Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Wants to throw fewer strikes
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Mikolas wants to throw fewer balls in the zone on two-strike counts this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Mikolas has a microscopic 4.1 percent walk rate over the last two seasons, but he's also surrendered more two-strike hits than anyone in baseball over that span. The goal for 2025 is to try to get hitters to chase with two strikes, which might lead to a few more walks and a higher WHIP but also hopefully more strikeouts. Mikolas is entering the final year of his three-year, $55.75 million contract and will enter the campaign with a spot in the Cardinals' rotation.
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Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo: Being considered for relief role
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Graceffo is under consideration for a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Graceffo gave up a solo homer in two innings of work against the Mets in his Grapefruit League debut Monday, but he topped out at 97.1 mph with his fastball and induced four whiffs on six swings on his curveball. Manager Oliver Marmol referred to the appearance as "pretty electric." Graceffo has been a starter throughout the minors, but his progress has stalled out at Triple-A Memphis the last two years and a full-time shift to the bullpen might be the best thing for him and the Cardinals at this point.
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Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt: Cranks first spring homer
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Wetherholt went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run Sunday in Grapefruit League action versus the Astros.
Making his spring training debut, Wetherholt had a bloop single in the fourth inning and then in the fifth drilled an opposite-field, three-run homer off righty A.J. Blubaugh. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Wetherholt slashed .295/.405/.400 in 29 games with Single-A Palm Beach in his pro debut last year. The 22-year-old will likely begin the 2025 season either at High-A Peoria or Double-A Springfield.
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Cardinals' Victor Scott: In center field mix
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol considers the center field job to be an open competition between Scott, Michael Siani and Lars Nootbaar, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Nootbaar is the only one of the three guaranteed a regular role, and with Nolan Arenado still around the chances of those reps coming in center field are higher. However, Scott and Siani are also firmly in the mix, particularly if Marmol leans more toward defense. Scott could be the team's long-term answer at the position, but he struggled mightily in 2024 with just a .502 OPS. The Cardinals will want him playing every day, so if he doesn't win the center field gig he's likely to open the season at Triple-A Memphis.
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Cardinals' Michael Siani: Competing for center field job
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Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol considers the center field job an open competition between Siani, Victor Scott and Lars Nootbaar, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
If the Cardinals had been able to trade Nolan Arenado, Nootbaar would've been slated for everyday left fielder duty. With Arenado still around -- at least for now -- Brendan Donovan will see more time in left field, which would push Nootbaar to center. Siani and Scott are the superior defenders, though, and will have an opportunity to stake their claim to the job. The 26-year-old Siani led St. Louis with 96 starts in center field in 2024 and is an elite defender, but he was one of the worst hitters in baseball with a lowly .570 OPS.
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Cardinals' Drew Rom: Setback with shoulder
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Rom has been shut down from throwing after feeling soreness in his surgically repaired left shoulder during a recent bullpen session, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Rom had been considered fully recovered from the arthroscopic surgery he had last May, but he has now encountered a setback. He'll rest for a few days following a PRP injection before a timeline is established for when he can resume throwing. Rom was removed from the Cardinals' 40-man roster earlier in the offseason but is in camp as a non-roster invitee.
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Cardinals' Steven Matz: Getting start for third spring game
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Matz is scheduled to start the Cardinals' third spring training game Monday versus the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Matz is coming off an unproductive 2024 season in which he turned in a 5.08 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 44.1 frames, with recurring back problems playing a part in his deflated innings count. The veteran lefty was deployed out of the bullpen for much of September, but with Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn reaching free agency this winter and the Cardinals not making any major offseason additions to the pitching staff, Matz should be in good position to open the season as the club's No. 5 starter. Matz is entering the final season of a four-year, $44 million contract and likely won't have much job security if he emerges from camp with a rotation spot. St. Louis has a pair of intriguing young pitching prospects in Quinn Mathews and Michael McGreevy waiting in the wings to step in if Matz falters or gets injured.
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Cardinals' Erick Fedde: Getting ball for first spring game
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Fedde is scheduled to start the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener Saturday versus the Marlins, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Fedde is unlikely to cover more than one or two innings Saturday, but he'll get gradually stretched out during spring training and should be ready to handle a typical starter's workload to begin the regular season After returning stateside with a revamped repertoire in 2024 following a one-year stint in Korea, Fedde emerged as a viable mid-rotation arm between stops with the White Sox and Cardinals. Over his 31 starts, the 31-year-old submitted a 3.30 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while punching out 154 batters over 177.1 innings.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Steps in against batters Wednesday
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Romero (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Romero closed the 2024 season on the injured list due to right forearm inflammation, but he began a throwing program in late October and appears to be facing no limitations in spring training. The 28-year-old southpaw should remain a key setup option in front of closer Ryan Helsley in 2025 after logging a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB while gathering 30 holds, seven wins and one save over 59 innings a season ago.
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Cardinals' Ryan Helsley: Showcases cutter Thursday
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Helsley appeared to make use of a cutter as part of his arsenal while throwing his first live batting practice of the spring Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Helsley already looks to be fully ramped up in the early stages of the spring; the hard-throwing righty uncorked fastballs clocked at 98 mph for his first three pitches of Thursday's session. He also utilized his curveball and slider as part of his core three-pitch mix and complemented those offerings with a cutter, a pitch he's thrown just six total times during his six-year MLB career, per FanGraphs.com. Helsley will likely continue to experiment with his cutter throughout the spring before determining if he can command the pitch well enough to make it a consistent part of his repertoire heading into the regular season. Whether or not he ultimately expands his arsenal, Hesley shapes up as an upper-tier fantasy closer, coming off a brilliant 2024 season in which he recorded an MLB-leading 49 saves to go with seven wins and a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 21.1 K-BB%).
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Bulks up over winter
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Contreras (finger) said recently that he added 10-to-12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Contreras is moving from catcher to first base this season and is less concerned about flexibility, freeing him up to add some bulk over the winter. The 32-year-old didn't play after Aug. 24 last season due to a fractured right middle finger, but he didn't require surgery and appears to be fully healthy for spring training, as Contreras said that "the ball is jumping a lot better than last year" during his hitting early on in camp. Contreras will remain eligible at catcher in fantasy leagues in 2025, and the move to first base should allow him to play more often and hopefully have a better chance of staying healthy, making him an intriguing selection in draft rooms.
Cardinals' Michael McGreevy: Shows up in great shape
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McGreevy added 15 pounds of muscle this offseason, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
McGreevy has a shot at winning one of the last spots in the Cardinals rotation in camp and he's taking the opportunity very seriously, saying he tried to trim as much body fat as he could while putting on the 15 pounds of muscle. "He looks good [this spring training]," said manager Oliver Marmol. "He put on some weight and had a really good offseason, and I'm excited to see what's coming out of that arm." The 24-year-old righty logged 150 innings at Triple-A and 23 innings in the majors last season. He registered an elite 62.5 percent groundball rate and 2.3 percent walk rate in the majors, leading to a 0.78 WHIP. McGreevy sits in the low-90s with his fastball, but he has a plus slider and his command might be double-plus. Andre Pallante and Steven Matz may have a leg up on him for the final two spots in the rotation, but McGreevy is arguably the most appealing of the three from a fantasy perspective.
