Sports Time Radio

Yesterday evening there was another big time major league player traded as Nolan Arenado became a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. There where rumors during the shortened 2020 season that the Cardinals where interested in acquiring Arenado from the Colorado Rockies, but it ended up being nothing more than a rumor. I’m sure when this same rumor came up again about a week ago almost everybody thought it would just be a rumor again, but in this case we actually got a deal between the two teams.

Now we’re waiting for this trade to become official, but it looks like the Cardinals will receive Arenado and $50 million dollars. St. Louis has also guaranteed one more year of Arenado’s contract. It’s unclear what players the Rockies will receive in return for Arenado, but there have been a few names mentioned. It appears as though left handed pitcher Austin Gomber will be one of the players headed to Colorado. The other names mentioned that might be headed to Colorado are first baseman Luken Baker, outfielder Jhon Torres and right handed pitchers Jake Woodford and Angel Rondon.

Gomber made 14 appearances in 2020 for St. Louis four of those appearances where starts. He threw 29 innings with an ERA of 1.86; striking out 27 while walking 15. Gomber has 43 career major league appearances 15 of those have been starts and you’d think that the Rockies would use him in their starting rotation.

Obviously a trade for a player like Arenado is going to get all of the headlines, but the Cardinals have also brought back two of their veteran players from last season.

Yesterday the Cardinals announce that they had signed pitcher Adam Wainwright to a one year $8 million dollar deal. Wainwright’s deal includes a full no-trade clause and incentives that could earn him $775,000. There are also reports that St. Louis has plans to bring back catcher Yader Molina even though there has been no signing announced yet.

The Wainwright signing and the Molina rumors was the first off season movement by the Cardinals and you wonder if maybe they where working on the Arenado deal and that’s why they where quite. Either way with the acquisition of what many people think is the best third baseman in baseball and the return of their on veteran starting pitcher and possible a catcher who will go down as one of the best in baseball history it’s clear right now that the Cardinals are the clear favorite in a very weak National League Central.

Eddie Rosario also signed a free agent deal yesterday and while he’ll be staying in the American League Central he’ll be joining a new team. Rosario got a one year $8 million dollar deal to join the Cleveland Indians. Rosario was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins this off season and there where quite a few reports that Minnesota wanted to bring him back, but instead it was their American League Central opposition that landed him.

Rosario hit .257 in 57 games last season, but in 2019 he posted a career high 32 home runs and 109 RBI’s. Rosario should take over in leftfield for the Indians and will try to help make up for some of the offense they lost when they traded Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets.

After a long period of inactivity the free agent market in Major League Baseball really got rolling, but there is still one big name free agent left on the market; Trevor Bauer. There where reports this week that the Mets have made a formal offer to Bauer, but that was about all we heard. That report did say that this offer was for less than the $36 million dollars a year that Gerrit Cole is paid by the Mets cross-town rivals the New York Yankees.

Right now it seems as though the Mets are the only team active in the market for Bauer as the Los Angeles Angels mentioned earlier this week that they’re not in the race to sign Bauer. Unless there’s a “mystery” team out there that might jump in and make Bauer an offer it appears like he’ll end up trying to work out a contract with the Mets, but as we know teams will jump into these contract negotiations once they find out where the money is going to end up.

Where do you think Trevor Bauer ends up?

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