Cardinals outright Hill, Anderson, Reifer to Triple-A

The Cardinals have outrighted catchers Steven Hill (pictured) and Bryan Anderson and pitcher Adam Reifer to Triple-A.

Hill hit .266 with 17 home runs with St. Louis' Triple-A affiliate in 2012. Anderson hit .225 in 393 in Triple-A plate appearances. Reifer posted a 4.90 ERA in 58 Triple-A appearances.

Analysis: I am sort of surprised to see Hill clearing waivers, because his minor league numbers show some promise. Anderson is still young but hasn't been able to put up good numbers. I know one thing, neither of these guys will get the opportunity to play everyday with Yadier Molina blocking them on the depth chart. Reifer put up decent numbers before the 2012 season, but his bad 2012 campaign dropped his value, and ultimately, his chance to be claimed off of waivers.

Fantasy talk: Allen Craig status report

When the Cardinals lost Albert Pujols last off-season, they knew that they were going to have to find other players to replace his production. Obviously they would have preferred to keep Pujols, but if they had to pick one positive out of him leaving, it opened the gates for Allen Craig, who has always been looming in his shadows. Craig finally got a chance to play everyday in 2012, and took advantage of it. He is turning himself into one of the most underrated players in the game, and should definitely be considered in your fantasy draft next spring.

The Cardinals drafted Craig in the 8th round of the 2006 draft, and sought highly of him. He raked him the minors, constantly hitting 20+ homers while maintaining a batting average of around .300 or so. St. Louis called him up in 2010 and used him in a part time role. He didn't have his greatest season, hitting .246 with 4 homers in 124 plate appearances, but did prove to be useful because of his versatility. At this point he would serve as a utility man, playing mostly first base, third base, and the corner outfield positions. In 2011 he finally got more playing time due to injuries to Lance Berkman and others. He definitely took advantage of it, hitting .315 with 11 homers in 219 plate appearances while being a hero in the playoffs, ultimately helping St. Louis win the World Series. Coming into this season, we all knew that Craig was naturally a great hitter and would see a lot of playing time. We also were excited because the Cardinals were finally sticking him at one position; first base. Craig went on to have a fantastic, under the radar, 2012 season, hitting 22 homers with 92 RBI in 514 plate appearances. Honestly, I can't say that I'm surprised because Craig put up similar numbers in the minor leagues, and if he puts up numbers like this for the rest of career I'm sure that the Cardinals' front office, and us fantasy owners, would be pleased. Obviously that is asking for a lot, and unfortunately for Craig I do not believe he will get any better. I envision him as a guy who can hit 20+ homers per season while driving in 90+ and maintaining a batting average around .310 or so, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Overall, Craig is a great hitter and as long as he's on the field, he is a force to be reckoned with. You should definitely consider drafting him next year as he is entering his prime and we know that he will be getting everyday playing time. Since he is so underrated, I wouldn't try to draft him early, so perhaps in the 6th or 7th round would be right (depending on how many teams are in your league.)

Gaub outrighted to Triple-A

The Cardinals have announced that pitcher John Gaub has cleared waivers and will be outrighted to Triple-A. The move creates space for Chris Carpenter, who made a start against the Cubs today.

Gaub has spent most of the 2012 season in Triple-A, where he has posted a 5.40 ERA in 53 1/3 relief innings for the top minor league affiliates for the Cardinals, Rays, and Rangers.

Analysis: Gaub really isn't anything special, so I'm not surprised that he cleared waivers. However, I'm really excited to see what Carpenter is capable of doing. He was supposed to be out for the season, but will surprisingly come back for a few starts. If he can be the Chris Carpenter of old, then the Cardinals are getting themselves one hell of a pitcher down the stretch.

Looking in on the future of the Cardinals

Albert who?

The Cardinals have had a very successful season, and may win one of the wildcard spots this year. After losing Albert Pujols last winter, most of us thought that the Cardinals would start to go in a free fall in the NL Central, but they definitely haven't done that in 2012. Their pitching has kept them in games, and their offense is lead by Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday. The Cardinals may be a good ball-club this year, but as their players are getting older, will they be good in the next 5 years or so?

Like I said before, the pitching has been a strength for St. Louis this year. Adam Wainwright has had a nice bounce-back season, and Kyle Lohse is pitching like Cy Young at the moment, without the strikeout ratio of-course. But, looking into the future, Lohse will probably leave via free agency this winter. I believe that Wainwright will stay, and eventually sign an extension to be their ace. The Cardinals also have Jake Westbrook, who recently signed a contract extension. He will not be with the club when his contract expires, but is a good #4 starter right now. Joe Kelly has been a nice surprise this year, and has a future in St. Louis. He has been used mostly in the starter's role, so look for him to be in the rotation in 2013 and beyond. Jaime Garcia has had a decent season, but is still young and we all know what he can do when healthy. He is definitely a keeper. The Cardinals actually have a good amount of pitching prospects, most notably Shelby Miller. Miller is having a rough year in the minors, but will get a brief stint with the big league club this month as an audition for next year. Other pitching prospects include: Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha, Tyrell Jenkins, John Gast, and Scott Gorgen. I believe there is one more name that I have not yet mentioned. That name is Chris Carpenter. Carpenter has missed all of the 2012 season, but will supposedly make a few starts in the final weeks of this season. If he can come back healthy in 2013, I expect him to perform well. However, I don't see him as a future piece in the rotation because 1) there is going to be a lot of competition, and 2) he is getting older and less durable.

The Cardinals' bull-pen has been solid this year, and I believe that most of the current members will be with the team for the next few years. Jason Motte has had an underrated season, and Mitchell Boggs is pitching like an elite setup man. In other words, the bullpen will not be a problem for the Cardinals.

Now, St. Louis' hitting has been good for the most part this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see some minor upgrades happening over the next few years. Yadier Molina is obviously a keeper, because of the fact that he is their cornerstone player and just signed an extension that will keep him through his prime years of his career. Allen Craig is over at first base, and I'm not sure if that is the right position for him. Craig is a great hitter, but can never seem to find a position that lets him play everyday. Obviously when Pujols left, Craig got the chance to step in and get some playing time, but he currently has some competition. Matt Carpenter is having a nice rookie year, and is about the same age as Craig. St. Louis also had Lance Berkman, who is now out for the rest of the season following yet another knee surgery. I'd be surprised if the Cardinals brought back Berkman, as he is clearly not part of their future due to injury problems. A name that catches my eye is Matt Adams, who is currently hitting well in the minor leagues. Adams has had a brief stint with the Cardinals this year, and succeeded. I believe that Adams will ultimately get the first base job, and we'll see either Carpenter or Craig getting traded to upgrade a different position. At second base, there is Skip Schumaker, who is a fantastic bench player, but is not the future second baseman. He has had a few nice years with St. Louis, and still continues to hit well, but eventually his age will catch up to him and he will get replaced by top prospect Kolten Wong. Wong is very young and has a lot of raw talent. He actually may be ready to join the Cardinals by the 2013 season, so look for him to take over the second base job. At shortstop, they currently have Daniel Descalso playing there everyday due to Rafael Furcal's season ending injury. Descalso is very versatile, but cannot hit at the MLB level. Look for him to get replaced, either by a free agent signing or by prospect Ryan Jackson, who is almost ready for the big leagues. At third base, its obvious that the Cardinals are going to keep David Freese. Freese will be manning the hot corner for the next few years, even though I believe that he shouldn't. In my opinion, and I realize that many of you disagree, he is injury prone and the Cardinals should trade him while his value is high. St. Louis also has prospect Carson Kelly waiting under him on the depth chart, but Kelly is very young and will need a lot of time to develop. As for the outfield situation, its a lot more straightforward than that of the infield. Matt Holliday will be in left field until his contract expires, and same with Carlos Beltran. Jon Jay will be their center-fielder for years to come, and will develop every year. However, that day will come when Beltran and Holliday are off of the team and the club will have to look to its farm system to find replacements. The Cardinals are lucky, because they have some good outfield prospects. They have Oscar Taveras (#1 prospect in organization), Charlie Tilson, James Ramsey, and C.J. McElroy. I would imagine that at least one of these players will get the starting job in the outfield down the road.

Overall, the future of the Cardinals doesn't look that bad. They have a nice amount of pitching depth, and can afford to trade one of their prospects if they need a big bat or two. Their bullpen is excellent, and their offense will only get better. Its definitely a good time to be a Cardinal fan right now.

Berkman out for the rest of the season

The Cardinals have announced that first baseman Lance Berkman will miss the remainder of the season following yet another knee surgery.

Berkman has played only 31 games this season, and has hit .265. He underwent knee surgery to repair his right meniscus in May and missed about a month of the season.

This could mark the end of Berkman's playing career, because he did hint at retirement a few weeks ago.

Analysis: Just as I predicted, Berkman has had another injury-prone season. He is just too old to play everyday in the league, and should hang up the cleats soon. He has had one heck of a career, but I don't know what else he has to prove. He is a border-line Hall of Famer at the moment.

Furcal to have Tommy John surgery, out for season

The Cardinals placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the 15 day disabled list yesterday with an apparently elbow injury. Today, Furcal's MRI confirmed that the injury is a a torn UCL ligament in his elbow that will force him to miss the remainder of the season. Fellow shortstop Pete Kozma has been recalled from Triple-A.

Furcal left Thursday night's game at Washington early after he felt a pop in his elbow. Furcal has hit .264 wit 5 homers and 49 RBI in 121 games with St. Louis this season. He made the All-Star team back in July.

Analysis: Tough blow for the Cardinals. Furcal has been pretty good this season and his defense and speed are hard to replace. Now the club will have to rely on internal options like Pete Kozma to fill in for the final month of the season. St. Louis could perhaps make a trade to acquire a shortstop but keep in mind that if they acquire someone, that player cannot play in the post-season with them.

Fantasy talk: Yadier Molina status report

Yadier Molina has been a name that I have hated to talk about over the last few years due to his clutch home run against Aaron Heilman in the 2006 NLCS against the Mets. (Obviously I'm a Met fan.) However, I have to give it to the guy, he is one of the best catchers in the game. He's been with the Cardinals for eight years, but it feels like its been a lot longer than that. In my next edition of my fantasy baseball status report, I'll take a look at Molina's career so far and how his future may look.

Molina was drafted in the 4th round of the 2000 draft by the Cardinals. He hit pretty well in the minor leagues, and played his position like a pro. He earned a brief call-up to the big leagues in 2004, and hit .267 in 151 plate appearances. Apparently that performance convinced St. Louis' front office to make Molina their starting catcher. In 2005 he played in 114 games, and hit .252 with 6 homers and 49 RBI. In my opinion, that isn't very good, but yet again, Molina didn't have too much upside right away, so I guess the Cardinals didn't expect him to come right out of the gate and start raking. In 2006, he had a very poor year. He hit .216 with 6 homers and 49 RBI. Right there, I'll be honest, I probably would have gave up on Molina after that dreadful season, despite his clutch hitting in the NLCS. Now, I realize that most Cardinal fans would get angry at me for saying that, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Anyway, next season he started to develop into a solid, reliable backstop, hitting .275 with 7 homers and 56 RBI. From 2009-2011, he gradually became a better ballplayer with every passing season. His batting average rose substantially, and he started to get more RBI's.

 Now, entering 2012, Molina was a safe player to pick in the draft. However, I'm sure that very few people expected that he would be having the season like he is having right now. He is currently hitting .325 with 17 homers, 62 RBI, and even 11 stolen bases. His on-base percentage is also .375 , which is very impressive. However, recently, Molina was in a home plate collison and may be seriously injured. Monitor his status and if he is out for the rest of the season, simply just drop him. Molina will definitely be a safe pick again next year, but don't expect him to continue this strong performance next year. Molina is not a power hitter, so don't expect him hit 17+ homers next year, unless, of course, he takes steroids, which is unlikely.

Fantasy talk: Jaime Garcia status report

Jaime Garcia has been an important player for the Cardinals ever since he first appeared in the show in 2008. Unfortunately, he has had some health problems, and that has restricted him from pretty much having a breakout season. Garcia has been a questionable player in the fantasy baseball world, but owners are still hanging onto him, waiting for him to break out.

Garcia was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2005 draft by the Cardinals. He put up very solid numbers in the minor leagues, and got the call to the big leagues in 2008. That year he had a brief stint with St. Louis, mainly working out of the bullpen. When the season was over, Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery, and that ultimately wiped out most of his 2009 season. However, at the end of the 2009 season, he pitched a few games in the minors, and played extremely well. In 2010, Garcia had a semi breakout year. He had a 13-8 record with a 2.70 ERA in 28 starts. He was slowly emerging as the team's #3 pitcher behind Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. The following season he had a good year, but failed to post the same numbers as the previous season. He pitched to a 3.56 ERA in 32 games started. Now entering this season, Garcia was an underrated, pretty much a no-named pitcher that was a decent sleeper pick. Although his health has always been a concern, it seems like fantasy owners, for the most part, just had a hunch about Garcia and picked him. Today is August 21, and Garcia has a 4.00 ERA in 12 starts. He hasn't been healthy for most of the season, therefore making his fantasy owners upset.

I'm still waiting for Garcia to have a true breakout season. His has very nice upside, but I can tell that health is going to be an issue for him throughout his career. Overall, if you have him this year, I would just hold onto him but if he goes on the disabled list yet again sometime within the next four or five weeks, just get rid of him.

Cardinals, Westbrook agree on extension

The Cardinals and veteran starting pitcher Jake Westbrook have agreed on a one year contract extension that will keep 34 year old in St. Louis through the 2013 season for $8.75 million. The deal also includes a mutual option worth $9.5 million for the 2014 season.

Westbrook previously signed a two-year, $16.5 million contract with the Cardinals after the 2010 season. St. Louis acquired Westbrook two years ago in the three-team trade that sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres.Westbrook has had a nice 2012 campaign, posting a 3.50 ERA in 154 1/3 innings. He will join Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Jaime Garcia and hopefully Chris Carpenter in St. Louis' rotation next year. Kyle Lohse will be a free agent at the end of the year.

Analysis: Nice signing by the Cardinals. Keeping Westbrook in St. Louis pretty much means that Kyle Lohse may be on his way out. Lohse will most likely seek a big contract in the fall, and I don't know if St. Louis will give it to him. Anyway, Westbrook is a solid #3 or #4 starting pitcher. He is pretty consistent and is a ground ball pitcher. However, I'm not sure if he is worth the money that St. Louis is giving him. Overall, starting pitching depth is always nice to have, especially when you injury prone hurlers Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia in your rotation.

Cardinals sign Matt Young

The Cardinals have signed utility player Matt Young to a minor league deal. Young was released by the Tigers last weekend.

Cardinals release Mark Hamilton

The Cardinals have released first baseman/outfielder Mark Hamilton. Hamilton has hit .231 in 15 homers in 359 Triple-A plate appearances this season.

Cardinals sign Brock Peterson

The Cardinals have signed infielder Brock Peterson. Peterson had previously been playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish, of the Atlantic League. He hit .293 with 21 homers with Bridgeport this season, and has been assigned to Triple-A.

Cardinals place Fuentes on restricted list

Update: Cardinals Manager Mike Mattheny told reporters to not expect Fuentes to return this season.

The Cardinals have placed left handed reliever Brian Fuentes on the restricted list after he asked to be excused for personal reasons.

Fuentes signed a minor league deal with St. Louis last month, after being released by Oakland. He has struggled this season, posted a 7.20 ERA in 30 innings for Oakland and St. Louis.

Players on the restricted list do not count against their team's 25 and 40 man rosters.

Cardinals sign Lance Zawadzki

The Cardinals have signed infielder Lance Zawadzki to a minor league deal. Zawadzki previously played for the Braves' Triple-A affiliate this season, where he hit .231 in 157 plate appearances.

Astros acquire Tyler Greene

The Astros have acquired utility player Tyler Greene from the Cardinals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Greene has hit .218 with 4 homers in 197 plate appearances this season. He was originally drafted by Astros current GM Jeff Luhnow in 2005, when Luhnow was with the Cardinals scouting organization.

Lohse open to Mid-Season Extension talks

Kyle Lohse has told reporters that he is open to discussing a mid-season extension that would keep him in St. Louis. The Cardinals, however, have yet to talk to Lohse about a possible deal.

Lohse is currently having a career year, posting a 2.79 ERA in 23 games started and 148 1/3 innings pitched. He is in the final year of a four-year, $41 million contract extension he signed with the Cardinals late in the 2008 season.

Buster Olney suggested that Lohse could get a contract similar to the one that Mark Buehrle signed with Miami before this season. Buehrle's contract was a four-year deal worth $58 million. Lohse is a client of Scott Boras, so that will definitely help him getting a massive deal.

Analysis: I've never been a big fan of Lohse, and I think that it would be a big mistake for the Cardinals to sign him to an extension, especially one exceeding $50 million or so. First off, Lohse is not a young player by any means. He is going to be 34 years old this fall and does not have a good track record. He had many poor seasons with Minnesota and I quite honestly don't trust him. He was pretty good last year and is playing way over his head this year. I think the Cardinals should just let him walk, and save some payroll. But anyway, good move by Lohse here. He knows that getting guaranteed money now would be smart for an injury-prone player like him.

Berkman hits the 15 day DL

The Cardinals have placed first baseman Lance Berkman on the 15 day disabled list with right knee inflammation. He wants to join the Cardinals within the next two weeks.

Berkman has had a disappointing and injury-riddled season. He has hit .267 with 2 homers and only 7 RBI in 28 games.

Cardinals acquire Edward Mujica

The Cardinals have acquired pitcher Edward Mujica from the Marlins in exchange for minor league third baseman Zack Cox.

Mujica has a 4.38 ERA with a 50.4% ground ball rate in 39 innings for Miami this year. Mujica is owed $538K for the remainder of the season and will be arbitration eligible for the third time after this year.

Cox was the Cardinals' first round pick in 2010. He has hit .254 in 316 Triple-A appearances. Baseball America ranked Cox fourth among Cardinals prospects before this season.

Analysis: This is a nice trade for both teams but I believe the Marlins won this deal. Mujica is a good player, but he's a setup man at best. Cox could be the third baseman of the future for Miami and he is a very good prospect. Great pickup by the Marlins.

Astros claim Fick off of waivers

The Astros have claimed pitcher Chuckie Fick off of waivers from the Cardinals. The Cardinals designated Fick for assignment two days ago.

Fick appeared in two games for St. Louis before they removed him from their roster. He has spent most of this season in Triple-A, where he posted a 4.68 ERA in 42 1/3 relief innings. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow originally selected Fick in the 15th round of the 2007 draft, when he was the Cardinals VP of Scouting and Player Development.

Cardinals designate Fick for assignment

The Cardinals have designated pitcher Chuckie Fick for assignment. The move creates roster space for pitcher Brian Fuentes, who has been added to the major league roster. Victor Marte was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Fick has allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings pitched this season. He had a 4.68 ERA in 42 1/3 relief innings for Triple-A this year.