It is officially 2026 and the two most necessary players for the St. Louis Cardinals to trade remain in the organization as Spring Training is five short weeks away. In my opinion, both Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan should be dealt before March in order to get this Chaim Bloom-led rebuild headed in the right […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 4 reads
Much ink has been spilled over the last three seasons trying to diagnose and correct the errors that have led to the Cardinals unceremonious tumble from the top of the National League Central division. While I can see the arguments for poor player development, lack of ownership spending, or the inability to keep and trade […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 4 reads
I am back with an annual update to my series on measuring how teams like the Cardinals do at draft-and-development. This will be a multi-part series. This first installment will essentially add the 2025 season to the numbers and comb out some interesting tidbits, focusing more on the Cardinals than the rest of the league. […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 4 reads
I can’t remember the last time I saw so much news about a trade that hasn’t happened yet. The ongoing saga of the St. Louis Cardinals possibly trading Brendan Donovan has now taken another turn or two and there’s no immediate end in sight as the talks with the San Francisco Giants have apparently stalled […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 4 reads
Happy New Year’s Eve, VEB! I have been compiling my best of 2025 music lists! One is for best albums, the other is for best songs. So for the next few weeks, you can either enjoy the end of my articles for a lot of 2025 music coverage, or stop reading after the first section […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 2 reads
Continuing my look around the majors to see if any of the players rumored to be on the trade market make sense for the Phillies. Today, I’ll examine St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan. The background Donovan burst onto the scene in 2022, winning a Gold Glove award and finishing third in National League […]
From The Good Phight
| about 1 month ago
| 4 reads
While most of us keep our eyes fixed on the future of the St. Louis Cardinals, this time of year, appropriately, we reflect on what has occurred as we establish resolutions for the upcoming year. For some, that revolves around getting fit, reading more, being a better person, etc. In 2026, the Cardinals seem to […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 2 reads
This week’s episode of the podcast, Jake, Gabe, and Scott all give their thoughts on the Willson Contreras trade, their thoughts on the return, and how the young pitching the Cardinals have received in return will benefit them long term, not just from an on-field standpoint but also from a talent acquisition standpoint. Jake gave […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 1 read
I am going to say a controversial statement that also feels difficult to argue is false. The Cardinals minor league pitching depth right now is the greatest it’s ever been, at least since the Cardinals owned 70% of the minor league teams because Branch Rickey created the farm system. The major league pitching is not […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 5 reads
You don’t need me to tell you that the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of roster issues to figure out. That’s been well documented, but there’s also a mammoth problem that the team has with marketing. How do you sell this team to the fans moving forward? According to Baseball Reference, here’s the St. […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 3 reads
1947 In what was a game played later in the year than any NFL contest ever, the Chicago Cardinals won the NFL title, 28-21, over the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. The club went 9-3 on the season, one that saw them go an undefeated 5-0 at home (yeah, just five home games, seven road, […]
From South Side Sox
| about 1 month ago
| 3 reads
Heading into this offseason, I put a very low number on the odds that the St. Louis Cardinals would deal Willson Contreras as I saw him to be an important transition piece in the first year of the true rebuild. While Brendan Donovan is commonly referred to as a “good clubhouse guy”, Contreras felt more […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 1 read
We are in the baseball dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s as good a time as any to reflect on the last calendar year. We are now more than one year into the rebuild, regardless of how the Cardinals front office and ownership have changed the branding. There have been some notable […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 1 month ago
| 3 reads
Well it has certainly been an interesting off-season, right? Who would have picked the Cardinals to pay such a large proportion of Boston’s 2026 payroll and NOT have it involve Nolan Arenado? Anyway, I’m not much of a hot-take guy (it is a good thing others are). Instead, today I go off-topic again. During the […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 4 reads
I thought about exploring this possibility when the offseason started, but dismissed it since it felt extraordinarily unlikely. But, I have seen many comments over the past few weeks that mentioned why the St. Louis Cardinals should attempt to sign free agent Bo Bichette. Let’s dig into why this might be a great idea, but […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 5 reads
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, happy holidays to those who don’t, and the rule of thirds dictates that I have a third point here, but I kind of covered it. Do you perhaps wish for the Cardinals to make a big signing in free agency? And perhaps this signing can come from abroad, from […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 3 reads
President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has already made moves to finally kickstart the St. Louis Cardinals rebuild moving Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, but his next move might be to bring a right-handed power bat into the fold based on what he said earlier this week. The question is whether that bat will come […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 1 read
Willson Contreras You were a Cardinal Great Bat Tape Chewer I will always remember Willson Contreras fondly as a Cardinal. He was a total pro when it comes to putting up with the Cardinals organizational moves and their handling of his catching and subsequent move to first base. Which he excelled at. His personality was […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 3 reads
Chaim Bloom has made it a priority this offseason to strengthen the team’s pitching staff and depth as a primary goal. After trading veteran starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox before Thanksgiving and returning MLB-ready Richard Fitts and minor league upside starter Brandon Clarke, as well as the recent trade of First […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 1 read
Chaim Bloom took over as president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals following the end of the 2025 season, doing so after serving as an advisor to exiting PoBO John Mozeliak dating back to September of 2024. Prior to those jobs with that particular NL Central power, Bloom served as Chief Baseball Officer […]
From Red Reporter
| about 2 months ago
| 1 read
Good morning! The Red Sox have a new first baseman after completing a trade that sent Hunter Dobbins and minor leaguers to the Cardinals for Willson Contreras. What does this mean for their other pursuits? According to one insider, it means they are done talking with the Diamondbacks about a trade for Ketel Marte: Of […]
From Over the Monster
| about 2 months ago
| 2 reads
Team news [Heavy] Trade For First Baseman Takes Boston Out Of Marte Sweepstakes – The Boston Red Sox traded for Cardinals’ first baseman Willson Contreras and cash Sunday night in exchange for pitcher Hunter Dobbins and minor league arms, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It was reported that Contreras was one of the Red Sox’s top […]
From AZ Snake Pit
| about 2 months ago
| 4 reads
Yesterday the Cardinals made their second major trade of the offseason, this one much less shocking. It is maybe surprising that it also involves the Boston Red Sox, but after it was reported that Contreras would waive his no-trade clause for the right fit, it seemed inevitable that Contreras would be on the move. In […]
From Viva El Birdos
| about 2 months ago
| 0 reads
The division saw another sizeable move occur, as Boston jumped back into the mix with another trade with St. Louis — this time going for Willson Contreras to play first base for them. They gave up a few pieces, including pitcher Hunter Dobbins as the headliner, so he won’t have to worry about antagonizing Yankees […]
From Pinstripe Alley
| about 2 months ago
| 1 read
For the second time in as many months, the Red Sox swung a significant trade with the Cardinals on Sunday night. After matching up on a deal that sent veteran starter Sonny Gray to Boston and pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to St. Louis in late November, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow … Continue reading "Which pitching prospects did Red Sox trade to Cardinals for Willson Contreras?"
From Blogging the Red Sox
| about 2 months ago
| 2 reads