Cardinals News and Notes

Kyle McClellan will not be returning to the St. Louis Cardinals this year. The former Cardinal has signed with the Texas Rangers.
Feb 29 2012, Jupiter, FL, USA: St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Kyle McClellan (46) during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
While McClellan has signed a minor league contract with the club, he has the opportunity to compete for a job as a starter or reliever during spring training in Arizona.

McClellan spoke with Derrick Goold on Tuesday about his decision.

"“I think it’s the right fit for a lot of reasons,” McClellan said Tuesday morning. “It’s an organization that I see a lot of similarities to St. Louis. It has an ownership and front office that wants to win and a fanbase that expects them to win and shows up for the team. … I get the same vibe from Texas.“It will be familiar for me as far as the organization goes. The opportunity is there for me to show I can be a consistent major-league pitcher and prove that I can take the ball every day. They also have an opportunity to win. That was something that was an important part of my decision.”"

Should he make the Rangers opening day roster, he would be reunited with former Cardinals teammate Lance Berkman, and possibly even Kyle Lohse.

In Cardinals scouting news, the organization is starting to focus in on Latin America. Given the wealth of talent in those countries, this is nothing but a positive move for the organization. Is it possible that the Cardinals shortstop of the future is one of these Latin players that are unsigned at the moment? Maybe!

In addition to ESPN2 airing the opening night game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cardinals will make at least two appearances on Sunday Night Baseball. The first game will be when they play in Philadelphia on April 21st and the second game is against the Cubs on July 14th.