirement if he doesn’t find the right fit.

Beyond that trio, the Cards could look to utility possibilities. Enrique Hernández is miscast as a regular option at shortstop but can play there in a pinch in addition to work at second base and any outfield spot. He is reportedly nearing a decision on his next destination. Harold Castro is a multi-positional infielder with some shortstop experience who remains unsigned. Players like Kevin Newman (Diamondbacks) and José Iglesias (Mets) are on minor league deals with other teams and could come available later in the spring if they don’t make the roster with their current club.

If the Cards do make an acquisition, it isn’t likely to be anyone who’d seriously cut into Winn’s playing time. Goold writes that St. Louis didn’t show any interest in Tim Anderson before his $5MM agreement with the Marlins because they’re not looking for an everyday player. Should the Cards stick with their in-house group, Edman would remain the backup at shortstop, with Dylan Carlson stepping into center field between Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker on days when Winn needs a break. Brendan Donovan is a bat-first player who is better suited at second base, as is depth infielder José Fermín.

Which Is The Best Team In The NL Central?

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The National League Central is arguably the tightest division in the majors right now. That’s subjective but borne out by projection systems. The FanGraphs projected standings have all five teams currently slated for between 83 and 77 wins, the smallest spread from first to last out of the six divisions. The PECOTA standings at Baseball Prospectus aren’t quite as tight, with a spread of 11.7 games from first to last, but that’s still narrower than any other division in the league.

Last year, the Brewers took the division fairly easily, going 92-70 and finishing nine games up on the second-place Cubs. But a lot has changed since then and there could still be more changes to come. The “Boras Four” of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger remain unsigned, as do several other free agents. One of those players joining an NL Central club could change the calculation but let’s take a look at where things stand now, in order of last year’s standings.

Brewers: 92-70 in 2023, FG projects 80 wins in 2024, PECOTA 79

The reigning champions have undergone some significant changes, particularly in their rotation. Brandon Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery late last year, with the rehab putting his 2024 season in jeopardy. He was non-tendered and re-signed but won’t be a factor until late in the upcoming season, if at all. On top of that, the club traded Corbin Burnes to the Orioles, meaning they are now without both of their co-aces from recent years.

That makes the rotation clearly weaker than it has been in previous seasons, even though they did acquire some reinforcements. DL Hall came over in the Burnes trade and the Brewers will give him a chance to earn a rotation job. They also re-signed Wade Miley and Colin Rea in addition to bringing in Jakob Junis and Joe Ross to back up Freddy Peralta, who has now been vaulted to the top spot. Prospects Jacob Misiorowski and Robert Gasser could push for roles during the season.

While the starting rotation has clearly been diminished, the lineup should be better. They didn’t lose any core pieces from last year’s position player mix while they have signed free agents Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sánchez for some extra thump. Prospect Jackson Chourio should be up to make his debut this year while other young players like Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang will hopefully continue to take steps forward. Joey Ortiz, who came over in the Burnes deal alongside Hall, could seize a role on the infield.

Cubs: 83-79 in 2023, FG projects 80 wins in 2024, PECOTA 80.8

The Cubs have been retooling for a few years but just narrowly missed a return to the postseason in 2023. Their finished 83-79, just one game behind the Diamondbacks and Marlins, who got the last two Wild Card spots. They then saw Bellinger, Jeimer Candelario and Marcus Stroman become free agents, subtracting two regulars from the lineup and a starter from the rotation. Candelario since jumped to the Reds and Stroman to the Yankees, though Bellinger is still out there.

In the rotation, Stroman has effectively been replaced by the signing of Shota Imanaga. The Cubs signed him in January and it’s hoped that he can supply at least some mid-rotation production to make up for the loss of Stroman, slotting in next to Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Kyle Hendricks. A bounceback from Taillon could arguably make the rotation even better this year. The same could be said about a step forward from rookie Jordan Wicks, who debuted last year.

In the lineup, the Cubs are hoping that Michael Busch can be a difference maker. Acquired from the Dodgers in an offseason trade, he has always hit well in the minors but was blocked from seizing a role on his previous club. He’ll take over the first base spot, which was a bit of a hole for the Cubs last year. Bringing back Bellinger to center field still seems possible, but until it happens, the plan appears to be to count on Pete Crow-Armstrong to seize a job. The youngster is considered a great defender but his bat is questionable. Mike Tauchman is on hand if PCA doesn’t make a case for himself.

Signing Chapman to take over third could be a logical move but it’s also possible the club could slot Christopher Morel there. He has an exciting amount of power in his bat and his throwing arm, but concerns about his defense and propensity for strikeouts. Still, the bar is not too high for him to be better than guys like Nick Madrigal or Patrick Wisdom.

Reds: 82-80 in 2023, FG projects 79 wins in 2024, PECOTA 78.7

A surge of young position player talent was almost enough to vault the Reds into the playoffs last year. They did that despite a team-wide ERA of 4.83 and and 5.43 mark from their starting rotation. No significant contributors to the 2023 club reached free agency, so even just a bit of internal improvement could make them a contender.

But the Reds weren’t just going to rely on their incumbent options, as they have been fairly active this offseason. They added Candelario to their position player mix despite already having plenty of bats for their lineup. That should give them some cover for any of their young players suffering some regression or an injury.

They also bolstered the pitching staff which, as mentioned, was an issue last year. Free agents Frankie Montas, Nick Martínez, Emilio Pagán and Brent Suter were all signed to the roster. Montas is coming off a lengthy injury absence but was quite effective the last time he was healthy. Martínez could be a back-end addition for the rotation or he might wind up in the bullpen with Pagán and Suter. They could also get better just via health, as no one on the club logged 150 innings last year as each of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft spent time on the IL, while Andrew Abbott didn’t debut until midseason.

Pirates: 76-86 in 2023, FG projects 77 wins in 2024, PECOTA 73

Somewhat similar to the Reds, the Pirates also rode a wave of young talent last year, though it didn’t have the same staying power. They were in first place in the division as late as June 15 but faded as the season wore on and finished outside contention.

They were facing almost no roster losses, as their most significant free agents from 2023 were Andrew McCutchen and Vince Velasquez. McCutchen re-signed while Velasquez only made eight starts last year anyway due to elbow surgery. But they faced other challenges as right-hander Johan Oviedo and catcher Endy Rodríguez both required UCL surgery this offseason and will miss all of 2024.

With Rodríguez out, the club is hoping Henry Davis can pivot back behind the plate and take over. They signed veteran Yasmani Grandal as a bit of insurance in case things don’t work out with Davis. They grabbed a couple of veteran starters as well in Martín Pérez and Marco Gonzales, hoping that duo can over for the losses of Oviedo and Velasquez as well as the struggles of Roansy Contreras. The impending debut of prospect Paul Skenes could also help in that department as well, with Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler perhaps not far behind.

The lineup hasn’t drastically changed, with Rowdy Tellez brought in as a bounceback candidate. Perhaps their most impactful lineup upgrade could be the health of Oneil Cruz, who missed most of 2023 due ankle surgery. They also signed Aroldis Chapman to help David Bednar form a lockdown late-inning duo.

Cardinals: 71-91 in 2023, FG projects 83 wins in 2024, PECOTA 84.7

Many predicted the Cards to win the division last year but it clearly did not happen. Plenty of things went wrong, particularly on the pitching side of things, and they ended up in the basement. The team-wide ERA of 4.83 was better than just five teams in the majors, with the 5.08 rotation ERA even worse. Adam Wainwright’s swan song turned out to be ear-splitting while Steven Matz and Jack Flaherty also struggled. Depth guys like Dakota Hudson, Matthew Liberatore, Zack Thompson and Jake Woodford were all bad to varying degrees.

Remaking the rotation was the clear priority this winter and they have been active in that department. They quickly signed Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson at the start of the offseason to replace Flaherty, Montgomery and Wainwright. Sem Robberse, Adam Kloffenstein, Tekoah Roby and Drew Rom were all acquired at last year’s deadline and could make the emergency depth stronger. Victor Santos was added this offseason as part of the Tyler O’Neill trade.

Not too much has changed on the position player side of things. As mentioned, O’Neill was shipped out but the club is hoping to replace him internally. The emergence of Masyn Winn at shortstop means that Tommy Edman is probably now an outfielder full-time, assuming Winn produces better results than he did in his debut last year. Bounceback performances, particularly from Nolan Arenado, will be key. In the bullpen, Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton were traded last summer. The Cards traded for Andrew Kittredge and signed Keynan Middleton to try to make up for those two departures.

Compared to the other divisions in the big leagues, this one is the hardest to decide on a clear favorite. The Brewers are the defending champs but have lost their two aces. Can the extra offense make up for that? Was it a rare blip that the Cardinals were so bad last year? Have the Cubs done enough to get over the hump? Can the Reds or Pirates get enough improvement from their young players to surge ahead?

What do you think? Have your say in the poll below!

Angels Acquire Guillermo Zuñiga, Designate Austin Warren

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The Angels announced Wednesday that they’ve acquired right-hander Guillermo Zuñiga from the Cardinals, who’d previously designated him for assignment. Anaheim sent cash to St. Louis in the deal. To clear a spot on their own 40-man roster, the Halos designated righty Austin Warren for assignment.

Zuñiga, 25, made his big league debut with the Cards in 2023, tossing two innings and allowing a run on two hits and no walks with four strikeouts. That’s the only MLB experience of his career to date. After becoming a minor league free agent following the ’22 season, he inked a surprising Major League deal with the Cards but ultimately spent the bulk of his season in Triple-A Memphis, where he posted an unsightly 7.63 ERA in 30 2/3 innings.

The results might not be pretty, but Zuñiga features a triple-digit heater and misses bats at a high level. Like so many pitchers who can approximate the eye-popping 99.4 mph average on Zuñiga’s fastball, however, he’s battled his share of command issues throughout his minor league tenure. Zuñiga walked 13.7% of his opponents in Triple-A last year and has issued a free pass to 10.6% of his minor league opponents.

Zuñiga still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so the Angels will be able to move him freely between Anaheim and their Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake this season and next — if he sticks on the team’s 40-man roster. Barring another DFA, he’ll head to big league camp with the Angels and vie for a spot in a massively overhauled bullpen that has added veterans Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis Garcia, Adam Cimber and Jose Cisnero on free agent deals this offseason.

As for the 28-year-old Warren, he’s spent time in the Angels’ bullpen in each of the past three seasons, compiling a total of 38 innings with a solid 3.55 earned run average. Most of his success came as a rookie in 2021, however, when he tossed 20 1/3 innings of 1.77 ERA ball. Since then, Warren has been tagged for 11 runs in 17 2/3 innings with just a 14.5% strikeout rate against a strong 6.6% walk rate.

Warren’s struggles began in 2022 and culminated with a stint on the injured list in 2023. By early May, the team revealed that he’d been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his pitching elbow and would require Tommy John surgery. As such, Warren is slated to miss the early portion of the 2024 campaign and may well have been ticketed for the 60-day injured list, were it not for today’s DFA.

The Angels will have a week to trade Warren or attempt to pass him through waivers. Any team looking to acquire him would have to do so knowing that Warren will likely be shelved into the summer at the earliest.

Cardinals Designate Guillermo Zuniga For Assignment

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The Cardinals announced this evening that they’ve designated right-hander Guillermo Zuniga for assignment. The move makes room for recently-signed right-hander Keynan Middleton on the club’s 40-man roster.

Zuniga, 25, signed with St. Louis on a big league deal last offseason despite the righty never having pitched above the Double-A level to that point in his career after the right-hander became a free agent on the heels of a pair of seasons where he struck out a combined 29.8% of batters faced at the Double-A level. Despite that minimal experience, it didn’t take long for Zuniga to make his big league debut last season. The Cardinals added him to the roster in time for him to make his big league debut on May 2 as he struck out two without allowing a hit or a walk in a scoreless inning of work.

That would be Zuniga’s only big league appearance for quite some time, as he returned to Triple-A shortly after and spent time on the injured list in the minor leagues. Eventually, the club called Zuniga back up to the majors in August though his stay on the big league roster once again proved to be short-lived. The righty allowed a run on two hits while striking out two in the sole appearance of his second stint in the big leagues before being placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain that eventually ended the right-hander’s season.

In between Zuniga’s brief stints in the majors this year, he struggled badly at the Triple-A level with a 7.63 ERA across 29 appearances. While he struck out a respectable 25.3% of batters faced during that time, he struggled badly with his control and allowed a worrisome 13.7% walk rate. In addition to his seemingly wavering command this past season, health is another concern for the righty entering the 2024 campaign. Updates on Zuniga’s strained right forearm have been few and far between since he was transferred to the 60-day IL back in September, so it’s unclear if he’s expected to be ready for Spring Training.

That being said, the right-hander has flashed a plus breaking ball and can touch triple digits with his heater, making him an enticing arm for most any team to add as optionable bullpen depth if healthy. Looking ahead, the Cardinals will have seven days to either trade Zuniga or attempt to pass him through waivers. If they’re successful in passing Zuniga through waivers, he figures to remain in the organization as non-roster depth headed into the 2024 campaign. As for St. Louis, the club’s retooled bullpen figures to feature some combination of Middleton, Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero covering the late innings.

Cardinals Sign Keynan Middleton

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The Cardinals announced today that they’ve signed free agent reliever Keynan Middleton, as first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). The club announced that the deal is a one-year arrangement with a club option for 2025. Murray adds that the ACES client is guaranteed $6MM by the deal, and will earn $11MM if the option is exercised. Middleton will make $5MM next season with a $1MM buyout on the $6MM option, according to The Associated Press.

Middleton, 30, is coming off a solid season split between the White Sox and Yankees. The right-hander had bounced between the Angels, Mariners and Diamondbacks over the preceding three years. He inked a minor league deal with Chicago last January and was selected onto the MLB roster within a couple weeks of Opening Day.

The 6’3″ righty had a strong first half in Chicago. He pitched to a 3.96 ERA while striking out more than 30% of opposing hitters across 36 1/3 innings. With the Sox out of contention and Middleton headed back to free agency, he became one of the more obvious trade targets at the deadline. Chicago flipped him to New York for High-A righty Juan Carela on August 1.

Middleton made headlines a few days later with some parting shots at the White Sox’s clubhouse culture. Lance Lynn, who’d played with Middleton in Chicago before being traded to the Dodgers, went on the record to back him up. They’ll be teammates again in St. Louis after Lynn inked a one-year deal with the Cards at the start of the offseason.

Shoulder inflammation sent Middleton to the injured list in early September. That kept him from making much of an impact in the Bronx, where he was limited to 12 appearances. He struck out 17 and allowed only three runs in 14 1/3 innings as a Yankee, finishing his year on a generally strong note. For the season, he worked to a 3.38 ERA with a 30.2% strikeout percentage. He logged 50 2/3 innings, his heaviest workload since his 2017 rookie campaign.

While Middleton runs his fastball into the 95-96 MPH range, he leaned more heavily on both his changeup and slider last season. He missed bats with all three pitches and generated swinging strikes on an excellent 17% of his offerings overall. As has been the case throughout his career, Middleton issued a few more walks than is ideal — a 10.8% clip. He has more swing-and-miss upside than a standard middle reliever, though.

St. Louis entered the offseason with a goal of adding two pitchers to the bullpen. They dealt outfielder Richie Palacios to the Rays for Andrew Kittredge last month. They’ll dip into free agency for Middleton on what should be a modest one- or two-year commitment. The Cardinals have a projected payroll around $179MM, according to Roster Resource. That’s right in line with their season-opening mark a year ago.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Cardinals Outright Moises Gomez

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The Cardinals have outrighted Moises Gomez off their 40-man roster and assigned the outfielder to Triple-A Memphis, according to Gomez’s MLB.com profile page.  St. Louis designated Gomez for assignment earlier this week, but he’ll remain in the organization after clearing waivers.

Gomez started his career in the Rays organization and joined the Cards as a minor league free agent prior to the 2022 season.  At age 25 and after eight seasons of pro ball, Gomez has yet to make his Major League debut, which is perhaps in part due to the Cardinals’ glut of outfielders.  On a team with less crowding in the outfield, Gomez would likely have gotten at least a cup of coffee in the Show after a huge 2022 season that saw him hit .294/.371/.624 with 39 homers over 501 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A.

However, Gomez’s dream year was helped by a hugely inflated BABIP, and he still struck out in 174 of those 501 PA.  The regression bug bit hard last year during a full season in Memphis, as Gomez hit only .232/.293/.457 in 567 PA.  Gomez slightly cut back on the strikeouts and he hit 30 homers, but his walk rate also dropped.

The power potential is obvious here, though between the problems making contact and Gomez’s average-at-best corner outfield glove, it isn’t surprising that rival teams didn’t put in a waiver claim.  Gomez will get more time at Triple-A to see if he can finally correct his approach at the plate, or at least cut back on the strikeouts enough to make himself a viable candidate for a call-up.  St. Louis still has plenty of outfield options, though the list got slightly shorter when Tyler O’Neill was traded to the Red Sox earlier this winter.

Jimy Williams Passes Away

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Former player, manager and coach Jimy Williams has passed away, according to announcement from his previous clubs. He was 80 years old.

Williams was born in Santa Maria, California in 1943 and started his professional career by signing with the Red Sox. He was selected by the Cardinals in the 1965 Rule 5 draft and made his major league debut with that club. His playing career was quite modest, as he got into just 14 big league games with the Cards, 13 in 1966 and one more the following year. He made 14 plate appearances, walking once and striking out six times. His three singles in 13 at-bats gave him a batting average of .231.

He was traded to the Reds after the 1967 season and selected by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft, but he never made it back to the big leagues. Though his playing career was limited, he managed to have brushes with greatness. His first appearance was against Sandy Koufax and his first hit came off Juan Marichal, both of whom eventually became Hall of Famers.

He transitioned to coaching and managing in the ’70s, starting in the Angels’ farm system. He got to the big leagues as the third base coach of the Blue Jays in 1980. He was promoted to the manager’s chair in 1986, with Bobby Cox vacating the role and heading to Atlanta. The Jays posted a winning record the next three seasons though didn’t make the postseason. Toronto fans of a certain vintage will remember that the 1987 club had a 3.5-game lead over the Tigers before losing their final seven contests for a heartbreaking second-place finish despite winning 96 games on the year. In 1989, the Jays got out to a slow start and Williams was fired in May, replaced by Cito Gaston.

Williams’ next gig was with Atlanta, reuniting him with Cox. Williams served as the third base coach in Atlanta from 1991 to 1996. The 1994 season wasn’t finished because of that year’s strike, but Atlanta won the National League East in every other season during that stretch, winning the World Series in 1995.

He got another managerial gig in 1997, getting hired by the Red Sox. They finished in fourth in the American League East in the first of his seasons in Boston but then got up to second place and earned the American League Wild Card spot in both 1998 and 1999. Williams won American League Manager of the Year honors in the latter of those two seasons, but the Sox didn’t make it back to the postseason in 2000 and then Williams was fired in August of 2001.

A few months later, Williams was hired to manage the Astros. They finished with winning records but shy of the postseason in 2002 and 2003, before Williams was fired midway through the 2004 campaign. That would be his last managerial gig, but he was hired to be the Phillies’ bench coach going into the 2007 season. The Phils won the National League East that year but lost to the Rockies in the NLDS. The next year, they won the division again and eventually won the 2008 World Series, a second ring for Williams as a coach. He decided not to return to the club the following year, finishing his career on a high note.

Over his career, Williams managed parts of 12 seasons with a combined record of 910-790, a .535 winning percentage. His two sons, Brady Williams and Shawn Williams, went on to become professional baseball players and minor league managers/coaches. We at MLB Trade Rumors join the rest of the baseball world in sending our condolences to the Williams family as well as Jimy’s many friends, acquaintances and fans throughout the game.

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