Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - If The St. Louis Cardinals Keep Brendan Donovan, Will the Fan Base ERUPT or CHEER? Bader SIGNS

Episode Date: January 26, 2026

St. Louis Cardinals weigh the future of utility standout Brendan Donovan—will his versatile skill set redefine their offseason ambitions? President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom sets a hard lin...e in trade negotiations, prompting questions about the true value of Donovan on a rebuilding roster. Key trade candidates Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero remain in limbo, while the team's approach to payroll and prospects sparks heated debate.JD Hafron spotlights the Cardinals’ youth movement with five prospects—led by JJ Wetherholt—cracking the MLB Pipeline Top 100, igniting optimism for a solid core in upcoming seasons. Analysis covers the challenges faced by former top prospects Dylan Carlson and Harrison Bader, plus speculation on free agent fits like Austin Hays and Randal Grichuk. Can the Cardinals cultivate young talent into lasting success, or are they risking too much on development and high-stakes negotiations?0:00 - Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan Trade Value10:09 - MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects22:30 - Former Cardinals/Outfield UpdatesFollow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-st-louis-cardinals/Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonstlcardinals.supercast.com/Follow on Twitter/X: @JDSPORTSRADIOFollow the show on Twitter/X: @LO_CardinalsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Turbo TaxFor a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28. Take taxes off your plate and get back to your life.Visit https://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Rocket MoneyLet Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDONFanDuelIf you’re a new customer, bet just $5 and get $200 in Bonus Bets if you win. Make it count — because after the Super Bowl, the season is over. Last call for football on FanDuel, an Official Sportsbook Partner of Super Bowl Sixty. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)#ForTheLou #stlcards #mlb #lockedoncardinals #stlouiscardinals Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cardinals valuation of Brendan Donovan could reshape their offseason strategy. And Heim Bloom, he might be outmaneuvering the entire league. We'll break down the high stakes chess match on today's episode of Locked on Cardinals. You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardinals fans. I'm J.D. Haffer, a former national radio sports anchor, born and raised in St. Louis and a lifetime Cardinals fan. and welcome to another episode of Locktown Cardinals.
Starting point is 00:00:36 Part of the Locktown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. Thank you to our everydayers for continuing to support us. If you're new, welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the content. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving you all the info about the birds on the bat. Today's episode brought to you by Fanduel.
Starting point is 00:00:51 It's the last call for football on Fanduel. It's so sad. I can't believe the season is coming to an end. If you're a new customer, bet just $5 to get $200 in bonus bets if you went. So on today's show, a few former Cardinals, including Harrison Bader. I know, get your tissues ready. He is not coming to St. Louis. They have found new homes.
Starting point is 00:01:12 The newly released top 100 prospect list from MLB Pipeline was released. The Cardinals are well represented there. But we're going to start today with the subject that it has been going on since the offseason began. It continues to go on. What is the future of Cardinals utility man, Brennan Donovan? When the offseason got going, we knew what was probably. going to happen. We knew some guys were going to be on the move. Well, at least we were hoping. Let's be honest, because after nothing happened last off season, as far as trying to get guys
Starting point is 00:01:43 to move, Haim was able to get it done, albeit at a high cost. He moved the contracts of Sonny Gray and Wilson Contreras and Nolan Aronado. And in doing so, he brought back some valuable prospects, but also they had to eat a ton of money. But those moves were done out of necessity, right? They wanted to, they wanted to slash payroll. They wanted to give some other guys who are already in the system, more chances to play, kind of help kick that reset that the Cardinals are going through, kind of kick it into high gear to, you know, not screwing around anymore, like, let's go. All right, let's get the show on the road. Three more players continue to be mentioned as possible deals.
Starting point is 00:02:21 Lars Newport, Jojo Romero, and the headliner is Britt of Donovan. And Haim has been very transparent, which I appreciate. And I think a lot of fans do about deals involving these guys. but, you know, we've heard more discussion about what's going on with Brennan Donovan more than anybody else since he's the guy that has the most value. And he's always stated that the Cardinals don't have to trade Brennan Donovan. And when I mentioned moving Donnie at the deadline last year, I remember I brought that up, but people were like, what are you thinking? What I'm thinking is who is valuable and who could get the Cardinals the most in return? and Donnie was one of those guys.
Starting point is 00:03:02 And I've said the same thing, though, ever since. I brought it up last year. They don't have to trade them. He's not hampering them. He's not an issue. You know, he's not bothering them in any shape or form. Donnie not getting traded doesn't mean that top prospect, J.J. Weatherholt won't be on the team at some point this season.
Starting point is 00:03:24 Donnie isn't blocking people. In fact, his versatility is one of the main reasons why he's, he's so freaking valuable in the first place because you can move him around. He's a good chess piece to have. Speaking of value, he doesn't drain you on your payroll, 5.8 million this season. Some would argue that he's underpaid, considering how useful he is, but he's still the second highest paid guy on the team this year behind Dustin May and ahead of Lars Newpar, who I say is overpaid at 5.25 million.
Starting point is 00:03:53 So if you're slashing any more money from this payroll, I'm putting my fingers, my toes, and anything else I can right. there at one large new part. But for all the positions that Donnie can play plus the reliability and consistency that he offers defensively and offensively, Donnie certainly has earned the paycheck. And it's been well documented. How great of a guy. Donnie is if you've ever had any interaction with them in person or you've seen him go on another podcast. He's a great guy. Everybody in the clubhouse loves him, the front office, the fans, everyone loves this guy. Heinblum has had nothing but wonderful things to say about him during this whole process.
Starting point is 00:04:30 And all of that adds up to what I would deem, not a great, but a solid Major League Baseball player who doesn't have a lot of deficiencies. And when you're building a roster, they can't just be superstars at every position. Even the Dodgers have guys that aren't superstars at every position. You need guys like Brennan Donovan. The Dodgers value, you know, another former Cardinal, Tommy Edmund, in the same way that Brennan Donovan would be valued on another team's roster. He becomes very important. You got to have guys like him who can move around the diamond, move around in the
Starting point is 00:05:08 outfield if you need him to. Can bat left-handed, you know, you need these kind of dudes. So you can see why Heim's stayed very firm on what he thinks the Cardinals should be receiving in return for a team to acquire Brennan Donovan. He's not just going to hand him over. He's clearly got a price tag that he wants. once met. And if you don't get there, then you don't get Brendan Donovan. Simple is that. Now, you can question, you can certainly question whether or not playing hardball here is
Starting point is 00:05:39 smart or silly. I don't want to say stupid because I don't think it's stupid, but you know, you can question whether or not the Cardinals and Hym are overvaluing him. And that's why he has been moved yet. And then maybe, you know, hey, Hym should have jumped on some offers by now. he's not doing this team any good by being what he is on a team that's not ready to contend. But we don't really know what anybody's offered him yet. And, you know, if you switch it around and you think about the other side, like pretend you're one of the GMs on one of these other teams. And you see a team like the Cardinals unloading veterans the way that they have this offseason.
Starting point is 00:06:18 I mean, do you blame them for low-balling them to try to pry Donnie away first? I wouldn't. Why wouldn't you low ball and see if you can get away with it? Why wouldn't you test the newly appointed president of baseball operations to see if he's got the testicular fortitude to not bend? And so far, Heim has stayed the course. And I look at it and it pleases me a little bit that we're not just giving away somebody like Brendan Donovan, the way that you kind of had to give away Nolan Aronado. and pay him to go away. Will this end up being a good or bad thing?
Starting point is 00:06:59 I don't think Donovan, and this is the thing, keeping Donovan on this roster, I don't see how it's a bad thing in any way, shape, or form. I don't think it hurts high I'm standing with the fan base either, who adore Donnie and certainly would love to keep them. I would love to keep them. I don't know how attached everybody was to Sunny Gray or Wilson or Nolan Aronado. great guys didn't want to see him go away because of something wrong with them
Starting point is 00:07:27 personality-wise or anything like that. But you understood those moves. The Brennan Donovan won, though, because you don't have to trade them, you better get something decent in return considering everything that he can do for you, on and off the field. So, you know, you still got Lars Neupar, still on the team, still mending from heel surgery. I continue to not believe that he's going to be ready for opening down.
Starting point is 00:07:52 I could see Brennan Donovan and left field as you're starting left fielder to start the season with the combination of Sujacy, Fermin, Gorman, and Weatherholt handling your second base and third base duties. And I don't see an issue with any of that. You've got a couple lefties. You've got a couple righties. They're all young. You want to see what all these guys can do. You want to see if they deserve a place at the table. You're going to have an opening to do that.
Starting point is 00:08:18 And you just moved Donnie to left field and let him go. go out there with Victor Scott and then Jordan Walker and then Burley and when and then, you know, the catching situation with Herrera and Pahes and crooks. Like they'll all kind of figure that stuff out themselves, but there you go. I feel like that makes sense. But if you do trade Brennan Donovan, you would still use that same situation. But then you're thinking, all right, well, who's in left field? If Newt's hurt, like what are we going to do there?
Starting point is 00:08:46 And then you're looking at like a Nathan church or something. And then you're looking, okay, maybe we've got to go sign a free agent. but I don't think it kills you to have Brin and Donovan back on this team. You are taking a risk, though, in your betting that Donovan continues to be good, continues to be healthy, and then perhaps you can revisit the idea of trading him away at the deadline. Maybe his worth goes up. Or if some people have suggested, do you extend Brindonovan and make him one of the few veteran building blocks you still got around and keep them in this clubhouse for the next few seasons?
Starting point is 00:09:18 just if you're going to do that, don't do a no trade clause, please. We saw how that worked out. But what are your thoughts? Are the Cardinals missing the boat on a deal right now by being a little too strict of what the return is going to be? Or should they pack it in and just bring Donnie back all together and move forward? What do you guys think? But as time has said, you know, it would be nice to have this wrapped up before spring training, just so you kind of know where all your pieces are going to fit, heading into workouts and spring games,
Starting point is 00:09:48 which are just a few weeks away. Who do you need to focus on? Like which guys are going to be on? We're like, all right, this is where we need to put our focus on. Where does everyone need to be playing in the games to get ready for opening day? And where should they be getting the most work at, which positions? So a lot of things are up in the air. So you want to get that stuff figured out.
Starting point is 00:10:09 And I get it. JJ Weatherholt is one of the guys. And that, you know, obviously is going to get a nice long look in spring training this year. And he and four other Cardinal prospects just landed inside the MLB pipeline top 100 list. We're going to talk about those guys coming up next on Locked on Cardinals. It is the last call for football. Oh, it hurts. It hurts.
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Starting point is 00:12:24 out supercast.com or check the link in the show notes to learn more. All right, a lot of prospect talk because we are the St. Louis Cardinals right now. And prospects is what we're excited about because the present day is, yeah, that's all right. There's some guys to be excited about, but the future is what we're really excited about, how these guys are all going to come together as a core and make the Cardinals a name to be feared in Major League Baseball circles once again. So their top 100 prospect list from Mbleby Pipeline got dropped on Friday night. And the Cardinals made a nice splash on it with five prospects making the cut.
Starting point is 00:13:04 The Cardinals are one of five orgs with five or more prospects on the list. You got the Mariners who lead the league with seven. Cardinals are trying to see if they can pry some of those guys away, followed by the Mets and the Guardians who had six. Then you got Pirates, Dodgers, White Sox, Marlins, and Cardinals with five. So they're right up there. with some of the best farm systems in baseball. St. Louis's list is headlined by, you know,
Starting point is 00:13:28 no surprise here, shortstop, J.J. Weatherholt, came in at number five overall behind the same four guys who were ahead of him at the shortstop position. There were 26 short stops inside the top 100. So a position that's got a lot of talent right now. Connor Griffin of Pittsburgh was number one. Then it's Kevin McGonigal from Detroit, Jesus Made of Milwaukee.
Starting point is 00:13:49 Apparently I was saying there, I have to call it made, because that's how it's spelled. Ma Dei is apparently how it said. Jesus Ma DeFrize from the A's. Now, the ride-up about JJ says, looking relaxed and loose in an upright open stance. He enviably combines good plate discipline
Starting point is 00:14:09 with an ability to manipulate the barrel and put consistent, consistent, strong contact into play. He didn't whiff more than 26% of the time against any pitch type in the upper minors. and while it doesn't reach huge top end exit velocities, the right mix of angles and generally hard hit balls, helped his power show up in a bigger way at AAA. Boosting is already well-known offensive profile.
Starting point is 00:14:32 Five foot 10 infielder moves with above average speed, and he has been efficient on the base paths as a pro. Weatherholt has been primarily a shortstop since his final season in Morgantown, but the cartels moved him to second and third last season, partly to get him exposure to different angles off the bat and partly because his glove won't knock Mason win off the six. When he gets his feet under him, whether Holt can exhibit strong throws across the diamond,
Starting point is 00:14:55 but he'll need to work on accuracy when on the move. His offensive skills are worth making room for as he's a potential 300 hitter with 2020 ability. We know that J.J. Weatherholt is special. It's been well documented, how important he is, to the rebuilding Cardinals in 2026 and beyond. But the Cardinals are also, they've got other guys. They've got four more in the top 100.
Starting point is 00:15:20 In fact, two of them were inside the top 40 with left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle in at number 34. And then you've got right now Rodriguez in at number 37. We've discussed them already when they were releasing each, you know, like the top 10 of each position with the MLB pipeline. Doyle was number four among left-handed pitching prospects. Rodriguez finished number three among catchers. So we'll move on from those guys. You can go back to another episode and check out what we had to say about them. But obviously, they've got a lot of talent.
Starting point is 00:15:50 Two guys, though, who made the cut, Joshua Bias, came in at number 87, and then catcher Leonardo Bernal at number 98. Now, if you've been listening to Locked on Cardinals in the last year, you are well aware of the excitement that myself and many of the fans have surrounding Josh Bias. And what he did this past season, where in a combined two stops at Highway Peoria and AA Springfield, he rattled off a line of 287 batting average, 20 home. run, 79 RBIs, and 59 stolen bases, which is all great. It's all great. But the key thing to me about all of this is that he was able to accomplish these things while at the same time
Starting point is 00:16:34 diminishing his strikeout totals in a major way, which was certainly a bit of concern for his first couple of years in pro ball. They're like, wow, this kid swings and misses a ton. Big dude, six foot three, very muscular. So growing into his body, body still a little bit and figuring out that swing. He figured something out here in 2025 because what a difference it was. 2024, he strikes out 114 times in 277 at bats. That's a 39% clip that he was striking out, which is horrendous. Last year, he struck out 103 times, but he did that in 418 at bats, move that down to 27%.
Starting point is 00:17:14 A whole lot better there, significant improvement. He also has a 60 great arm in the outfield so you can play him in the corners. They did give them some work in center field as well last year to, you know, hey, can you play all three? Let's figure it out. He's now the only other right-handed hitting outfielder on the Cardinals 40-man roster besides Jordan Walker. So you wish, you wish he was already a season at AAA and was somebody maybe who could contribute
Starting point is 00:17:43 this year. Maybe he still does. It's a possibility. but he was only a AA last year. So I'm not looking to rush anybody. There's really no business for him to come up and sit on the bench. So just everybody take a, take a breath when it comes to Joshua Baez. Let's see him tackle Memphis first before we get overly excited about things.
Starting point is 00:18:03 And then you've got Leonardo Bernal at number 98 coming off that minor league gold glove award at the toughest position of baseball. Scouting report on him reads that Bernal earns his best grades for the defensive work. He gets the ball out quickly and accurately showing an apt to. to jump up when he has the time or when he throws it from his knees when needing. Bernal threw, Bernal threw out 39.1% of attempted base dealers last season. Eventually, Texas League Speedsters decided we're not going to test them anymore. They stopped testing him. He also draws strong reviews for framing and receiving, combining anticipatory pre-pitch
Starting point is 00:18:37 movements with a good eye to steal strikes. And he's no slouts to play either. Switch hitter, bat at 247, 13 dingers, 70 ribbyes, 13 stole. and bases in 107 games at AA Springfield. Scattered a report on the offensive side said he shows better bat to ball skills across the board as a lefty, but he's got more thump from the right side, trading that off for struggles with soft stuff. His overall 82% in zone and 77% overall contact rates point to someone who could still be average with the hit tool and his decent exit velocities could get him to 15 to 18 homers at his peak. Exciting stuff. Very exciting stuff.
Starting point is 00:19:15 Now, one thing that I'm noticing in the comments section and I've noticed on X is that people are like, yeah, this is great. But we're all a little bit like we're not going to get overly excited about any of this stuff yet. Although I think most of us believe that J.J. Weatherholt is the real deal. But we've been burned, haven't we, Cardinal fans? We've been burned. We've noticed that the last three, like, major offensive guys that we were told were going to be really, really good players. They have not worked out. They haven't.
Starting point is 00:19:49 You know, Yvonne Herrera just came up and showed what he had. But before that, it was who? Dylan Carlson, flop, Nolan Gorman. So far, not what we wanted. Jordan Walker, so far, not what we wanted. And all three of those guys, if you remember, they came up rookie years. All three of them had really good rookie years. And then, poof, advance.
Starting point is 00:20:15 What happens? What's going on that by the time they get to the pros, like everything was working fine, and then they get there and then it all goes out the window. That's something they're trying to fix. We're hoping that doesn't happen to any of these new prospects that the Cardinals have here in the top 100. So I feel like that's part of the reason why us as fans are like,
Starting point is 00:20:41 it's fine, but like I'm pumping the brakes until they get up to the pros to improve. bit longer than one year because we've seen these guys do it for one year. And then it just goes away. So we'll see if they can fix that because they, Dylan Carlson on the move again, by the way. I'll be talking about him in a little bit. But, you know, Gorman and Walker are going to be guys that they rely on this year. They're going to get another year to prove that they belong and that they still have that
Starting point is 00:21:12 high ceiling of talent that the Cardinals saw when they drafted these guys, developed these guys. They had big years in the miners and they had that first big year with the Cardinals and then it hasn't been what they wanted ever since. So we'll see if they can turn those frowns upside down when it comes to Gorman and Walker this year. No longer on the list. Pitchers, Quinn Matthews, both dealt with injuries last year, need to prove that they could stay healthy before even sniffing the list in 2026. I got more faith in Quinn Matthews bouncing back than teen kents who still hasn't reached 100 innings in any season since. getting drafted in 2020.
Starting point is 00:21:48 I don't know what his future holds. I would love to see him just go to the bullpen and become that guy. It just doesn't feel like starter material anymore. But Quinn Matthews, still some hope. Still some hope. I mean, he's a year removed from a monster year in his first pro year when, you know, he went through all the minor league stops, went all the way up to AAA, was dominant at every stop until he got the AAA and, you know, struggle just a little bit, you know, minorly pitcher of the year.
Starting point is 00:22:20 I mean, come on. He can't tell me all that talent is just out the window. So still some hope there. Some former top prospects like Dylan Carlson have reached deals with other teams. One of them, sadly, Harrison Bader. I know, I know. I told you to get the tissues ready. I'll tell you where he landed next coming up on lockdown cardinals.
Starting point is 00:22:48 Thanks again for making lockdown cardinals, your first listen of the day. thank you for making it locked on the number one sports podcast network. So for a brief moment since winter warmup, there was this glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, the Cardinals could bring back former fan favorite Harrison Bader to the team. People were excited. Heim Bloom even answered a question by a fan during the Q&A about Harrison Bader. And he responded that, you know, sure, there's a chance that Bader is somebody we'd have interest in
Starting point is 00:23:20 because the team's, the team has an opening for a right-handed hitting outfielder at the moment. Still do. And the fans waited with bated breath on whether that dream could become a reality. And I try to warn you that it probably wasn't going to happen. And as I predicted, it did not happen. Harrison Bader has reportedly signed a two-year deal worth $20.5 million with the San Francisco Giants. This will be his sixth team since the cardals traded him at the deadline to the Yankees in 2023. Remember, that was the Jordan Montgomery deal.
Starting point is 00:23:53 He had a better than expected offensive season last year, split time with the twins and the Phillies. That earned him this two-year deal, which is why I didn't think the Cardinals were going to be able to get him, because I don't think they're interested in two-year deals for any of these guys. I would say one year with an option at best, preferably just one year, and we move on. And that is not something Harrison Bader probably wanted to do, as much as it would have been fun to see him back. here in a Cardinal uniform. It just didn't seem like it was something that was going to happen. But he fit the profile of what the team needs.
Starting point is 00:24:29 And on Sunday with Tom Ackerman on KMOX, Heim Blum was on there. And Tom was interviewing him and talking to him about, you know, things that have gone on since the winter warm up. And he talked about like, hey, so right-handed bat, still looking for one. And I asked him whether, you know, does it need to be a veteran? Does it, you know, do you want younger? guys to do it. And, you know, Hime, very smart answer was like, well, in a perfect world, you'd like a little bit of both. But he said it doesn't necessarily have to be a veteran,
Starting point is 00:25:01 but said you want to make sure you have guys that young players can lean on. But we want to make sure that we're just stacking as much young talent as we can together because we know that ultimately that group as it comes together and forms our core is going to help us win. Continued saying that as the offseason is getting closer to an end, spring training is getting closer and closer. You start to see those markets clarifying. Certainly it feels like the conversations that we have had in the free agent market are at least moving along a little bit. Nothing is eminent for us there, but I do think it's something we'll do at some point. Now, we've continued to bring up names of guys who happen to hit right-handed, can play a little outfield, seem to be,
Starting point is 00:25:44 or at least would possibly be cool with a one-year deal. We brought up Boston Hayes and Miguel Anduhar. A lot of people think Andrew Har is going to command a two-year deal after his big season. I don't know. But those are the guys that people continue to bring up his fits. But the more I keep looking at it, the more I start to lean towards somebody like former Cardinal Randall Gritchick as a better fit, just because what he's going to command money-wise and what he's probably expecting playing time-wise.
Starting point is 00:26:16 You know, Austin Hayes and Miguel Anduhar deserve to be starting every day after the seasons they've had. Like they should want to go somewhere where they're immediately going to be a part of the lineup, not where they're competing for bats with a large nuke bar or filling in for a Jordan Walker or something like that. So the more I think about it, the more I'm like, it should be somebody else that's even lesser of that kind of a player than Hayes and Andhuehawar that. Randall Gritchick makes a whole lot of sense. But we'll see. We'll see what he ends up doing. Another former top outfield prospect, Dylan Carlson, as I mentioned a little bit earlier, he is still around.
Starting point is 00:26:58 And by the way, Dylan Carlson is still only 27 years old. Can you believe that? That's how young he was when he came up with the team. Remember, he was the 21. So reportedly citing a minor league deal, this is not going to make people happy. Minor League deal with a non-raster invited spring training with the Chicago Cubs. Boo.
Starting point is 00:27:20 You know, the guy that made Harrison Bader expendable. He was the one of those guys. He made him and Tyler O'Neill expendable back in 2023. Is not hanging on, or should I say, is hanging on for dear life to like his major league careers, trying to stay in the big leagues after dealing with, obviously, all the injuries that he had with the Cardinals, went to Tampa Bay in that trade for Sean Armstrong, on goes to Baltimore last year, hit just 203, six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 241 played appearances.
Starting point is 00:27:52 And per usual, if you watch the games between the Cardinals in Baltimore last year, you saw it happen, ended up hitting the Cardinals well, 33, home run four RBIs against them and 12 at bats. Go figure. One team that he can hit against is us. The final former prospect I want to bring up is Austin Gomber. Yes, the biggest name in the deal that went to, Colorado for Nolan Aronado has found work again this time with Texas Rangers
Starting point is 00:28:19 organization. Same thing as Carlson, minor league deal, invite to camp. Gomber was actually with the Cubs AAA team at the end of last season when, you know, he had a horrible year with Colorado. It was 0.17, 7.49 ERA in 12 appearances. Like it was terrible. Got released in August. Signs with the Cubs, minor league, the Iowa affiliate.
Starting point is 00:28:41 And wasn't bad. 0.47 ERA and 19 innings with them to finish. off the year. So Texas is going to kind of take a look at the lefty. We know how valuable lefties can be. See if they could salvage anything from the now 32-year-old Austin Gomber. So there you have. Thanks for making Locktown Cardinals. Your first listen every day if you haven't already. Give us a follow on X at L.O underscore Cardinals into JD Sports Radio, TikTok, and Instagram at Lockdown Cardinals. Like subscribe on YouTube. If you never miss an episode, a reminder of that everyday air club, it is here for you. It's built for you. Get locked on ad free. Plus members only
Starting point is 00:29:13 the Discord access and more. Add to Lockdown, STL Cardinals. com to join the club. For those of you on video, we're going to send you to the first ever 24-7 national Lockdown Podcasts at Network YouTube channel on audio. Make sure your second listen is Lockdown MLB with our guy Sully.
Starting point is 00:29:30 You're the best fans in baseball for a reason. We'll see you next time on Lockdown Cardinals.

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