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Cardinals Select T.J. McFarland

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The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander T.J. McFarland. Fellow southpaw Brandon Waddell was optioned to Triple-A Memphis and placed on the Covid-19-related injured list in a corresponding move.

McFarland, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Cards earlier this summer. He’s since appeared in four games, holding opponents to a pair of runs on six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in seven frames. Swapping out Waddell for McFarland will keep three lefties in manager Mike Shildt’s bullpen, as McFarland will join Genesis Cabrera and Andrew Miller in the Cardinals’ relief corps.

An eight-year Major League veteran, McFarland last pitched in the Majors with the 2020 A’s, for whom he notched 20 2/3 innings of 4.35 ERA ball. He’s never missed many bats, but McFarland has solid control and is among the game’s best relievers in terms of keeping the ball on the ground. He’s pitched 401 innings since his 2013 MLB debut and compiled a 4.08 ERA with a 13.6 percent strikeout rate, a 7.6 percent walk rate and a gaudy 62.8 percent ground-ball rate.

Cardinals Notes: Hudson, Reyes, Hicks

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The Cardinals have been without right-hander Dakota Hudson all season after the right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery late last September, but the 26-year-old revealed on Instagram last night that he’s progressed to facing live hitters (hat tip: Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, on Twitter). Hudson is working out at the team’s Spring Training facility, per Jones, who adds that there’s a “slim but real chance” he could return to the team late in the 2021 season.

That’d make for one of the quicker Tommy John returns we’ve seen in recent years. Hudson had has operation on Sept. 28, 2020, and we’ve increasingly seen pitchers take closer to 14 months to return. Of course, even if Hudson were to return, he likely wouldn’t be an option for the Cardinals until the final few weeks of the season. Any innings from Hudson would be a bonus, and it’s worth noting that we don’t know what type of role he’d have if he indeed made it back. It’s feasible the Cards would want to limit his pitch counts, so fans shouldn’t bank on Hudson stepping in and salvaging what’s been an injury-decimated starting staff.

A few more notes on the Cardinals’ pitching staff…

  • Alex Reyes has stepped up as an All-Star closer for the Cards in 2021, delivering on the potential that has long made him one of the game’s most prized pitching prospects. However, the right-hander tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’d still like the opportunity to pitch out of the rotation in 2022. The 26-year-old Reyes has pitched to a minuscule 1.52 ERA and gone 20-for-20 in save chances this season, although his sky-high 18.2 percent walk rate still leaves plenty of room for improvement. This year’s 41 1/3 innings are also the most Reyes has thrown in a single season since 2016, as injuries have decimated the early phases of his career. Reyes totaled just 87 innings combined from 2017-20. The Cardinals control him via arbitration through 2023.
  • Manager Mike Shildt cast some doubt on Jordan Hicks’ recovery timeline in his latest update on the injured righty (via Zachary Silver of MLB.com). Hicks only recently resumed playing catch, and a full return to baseball activities isn’t particularly close, it seems. Silver notes that Schildt indicated that it “remains to be seen” whether Hicks will make it back to the roster in 2021 at all. Hicks hit the injured list in early May with inflammation in his elbow, but additional testing led to an injection that shut him down entirely for a period of six weeks. The 24-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and opted out of the 2020 season for health concerns (diabetes), has thrown 10 innings in 2021. He’s allowed six runs on five hits and 10 walks with 10 strikeouts. Like Reyes, he’s controllable through the 2023 campaign.

Cardinals Sign Luis Garcia

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The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve signed free-agent righty Luis Garcia to a Major League contract. He’ll take the 26-man roster spot of Johan Oviedo, who was optioned to Triple-A Memphis yesterday. Carlos Martinez has been moved to the 60-day injured list in order to create a roster spot.

Garcia, 34, spent the first part of the season in the Yankees organization and pitched well for their Triple-A affiliate before being granted his release a couple days ago. In 17 1/3 frames with Scranton, he pitched to a 3.63 ERA with a 27.5 percent strikeout rate and a 4.3 percent walk rate.

While Garcia didn’t make it to the big leagues with the Yankees, he’s racked up 315 innings across parts of eight Major League seasons — mostly coming with the Phillies. From 2013-18, Garcia was an oft-used member of the Philadelphia bullpen, pitching to a 4.15 ERA over the life of 244 2/3 innings. His age-30 season, in particular, was an excellent campaign that saw the righty post a career-best 2.65 ERA in a career-high 71 1/3 innings.

Garcia has struggled in the three seasons since that outstanding effort, however, posting a combined 5.26 ERA and 4.94 FIP with the Phillies, Angels and Rangers in that time. He’ll look to right the ship with his fourth big league organization and also give the Cards some depth at a time when their pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries.

Martinez’s move to the 60-day injured list comes just two days after he was placed on the 10-day IL, so he’ll spend the remainder of the 2021 season on the shelf. A lengthy absence was expected to be in store for the right-hander, however, given that he tore a ligament in his right thumb. Martinez has had a roller coaster of a season, pitching to a 6.23 ERA overall, but the overwhelming bulk of the damage against him has been confined to a pair of starts: a 10-run drubbing by the Dodgers on June 2 and an eight-run meltdown in Atlanta just two starts later.

Outside of those two starts, Martinez has been a serviceable member of an increasingly injury-marred Cardinals rotation. He has a combined 4.46 ERA in his other 14 outings and has at the very least kept the Cards in the game more often than not. He’ll now join Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas on the injured list, however, leaving the Cardinals with just three starters on the roster at the moment: Adam Wainwright, Kwang Hyun Kim and Wade LeBlanc.

Rotation upgrades figure to be the main focus for the Cards as the July 30 trade deadline approaches — at least if they don’t pivot the other direction and sell off some veteran pieces.

Cardinals Place Carlos Martinez On Injured List

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The Cardinals have placed right-hander Carlos Martínez on the 10-day injured list with a right thumb injury. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the active roster.

It seems Martínez could be looking at a rather significant absence, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that imaging revealed a ligament tear in his thumb. While Martínez had been with the team in San Francisco, he’s now being sent back to St. Louis for further evaluation.

This continues what has been a disappointing season for Martínez. While he’d previously stayed healthy enough to make 16 starts and tally 82 1/3 innings, he’s simply not been particularly effective. Martínez has only managed a 6.23 ERA/5.14 SIERA, striking out just 15.7% of opponents while walking 9.9%. It’s the second straight poor year from Martínez, who had previously looked like a rotation cornerstone after posting high-end numbers from 2015-18 and performing well out of the bullpen in 2019.

Martínez becomes the latest Cardinals starter to go down with injury. St. Louis is already without Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas, and they entered the season knowing they’d go the entire year without Dakota Hudson. The Cards front office had already been known to be prioritizing starting pitching, and Martínez’s injury only adds to that urgency.

At 43-44, the Cardinals sit eight games back of the Brewers in the National League Central. They’re almost equally far back of the Padres in the Wild Card race, with the 45-41 Reds also ahead of them in the pecking order. Given that outlook, it’s arguable the Cardinals should instead turn their attention to 2022 and consider moving some players off the big league roster for young talent rather than adding.

Nevertheless, it seems the current plan for St. Louis is still to try to make a run in 2021. Robert Murray of FanSided wrote this morning — even before news of Martínez’s IL stint — that the Cardinals were expected to look to add a starting pitcher or two and perhaps another position player before the July 30 trade deadline. Given the Cardinals’ place in the standings, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has spoken about not wanting to mortgage the farm system to win at all costs this year. That could suggest St. Louis will be more in the mix for veteran stabilizers to plug into the back of the rotation rather than targeting a controllable, mid-rotation type.

Cardinals Trade John Nogowski To Pirates For Cash Considerations

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The Cardinals have traded first baseman John Nogowski to the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, per the teams. St. Louis had recently designated Nogowski for assignment.

The move kicked off a series of roster changes for the Pirates. For starters, to make room for Nogowski, the Pirates designated Geoff Hartlieb for assignment, notes MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (via Twitter). They also placed Ka’ai Tom on the 10-day injured list because of a lower back strain and recalled right-hander Kyle Keller from Triple-A.

The Cardinals made their own flurry of roster moves today, but here they were simply moving on from a somewhat-limited player without a role. Nogowski surprisingly made the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster because of a strong spring. As a first baseman on a roster with Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter, however, the only role available to Nogowski was as a right-handed power bat off the bench. He went 1-for-18, walking once while only striking out twice. A bone bruise placed Nogowski on the injured list from April 23rd to May 18th.

With the Pirates, the 28-year-old can server as a right-handed compliment to Ben Gamel, with Phillip Evans moving from first base to the outfield. As we near the trade deadline, more playing could very well open up in Pittsburgh as well.

Hartlieb, 27, has a 7.71 ERA through four games with the Pirates. He will now be exposed to waivers. Keller, 28, returns to the big league club with three appearances and a 8.10 ERA to his name so far — though in only 3 1/3 innings. Keller has been very productive in Triple-A, where he has a 1.95 ERA over 18 1/3 innings with a stellar 43.7 percent strikeout rate and minuscule 4.2 percent walk rate. If those numbers translate at all to the Majors, the Marlins would have a quality arm to deploy from the bullpen.

Cardinals Claim Justin Miller Off Waivers From Nationals, Move Jack Flaherty To 60-Day Injured List

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The Cardinals have claimed Justin Miller off waivers from the Nationals, who recently designated the right-hander for assignment. St. Louis moved Jack Flaherty to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster and optioned Roel Ramirez to clear an active roster spot, per MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (via Twitter). Moving Flaherty is largely clerical, as he was not expected to return from tearing his oblique before August.

Miller, 34, had trouble getting anyone out in his last appearance with the Nationals, turning a 5-0 relaxer into a bit of a nail-biter against the Mets. He gave up a two-run homer to Pete Alonso, followed by a solo shot to Billy McKinney. Kevin Pillar yanked another potential homer foul, but Miller recovered to strike him out.

Despite some rough outings this season, Miller has been a productive member of the bullpen in years past. He owns a 4.63 career ERA in 159 1/3 innings with the Nationals, Rockies, and Tigers. He’s a fastball/slider guy who hasn’t had much life on the heater of late. All three home runs he gave up this season came on the four-seamer — averaging 93 mph, down just a touch from where it usually sits.

Ramirez, 26, made just one appearance for the Cardinals. He faced four batters, gave up one hit and two walks while tagged for three earned runs. Ramirez has options remaining, so he can be moved freely between Triple-A and the Majors without being exposed to waivers.

Tyler O'Neill Leaves Game After Hit By Pitch

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  • Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill appeared to take a fastball off the wrist yesterday, per MLB.com’s Zachary Silver (via Twitter). Upon further review, O’Neill was clipped in the right pinky, though he did leave the ballgame. The team is optimistic, though he will undergo further testing today, per The Athletic’s Katie Woo (via Twitter). A Gold Glove Award winner in 2020, O’Neill’s bat has caught up to his glove this season as he’s slashed .276/.329/.558 with 15 home runs in 237 plate appearances. The Cardinals have struggled to get the most out of their outfielders, ranking 22nd in the game by measure of fWAR with 2.6, with O’Neill himself adding 2.1 fWAR. Harrison Bader is recently returned from injury, but losing O’Neill would be a blow. In the short term, Tommy Edman will shift to the outfield, though if O’Neill ends up on the injured list, St. Louis would likely call-up another outfielder.

Cardinals Activate Harrison Bader

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The Cardinals activated center fielder Harrison Bader from the 10-day injured list today and optioned fellow outfielder Lars Nootbaar to Triple-A Memphis in his place. Bader missed a little more than a month with a right rib hairline fracture. Before the injury, the 27-year-old had slumped to a .219/.301/.411 mark over his first 83 plate appearances. Bader’s a quality baserunner and defender, through, and his return will allow the Cards to shift Dylan Carlson back into the corner outfield role for which he’s better suited.

Cardinals Release Tyler Heineman

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The Cardinals announced they’ve released catcher Tyler Heineman from the minor league deal he signed over the winter. (St. Louis also confirmed their previously-reported agreement with left-hander T.J. McFarland). Heineman’s contract allowed him to elect free agency if a major league opportunity opened up elsewhere, notes Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (Twitter link). It’s not yet clear if that was the impetus for his release.

Heineman only picked up 77 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis this season, hitting .254/.325/.313 without any home runs. The 30-year-old has typically been more productive at the minors’ highest level, evidenced by his career .284/.351/.422 line over parts of six Triple-A seasons.

That generally solid minor league work has earned Heineman brief looks in the big leagues in each of the past two years. He suited up for the 2019 Marlins and 2020 Giants, totaling 62 plate appearances.

Cardinals Sign T.J. McFarland

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The Cardinals have signed left-hander T.J. McFarland to a split contract, The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reports (Twitter link).  McFarland has spent the season pitching with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, but he was granted his release earlier today, as the southpaw “felt he had a better shot of being called up by the Cardinals than Washington,” Dougherty writes.

Given the Cards bullpen’s lackluster performance this year, McFarland is probably correct in that assumption, though he has a 5.25 ERA in 24 innings at Triple-A Rochester this season.  However, some bad luck (and three home runs allowed) lies behind that inflated ERA, as McFarland also has a 25.74% strikeout rate, 4.95% walk rate, and 63.6% grounder rate.

Should McFarland reach the Cardinals’ active roster, St. Louis will be the fourth different team of his career and 2021 would be the southpaw’s ninth MLB season.  The groundball specialist (McFarland has a 62.8% career grounder rate) has a 4.08 ERA over 401 career innings in the Show, including a 4.35 ERA over 20 2/3 frames with the Athletics in 2020.

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