The Cardinals appear to be the frontrunner to sign Felipe Lopez. According to SI’s Jon Heyman’s best guess, the versatile infielder will stroll through the Gateway soon. It would be his second time in St. Louis after spending the second half of 2008 with the Cards. As mentioned earlier here at Redbird Rants, Lopez was impressive in St. Louis, hitting .385. His success continued in 2009, hitting .310. Now, he needs a new home again.
Lopez would be a perfect fit for the Cardinals, filling the need at third if David Freese can’t handle the heat. He was an all-star shortstop [...]

As the Super Bowl nears, Peyton Manning is preparing his team to capture another ring in Miami. He is coming off another impressive year, leading his team to 14 regular season wins despite losing longtime coach Tony Dungy and go-to receiver Marvin Harrison. It was the Colts seventh consecutive season with 12 or more victories. That streak can be attributed to Manning, who kept the Colts on top once again. What does all this have to do with Cardinals baseball?
I found myself wondering the same thing when I found an interesting headline coming from stltoday.com’s Bernie Miklasz: “Albert Pujols and [...]

Earlier this month, Jim Edmonds personally informed Tony La Russa and St. Louis that he wanted to make a comeback and end his career as a Cardinal. La Russa said he would consider Edmonds plea, but it seems Edmonds wasn’t in the plan for the 2010 Redbirds. The Milwaukee Brewers were paying close attention, though, and signed the veteran to a Minor League contract yesterday.
Edmonds will have the opportunity to earn a spot on the team, likely as a mentor, pinch hitter, and versatile defensive option. The soon-to-be 40-year-old should be refreshed and ready to go after taking 2009 off. [...]

When the Cardinals traded for Lou Brock way back in 1964, St. Louis fans may not have known what to expect. It seemed he would be a role player, a minor addition that wasn’t all that impressive. Brock was batting a dismal .251, and had only 10 stolen bases through 51 games. He was a decent young player, but certainly not anything spectacular. The previous two seasons in Lou’s short career lined up with those beliefs. His average in his rookie year was just .263. The next year, 1963, he hit .258 for the rival Cubs. So, when 1964 rolled [...]

In this baseball offseason, we have devoted much time to the rumors, signings, and season previews, but in the past few weeks we are all reminded that baseball is only a small part of life. An earthquake struck Haiti January 12, leaving the country in ruins. The most recent reports indicate that “nearly 170,000” people are dead. Breaking news reports from today predict that number could rise as high as 250,000. The small island sits off the coast of Florida, and endures great poverty levels. An earthquake leaving hundreds of thousands dead leaves the country reeling even more, and in [...]

Veteran lefty Rich Hill will join the Cardinals in Spring Training after signing a minor league deal earlier this evening. The Cards have been searching for a 5th starter to round out the rotation. Hill will have a chance to be that guy. Other candidates include Kyle McClellan and other young arms on the farm. The signing is the Cards attempt to complete the rotation and other free agent veterans like John Smoltz seem unlikely to land in St. Louis.
Hill has shown flashes throughout his career, as a familiar foe with the Cubbies and later with the Orioles. But he never [...]

Speculation that Miguel Tejada may be wearing Cardinals’ red in 2010 is over after the veteran signed with Baltimore. Tejada played for the Orioles from 2004-2007. During his four seasons, Tejada hit the ball all over Camden Yards. He hit over .300 in three years and .296 in the other. Miggy also hit his share of homers and drove in plenty of runs for a struggling franchise. Not much has changed for the O’s as they remain cursed in baseball’s best division (See, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays). Maybe Tejada, a fan favorite, can provide a spark in this young ball [...]

On this week’s episode:
-Guest star steroid dealer Curt Wenzlaff disputes McGwire’s claims that he took the steroids for health/injury purposes. He may not be the cleanest source, as he’s been convicted for his steroid business, but McGwire is not exactly a saint. Wenzlaff said he was a supplier for McGwire during the late ’80s, and that his usage was very heavy. To illustrate his point, he painted this picture: “Let me put it to you this way. If Paris Hilton was to take that array, she could run over Dick Butkus.” The bottom line is that McGwire continues to look [...]

Some Cards news and notes heading into the weekend:
-Former Cardinals find new homes: Rick Ankiel is on his way to Kansas City; Joel Pineiro is ready to fly with the Angels; Khalil Greene is now on the Rangers roster. Both gave St. Louis great seasons, but it was time for both to move on. Ankiel captured baseball’s imagination with his transformation from wild pitcher to slugging outfielder, although it did lose some luster under allegations of PED use. Pineiro gave the Cards 15 wins and resurrected his career under Dave Duncan. Anxiety issues hurt Greene from fulfilling his potential. He [...]

As the steady and dependable Joel Pineiro heads for Anaheim, the Cardinals are still looking to find an apt replacement. Pineiro was consistent in his short time for St. Louis. He threw strikes, rolled ground balls with his sinker, and kept the Cards in every game. Pineiro has an impressive year in 2009 for St. Louis, highlighted by 15 victories. His departure leaves a noticeable void in the rotation as the Cards continue to search for a 5th guy.
John Smoltz, who gave the Cards great value in 2009, remains one option. But the veteran seems to have little gas left, [...]