Jason Heyward will certainly have many suitors on the free agent market this winter.
The 26-year-old's ability offensively and defensively make him one of the best, if not the best, position player free agents this offseason. Between his age and abilities, Heyward is likely in line for a long-term deal that could reach over the $200 million threshold. According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, Cardinals' general manager John Mozeliak wants to bring Heyward back on a long-term deal. Heyward "was a tremendous fit on this club [and] did exactly what we wanted him to do," Mozeliak said. The Cardinals acquired Heyward from the Atlanta Braves last offseason in order to fill a void in the outfield. He did just that, slashing .293/.359/.439 (116 OPS+) with 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in over 610 plate appearances. Heyward rates as an extremely above-average defender to go along with his solid offense. His combination of all-around play made him worth 6.0 Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs. --Devan Fink
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The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish first reported.
The Indians received Cardinals' left-handed pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky in return, Cotillo first noted. Kaminsky was the Cardinals' first round pick in 2013. Moss is an interesting acquisition for a Cardinals team that just lost outfielder Matt Holliday for awhile due to a quad injury. Moss can also fill in at first base, where Mark Reynolds has been playing in place of Matt Adams, who was lost for the year. The 31-year-old Moss is hitting .217/.288/.407 this season, with 15 homers and 50 RBIs in 375 plate appearances. He has much better splits against left-handers, where he will likely find most of his appearances in St. Louis. The Indians get a nice return for Moss, who is a free agent after next season. Kaminsky is a former first round pick and is already in High Single-A at age 20. He's shown excellent control and has a chance to be an impact big league pitcher. --Devan Fink
It's officially deadline week. Here are the latest rumors surrounding Major League Baseball as we approach the non-waiver trade deadline. This will be done daily up to the deadline.
Latest updates are at the top.
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired right-hander Steve Cishek from the Miami Marlins, they announced on Friday. In return, the Marlins received Double-A righty Kyle Barraclough.
Cishek is bullpen depth for the Cardinals, who just lost Matt Belisle to elbow inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to make room for Cishek on the 40-man roster. The 29-year-old submariner has had a roller coaster of a season. He was removed from the closer's role in Miami following four blown saves in seven chances, including an ERA that was over 10 as late as May 11. Since that time, however, Cishek has seemed to figure things out, pitching to a 1.31 ERA over the 20 2/3 innings he pitched. These recent performances, plus the fact that he came with closing experience (Cishek saved 30+ games each of the past two years), made him a possibly valuable trade candidate. Cishek received interest from multiple teams, including the Pirates and Dodgers, as Joe Frisaro of MLB.com said. Also according to Frisaro, the Cardinals will take on the rest of Cishek's contract. He was a second-time arbitration player this season and made $6.65 million. Because he is a former Super Two player, Cishek is signed through the 2017 season. Overall, Cishek is 2-6 with a 4.50 ERA (3.44 FIP) in 32 appearances this season. Over his 32 innings of work, Cishek has a 28 to 14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. --Devan Fink
The St. Louis Cardinals have fired scouting director Chris Correa for his role in the breach of the Houston Astros' computer system Ground Central, reports Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Correa had been on an "imposed leave of absence."
Gould cites a source saying that Correa had admitted to getting into the Astros' database, but it was only to see if the Astros had stolen data that was used in the Cardinals system. Gould reported that Correa did not leak the Astros data and is not responsible for any additional breaches that the FBI is investigating. Correa's lawyer, Nicholas Williams, gave the following statement. Mr. Correa denies any illegal conduct. The relevant inquiry should be what information did former St. Louis Cardinals employees steal from the St. Louis Cardinals organization prior to joining the Houston Astros, and who in the Houston Astros organization authorized, consented to, or benefited from that roguish behavior.”
This involvement of Correa is especially interesting because nobody believed that the breaching involved front office members as high up as scouting director. It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop as the FBI investigates.
--Devan Fink |
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