The 2017 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 136th for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), a franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the 126th season for the Cardinals in the National League (NL), and their 12th at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, having last done that between the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Off-season
Overview
Major League Baseball and the Players' Association reached a new, tentative CBA contract to reduce the 15-day disabled list timetable to 10-days. This change will allow teams to make quicker decisions on whether to bring up a roster replacement rather than wait to see if the injured player would be ready to return to action in less than two weeks. In addition, the home field advantage in the World Series for the league winning the All-Star Game is repealed starting this year. Home field advantage in the World Series will be awarded to the league champion team with the better regular season win–loss record. The details of the new five-years contract (expiring Nov. 30, 2021) listed here .
Commissioner Rob Manfred levied a severe penalty, Jan. 30, 2017, on the Cardinals organization from former scouting director Chris Correa's hacking of the Houston Astros database in 2013 and 2014, who was fired by early-July 2015, and is now serving out a 46-month sentence (for unlawfully accessing another company's information) that began in July 2016, and ordered to pay a $279,038 fine. The Cardinals must give the Astros their No. 56 overall selection, part of the Draft's second round, and the No. 75 overall selection, part of Compensation Round B. St. Louis does not possess a first-round pick in this year's Draft. Additionally, the team must pay the Astros $2 million. No other person was responsible for hacking into the Astros' database. Correa has been placed on baseball's permanently ineligible list.
Personnel moves
Injuries
Acquisitions, departures, and roster moves
Players
Former Cubs' center fielder and free agent Dexter Fowler signed with the Cardinals on December 9, 2016, for $82.5 mil. over 5 years. The contract includes a full no-trade clause.
Yadier Molina reached an agreement for a 3-year contract extension on April 2, for a reported $60 million, making him the highest-paid catcher in baseball. He wasn't interested in exercising his 2018 mutual option, which would have been worth $15 million. The average annual value of Giants' catcher Buster Posey's contract is $18.5 million. The extension assures Molina of remaining in St. Louis through 2020, and increases the chances that he will finish his career having played for just one organization that drafted him (2000), and he has been in the majors since 2004. This distinction of having Molina retire as a Cardinal is something that carried weight for both parties throughout the negotiations.
In the 12 seasons Molina has been the No. 1 catcher, the Cards won more regular-season games than any other National League team (1,075). Their 48 postseason victories were the most in baseball in that time, and they had three NL pennants and World Series wins in 2006 and 2011. Molina was a seven-time All-Star and an eight-time Gold Glove winner. The Cards have a 3.79 ERA over the past 12 years, the second lowest in the Majors. The Cards had two other factors to weigh. One is that one of their top prospects, Carson Kelly, is a catcher and widely considered Major League ready. Another is that Molina's 1,582 games are the 24th most in history at his position, and he's likely to become just the sixth to break the 2,000-game mark.
No position takes its toll on a body more than catcher. Still, at 34, Molina is coming off a season in which he started a career-high 142 games and batted .307. He batted .333 in the World Baseball Classic (Puerto Rico), and looked as good as ever behind the plate.
April 3 brought yet another contract extension. Stephen Piscotty, 26, signed a six-year extension for a reported $33.75 million ($5.625 mil. average), with a $15 million option for 2023 on April 3. Piscotty was not yet arbitration-eligible, and his first year of free-agent eligibility was to be 2022. Five years ago, the Cardinals plucked Piscotty out of Stanford University with one of the two picks they netted as compensation for Albert Pujols' departure. Since making his big league debut, Piscotty has posted a .282/.349/.467 slash line and an .816 OPS. In 2016, Piscotty led the Cards in games played (153), runs scored (86), RBIs (85) and game-winning RBIs (10).
Contract options St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Declined and bought out for $2 million
Trades November 2016 To Atlanta Braves Jaime García To St. Louis Cardinals Chris Ellis, Luke Dykstra, John Gant To To
Major league free agents (RP) Departed Toronto Blue Jays November 1, 2016 Contract expired after World Series Signed with St. Louis Cardinals November 21, 2016 4 years, $30.5 million (LF) Departed St. Louis Cardinals November 1, 2016 Contracts expired after World Series Signed with New York Yankees December 7, 2016 1 year, $13 million
(CF) Departed Chicago Cubs November 1, 2016 Contract expired after World Series Signed with St. Louis Cardinals December 9, 2016 5 years, $82.5 million
Spring training
The Cardinals had 66 players in camp before 11 were sent to minor league camp on March 13, including three on the 40-man roster, and eight non-roster invitees. Among those sent down was left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales (40-man), who still is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he had about 11 months ago. Gonzales has been working behind the scenes with a few bullpen sessions during Spring Training, and it's possible he could wrap up his recovery by the end of May. "Once Marco gets healthy, it's just a matter of how well he's able to execute his pitches," Matheny said of the left-hander's potential return to the Cardinals.
The other players reassigned were RHP Sandy Alcántara, INF Eliezer Alvarez (40-man), RHP Jack Flaherty, LHP Austin Gomber, C Andrew Knizner, C Jeremy Martinez, C Dennis Ortega, RHP Daniel Poncedeleon, RHP Robby Rowland and INF Edmundo Sosa (40-man).
Matheny praised all of them, and said he was especially impressed with Ortega's work in camp.
"Dennis really showed a lot of moxie behind the plate," Matheny said of the 19-year-old prospect. "He catches older than 19, and I think you're going to see a high ceiling with him. ... All of them have had a good spring. The development staff has done such a great job. It just seems every one of these kids, they're coming in and they just look a little more refined. They've been really on top of their game, and you can tell they have a lot of things to look forward to."
On March 16, RHP Corey Baker and Trey Nielsen were sent to Min. Lg. camp.
NRI (LHP) Jordan Schafer had arm surgery on March 17.
The Cardinals optioned RHP Luke Weaver to AAA-Memphis, and reassigned RH reliever Mitch Harris to minor league camp on March 18. The moves left 35 active players and 16 non-roster invitees in big league Spring Training.
2 NRIs, (RHP) Josh Lucas and (LHP) Zach Phillips, were reassigned on March 19, to Min. Lg. camp. Right-hander Rowan Wick and outfielder Anthony García were optioned to AAA-Memphis. On March 20, 2 more NRIs, (C) Gabriel Lino and (OF) Todd Cunningham were also reassigned to Min. Lg. camp. (2B/SS) Breyvic Valera was optioned to AAA-Memphis.
(RHP) Sam Tuivailala was optioned to AAA-Memphis on March 22, leaving 31 on the active roster and 42 in big league camp. Matt Adams played the outfield for the first time since Little League. The Cardinals are introducing a new mobile ticket subscription idea called "Ballpark Pass" that gives fans all the home games they want to attend, $29.99/month (with auto-renewal) for each of the six months of the season, by using their smartphone, with no printed tickets. But there are no seats with this new attendance feature, only standing-room. The pass covers all 80 home games, except for Opening Day/Night. More information at Ballpark Pass
(OF) Tommy Pham was optioned to AAA on March 25, leaving 30 on the active roster and 41 in big league camp. The Opening Day (Night) roster has now been finalized, at the earliest date since Matheny became manager, with (OF) Jose Martinez, 28, having the most poignant story. After 10 years of toiling in the minors, the Venezuelan made his debut last September when he was called up by the Cardinals. But as for making the Opening Day roster, he didn't think that would ever happen. He leads the Cardinals with 17 hits, four homers and 13 RBIs this spring. He also enhanced his credentials by showing that he could play first base, in addition to both corner outfield spots. (RHP) Miguel Socolovich, (RHP) Matt Bowman, (SS/2B) Greg Garcia, and (C) Eric Fryer were also assured spots on the active roster. Tyler Lyons, Zach Duke, and Alex Reyes will start the season on the disabled list.
Four more cuts on March 27, sent (C) Carson Kelly (Cardinals' #2 prospect ) to get more at-bats, and (RHP) Mike Mayers optioned to AAA. (OF) Adolis García and (3B) Patrick Wisdom gone to Min. Lg. camp. These changes gave the team 28 active players, and 9 NRIs remaining.
On the last day at Jupiter on March 29, the Cardinals purchased (C) Eric Fryer's contract from AAA-Memphis, and added him to the 40-man roster. He will be Yadier Molina's backup. To make room on the 40-man roster, the injured (P) Zach Duke is transferred to the 60-day DL. Five NRIs: (3B) Paul DeJong, (RHP) Arturo Reyes, (LHP) Ryan Sherriff, (OF) Harrison Bader, and (OF) Chad Huffman were assigned to Min. Lg. camp. These changes bring the NRIs to 3, with 28 active. The last spring training game for 2017 got the team 20 wins (beating the Washington Nationals, Box Score), first time since 1997, vs. 8 losses. Michael Wacha pitched four innings in 64 pitches, giving up five hits in a 6–2 win. Cardinals outfielder/first baseman José Martínez capped a terrific spring with a two-run double off reliever Phillips Valdez to extend the lead in the sixth. Martinez finished with a team-most 19 hits, 14 runs, 15 RBIs, .508 OBP, .740 Slg% and 1.248 OPS (50 AB), in the Grapefruit League season batting .
The Cardinals will play an exhibition game "Battle of the Birds" against their Triple-A affiliate in Memphis on Thu. March 30. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT on KMOX (1120AM), and Gameday Audio. The Cardinals will use several relievers to cover the game, beginning with right-hander Jonathan Broxton, who will be making his first career start. The Cardinals beat the Redbirds, 9–3 in slugging four home runs, with Broxton getting the win, pitching only the first inning. Randal Grichuk, who took a pitch off his hand in Wednesday's (March 29) Grapefruit finale, was not in the lineup. He hopes to return soon. The sellout attendance was 10,220 at AutoZone Park.
The Cardinals will close out their exhibition schedule Friday (March 31) with a 5:05 p.m. CT game with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo. Mike Leake, 3–1 in Grapefruit League play, will get his final tuneup. On March 31, Leake threw 89 pitches in a 5–2 win over the team's AA-level Springfield affiliate. Leake called this spring, "the best spring I've had in my career." Randal Grichuk returned to the lineup after missing the AAA-Memphis game with his sore right hand, after getting a HBP to it. He singled on the first pitch he saw. Since Springfield became a Cardinals affiliate in 2005, 104 of its players have reached the big leagues.
Injuries