Locked On Cardinals - Daily Podcast On The St. Louis Cardinals - Trade Talk

Episode Date: March 10, 2025

- Why Trade? - Erick Fedde - Nolan Arenado - Ryan Helsley - Cardinals Beat The Yankees - Andre Pallante - Michael McGreevy - Nolan Gorman Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOSTLCardinals?sid=YouTube Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnMLB Follow on Twitter/X: @JDSPORTSRADIO Follow the show on Twitter/X: @LO_Cardinals Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Wonderful Pistachios Looking for a snack that’s both delicious and nutritious? Get snackin’ and get crackin’ with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more. FanDuel Right now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plenty of trade rumors have surrounded the Cardinals during the offseason and now continue into spring training. Today we're going to discuss the realistic idea of still trading away guys like Nolan Aronato, Eric Fetty and Ryan Housley. You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts network, part of the Lockedon Podcast Network, part of the Lockedon Podcast Network. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey there, Cardals fans. I'm J.D. Haffer, and I'm your host for Lockedong Cardinals, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network covering your team every day. You can follow me on X at JD Sports Radio, the podcast available at L0 underscore Cardinals. We're also on YouTube. Be sure to like, subscribe, and comment and hit that notification button so you don't miss any new episodes or shorts that we drop.

And we're also available on TikTok and Instagram at Locked on Cardinals. This is a show serving Cardinal Nation and giving the best fans in baseball. All of the info about the birds on the bat. So the Cardinals were winners on Sunday over the Yankees by a score of six to five. Very nice, very nice. We'll discuss that game a little bit later on. But before we get to that, I just want to address some of the rumors and ideas that have been floating around the web.

The one thing that you can always count on in spring training, obviously, is injuries for most teams. They're going to happen to every team, really, in some way, shape, or form. Some will be, like, big ones. He's an altering types of injuries. Others will be a minor inconvenience here and there. Like the Cardinals are dealing with a couple of injuries right now. Zach Thompson is out with the lat.

strain. Yeah, we don't know what his role was going to be with the big club anyway. Jordan Walker, minor inconvenience right now. Big spring for the young right fielder who has gotten the keys to the car, so to speak in right field, but got injured while playing right field when he stepped on a friggin' sprinkler head. Of course he did. And we'll be out about a week before revving things back up again. All of the reports about Walker, though, have been positive since the injury happened and barring any setbacks. He should be back on the field this week. Going to be re-evaluated on Monday. What the Yankees are dealing with, since Carls just played them on Sunday, is potentially season altering. You've got ALCS MVP, John Carlos Stanton,

out with tendon issues in both of his elbows that have kept him from swinging a bat since January. So it's pretty bad. And some reports are that there's a possibility he could be out for the year. A.L. Rookie of the Year, Luis Heel, out with a lat injury, just like Zach Thompson, lat injury, going to cost him at least three months. Ace Garrett Cole, as of right now, out with right elbow injury that the team is hoping won't be season ending. They are preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best, but it doesn't sound good for Garrett Cole right now. DJ Lemayhew, he's out with the castrate. These are major problems. These are serious injury problems for a team that, you know, was in the World Series last year.

So it could cause a team like the Yankees to go explore some other options, perhaps, even make a few trades. Now, the Cardinals are listening to offers, at least they were, this offseason, mainly on Nolan Aronado. You know, when you've heard John Moseilock talk about his offseason, you know, he went to the guys that had the contracts and the no trade clauses, except for Miles Michaelis, who, you know, he said, I didn't even really bother Miles about that. I didn't think you'd want to go anywhere.

But, you know, Wilson Contraer, Sunny Gray decided, nah, we want to stay. We're cool with being here. We don't really want to go anywhere else. No one Arnado said you can explore a couple of things for me and we'll see if they work out. If not, no big deal, I guess. Most of those whispers have died down now. The camp has started. But now that you're starting to see more teams with championship aspirations dealing with injuries,

Cardos might get a couple of phone calls. You know, the Yankees, who we just talked about. about got a lot going on. The Mets have lost Sean Mania, Frankie Montas, and Francisco Alvarez. They're all out right now. The Orioles are missing. Grayson Rodriguez. Gunner Henderson, former Cardo Andrew Kittridge got hurt. He's going to be gone for a while. The Braves are still working back, Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr. They just lost Sean Murphy. The Mariners lost George Kirby. You know, these are some big names on teams that we're thinking they were going to be competing this year. So it could prompt some of these guys to pick up the phone

and call John Moseilac to see who, if anyone, is still available in a cardo uniform, hence why you're starting to see trade proposals popping up a little bit more around the internet. And these are all just speculation. You know, there's no real report on anybody being dealt at this moment. I want to freak you out or anything. But people are chatting. People are discussing this stuff. And I wanted to catch you up on some of the discussion about these guys on the Cardinals

that some of these teams might be interested in. So we'll start with our friends over at Redbird Ranch. We're always throwing out ideas about things that the Cardinals could do at any point in time. This one brought up about Eric Fetty from our guy Thomas Covey, who says that maybe the Cardinals shouldn't wait on trading Eric Fetty and maybe try to get a deal worked out now. Thomas suggests that perhaps some of these teams were desperate to fill these new holes in their rotations might be willing to part with some decent prospect talent in return for the Cardinal right-hander who, you know, doesn't call. much, at least, you know, compared to what, you know, starting pitchers normally cost this day and age with his kind of, his kind of production, you know, he's only going to cost seven and a half million, which is peanuts in the baseball world. It's going to be a free agent at the season's end,

so you're not stuck with some long-term contract or anything like that. And so far this spring, Fettias looked pretty darn good. I mean, he's made three starts thus far. He's thrown six innings. He's allowed one run, which was a solo home run by the Astros, Issock Parades has given up three total hits. He struck out four. He's walked to. Nothing spectacular, but solid. Eric Fetty-like stuff, right?

Meanwhile, the Cardinals, you know, if they decided to deal away, Fetty could gain some prospects, open up another spot in their rotation that currently has six guys competing for those five spots. That would essentially end this battle for the fifth spot. And you would just have McGreeby and Palante in the rotation. Case closed. you wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

I get it. I understand this thought process, and I understand why Thomas brought it up. And if I'm Mo, I'm definitely listening. If people are calling about this, as he said before, nobody is really untradable. Okay, they just have to get the right amount in return. I'm a fan of starting rotation depth.

I've seen it bite the cartels in the butt many, many years. And it's kind of nice to have a little bit of starting rotation depth at the moment. Not a lot of teams got it. And you can see that, you know, with some of these injuries that people are dealing with, it sucks when you get stuck in one of those spots. So I don't really think the Cardinals view Eric Fetty is part of their future beyond this year anyway. So if one of these teams is calling and out of desperation starts offering something pretty decent, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. You know, one of the risks that you take is that if you hang on to Eric Fetty and let's say things don't pan out and his numbers aren't good

or heaven forbid he does get hurt, then you're just screwed and you're not going to get anything for him. But if he's a hot commodity right now, hey, why not? Why not? Right. Now these teams could also pivot and they could just sign one of the former cardinals that are out there in the free agent market talking about Kyle Gibson or Lance Lynn, both of them still available as is Spencer Turnbull. But I think it's funny that Gibson and Lynn are both still available out there. You know, last year when the Cardinals signed them as free agents, I was like, we were all like, what? Why are we going here? Why are we just going straight mediocrity? What is the point of this? And you can see how the rest of the league views, what they did for the Cardinals last year.

They were bad, but they're just me. They're just meh, kind of guys when it comes to production. So, Spencer Turnbull didn't have a bad season last year, injury stuff. But, I'm guessing their agents will get some calls now. I'm almost certain to that. So I'd expect to see them to get scooped up pretty soon. Baltimore in need of a guy, Kyle Gibson, he's been there before. Imagine Lance Lynn in the Bronx with the Yankees and the crotch grabbing, all that stuff. That could be fun.

Anyway, Nolan Arnado's name continues to be brought up in trade speculation as well, despite us trying to avoid it. And Hanao has reportedly added two teams to his. list of places he'd be willing to go. We'll discuss those reports coming up next on Lockdown Cardinals. Thank you again for making Locked on Cardinals your first list every day. Leave your comments on YouTube as well as on X. Anytime you want your feedback is always welcome and encouraged.

The New York media is trying like hell to get Nolan Arnado out of St. Louis and to Gotham City as fast as they can. John Heyman wrote about Nolan Aronado being with rebuilding Cardinals. how it's a shame that Nolan Aronado has to play for our poor Cardinals, who are going to just be dog crap apparently this year. And then you've got Michael Kay, who does the play-by-play for the Yankees on the S network. He was on with John Heyman on his podcast and talked about how he's been saying since the beginning of spring training that it's such a natural thing for me to bring Aronado over to the Yankees. He said he's heard that the Yankees are not exactly high on him,

but looking at what the Yankees have right now with third base, Kay seems to be willing to make a deal. The problem is what the Yankees want to give up, at least what Kay, Michael Kay wants to give up, is something that the Cardinals don't have any interest in trading for. Kay said he thinks if the Yankees could get the Cardinals to take Marcus Stroman, that he would make that deal. You don't say, you would do that for us?

Oh, my gosh. you'd like the Cardinals to take your bad contract that you gave Marcus Stroman in exchange for one of the greatest defensive third baseman of all time. All-star caliber third baseman, I think still now, despite his down year last year, certainly a future Hall of Famer. That's what you're going to do? You're going to give us Marcus Stroman? That's what you think it would make sense? Sure, that makes sense for the Yankees. They don't make any sense for the Cardinals. again, Arnado has regressed offensively the last two seasons. I get that.

But still, the point of moving Nato is to, yeah, we want to open up some playing time for some other guys, which is great, but also we're trying to shed salary. That was a big part of it. Stroman makes $18.5 million has a vesting option for next season, which becomes a player option if he hits 140 innings pitched, which he did last season. that would lock him in for another 18 million next year for whoever's got him on their roster. His total number of $36.5 million, yeah, it's less than Nolan Aronado 64 million that he still owed, but it's not nearly the savings that the Cardinals were reportedly sent to get away with in that Houston Astros deal that got vetoed.

So the Cardinals taking on Marcus Stroman, and you're telling me the Yankees aren't going to ask us to eat any of that money, too, on the Aronado deal. They're just going to player swap it. Like, no. And the way the Yankees have talked about them, why would we want them? Like, you guys didn't seem to want them in your starting rotation. And the ironic thing is now the Yankees, because they're dealing with these injuries, might have to rely on Marcus Stroman more than ever now. So they're in a bad way right now with the Yankees.

So if I am John Moseilac and the Yankees come calling, I mean, I'm shooting that prize. Oh, you really? You want Arnaudanau now, do you? Well, it's going to cost you a whole lot more than it would have before because now you guys are stuck and you're in a bad spot. Now the two teams that Nato has reportedly added to his list, this according to Hayman are the Mets and the Phillies.

Now the Mets re-signed Pete Alonzo, so there isn't any room on the infield for him anymore anyway, so I don't know what that does. And then the Phillies, they never moved on from Alec Fome, so they don't need Nolan Aronado for anything. The Astros reportedly came sniffing around again after Bregman shot him down and went to Boston instead, but there hasn't been much more about that since that happened.

I just, at this point in the spring, we're on March the night. We've only got a couple weeks left. Not as going to be a Cardinal on opening day in 2025. There are worst tragedies in the world. People who are upset about this, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if that bothers you so much. But great guy, great teammate.

He's really the last star player that the Cardinals even have on this roster. No offense to Wilson Contreras and Sonny Gray. But I mean, there's not a whole lot of star power on this roster, right? And although he's only hitting 160 this spring after today, he says he's locked in physically. I think he looks good. It appears mentally he's doing all right. He seems to be smiling a lot in a lot of the video and footage that I have seen, despite this bizarre offseason.

So I feel like he's come to terms and he's at peace with everything at the moment. Maybe we revisit trading somebody like Nolan Aronado at the trade deadline. Maybe that's something that can happen if he's up for it. But he's got the no trade clause. So he doesn't have to go anywhere. doesn't want to, I just feel like he's ready to be a Cardinal in 2025 and wants to see what this team can do. Then there's close to Ryan Helsler, a guy we all thought would get moved this off season, but once again, another one of these guys that got held on to anyway, the Boston

Red Sox were mentioned in a trade idea on fan cited that had the Sox sending their number 12 prospect, Alfeo Der Miguel Blaise, and number 14 prospect, right-handed starting pitcher Richard Fitz, plus cash considerations to the Cardinals for closer Ryan Halsley. Now that right there isn't such a bad deal. That's not such a bad deal if you're the Cardinals. That's one I would be intrigued by. Helsley will be a free agent next year. And if you don't lock him up with an extension this year,

odds are he's going to walk away and go to some big market team anyway. The other thing you can do is hold on to him and see if the demand and price for him goes up at the trade deadline. I keep pointing back to what happened last year where Tanner Scott. got moved from the Marlins to the Padres, and the Marlins got a lot of good stuff in return for, what, a couple of months of Tanner Scott for the Padres, who turned heel and went to the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason

with just about everybody else. I don't think Boston is that desperate at this moment to actually still put something like that out there. They signed a role as Chapman, who's been pretty good the last couple of seasons, despite getting a little bit older. And then Liam Hendricks also is with the Red Sox. And as entertaining as that deal may be.

And that's certainly one that I'd be like, well, hold on a second. I think it's just wishful thinking, really, and for amusement at this point. But as of right now, I would be shocked if any trades go down. Again, it would take something big. And the Cardinals are holding the cards.

I know, corny. But they're holding all the cards right now. They've got the guys that other people want, and they don't have to trade them if they don't want to. One of those guys doesn't have to go anywhere if he doesn't want to. And then as far as, you know, price should be going up on guys like Helsley and Eric Fetty or any of the starter. Stephen Matt's, any of these guys that some of these teams might be desperate to get their hands on because of the injuries that are happening to them right now. So I would stand pat and just drive that price up even more. and then if you get to a spot where you can't say no,

hold the trigger. I'm happy with that. But I enjoy that the Cardinals have a little bit of depth right now at the starting pitching position. And it's hard to let go of that. It's hard to let go of that because you know how quickly things can change. I want to talk about Sundays whenever the Yankees. We'll do that next on Lockdown Cardinals.

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Baseball Guru Soli brings you a daily blend of humor in baseball, keeping you updated on all the teams during spring training. You can find Lockdown MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Andre Palante, Michael McGreevy, battling for spots in this rotation against both each other and against veteran left-hander Stephen Matt's, really. So that's the three guys that are really going for it. I have not been shy about my feelings on this situation.

I want both of your young right handers in this rotation, quit screwing around with them, and put Stephen Matson in the bullpen. Just do it, make it happen. My stance has not changed on this whatsoever, despite what we saw from Palante on Sunday, the right-hander had himself a bit of a tough time keeping the ball down in today's game. Third inning, the Yankees made a pay for it, hitting a pair of two. run home runs off of them and neither of them were wall scrapers by any means. I mean, these things were nukes.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. 110 off the bad down the line of right went 400 feet. J.C. Ascara 101 off the bed, 422 feet. Both pitches just right down the middle, right over the heart of the plate, just missed his spots. And at this level, you miss your spots, these guys are going to smoke it. And Jazz had a four-scene fastball. Ascaros was a sinker. And they were just right there saying, hit me.

So they did. And they hit him really hard and really far. If Palante doesn't get the ball down, he gets sheled, bottom line. And that's true most of the time for a lot of sinker ball pitchers. You know, when Palante's on, a lot of ground balls, a lot of boring ground balls, not much going on. But that's his game. Keeps the ball down.

gets the occasional strike out here and there. That's what he does. When the ball is up, that thing is going to get smashed. And it did today. He gave up eight total hits, four runs, walked one, struck out two and four innings. Not a great day for Andre Palante. Again, things will work on.

So he's had a couple of bad outings. You know, spring training, we'll continue to ride this roller coaster because we believe in Andre Palante. Michael McGrievey followed him and gave up a solo shout to Anthony Volpe on. a on a slider low and end, which just caught maybe, you know, caught a little bit too much to play. I mean, if you want to be really critical about it, and Volpey put a good swing on it.

It happens, you know, these hitters are good. Sometimes they hit good pitches and hit them far. And that's what happened with McGreevy. I wouldn't call that a bad pitch whatsoever. Gave up a pair of two out singles. And then with his pitch count, starting to grow a little bit, he got yanked, but brought him back in the sixth inning where he worked out around a one, a one out single. to win the inning. And then he had a one, two, three, seventh inning. So all in all, he goes two and two thirds,

one run on that dinger, five hits, no walks, one strikeout, solid again. Not as crisp as we're used to seeing Michael McGreevy, but still pretty good, pretty good. Offensively, the big story was the power of the Cardinals on Sunday. They were playing long ball. Wind was blowing out. We saw a lot of home runs today, obviously, on both sides before dingers on the day for the Cardinals today. shots, Alec Berlison, Matt Coperniac and Cesar Prieto, but the one that had people talking was the one that happened in the fourth inning. It was a two-run shot by one Nolan Gorman. What a blast it was, got a fastball in, and he just opened up those hips, and he smoked this sucker down the line over the wall in right field. Statcast added at 109.1 off the bat, 396 feet,

went over the tent there in right field. But it probably felt like it went 500 feet with the amount of a weight it took off of Nolan Gorman's shoulders. And everybody felt really good about it. You know, I got a lot of people on X blowing me up like, there he is, finally. And I'm like, I know, I know, because we want good things for Nolan. He's never done anything that has made any of us want to root against him. You're rooting for him.

This is a guy that's a big part of the future of this team. It's his first home run of the spray. he would later hit a double to right and ended his day two for three with two rbis he's now got he's now got hits in five straight games he's gone six for 17 which is a 353 average after going 04 leading up to that he's got two devils now the home run and what i what stands out the most to me over the last 17 at bats only two strikeouts only two strikeouts which you love to see hopefully they can get similar production from uh jordan walk when he returns because I cannot stress how important it is for this franchise that these two guys pan

out and become big time players for the St. Louis Cardinals. It's got to happen. Kapurdiak Stinger, opposite field off a lefty, which is a big deal because we know how lefty heavy the Cardinals roster is specifically in the outfield. So if he's able to do damage against lefties, it makes his ability to make this roster even bigger. So you got to like that for Matt Coperniac who just keeps hitting. Alec Berluson shot, no cheapy. 102.8 off the bad, 429 feet over the center field wall. His first of the spring, Prietos was the game

winner into the bullpen and right center. Shout out to the bullpen, specifically Jojo Romero and Chris Roycroft, who came in and threw two shutout innings and struck out five. Roycroft closes out the game, striking out the side. Neither of them has allowed to run yet during the spring. Joejo, we know, is going to be a major part of the pin already, but Chris Roycroft, one of those guys who continues to put his hat in the ring for an opening day spot as they continued to jockey for those final positions in the bullpen.

Victor Scott the second two outfield assists from center field, which you love to see because everybody obsessed with Michael Siani being so good defensively in center field. And I keep telling you, Victor Scott is not that far below Michael Siani. and he gives you more upside on the offensive side of things, although he went over three today and is now over his last nine. Brennan Donovan was supposed to play on Sunday, ended up getting scratched so he could reportedly get more pregame work in. So they were like, well, you're doing all this.

We don't need you to play in this game. Jose Fermin got the start instead. He had a slack fly RBI today, I think. I mean, it was a sack fly, wouldn't it? Jordan Walker scheduled to be re-evaluated on Monday from his knee injury, but things sound pretty darn positive since it happened. So things seem to be going in the right direction for Jordan. Next game for the Cardinals will be on Monday with Sunny Gray scheduled to start.

It's a night game, by the way. It's just a heads up there. They'll be taking on the Mets. We'll see if Sunny can keep the ball in the yard this time after giving up three taters and his last time out against the Astros. Thanks for making a locks on Carlis. Your first listen every day. You haven't already.

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