Born in Galveston, Texas, Carpenter grew up in a baseball-centered household. His father, Rick Carpenter, was a longtime high school coach, and Matt developed his game at Fort Bend Elkins High School, where he helped lead a national championship team and set school records for hits. After graduation, he enrolled at TCU, where his collegiate career took an unexpected turn. An elbow injury required Tommy John surgery (rare at the time for a position player) and forced Carpenter to redshirt. The setback coincided with weight gain and uncertainty about his professional future.

That adversity proved formative. Carpenter recommitted himself physically and mentally, reshaping both his body and approach. By the end of his college career, he had rewritten portions of TCU’s record book, finishing second in school history in hits and doubles while setting marks for games played and at-bats. Despite those accomplishments, he entered the 2009 draft with little leverage and signed with St. Louis for a modest bonus.

Carpenter advanced rapidly through the Cardinals system, earning Organizational Player of the Year honors in 2010 after batting .316 at Double-A Springfield. By 2011, he was in Triple-A Memphis, posting a .417 on-base percentage before making his major league debut that June. Although he appeared in just seven games that season, he received a World Series ring when the Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers.

His first extended opportunity arrived in 2012, when injuries opened roster space. Carpenter filled in primarily at first base and quickly made an impression, including a four-hit, five-RBI performance against the Chicago Cubs. In that year’s postseason, he homered off Matt Cain during the National League Championship Series after entering the game for an injured Carlos Beltrán, underscoring his ability to contribute in high-leverage moments.

Carpenter’s breakout came in 2013. Shifted to second base, he emerged as the Cardinals’ everyday leadoff hitter and one of the most productive players in the National League. He led Major League Baseball in hits (199), doubles (55), and runs scored (126) while batting .318 with a .392 on-base percentage. That performance earned him his first All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger Award (the first ever by a Cardinals second baseman) and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting. St. Louis captured the National League pennant that season before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

The Cardinals rewarded Carpenter with a long-term extension in 2014, and he continued to anchor the top of the lineup while rotating between second base, third base, and first. His offensive profile, marked by elite plate discipline, high walk totals, and consistent extra-base power, became a defining feature of the Cardinals’ identity throughout the decade.

Carpenter was especially impactful in October. Across his postseason career, he appeared in 56 playoff games, hitting six home runs and driving in 21 runs. During the 2014 National League Division Series, he delivered multiple key at-bats against Clayton Kershaw, including a home run and a bases-clearing double that helped swing the series in St. Louis’ favor. That postseason is also remembered for Matt Adams’ decisive homer in Game 4, with Carpenter frequently setting the table in front of him.

His peak power season arrived in 2018, following an early slump that saw his average dip below .150 in May. Carpenter responded with one of the most dramatic midseason turnarounds in franchise history. On July 20 at Wrigley Field, he authored one of the greatest single games ever by a Cardinal: three home runs, two doubles, 16 total bases, and seven RBIs in a 5-for-5 performance against the Cubs. He finished that season with career highs in home runs (36) and slugging percentage, earning MVP consideration and national recognition.

From 2013 through 2018, Carpenter consistently ranked among league leaders in walks and on-base percentage while also providing increasing power. He topped 20 home runs in three separate seasons and led the National League in doubles twice. Defensively, he logged significant innings at three infield positions, giving St. Louis flexibility as rosters evolved.

By 2019, however, injuries and declining production began to take their toll. Back and shoulder issues limited his effectiveness, and the shortened 2020 season proved particularly challenging. After Carpenter hit just .169 in 2021, the Cardinals declined his option, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.

His journey then took him through several organizations. After a brief stint in the Texas Rangers’ system, Carpenter reinvented himself with the Yankees in 2022, delivering a surprising surge of power that included a franchise record for home runs in a player’s first 30 games. He followed that with a season in San Diego before being released in late 2023.

In January 2024, Carpenter returned to St. Louis on a one-year contract. Though used primarily in a reserve and mentoring role, he provided veteran leadership to a younger roster and finished the season batting .234 with four home runs.

Over 14 major league seasons, Carpenter compiled a .259 batting average with 179 home runs, more than 1,250 hits, and nearly 700 RBIs. His Cardinals tenure alone included 159 homers, 308 doubles, and a .366 on-base percentage, placing him among the franchise’s most productive hitters of the modern era. Remarkably, he spent his entire career on winning teams, with St. Louis finishing above .500 in all 12 of his seasons with the club.

In May 2025, Carpenter formally announced his retirement. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play for multiple organizations while emphasizing how meaningful his years in St. Louis had been.

Eligible for the Cardinals Hall of Fame beginning in 2028, Carpenter leaves behind a legacy defined by adaptability, positional versatility, and one of the most disciplined offensive approaches of his generation. From a lightly recruited college senior to a cornerstone of multiple postseason teams, his career traced an arc that mirrored much of the Cardinals’ success in the 2010s – steady, professional, and consistently competitive.

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Born August 31, 1988, in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, Adams did not emerge from a traditional baseball hotbed and drew limited recruiting attention coming out of Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Centre County. He instead enrolled at Slippery Rock University, where he flourished.

A three-time first-team All–Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selection, Adams earned Division II National Player of the Year honors in 2009 while setting school records in batting average (.453) and slugging percentage (.746). He left Slippery Rock as one of the most decorated players in program history, embracing an underdog identity that would define his professional climb.

The Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft—699th overall—and immediately saw more than just raw power. At every minor-league stop he produced, culminating in a breakout 2011 season at Double-A Springfield, where he hit .300 with 32 home runs and 101 RBIs to earn Texas League MVP and Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year honors.

That same summer, Adams devoted himself to improving defensively, spending countless afternoons refining his footwork around first base to quiet doubts about whether he could handle the position at the major-league level.

He reached St. Louis on May 20, 2012, just months after Albert Pujols departed in free agency. Adams went 2-for-4 in his debut and homered six days later, though an elbow injury shortened his rookie season. By 2013, ironically nicknamed “Big City” for his imposing 6-foot-3 frame and rural upbringing, Adams had carved out a meaningful role. He finished his rookie campaign with 17 home runs in only 296 at-bats and supplied a pivotal October swing in the NLDS against Pittsburgh, crushing a three-run homer that helped propel the Cardinals toward another National League pennant.

With roster changes opening everyday at-bats in 2014, Adams stepped into a larger role and delivered. That summer showcased not only his power, but his knack for producing when margins were thin. From June 13–16, he became the first Cardinal since Ozzie Smith in 1988 to drive in the game-winning run in four consecutive games, homering three times against Washington pitching before snapping a tie with an RBI single against the Mets. The streak demonstrated that Adams was a hitter who repeatedly answered high-leverage moments.

That theme reached its peak in October.

In Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cardinals trailed 2–0 entering the seventh inning. On the mound stood Clayton Kershaw, the reigning National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, working on three days’ rest and in command. St. Louis had managed only one hit through six innings before two softly struck balls deflected off Dodgers infielders’ gloves to bring the go-ahead run to the plate.

Adams stepped in carrying a modest track record against left-handed pitching. On Kershaw’s second pitch, however, the Dodgers ace hung a curveball that lacked its usual bite. Adams did not square it perfectly, but he got just enough, lifting a three-run homer into the Cardinals’ bullpen in right-center field. Busch Stadium erupted as one swing flipped elimination into celebration. Rookie Marco Gonzales earned the win, Trevor Rosenthal closed it out, and St. Louis advanced to its fourth consecutive National League Championship Series. The homer remains one of the defining postseason moments of the decade and the most iconic swing of Adams’ Cardinals career.

Injuries and roster dynamics later reshaped Adams’ time in St. Louis. A torn quadriceps limited him in 2015, though he rebounded with 27 home runs in 2016. Heading into 2017, everyday opportunities disappeared when the club shifted personnel, and on May 20, 2017, the Cardinals traded Adams and cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves for teenage prospect Juan Yepez. The move gave Adams a chance to play regularly, something St. Louis could no longer provide.

He made the most of it, thriving in Atlanta before signing with the Washington Nationals, where he became part of their 2019 World Series championship club. What followed reflected the winding path of a veteran slugger determined to keep playing: additional big-league stops, Triple-A, independent ball, and eventually the Mexican League, where Adams spent the summer of 2024 commuting across the border to play for Toros de Tijuana while still chasing one last return to the majors.

Across parts of 10 major league seasons, Adams appeared in 856 games, compiling 624 hits, 118 home runs, 399 RBIs, and 297 runs scored, while finishing with a .258 batting average, .306 on-base percentage, and .463 slugging percentage (.769 OPS).

To provide additional context, Adams spent much of his career in platoon roles, pinch-hitting assignments, or part-time duty, yet still produced nearly 120 home runs. Of those, 59 came as a Cardinal, and all four of his postseason home runs were hit wearing the birds on the bat – none larger than the three-run blast off Kershaw. His ability to change games with one swing defined his value, particularly for a player who rarely enjoyed uninterrupted, everyday at-bats.

After a 15-year professional career that included 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, Adams announced his retirement in September 2024. Living in St. Louis since 2016, he reached out to Cardinals leadership with a simple request: to retire where it all began. The organization arranged a ceremonial one-day contract, allowing Adams to close his playing career as a Cardinal.

Standing again at Busch Stadium, Adams reflected on a journey that carried him from a small Pennsylvania town to baseball’s biggest stages.

“This Wednesday, I’ll be back at Busch Stadium, where it all started—the place that made me ‘Big City,’” Adams said in his retirement announcement. “Surrounded by family, friends, and the organization that believed in me—the big kid from Slippery Rock, an underdog from Philipsburg, PA—I have the honor of retiring a St. Louis Cardinal.”

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Born to a 17-year-old mother and a father who was in federal prison (as he would be for almost all of Pham’s childhood), Pham grew up in poverty.

“I’m not your typical baseball player,’’ Pham said in 2019. “Most of these baseball players, they grew up in a two-parent household where their dad went out and played catch with ‘em, and stuff like that. I’m the complete opposite. My dad’s been in prison my whole life. If I wanted to play catch, I had to play catch with a brick wall with a tennis ball. If I wanted to work on my hitting, I had to throw a whiffle ball up and hit by myself. …

“I come from a background where my mom was getting evicted out of houses, getting her car repo-ed, stuff like that. She always had to work for stuff that people take for granted.”[1]

As if that wasn’t enough for Pham to overcome on his way to the majors, he was diagnosed with keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition in which the cornea becomes cone-shaped, like the end of a football. He struggled in the minors for three years before his condition was discovered.

“His overcoming that issue, and this is not hyperbole, that’s one of the most impressive athletic feats,’’ said Mike Shildt, who managed Pham in the minors and also has keratoconus. “Baseball is the most highly visual game there is. This guy has dealt with a disability that is hard for people that have it, speaking from experience, to just function. And you’re talking about being an elite major league player.’’[2]

With that background in mind, perhaps it’s no surprise that Pham has been fearless throughout his career, including his rookie campaign. In 52 games as a rookie in 2015, Pham hit .268/.347/.477 with five homers and 18 RBIs. Just as the rookie set high standards for his own play, he expected the best from his teammates and wasn’t afraid to tell them when they failed to meet those expectations.

In May 2024, MLB Network host Greg Amsinger shared a story he heard from former Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who was telling him that Pham, now a veteran outfielder, was the perfect acquisition for teams seeking to shore up their clubhouse culture. When Amsinger asked Wainwright to explain, the former Cardinals ace pointed to Pham’s rookie season.

“He’s been in the big leagues for three months. The Cardinals are losing, in a bad stretch, and Tommy Pham stands on a stool and starts airing everybody out,” Amsinger recounted. “This is a rookie Tommy Pham, in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, just standing and saying, ‘You don’t show up to the yard on time. You’re not giving 110%,’ and he’s just going around the room.

“Adam said he looked at Yadier Molina, and they’re the two leaders in the clubhouse, going, ‘Should we cut him off?’ and they’re like, ‘Nah, we’re going to let this go. He’s not wrong.’ So they let him air everybody out, and then Wainwright walks up to him and puts his arm around him and goes, ‘Hey, Tommy, that was great. Let’s give it another year before you do that again.’”[3]

The Cardinals went on to win the NL Central that year, though they fell to the Cubs in the NL Division Series.

Pham played three more seasons with the Cardinals. His best campaign coming in 2017, when the 29-year-old hit .306/.411/.520 with 23 homers, 73 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.

At the 2018 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays for Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, and Justin Williams. From there, Pham played for the Rays, Padres, Reds, Red Sox, Mets, Diamondbacks, and White Sox before the Cardinals traded for him midway through the 2024 season.

Pham hit .206 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games in St. Louis. With the club fading from the playoff chase, the Cardinals waived Pham, and he signed with the Royals. He spent the 2025 season with the Pirates, batting .245 with 10 homers and 52 RBIs.

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[1] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[2] Marc Topkin, “Why we can’t all relate to Tommy Pham’s fire,” Tampa Bay Times, March 2, 2019.

[3] “MLB Network lead host Greg Amsinger,” The Opening Drive, 101 ESPN, May 2, 2024. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nCxQNq2uYVlLPFffGYgl2.

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His only goal? To keep from breaking down and crying in gratitude.

“Ever since December, every question that anybody asked me is this: What’s it feel like to be a Hall of Famer,” Herzog said. “Well, I didn’t know. I kept saying, ‘I won’t know until July 25.’ Now I can tell you what it feels like. Being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is like going to heaven before you die.”[1]

More than 30 years after he managed his last game for the Cardinals, Herzog was inducted before an audience of approximately 10,000 fans on a rainy day in Cooperstown alongside Andre Dawson and Doug Harvey. Jon Miller was presented the Ford C. Frick Award and Bill Madden won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

Herzog didn’t initially appear to be on a Hall of Fame path. The New Athens, Illinois, native played eight seasons in the big leagues, bouncing around between the Senators, Athletics, Orioles, and Tigers. He appeared in 634 games across his career, retiring after the 1963 season with a .257 batting average, 25 home runs, and 172 RBIs.

“I wasn’t a very good player, but I did get (eight) years in the big leagues when there were only 16 teams and 50-some (in the) minor leagues,” Herzog said. “I got my pension. I was the kind of player everybody wanted. When they got me, they didn’t know what the hell to do with me. I’ll be honest about that.”[2]

When his playing days ended, Herzog got into the coaching game and made a name for himself working under Mets manager Casey Stengel.

“When something like this happens to you, you say to yourself, ‘How did this happen?’ Then you start thinking about all the good people you worked with, all the good people you worked for, all the good coaches that worked for you,” Herzog said. “I’m not here because I’m a player. I’m here, obviously, because of managing, and I had a lot of good players play for me.”[3]

Herzog’s first managerial opportunity was short-lived. In 1973, he managed the Texas Rangers to a 47-91 record before he was fired in the midst of his first season. After serving as a third-base coach for the Angels in 1974 (and serving a four-game stint as the team’s interim manager), Herzog was named the Royals’ manager midway through the 1975 season. After leading Kansas City to a 41-25 record and a second-place finish in the American League West, Herzog guided the Royals to three consecutive division titles. In 1979, after the Royals went 85-77 and finished second in the division, Herzog was fired.

Kansas City’s loss proved to be the Cardinals’ gain.

In 1980, the Cardinals named Herzog manager, then added general manager duties to his responsibilities. In this role, Herzog built the foundation of the 1982 World Series championship club, adding players such as Darrell Porter, Bruce Sutter, Willie McGee, Lonnie Smith, and Ozzie Smith.

“I probably would not be standing here if he had not got on that plane and come out to San Diego,” Ozzie Smith said of Herzog’s trip to convince him to waive his no-trade clause and join the Cardinals ahead of the 1982 season. “I’ll never forget the words he told me. He said, ‘If you come to St. Louis, there’s no reason we can’t win it all.’ Fortunately, we won it my first year.”[4]

Though Herzog stepped back from his general manager duties in 1982, he continued to guide the team to the top of the standings, winning the World Series in 1982 and capturing the National League pennant in 1985 and 1987. When he resigned in 1990, Herzog had compiled an 822-728 record (.530 winning percentage) across 11 seasons. Altogether, he ended his managerial career with a 1,281-1,125 record (.532) over 18 seasons.

“I’ve got three Hall of Fame players, and if all three of them hadn’t played for me, I wouldn’t be here today,” Herzog said. “I’d probably be back in New Athens, Illinois, digging ditches or something.”[5]

All three of those players – George Brett, Ozzie Smith, and Sutter – attended Herzog’s induction ceremony. As he began his remarks, Herzog pulled a small notebook from his pocket, but rarely looked at it as he decided on the fly to cut six minutes from his speech.

“I could have talked longer, but the program was dragging a little bit and I wanted to hurry it up,” Herzog said.[6]

Instead, Herzog’s 11-minute speech was the shortest of the day.

“I’m satisfied I got through it,” Herzog said. “I didn’t cry or anything. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”[7]

A few days earlier, Herzog’s voice had cracked when Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. announced that Herzog’s No. 24 would be retired.[8]

In his remarks, Herzog thanked a number of people who influenced his career, including Stengel and former Cardinals chairman August Busch Jr. He noted that he resigned in 1990 partly because “I certainly didn’t think I could find another Gussie Busch.”[9]

Check out more Whitey Herzog stories below!

June 17, 1956: Whitey Herzog steals home

June 9, 1980: Whitey Herzog manages his first game for the St. Louis Cardinals

July 6, 1990: Whitey Herzog resigns as Cardinals manager

[1] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[2] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[3] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[5] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

[6] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Smooth entrance,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 2010.

[9] David Wilhelm, “Whitey joins the immortals,” Belleville News-Democrat, July 26, 2010.

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Unfortunately, Hernandez’s fly ball hadn’t reached the wall. In fact, it didn’t even get to the warning track. In a desperate bid to recover, Ozuna tried to push off the wall, but his cleat got caught on the fence and he landed face-first on the warning track as the ball bounced over him for a ground-rule double.

“‘A’ for effort,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said,[1] helpfully adding that “gravity came into play,” and “we can’t dispute Newton’s laws.”[2]

Ozuna’s overzealous attempt to rob Hernandez of a home run was inspired by a similar play two years prior, when Ozuna earned bragging rights against his former teammate. On that occasion, Ozuna, then playing with the Marlins, climbed the outfield wall to steal a home run from Hernandez.

“It looked kind of the same,” Ozuna said. “I thought it was gone.”[3]

Here’s a look at that 2017 grab:

Since stealing that homer, Ozuna had taken advantage of every opportunity to remind Hernandez of the play. After listening to Ozuna gloat for the past two years, Hernandez had no mercy for the Cardinals left fielder after watching him fall face-first into the Busch Stadium dirt.

“Off the bat I knew I hit it well, but running down to first base, I started running hard, running down the line,” Hernandez said. “I see him climb up and I’m like, ‘I thought I hit it too high,’ and it brought me to a flashback to Miami two years ago. Then he faceplanted and I’m really glad it happened to him, because he deserves it. That’s my boy. I played with him, but he still reminds me every year of the play he made two years ago. It would’ve been better if it hit off his head when he fell down, but it’s still one of my favorite doubles of my career.”[4]

The Cardinals’ athletic training staff checked on Ozuna before he remained in the game for the remainder of the Cardinals’ 4-0 victory. Once it was clear that only Ozuna’s pride had been injured on the play, players in both dugouts were free to laugh. Former Cardinals reliever Joe Kelly, now with the Dodgers, and teammate Kenley Jansen were caught laughing on camera even as the next batter, Chris Taylor, was at the plate, and Jansen pulled his shirt up over his mouth to hide his smile.

“I was laughing too,” Ozuna said. “I was too aggressive.”[5]

“He’s going to be on the bloopers for the next 10 years,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I actually thought it was a homer off the bat and it kind of hung up there. Apparently, he did too.”[6]

Incredibly, Ozuna had made a similar play – minus the pratfall – less than a year earlier on June 21, 2018. On that occasion, he climbed the wall attempting to catch a fly ball off the bat of Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar, only to turn around and see the ball hit the base of the wall just a few feet to his left, allowing Aguilar to reach second base with a two-run double.

Take a look:

“I thought the ball was going out, and I went up to rob it, and I looked up and it was below me,” Ozuna said. “I saw the ball carrying, carrying, carrying, and then I got turned around … at the end it was a bad read.”[7]

Ozuna has not won any Gold Glove awards since 2017.

Enjoy this post? Then you’ll love The Trades That Made The St. Louis Cardinals, available now on Amazon!

[1] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[2] Mark Saxon, “Marcell Ozuna’s now-famous gaffe came just as he started to feel better about his defense,” The Athletic, https://theathletic.com/917718/2019/04/10/marcell-ozunas-now-famous-gaffe-came-just-as-he-started-to-feel-better-about-his-defense/.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[4] Matthew Moreno, “Dodgers React To Cardinals’ Marcell Ozuna Climbing Wall & Failing To Make Catch On Kiké Hernandez Double,” Dodger Blue, https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-react-to-cardinals-marcell-ozuna-climbing-wall-failing-to-make-catch-on-kike-hernandez-double/2019/04/10/.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Cards strong-arm LA,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 10, 2019.

[6] Jorge Castillo, “Dodgers can’t cash in any of 13 baserunners,” Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2019.

[7] Adrian Garro, “Marcell Ozuna climbed the wall pursuing a fly ball – but the ball didn’t make it that far,” Cut4 by MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/cut4/marcell-ozuna-climbs-wall-chasing-fly-ball-but-it-falls-well-short-c282315820.

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Both teams viewed the trade as an opportunity to trade from a position of depth to fill a need. O’Neill, a 2013 third-round pick out of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, had slugged 56 home runs over the past two seasons in High-A and Double-A. In 396 plate appearances that season with Triple-A Tacoma, O’Neill had hit .244 with 19 homers and 56 RBIs, including a recent, three-week surge in which he hit eight homers, slugged .730, and drove in 17 runs in 16 games. O’Neill’s prodigious power was accompanied by 108 strikeouts in 93 games.

“The one thing that we talk a lot about is finding those bats,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “We definitely feel like our strength is starting pitching in the minor leagues. Not that we’re not proud of our outfield depth, but we do think his offensive profile is unique. Middle-of-the-order potential.”[1]

The son of a former Mr. Canada bodybuilder, MLB.com ranked O’Neill the No. 2 prospect in the Mariners’ system and Baseball America listed him as their No. 35 overall prospect.

“The way you get out of Canada and into the draft is hitting,” O’Neill said. “Of course, whenever you hear the name O’Neill, I know (power) is what people are going to think, but there are more aspects to my game and I think people are going to start to see that.”[2]

According to the Tacoma News Herald, the Mariners viewed O’Neill as expendable following the emergence of rookies Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger, and Guillermo Heredia.[3]

O’Neill, who needed to be added to the Cardinals’ 40-man roster in the winter, joined a Triple-A Memphis outfield that also featured Harrison Bader. With his addition to Triple-A, he slid ahead of Double-A outfielders Oscar Mercado, Magneuris Sierra, and Randy Arozarena in the depth chart.

“All of that creates more depth for the Cardinals to possibly deal an upper-level outfielder in the coming days,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. “The Cardinals have been gathering a sense of the interest in players like (Randal) Grichuk and Bader in this market.”[4]

Ultimately, the Cardinals chose not to trade one of their young outfielders ahead of the trade deadline, though they did send Stephen Piscotty to the Athletics that December and dealt Randal Grichuk to the Blue Jays in January 2018.

While the Cardinals sought to add a potential middle-of-the-order bat, the Mariners needed young pitching. Gonzales, who played his college baseball at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, made his major-league debut less than a year after the Cardinals drafted him, going 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 games (five starts) as a 22-year-old in 2014.

That fall, Gonzales threw three scoreless innings of relief in the NLDS, picking up wins in Game 1 and Game 4 (Clayton Kershaw was the losing pitcher in both games). Gonzales also pitched three innings in the NLCS and took the loss in Game 4.

Following that initial success, however, Gonzales missed most of the 2015 season with a pectoral injury and all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. Since returning from the injury in 2017, the 25-year-old Gonzales had posted a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts for Triple-A Memphis.

“Marco is a quality athlete with high character and a strong pitching pedigree who we feel fits our roster well in both the near and long term,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “We find his current performance, preparedness, and proximity to the major leagues to be very appealing traits in a pitcher, particularly a young lefty who is now under club control through the 2023 season.”[5]

Although Gonzales would be out of options after the 2017 season, he would not be eligible for salary arbitration until after 2020.

Dipoto was in attendance when Gonzales made his debut for the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma squad, allowing three runs and striking out five over six innings.

“As we were told, he’s a thrower with a plus changeup, and that’s what he did,” Tacoma manager Pat Listach said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him and he came as advertised.”[6]

“Everything has been really, really smooth,” Gonzales said. “I have been really blessed and thankful that I have worked with some great people with the Cardinals that have enabled me to come back strong and enabled me to get back on the field without pain. This year has been a blessing just because of that.”[7]

Back in St. Louis, Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon approved of the trade.

“Gonzales was caught in a logjam here, even with (Lance) Lynn on the trade block,” he wrote. “(Luke) Weaver passed him on the organizational ladder. So did (Jack) Flaherty. (Dakota) Hudson is developing quickly and Alex Reyes is on schedule to return next season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals have a lot of young pitchers and could leverage that to gain substantially more power.”[8]

Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ next trade to turn young pitching depth into offensive firepower took the form of a December 14, 2017, deal that sent Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, and Sierra to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna.

The O’Neill-for-Gonzales trade, however, ultimately proved relatively successful for both sides. O’Neill made his big-league debut for the Cardinals as a 23-year-old in 2018, and provided a glimpse of his power potential, slugging nine home runs in just 61 games.

He made the Cardinals’ opening-day roster in 2019, but injuries and inconsistent performance limited him to just 60 major-league games. In 2020, O’Neill won his first Gold Glove Award in left field, and in 2021 he enjoyed the best season of his career to date, batting .286 with 34 homers, 80 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He placed eighth in that year’s National League MVP balloting and was recognized with his second Gold Glove.

In 2022 and 2023, however, O’Neill once again was plagued by injuries. In 2022, he hit just .228 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 96 games. The following year, he appeared in just 72 games, batting .231 with nine homers and 21 RBIs. On December 8, 2023, the Cardinals traded him to the Red Sox for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.

Though O’Neill was unable to sustain his 2021 success, that season alone represented a good return for Gonzales, whose lack of options following the 2017 season meant the Cardinals would be unable to send him to the minors without risking another team claiming him.

Gonzales appeared in just two games for Triple-A Tacoma following the trade before the Mariners called him up. In 10 big-league appearances that season, he went 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. In 2018, he went 13-9 with a 4.00 ERA and won a career-high 16 games the following year with a 3.99 ERA.

Across seven seasons with the Mariners, Gonzales went 61-47 with a 4.08 ERA. On December 3, 2023, the Mariners traded Gonzales, Jarred Kelenic, and Evan White to the Braves for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips. Two days later, the Braves flipped Gonzales and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named later.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Cards deal Gonzales for outfielder,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 22, 2017.

[2] Derrick Goold, “O’Neill makes Memphis debut,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 24, 2017.

[3] Bob Dutton, “Mariners acquire lefty from Cardinals,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 22, 2017.

[4] Derrick Goold, “Cards deal Gonzales for outfielder,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 22, 2017.

[5] Bob Dutton, “Mariners acquire lefty from Cardinals,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 22, 2017.

[6] Terrence Holmes, “Mariners GM sees new asset shine in debut,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 25, 2017.

[7] Terrence Holmes, “Mariners GM sees new asset shine in debut,” Tacoma News Tribune, July 25, 2017.

[8] Jeff Gordon, “Cards’ retooling shouldn’t be limited to the trade deadline,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 25, 2017.

The post Why the Cardinals traded for Tyler O’Neill in 2017 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

On May 20, 2017, the Cardinals traded the first baseman affectionately known as “Big City” to the Braves for 19-year-old prospect Juan Yepez, a Venezuelan corner infielder who had accepted a $1 million signing bonus to sign with the Braves two years earlier. The Cardinals also sent cash considerations to Atlanta to help cover Adams’ $2.8 million salary.

The trade marked the end of Adams’ eight-year career with the Cardinals organization. The pride of Slippery Rock (Pa.) University, Adams had been a 23^rd-round draft pick in 2009. In 2010, the 21-year-old hit .310 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs for Class A Quad Cities, then followed that up with a .300 average, 32 homers, and 101 RBIs for Double-A Springfield, earning Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year honors.

After hitting 18 homers in 67 games for Triple-A Memphis, Adams made his major-league debut in 2012 and appeared in 27 games with the Cardinals, batting .244 with a pair of home runs. Adams served as the Cardinals’ backup first baseman behind Allen Craig in 2013, batting .284 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs in 296 at-bats.

When right fielder Carlos Beltran departed as a free agent after the season, Craig moved to right field and Adams inherited the starting first base job in 2014. That season, Adams hit .288 with 15 homers and 68 RBIs, and in Game 4 of the NLDS against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, Adams hit a three-run home run that erased L.A.’s 2-0 lead and gave the Cardinals a 3-2 win that secured their fourth consecutive NLCS appearance.

A torn quad limited Adams to just 60 games in 2015, and in 2016 he hit 16 homers and drove in 54 runs in just 297 at-bats. Heading into 2017, the Cardinals made Matt Carpenter their starting first baseman, a move that left Adams as a valuable bat off the bench but limited him to just 48 at-bats in the Cardinals’ first 39 games.

When Braves all-star first baseman Freddie Freeman suffered a broken wrist that was expected to keep him out of action for 10 weeks, the Cardinals and Braves suddenly matched up for a potential trade. The Cardinals also needed a roster spot, as outfielder Stephen Piscotty was preparing to return from the disabled list.

“When you think about them losing Freddie Freeman, obviously they had a need,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “When you think of moving Carp to first, the dynamics of plate appearances (for Adams) changed quickly, and so we really felt it was sort of a win-win for everybody to try to do this. It also frees up some opportunities for what we might do. If we want to give Carp a day off, now you could think about either a (Jedd) Gyorko or a (Johnny) Peralta over there.”[1]

At the time of the trade, Adams hadn’t had more than one at-bat in a game since May 6, when he went 2-for-4 with a home run against the Braves.

“It’s the best thing for my career,” Adams said. “I’ll be able to join another great organization and be able to play every day, but I can’t say enough and thank the Cardinals enough for the opportunities that they gave me and the trust they had in me. It’s tough to go. It’s tough to say goodbye to all my friends here and the coaches and everybody.”[2]

Adams’ now-former teammates shared that sentiment.

“It’s a great opportunity for him,” infielder Greg Carcia said. “He’s one of my most favorite teammates of all time. He’s a guy who will do anything for anybody and all he cared about was his team winning. He’s got that infection smile, and now he gets to play and show the league what he can do. We’re all rooting for him. We’re going to miss him, for sure.”[3]

“He’s a good player, but opportunity wasn’t really here for him,” Gyorko added. “It’s a tough loss because he was a great guy off the bed. Heaven forbid, something should happen with an injury, he’s a guy who could fill in.”[4]

“I’m a big fan of Matt Adams as a person and as a player,” Matheny said. “We weren’t able to give him the kind of at-bats and the kind of playing time that he deserved. … From the business side, it was an opportunity to invest into our future and try to make it a situation that works for everybody.”[5]

Adams was told of the trade on Saturday afternoon and was booked on a 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta the following morning.[6]

“Everybody out there knows I’m not trying to come in here and be Freddie; that’s not who I am,” Adams said when he arrived. “I’ve just got to be myself and go out there and play. I’m just excited to have the opportunity and try to run with it.”[7]

“It’s a smart move,” Braves outfielder Nick Markakis said. “Obviously it’s going to be hard, if not impossible, to fill Freddie’s shoes, but we need a consistent first baseman over there. Jace (Peterson) has been doing a good job, but if we use him at first base it kind of takes away from his ability to do what he’s here to do. It’s good, getting an established guy who wasn’t getting much at-bats. He’s going to come here and get some at-bats. We know what he can do. We’ve seen him.”[8]

Adams played in 100 games for the Braves the remainder of the season, batting .271 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs in 291 at-bats. That December, he signed a one-year contract with the Nationals and hit 18 homers in 94 games with the Nationals before the Cardinals acquired him off of waivers. Adams hit three homers in 57 at-bats before signing back with the Nationals for the 2019 season. He went on play for the Braves in 2020 and the Rockies in 2021 before concluding his big-league career.

Across 10 major-league seasons, Adams hit .258 with 118 homers and 399 RBIs.

Yepez made his major-league debut for St. Louis in 2022, batting .253 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in 253 at-bats. In the Cardinals’ two-game wild-card loss to the Phillies that season, Yepez drove in two of the Redbirds’ three runs, hitting a pinch-hit, two-run home run off Jose Alvarado to give the Cardinals a brief 2-0 lead in the seventh inning.

In 2023, Yepez hit just .183 with two homers in 60 at-bats, and that November he was granted his free agency. He signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals in December 2023.

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[1] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals trade Adams to Braves for prospect,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 21, 2017.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Cardinals trade Adams to Braves for prospect,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 21, 2017.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Wong, Piscotty are not in lineup,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 22, 2017.

[6] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

[7] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

[8] David O’Brien, “‘Big City’ set for a new start,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 22, 2017.

The post Why the Cardinals traded Matt Adams for Juan Yepez in 2017 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

“It was a start I’ll remember the rest of my life,” Miller said after throwing the first shutout of his career.[1]

In front of a crowd of 37,800 fans at Busch Stadium, Miller fell behind Young 3-and-1 before coming inside with a fastball just off the plate. It was a good pitch, but the Rockies’ switch-hitter, who was batting left-handed, was able to punch the ball into right field.

“It was a jam shot and I just put it in a good location,” Young said. “I was just fortunate enough to find grass.”[2]

Young didn’t take long to put pressure on Miller, stealing second base with no one out before Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler popped up. Miller then struck out Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki looking.

It was just the beginning of what proved to be a dominant performance for the rookie, who made his major-league debut the previous season.

A 2009 first-round draft pick out of Brownwood High School in Brownwood, Texas, Miller had emerged as the Cardinals’ top pitching prospect after going 9-3 with a 2.70 ERA in Double-A Springfield in 2011. Though Miller experienced growing pains in 2012 at Triple-A, finishing with a 4.74 ERA in 136 2/3 innings, he remained a key piece of the Cardinals’ future. Heading into the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked Miller the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball. Baseball Prospectus had him ranked 16^th and MLB.com ranked him No. 25.

So far in 2013, Miller had lived up to the hype. Entering his May 10 start against the Rockies, Miller was 4-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 38 strikeouts through 36 2/3 innings.

With Yadier Molina calling pitches against a Colorado lineup that had never seen Miller before, the Texas youngster was even better. Fowler, Gonzalez, and Tulowitzki – the Rockies’ No. 2-4 hitters in the lineup – went a combined 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts.

“That kid was impressive, all right,” Gonzalez said. “Just one hit, one broken-bat base hit in the first at-bat. Then he shut it down. Thirteen strikeouts, good combination with the breaking ball and fastball. Of course, having a great catcher behind the plate helps too. He was making good pitches, barely strikes. It’s not like he was leaving the pitch right down the middle.”[3]

Catcher Wilin Rosario and third baseman Nolan Arenado were the only Rockies hitters to escape the day without striking out, though both went 0-for-3. While Miller was retiring 27 consecutive Rockies batters, the Cardinals compiled three runs on an RBI single from Pete Kozma, a solo home run from Carlos Beltran, and a sacrifice fly by Jon Jay.

Miller ended the game by striking out Young on three pitches, concluding the at-bat with a 95-mph fastball for his 13^th strikeout of the game.

“I’ve always been told I get better later in games,” Miller said.[4]

Miller needed just 113 pitches – including 84 strikes – to finish the first complete game of his career. It was the fewest hits allowed by a Cardinals pitcher since Bud Smith’s no-hitter on September 3, 2001.

“It’s pretty incredible how he held his composure, made real good pitches all night long against a very good offense,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.[5]

“I think this is one of those nights where we ran into a pitcher that had everything working,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s a talented young arm and he had his ‘A’ game tonight. He looks like a horse out there. He was impressive.”[6]

Miller credited catcher Yadier Molina for calling a strong game and said he never had to shake his battery mate off.

“Obviously he called a great game,” Miller said. “I was following him the whole time. I trust Yadi with everything. The way he goes about his business – a true professional – he makes it easier on me. Whatever he was (signaling), I was throwing. It’s been like that all year and yesterday it was clicking that much more and everything seemed to be working for us.”[7]

In addition to his duties behind the plate, Molina extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single and a double.

Miller, who threw four no-hitters in high school, including three in a row his junior year, said he was well aware of his one-hitter as he recorded 27 consecutive outs.

“I knew I was getting people out,” he said. “I knew that was the only hit I’d given up. I knew what was going on. Absolutely.”[8]

With the win, Miller improved to 5-2 on the season with a 1.58 ERA. He finished the year 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 173 1/3 innings and placed third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting behind Jose Fernandez and Yasiel Puig.

“He’s very talented, there’s no doubt about that,” Beltran said. “That’s why he’s here.”[9]

Miller followed his 2013 campaign with a 10-9 record and 3.74 ERA in 2014. In 69 career games for the Cardinals, he had compiled a 26-18 record with a 3.33 ERA before he was traded with pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins to the Braves for Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden in November 2014.

After an all-star season with the Braves in 2015, Atlanta traded Miller to Arizona, and the right-hander has since pitched with the Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Giants, Dodgers, and Tigers. Miller returned to the Diamondbacks for the 2025 season.

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[1] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[2] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[4] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[5] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[6] Associated Press, “Cards’ Miller retires 27 straight in 1-hitter,” Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 11, 2013.

[7] Tom Timmerman, “Molina is behind pitchers’ success,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 12, 2013.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

[9] Rick Hummel, “Miller almost perfect in win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11, 2013.

The post May 10, 2013: Shelby Miller allows a leadoff single, then retires the next 27 batters first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

The move came just a month after the Cardinals traded Sandy Alcantara, Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen, and Magneuris Sierra to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna. With Ozuna penciled into left field beside Tommy Pham and Dexter Fowler, Grichuk was positioned for a fourth-outfielder role.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Grichuk was a perfect fit for the job due to his ability to play all three outfield positions while providing power off the bench. However, he also pointed out that Harrison Bader and Tyler O’Neill offered similar versatility.[1]

Grichuk in St. Louis

Originally the Angels’ 24^th overall pick in 2009, Grichuk came to St. Louis alongside Peter Bourjos in the trade that sent David Freese and Fernando Salas to the Angels. Grichuk debuted in the majors as a 22-year-old in 2014 and enjoyed his best season in St. Louis in 2015, batting .276/.329/.548 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs in just 350 plate appearances.

In 2016 and 2017, Grichuk shuffled between St. Louis and Memphis. Though he hit 46 homers over those two years, he also struck out 174 times in 858 at-bats, a rate of over 20%. As a result, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Jeff Gordon described Grichuk’s tenure in St. Louis as “teasing Cardinal Nation for 3 ½ years by mixing supersonic homers with rally-killing strikeouts.”[2]

“There were just a lot of ups and downs during that time where I felt he struggled to find that traction,” Mozeliak said. “We always thought from a baseball tools set, he was quite gifted. But the game is based on performance.”[3]

The Cardinals’ outfield logjam also factored into the trade. In addition to Ozuna, Pham, and Fowler, prospects like Bader and O’Neill were emerging. Bader, a third-round draft pick in 2015, made his major-league debut in 2017 after hitting 20 homers in Memphis that season. O’Neill, acquired from the Mariners in a trade for left-handed starting pitcher Marco Gonzalez, blasted 31 home runs between Tacoma and Memphis in 2017.

Grichuk admitted the Cardinals’ crowded outfield situation made him uncertain about his role, which affected his confidence at the plate.

“That wasn’t good for anybody’s confidence or anybody’s state of mind stepping into the box,” he said.[4]

Grichuk in Toronto

Moving to Toronto gave Grichuk a fresh start as their expected starting right fielder, replacing departed free agent Jose Bautista.

“It’s sad leaving St. Louis, but for my career, it’s the best move,” Grichuk said. “We played in Toronto a few years back and I loved it. I loved playing indoors. The city seemed really nice and I enjoyed the few days I was there. I’m excited.”[5]

Gordon, however, questioned whether trading Grichuk was the right decision, suggesting the Cardinals could have kept him as a fourth outfielder while upgrading their bullpen through other means.

“Odds are, Grichuk would have gotten plenty of work for the Cardinals this season had he stayed put,” Gordon wrote. “He may never become more than a .240-type hitter, but he can be (an) asset hitting at that level. He is a strong defensive outfielder capable of playing all three spots. He can hit mistake pitches into the 618 area code and he runs well when he does reach base. … So what was the rush to move him? Sure, the Cardinals would love to get Jose Martinez some at-bats after his breakout season. But that breakout came after he spent a decade kicking around the minors, so he is not a sure thing to repeat his offensive heroics.”[6]

Mozeliak, though, felt the acquisition of Leone addressed a pressing need for bullpen depth.

“Randal Grichuk was somebody we always had a lot of hope for,” Mozeliak said. “(But) as we started to really think about 2018 and you realized with the acquisition of (Tyler) O’Neill and Harrison Bader doing what he did last year, we really felt like we had (the outfield) covered. And, of course, Jose Martinez can play the outfield. If we were looking for playing time for Grichuk, it just didn’t seem like it was going to be a great fit. Ultimately, we just decided that if we could move him, would we be able to acquire an arm that we felt could make a difference in our bullpen? Once we identified that (in Leone) and also getting someone we perceived as a prospect, we thought this made sense.”[7]

Leone and Greene

Both teams were dealing from a position of relative strength. Originally a 16^th-round draft pick by the Mariners in 2012, Leone went 8-2 with a 2.17 ERA as a 22-year-old rookie in 2014. He struggled in 2015 and 2016, as the Mariners dealt him to the Diamondbacks and the Blue Jays then claimed him off waivers ahead of the 2017 season.

Leone, a 2012 Mariners draft pick, bounced back in 2017 after struggling through 2015 and 2016. He became one of the American League’s most reliable set-up men with a 2.56 ERA over 70 1/3 innings. For the Cardinals, who had just lost Seung-hwan Oh and Trevor Rosenthal, Leone offered a potential solution for the back end of their bullpen.

“We hear very good things about his makeup,” Mozeliak said. “We hear he’s very competitive. He should be a high-leverage pitcher.”[8]

Though the Jays didn’t want to part with Leone, they had the bullpen depth to overcome his departure. Toronto Star columnist Richard Griffin suggested that Joe Biagini, Al Alburquerque, and Carlos Ramirez could fill the role Leone had been projected to play in 2018.[9]

“We were definitely working from a position of depth and we had multiple teams contact us about that,” Atkins said. “Now we’ll have to look and backfill for Dominic. He had an incredible year for us. We expect him to have another incredible year and it will be for another team. It was a very tough loss for us. It’s the overall depth and guys that are in our system that we feel strong about that can help – then some of the players that are in the market as well.”[10]

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Greene represented a project for the Cardinals’ development staff. A seventh-round pick in 2013 out of Santa Monica (Calif.) High School, Greene posted a 5.29 ERA over 132 2/3 innings for Double-A New Hampshire and was named to the Eastern League all-star team in 2017. Baseball America ranked him as Toronto’s seventh-best prospect.

“When you look at him, you’re not going to like his numbers, but he’s a legit 95 to 98 (mph) type,” Mozeliak said. “He could give us some versatility as a starter or reliever.”[11]

Greene was primarily held back by his lack of control. In 501 1/3 minor-league innings, he had walked 226 batters while striking out 377. However, his arm strength led Mozeliak to compare Green to Alcantara, whom the Cardinals had just traded as one of the key pieces in the deal for Ozuna.

“Same sort of arm strength,” Mozeliak said. “When you look at their stats, Sandy’s been a little better. But too high a walk rate and too low of a strikeout rate – odd for someone who throws hard.”[12]

How the Trade Worked Out

The Cardinals never did solve the Greene puzzle. In 2018, he posted a 4.09 ERA between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. That November, the Royals selected him off of waivers. In 2021, Greene made 24 combined appearances for the Orioles and Dodgers, posting a 7.11 ERA over 25 1/3 innings.

Greene started the 2022 season in the Orioles’ minor league system before he was released in June. He pitched for Caneros de Los Mochis in the Mexican League in 2023 and for the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2024.

Leone pitched two seasons for the Cardinals, posting a 4.50 ERA over 24 innings in 2018 and a 5.53 ERA in 40 2/3 innings in 2019. In November 2019, the Cardinals released him. Since then, he has pitched for the Indians, Giants, Mets, Angels, Mariners, and White Sox.

Grichuk spent four years with the Blue Jays, batting .243 with 90 homers and 257 RBIs over that span. He posted career highs with 31 homers and 80 RBIs in 2019, though he hit just .232/.280/.457 that season. In March 2022, the Blue Jays traded him to the Rockies, and at the 2023 trading deadline the Rockies traded him and C.J. Cron to the Angels for two prospects.

Grichuk played the 2024 season with the Diamondbacks, where he hit .291/.348/.875 while playing primarily against left-handed pitching. In 279 plate appearances, he hit 12 homers and drove in 46 runs.

[1] Todd Eschman, “Cardinals deal Grichuk to Toronto in effort to bolster the bullpen,” Belleville News-Democrat, January 20, 2018.

[2] Jeff Gordon, “Rush to make this deal seems a little puzzling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[3] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[4] Laura Armstrong, “Outfield pieces fall into place,” Toronto Star, January 24, 2018.

[5] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[6] Jeff Gordon, “Rush to make this deal seems a little puzzling,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[7] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[8] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[9] Richard Griffin, “Deeper but no closer with Grichuk,” Toronto Star, January 20, 2018.

[10] Richard Griffin, “Deeper but no closer with Grichuk,” Toronto Star, January 20, 2018.

[11] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

[12] Rick Hummel, “Grichuk Traded To Jays,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 20, 2018.

The post Why Randal Grichuk was traded to the Blue Jays in 2018 first appeared on STLRedbirds.com.

In wooing Fowler from the rival Cubs with a five-year, $82.5 million contract, the Cardinals exceeded the five-year, $80 million contract they had reached with starting pitcher Mike Leake the previous offseason. It was part of a relatively splashy offseason for the Cardinals, who signed reliever Brett Cecil to a four-year, $30.5 million deal a few weeks earlier.

“There is this perceived notion that we’re never going to get players in the free-agent market,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “This year we spent more than $100 million in aggregate. The commitment from (chairman Bill) DeWitt down is real. I hope what people realize is that we’re committed to winning, we are committed to trying to improve, and we do recognize the areas we can do that, and we hope we addressed it.”[1]

Fowler’s contract included annual salaries of $14.5 million plus a $10 million signing bonus to be paid in $1 million installments on July 1 and October 1 in each year. It also included a full no-trade clause and variety of bonuses, including $25,000 for a Silver Slugger Award, $50,000 for making the all-star game and for winning a Gold Glove Award, $100,000 for being named League Championship Series MVP, and $150,000 for being named World Series MVP. He also would receive a $250,000 bonus for winning the NL MVP Award, $150,000 for placing second, and $100,000 for finishing third through fifth.[2]

Fowler, who sought a similar long-term contract prior to the 2016 season but wound up returning to the Cubs on a one-year, $8 million deal, knew that Chicago would not be an option in 2017 after the Cubs signed former Cardinal outfielder Jon Jay one week earlier.

“I kind of had a sense,” Fowler said. “They made a courtesy call before they signed Jay. I’ll be forever grateful I was a Cub.”[3]

Meanwhile, Cubs fans were equally grateful that Fowler had remained in Chicago in 2016. Batting leadoff, he hit .276 and scored 84 runs with a .393 on-base percentage that ranked sixth in the National League. In the Cubs’ march to the World Series title, Fowler went 9-for-27 (.333) with six runs scored vs. the Dodgers in the NLCS, then added a pair of solo home runs in the World Series, which marked the Cubs’ first world championship since 1908.

With a .293 average against left-handed pitching on the season and a career batting line of .282/.369/.489 at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals were excited by what Fowler could provide atop the St. Louis lineup.

“He’s an exciting player, and we’ve seen him from the other dugout enough to realize he’s the kind of player that can make a difference, especially at the top of the order,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “You watch a Matt Carpenter-style at-bat – going in and grinding and figuring out a way to get on base and figuring out what that does to an opposition, and what it does to a pitching staff, and how it elevates pitch counts, and how it does create a sense of rhythm in your offense. The more players that you can have like that, I think the better off you’re going to be.”[4]

In Chicago, Cubs manager Joe Maddon coined a nickname for Fowler to describe his importance in setting the tone.

“Joe came up with the nickname ‘You Go, We Go,’ and that’s always stuck with me,” Fowler said. “Now that I’m with the Cardinals, I feel like if I go, we all go.”[5]

With the addition of Fowler, the Cardinals planned to move Carpenter out of the leadoff spot and into a position to drive in more runs. With Fowler and Carpenter at the top of the lineup, the Cardinals suddenly had two of just nine players in baseball who had posted an on-base percentage of at least .365 in four of the previous five years.

Fowler’s addition also allowed the Cardinals to move Randal Grichuk to left field, where he would replace Matt Holliday, who recently signed with the Yankees.

“From day one, (Fowler) was someone that we were hoping to sign,” Mozeliak said. “We certainly wanted to get this done. We’re excited we got this done. Late Wednesday night, when we were shaking hands on this, it was a great feeling because there’s so many positive attributes of what he does for us, not only on the field, but off the field. It was just a win-win if we could do it.”[6]

Because the Cubs made a qualifying offer to Fowler, the Cardinals had to give up their first-round pick in the 2017 Draft, which would have been 19^th overall (the Cubs used the pick to take pitcher Alex Lange out of Louisiana State University with the 30^th pick). For the Cardinals’ front office, that was still better than meeting the asking prices teams were seeking for available center fielders. The Belleville News-Democrat reported that the Cardinals were in discussions with other teams at the winter meetings, but found the demands for Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon, Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain, and Chicago White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton were more than the Cardinals were willing to meet.[7]

In those discussions, one name kept coming up: Alex Reyes. It was a price Mozeliak was unwilling to pay, and as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted, the Cardinals’ farm system didn’t offer any alternatives that intrigued potential trade partners, even when they explored bundling multiple prospects together to acquire a center fielder.[8]

At the winter meetings in National Harbor, Maryland, Mozeliak was asked whether the high cost of trading for a center fielder made him prefer to spend money rather than trade capital.

“It’s not what I would rather do,” he said. “It’s what I feel we think makes the most sense from an investment standpoint. I’ve always told you, what’s the acquisition cost? The acquisition cost could be players. The acquisition cost could be money. And sometimes they’re not always equal. Sometimes you have more money. Sometimes you have more talent. We’re trying to wade through that.”[9]

A Georgia native, Fowler had been the Rockies’ 14^th-round draft pick out of Milton High School in 2004. By signing with Colorado, Fowler passed up his commitment to the University of Miami and an offer from Harvard University. After hitting .335 with a .431 on-base percentage at Double-A Tulsa, Fowler made his MLB debut in September 2008. He became an everyday player for the Rockies the following season.

Fowler played five full seasons in Colorado, posting a .270/.365/.423 batting line before he was traded to the Astros ahead of the 2014 season. He spent one year in Houston before signing with the Cubs. Across two seasons in Chicago, Fowler hit .261/.367/.427 with 30 homers and 186 runs scored.

“One of the things we wanted to address was athleticism,” Mozeliak said. “We wanted to address someone who could hit at the top of the order if possible, to give us flexibility with Carpenter. And we were also trying to find someone that was extremely competent on the basepaths. And I think we were able to accomplish that.”[10]

Mozeliak also expressed his appreciation for Fowler’s clubhouse presence, which was so strong that the Cubs and the Chicago media couldn’t help but wish the best for him even as he signed with their archrivals.

“Fowler’s intangibles are what set him apart,” Paul Sullivan wrote in the Chicago Tribune. “He was a perfect fit in that clubhouse, providing a calming presence that rubbed off on some of his younger teammates such as (Anthony Rizzo), Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez.”

“If I go into a clubhouse, we’re going to have fun,” Fowler said. “Even if the clubhouse is not having fun, we’re going to have fun. Win, lose, or draw. Let’s have fun because I believe that’s going to make us better. I feel like I can do that in a clubhouse. Either way, we’ll get the guys out of their shell if they are in the shell.”[11]

In retrospect, it’s fair to wonder whether Fowler had that much fun in St. Louis. In 2017, his first season in St. Louis, Fowler hit .264/.363/.488 with 18 homers, 64 RBIs, and 68 runs scored, posting the second highest on-base plus slugging (.851) of his career. At age 32, however, he suffered through the worst season of his career in 2018, as his batting line fell to .180/.278/.298. Fowler played in just 90 games as Jose Martinez and Harrison Bader each began to bite into his playing time.

“I was depressed,” Fowler said after the season. “That’s what I was. I got mad that I let it get to me. I should be mentally stronger than that. I shouldn’t have let it weight me down as much as it did. But I was. I was depressed.”[12]

In 2019, Fowler hit .238/.317/.389 with 19 homers, 67 RBIs, and 69 runs scored. After the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Cardinals traded him to the Angels along with $12.75 million to help cover most of the $14.5 million remaining on his contract. In addition to freeing up playing time in an outfield that included younger options in Tyler O’Neill, Bader, and Dylan Carlson, the trade acknowledged that the 34-year-old Fowler no longer had a clear role in St. Louis.

In 389 games with the Cardinals, Fowler hit .233/.334/.408.

“Fowler’s saga with the Cardinals is a complicated one, but ultimately his five-year and $82.5 million contract will be viewed as a regrettable deal,” wrote Post-Dispatch columnist Ben Frederickson. “Looking back, expectations were unfairly oversized. Fowler was going to singlehandedly make the Cardinals fun again, a heavy assignment for a club that was buttoned all the way up under former manager Mike Matheny. Fowler was going to stir the lineup from the top of the order as a speedy switch-hitter. Fowler was going to play a defensively sound center field. Fowler was going to do it all, at once, and for five seasons. Reality had other ideas.”[13]

Fowler played just seven games for the Angels before suffering a torn ACL that prematurely ended his season. He signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays for 2022, but appeared in just three minor-league games before he requested his release. In January 2023, he announced his retirement, concluding a big-league career that spanned 14 seasons and 1,460 games.

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[1] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals believe Fowler brings ‘infectious’ personality to club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2016.

[2] Mark Gonzales, “Fowler cashes in with Cards,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 2016.

[3] Mark Gonzales, “Fowler cashes in with Cards,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 2016.

[4] Jennifer Langosch, “Fowler joins Cardinals on 5-year deal,” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-sign-deal-with-of-dexter-fowler-c210732942.

[5] Jennifer Langosch, “Fowler joins Cardinals on 5-year deal,” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-sign-deal-with-of-dexter-fowler-c210732942.

[6] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals create free-agency splash, sign ex-Cub Fowler,” Belleville News-Democrat, December 10, 2016.

[7] David Wilhelm, “Cardinals create free-agency splash, sign ex-Cub Fowler,” Belleville News-Democrat, December 10, 2016.

[8] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals go ‘over the top’ to catch Fowler, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 10, 2016.

[9] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals go ‘over the top’ to catch Fowler, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 10, 2016.

[10] Jennifer Langosch, “Fowler joins Cardinals on 5-year deal,” MLB.com, https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-sign-deal-with-of-dexter-fowler-c210732942.

[11] Derrick Goold, “Cardinals believe Fowler brings ‘infectious’ personality to club,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 12, 2016.

[12] Derrick Goold, “‘I don’t want to disappoint,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 16, 2018.

[13] Ben Frederickson, “Fowler trade clears outfield mixed messages, for now,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 6, 2021.

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