Trying to remember the last time two guys each owed this much money were swapped for each other. Probably missing an obvious one but I’m striking out.

Had free time in Florida today so I popped over to see the construction progress in Jupiter. Little less than three months until pitchers and catchers:

I’m still on vacation until tomorrow night, but as a little treat: Cardinals non-tendered Jorge Alcala (from DFA limbo), John King, Yohel Pozo and Sem Robberse.

The least important programming notice in history: for the next week I will be some combination of on a boat, on a beach or at a bar, so I will not be here for anything newsy through this week’s 40-man shuffle. Have fun tweeting about Leo Bernal!

One thing worth noting as reporting consistently points the Blue Jays at the closer market -- they were heavily involved with the Cardinals re: Ryan Helsley at the deadline, and I would surmise he would be an attractive option at a somewhat lower price point than Díaz.

On hold with a hotel which has an automated menu that describes its location as “Ft. Lauderdale’s most prestigious office park,” and that might the most cursed phrase I’ve heard in a while.

In the rust belt, accusations that competitive integrity on the baseball diamond was explicitly sacrificed in favor of personal enrichment. But enough about Bob Nutting! I had some thoughts about rigged bets, rigged rosters, and permission structures: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Nico Harrison made it 25 more games in charge of the Mavericks after trading Luka than Jeff Bridich did in charge of the Rockies after trading Arenado.

The GM meetings are underway, so trade season has unofficially kicked off. Chaim Bloom’s first big test will be navigating the three bears of trade destinations; Arenado’s list is big, Contreras’ is small, Gray’s is just right: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

I was an NL Rookie of the Year voter. My ballot: 1. Baldwin 2. Horton 3. Durbin 4. Collins 5. Marsee

Following this weekend’s indictments of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, MLB has announced that, in collaboration with major sports books, single pitch wagers are being capped at $200 and excluded from all parlays:

Going through the minor league transactions log, and a bunch of Cardinals farmhands elected free agency yesterday: Drew Rom Zack Weiss Oddanier Mosqueda Tyler Matzek Jack Ralston Zach Plesac Aaron Wilkerson Osvaldo Berrios Curtis Taylor Gavin Collins

Alec Burleson is the deserved winner of the NL Silver Slugger for utility players.

The winter roster shuffling has begun. There will be a great deal more in the coming weeks: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Cardinals selected Bryan Torres to the 40-man to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent. Michael Siani claimed on waivers by Atlanta, Roddery Muñoz by Cincinnati. Zack Thompson and Anthony Veneziano cleared waivers and were outrighted. These moves reduce their 40-player roster to 37.

Here's one Cardinals 40-man cut:

Paul DePodesta collecting the most hapless organizations in sports like Infinity Stones. Gonna go run the Sabres in 2030.

Cardinals are playing the S-Cards in Springfield on Monday, March 23, the teams announced. Springfield season ticket holders have exclusive access until December 1 and they’ll sell remaining tickets after that.

The various options being resolved in the opening days of the offseason are revealing the shape of the starting pitching market. Welcome to the One-Year Winter; the Cardinals should be poised to take advantage: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

At some point in the last few days, the Cardinals schedule on the team's website was updated with game times for all home games and for the road games where opponents have released their times. Same pattern as the last few years: weekdays at 6:45/12:15, weekends at 7:15/1:15.

The rubber is about to meet the road on the last several years of specious Cardinals 40-player roster management. As free agency opens, a deep Rule 5 pool and a handful of Tommy Johns will make for some big changes in the coming weeks: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Ozzie Smith, Edgar Rentería, and now Masyn Winn. The first two won multiple Gold Gloves at shortstop, and Winn is poised to follow them after securing his first this evening: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Masyn Winn is the NL Gold Glove winner at shortstop. He’s the first Cardinals shortstop to win since Edgar Rentería won in 02 and 03.

Miles Mikolas is now officially a free agent. Cardinals 40-man reduces to 39, though Zack Thompson hasn’t yet come off the 60-day IL.

I would not hand out free outs down one in the 11th inning of game seven of the World Series, but I’m built different.

Oh there is absolutely no way.

As always, #NeverBunt.

This game has had so much and it is the fourth inning.

Manageable sprint speed for Bichette.

Are we allowed to say out loud yet that Ohtani looks gassed? Because he kind of looks gassed.

Springer lost track of the outs, right? Which should be impossible with the third batter of the inning up, but…

This really should induce absolute terror in Dodgers fans.

MLB says “American singer John Vincent” will be performing the US national anthem tonight. Thing is, there are two professional American singers named John Vincent — an Indy rock guy and an opera singer who does the Wrigley anthem. Tune in to see which!

Cardinals have announced two new hires: Joe Douglas is Director, Pro Acquisition. Most recently with Pittsburgh for eight years, he’ll oversee pro scouts and acquisitions and report to Randy Flores.

Congratulations to the many other millennials who are joining me today in the “I am older than a big league manager” club.

Matt Svanson went from off-the-radar spring training afterthought to tentpole reliever over the course of the 2025 season. Here’s a collection of relievers in the Cardinals system who could follow that path: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Congratulations to Ben Gibbard for getting that check from Fox.

No, the Dodgers are not ruining baseball. But the public fight over the coming CBA is bound to be drawn out and nasty, so it would be helpful if Dave Roberts would not throw gas on the fire: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan are finalists for the NL Silver Slugger for utility players, alongside San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth. Burleson should be the prohibitive favorite.

Three of the four surgeries the Cardinals have announced this winter come with a lot of precedent and predictable recovery timelines. Lars Nootbaar’s does not, and the precedent that exists is alarming. That could have a real effect on short term roster building: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...

I don’t know whether Brewers fans or Mariners fans had less fun with the LCS, but that sure was the two ends of the baseball pain spectrum.

That has to be the correct call, but it also should be allowed moving forward because it’s cool.

Scherzer replacing Verlander in the Giants rotation next year is a really good bit.

Shohei defies hyperbole. Impossible, and yet.

Brendan Donovan also had surgery to repair a sports hernia and Lars Nootbaar had surgery on both heels to “shave down Haglund’s deformities,” team says. Return to play determinations TBD.

Iván Herrera has shared photos on Instagram of his surgery recovery, and a source says he had a procedure to remove bone spurs on October 15 and it went as expected. The procedure is not expected to delay his winter work.

And I was really looking forward to going to Milwaukee next weekend. Goodnight, Jim Kyte.

Bryan Torres and César Prieto in action, as well as several #OldFriends.

Masyn Winn is a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop, as expected, alongside Nick Allen and Mookie Betts. He has a real shot to win. Overcoming the accomplishment in moving positions as Betts did is going to be tough.

Five straight winning seasons, homegrown superstars locked up for the duration of their careers, a starting pitching factory and a middle of the road payroll? Suddenly Seattle’s 54%ers look like the model for what the Cardinals want to be: www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/s...