St Louis Cardinals

Although MLB pulled in record revenues for 2019, owning a baseball team apparently isn't a good financial endeavor—that's at least the contention of St. Louis Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr.

During an interview on 590 The Fan in St. Louis, DeWitt said "the industry isn't very profitable, to be quite honest."

The comments come within the context of the ongoing negotiating battle between team owners and the MLB Players Association regarding the finer details behind the 2020 season. The sides remain at an impasse over how players would be compensated should the league return amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Associated Press' Ronald Blum reported in May that MLB projects each game would net an average $640,000 loss over an 82-game season because the pandemic would force stadiums to be empty.

Fans are effectively left to take owners at their word because teams don't open their books to the public for a comprehensive view of their financial situation.

For example, MLB's average salary declined for the second straight year in 2019. DeWitt argued that trend doesn't indicate a lack of continued investment from teams but rather that franchises are allocating their resources elsewhere (via Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors):

"DeWitt rejected the idea that declining salaries were tied to more profits: 'don't think for a minute that the reduced payroll added money in the pockets of the owners because it didn't.' Citing the growth of non-player personnel — from 240 to 400 in the past six years, he says — DeWitt claims 'It's a bit of a zero-sum game' because 'a lot more is put into training, conditioning, promotional work, front office, analytics.'"

DeWitt's statements aren't verifiable, but Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra provided evidence to raise doubts:

"That's fairly rich when one realizes just how much revenue has gone up. Specifics are hard to come by, but it's generally thought that average team revenue has increased around $15 million each year over the past several years. And that's before you add one-time gigantic payments like the several billion baseball owners realized from the sale of BAMTech to Disney, when each owner got around $50 million over and above annualized increases. Even if the Cardinals added 150 trainers and analytics employees EACH YEAR and even if each of those new employees were making hundreds of thousands of dollars a piece — which they are certainly not — there'd be far more left over for profit, which the clubs are most certainly seeing."

In 2010, Deadspin's Tommy Craggs uploaded financial statements from a small handful of teams. In one case, the Pittsburgh Pirates were netting a healthy profit while throwing out a team that finished last in the National League Central. Likewise, the Miami Marlins had MLB's lowest payroll while turning a profit.

DeWitt was clearly attempting to explain the owners' position in their negotiations with the players' union, but he may have done more harm than good in that regard.

Forbes estimated in April that all but one MLB franchise (the Marlins) was worth at least $1 billion. While that doesn't represent tangible money available to all 30 owners, it spoke to the generally robust health of the league's finances.

After 16 years in the majors, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina thinks highly of his career accomplishments. 

When asked how he would want to be remembered in 100 years, Molina responded, "As the best catcher to ever play baseball," per Marly Rivera of ESPN.

The 37-year-old also believes there is no doubt he should be in the Hall of Fame when his career ends.

"All I've done is work hard to get better and better every single year to become the best catcher I can be," he added. "And my numbers are obviously there. I think that, because of the way I catch, that I'm one of the best catchers to have ever played baseball."

Molina's resume certainly speaks for itself, at least as one of the top defensive catchers in baseball history.

The veteran has earned nine Gold Glove awards as well as the Platinum Glove four different times as the best fielder in the league at any position.

He has thrown out 40.2 percent of would-be base-runners in his career, which leads all active players. His all-around play behind the plate has added up to 25 defensive wins above replacement, fifth-most all-time among catchers, according to Baseball Reference.

With 1,947 career games at catcher, he ranks seventh all time and could climb to at least fourth with another full season.

Adding this to his offensive accomplishments that include 1,963 career hits, .282 batting average, nine All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger awards, Molina has been one of the top all-around players in baseball during the past two decades.

He's already a hero in St. Louis while helping the team bring home two World Series titles, but he's looking for more before retiring. 

"I need to keep winning championships with the Cardinals," Molina said. "The next three years, this year, and the next two years, all I care about is winning championships. I'm not thinking about anything else."

A few more quality seasons, both individually and with the team, could certainly help him accomplish his goal to be the best ever at his position.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Andrew Miller wants to get back to playing baseball as soon as possible and is willing to adopt whatever changes MLB must make for that to happen—as long as those changes ensure the safety of all involved. 

The MLB Players Association executive board member told ESPN's Jesse Rogers the union is open to all ideas under that condition:

"I don't think anything can be done until that [safety] can be guaranteed and we feel comfortable with it. We want to put a good product on the field, but that's totally secondary to the health of the players. We are generally younger and healthier, but that doesn't mean our staff is, that doesn't mean the umpires are going to be in the clear.

"It's not hard to get one degree of separation away from players who have kids who may have conditions, or other family members that live with them. I'm confident before anything happens, we'll sort through all those issues."

Miller has remained extremely active with the MLBPA throughout his career. His voice carries plenty of weight as an executive board member. So when he speaks up, he's hardly talking just for himself. 

After a conference call with the union's membership last week, it appears the pitcher is gearing up for a long-term fight with MLB—specifically as it relates to finances. Miller was quick to point out to Rogers that unlike other sports, the non-salary-cap system in baseball means players don't get a larger piece of the profits in years when revenues go up.

That may become a rallying cry for players as the league barrels toward a new round of collective bargaining next year. 

"The way our sport works is we are not tied to revenue in any way," Miller said. "If the owners hit a home run and make more money, we don't go back and ask for more on our end. Ultimately this isn't about money. We need to find a way to safely get our players on the field in a safe manner and control that. I would hope this [finances] doesn't turn into anything regarding that stuff."

As far as a return to play, Miller said he heard from numerous athletes expressing concern over leaving their families for an extended period of time under the floated Arizona plan, in which teams would all quarantine together at a central location. 

There are downsides to any plan at this point, but in order for baseball to return, players may have to live with some of the restrictions the league puts in place.

"Everybody is up for anything that makes sense, [though] I don't think we want to go back to southern league bus trips," Miller said. "For safety there are compromises players will make, no doubt. If riding by bus is better than riding by plane, we'll listen ... I could see instead of taking an hour flight, we'd take a 2-3 bus trip. Why not? I would listen to it."

For now there's still no hard timeline on a return to play. It's Miller's job to help figure out how to make that happen safely for the players. 

Baseball's hiatus has given St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright plenty of time to consider his future in the game. 

At 38 years old, the extended time away from MLB has allowed the hurler to give his arm a longer rest and has him feeling confident he's not ready to walk away just yet. 

"If this had happened two years ago, I would have retired so fast, it wouldn't have been a second thought," Wainwright told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

He continued:

"Health has brought me back into a place of not wanting to be done yet. When health was an issue, and my arm hurt taking a spoonful of cereal, I knew it was maybe time to hang it up. But now that it doesn't hurt anymore, hurt when I throw a ball, hurt when I'm lifting, I'm having fun again. And now right when it's gotten fun again, I'm not playing."

Wainwright said he and his wife Jenny talked it over, and he's not going to give retirement much thought now. He'd like to play next year, as long as the Cardinals will have him back, noting he has plenty left in the tank. The right-hander was 14-10 last season with a 4.19 ERA and 1.427 WHIP.

During his downtime, the 14-year veteran has been throwing long-toss sessions with teammate Kwang Hyun Kim five times per week as well a bullpen once per week with the team's bullpen catcher, Jamie Pogue. 

Yet that hardly tells the story of Wainwright's actions during the coronavirus pandemic. 

More than anything else, the Georgia native has immersed himself in philanthropic endeavors to help aid COVID-19 relief efforts. 

Aside from donating $250,000 to minor league players in the Cardinals' farm system, Wainwright's Big League Impact nonprofit partnered with country music star Garth Brooks' Kids Foundation to provide more than 4 million meals to students. 

"It hit home for us right away," Wainwright said of the donation to minor leaguers. "We played with lots of players who struggled through that, working two jobs in the offseason. And we played with guys who were very talented who had to quit. When you think of professional baseball players, you think, 'rich'—big fancy cars, big houses. That's just not the way it is for minor league players."

Wainwright initially wanted to keep his donation private but told Rosenthal that once players began texting him about it, he let the public know in hopes it would inspire others to donate. 

Colorado Rockies infielder Daniel Murphy ended up donating $100,000 to the cause, while Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo gave every farm player in the organization's system $1,000. 

To date, Big League Impact reports it has raised $4.5 million and helped provide aid for 650,000 individuals. 

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina said in January he was committed to playing for the team as long as they wanted him and if they didn't want him he'd retire. 

"If the Cardinals want me that's the only team I want to play for," Molina told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "So, it's still like that too. If they want me. If they want to move apart, that's it for me."

A lot has changed since then.

During a Wednesday phone conversation with ESPN's Marly Rivera, Molina said the COVID-19 pandemic has altered his thinking and opened his mind to finishing his playing career elsewhere if it comes to that:

"I previously said that, if it wasn't with St. Louis, that I would go home. If we were unable to come to an extension agreement, that I would retire. But the situation with this pandemic has changed everything. Right now, I'm thinking of playing two more years.

"Obviously, St. Louis is my first option. But if they don't sign me, then I'm willing to go into free agency. This situation has changed my mentality and all I want to do is play."

Major League Baseball's Opening Day was scheduled for March 26 before the pandemic forced the league to delay the 2020 season on March 12.

The Athletic's Mark Saxon reported on March 11 that the two sides were "in the midst" of extension negotiations that would see Molina remain a Cardinal through 2021 with the possibility of keeping him through 2022.

Those talks appear to have stalled.

"Before this terrible situation happened, I thought there was a 50/50 chance that the 2020 campaign would be my last," Molina added. "Not now. The most important thing right now is people's health and getting past this pandemic. It's a very difficult situation. After we accomplish that, after we're able to start the 2020 season, then I'd like to have that conversation."

The 37-year-old has one year remaining on his three-year, $60 million deal. The Cardinals owe Molina $20 million in base salary for 2020, per Spotrac.

The Cardinals took Molina in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB draft. He made his major league debut for the club in June 2004. Since then, he has captured nine Gold Gloves, nine All-Star nods and four Platinum Gloves while helping St. Louis win two World Series titles (2006, 2011).

"Well, Yadi has done some pretty remarkable things at his age," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. told Goold. "And as much as he played last year and has played through injuries the last couple of years, but we'll see. Get the lay of the land and sort of take it as it goes. I know in his mind he thinks he can play for a number of years and that’d be great if he can."

The future Hall of Famer was limited to 113 regular-season contests last season because of a thumb injury. He had undergone offseason knee surgery in December 2018 and had missed 27 games during the 2018 campaign after emergency surgery on a pelvic injury in May 2018. He played 123 regular-season games for the Cards that year.

Prior to those injury concerns, however, Molina averaged 125 games per season from 2004 through 2017.

In terms of productivity, Molina posted a .270/.312/.399 slash line with 10 home runs, 57 RBI and 113 hits across 452 plate appearances last year. He also caught 27 percent of runners stealing and recorded 916 putouts across 108 starts at catcher.

Four-time MLB All-Star and 2006 World Series champion Jim Edmonds announced he was diagnosed with COVID-19 after falling ill last week. 

In an Instagram story on Wednesday night, Edmonds gave a follow-up to the story he posted on March 28 showing him in a hospital with respiratory issues. 

"I appreciate everyone who has said well wishes." Edmonds said. "I did test positive for pneumonia and I did get a test back positive for the virus. I am completely symptom-free now and doing really well."

In his original Instagram story last week, Edmonds shared that he had tried holding off as long as possible before seeking medical help, thinking he could tough out the illness. 

Now he's discouraging others from trying a similar approach. 

"Do not take this lightly," Edmonds told his followers. "Go to the emergency room if you can't breathe. That's what happened to me."

The former outfielder said the hospital staff initially did not want to test him but he ultimately convinced them to administer one. Following the diagnosis, he returned to self-isolation at home. Edmonds further shared that he does have concern for his daughter, who is now awaiting test results despite not showing any symptoms. He joked that he's trying to flatten the curve in his household. 

To confirm that he's feeling better, Edmonds noted he started cleaning his garage the other day to occupy his time. The Fox Sports Midwest broadcaster would normally be around baseball fields this time of year had the spread of the coronavirus pandemic not forced MLB to put the season on hold.

In his 17-year professional career, Edmonds slashed .284/.376/.527 with 393 home runs, ultimately earning a spot in the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.

The former Silver Slugger winner passed along one last piece of advice before signing off.

"Thank God I quarantined myself," Edmonds added. "And listened to what everyone said." 

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and his wife, Jenny, donated $250,000 to the More Than Baseball fund to aid in the relief of minor leaguers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The generosity shown by the Wainwrights during this time of uncertainty is exemplary," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "We are grateful for their contribution to those in need."

MLB canceled the remainder of spring training and indefinitely postponed the start of its regular season March 13. That caused minor league players to not get paid for the remainder of the spring and have an uncertain outlook on when they would be paid again.

MLB has pledged to help out minor league players until at least April 9. 

Minor league baseball players are some of the most low-paid athletes in sports, with most bringing home $1,170-$1,650 per month for only five months of the year. They are currently being paid $400 per week until April 9, but MLB has not announced a contingency plan afterward.

Yadier Molina has been a St. Louis Cardinal since the organization drafted him in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB draft, and the 37-year-old's allegiances don't appear to be changing anytime soon.

"The Cardinals are in the midst of trying to work out a contract extension with Molina that will keep the Hall of Fame-bound catcher playing at least through the end of the 2021 season and probably through 2022," The Athletic's Mark Saxon wrote on Wednesday.

The 2020 season will be the last on Molina's three-year, $60 million contract, per Spotrac. The nine-time Gold Glove winner is owed $20 million in base salary.

Molina has been a Cardinals cornerstone since making his major league debut on June 3, 2004, helping the club win the World Series in 2006 and 2011. The Puerto Rican has been impeccably durable. He has started at least 100 regular-season games at catcher every year except for his rookie campaign. 

Molina proved he can still produce in 2019. He posted a .270/.312/.399 slash line with 10 home runs and 57 RBI across 452 plate appearances in 113 games while starting 108 games behind the plate. Overall, he spent 939.1 innings at catcher with a 99.9 putout percentage. His 27 percent caught stealing percentage was in line with the league average (26 percent).

The four-time Platinum Glove winner made it clear in January that it's Cards or bust for him moving forward. 

"I also said that if the Cardinals want me, that's the only team I want to play for," Molina told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "So, it's still like that too. If they want me. If they want to move apart, that's it for me."

"It's likely they'll explore the look of an extension that reaches through 2021 and then gives the team and Molina an option for 2022, the season when Molina will turn 40," Goold added.

That appears to be exactly what is happening.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced they have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with 24 players for the nearing 2020 MLB season Sunday.

Written at the bottom: "We have also renewed the contract of RHP Jack Flaherty."

"Per team policy, he'll receive a $10,000 reduction in salary as penalty," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch added. "But the team did stretch their formula to give him a $10,000 bonus for a fourth-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting. Those offset, so he received a $604,500 salary for 2020, per a source."

This is the second straight year the 24-year-old ace has been unable to reach an agreement with the Cardinals on his contract. The 2020 campaign will be Flaherty's fourth in St. Louis, which makes this the last year the club can take this route with him. 

Flaherty will enter his first of three arbitration-eligible years in 2021. 

Goold had reported Thursday that the Cardinals start pre-arbitration salaries at a $563,500 minimum salary and build upon that foundation "based on service time and performance." The alleged bonus for Flaherty's fourth-place 2019 Cy Young finish would fall under the club's intention to "recognize exceptional performance."

Goold also disclosed St. Louis, having "used this formula for several years," factors in a player's wins above replacement. Flaherty finished last season with a 5.9 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, which was ranked eighth among all MLB pitchers. FanGraphs, meanwhile, calculated a 4.7 WAR for the 2014 first-round pick.

In 2019, Flaherty recorded his best major league season since debuting in 2017. The right-hander went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA and National League-leading 0.97 WHIP across 196.1 innings pitched in 33 regular-season starts. He also struck out 231 batters. 

Flaherty finished behind New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (first), then-Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu (second) and Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer (third) in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Flaherty was named St. Louis' Opening Day starter on Feb. 22. He enters 2020 as the Cards' undisputed ace. The rotation will likely be rounded out by 25-year-old Dakota Hudson, 31-year-old Miles Mikolas and 38-year-old Cardinals lifer Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals will open their regular season when the Cincinnati Reds visit Busch Stadium on March 26.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is 37 years old, but he is prepared to play as long as his team will have him.

"I also said that if the Cardinals want me, that's the only team I want to play for," Molina said, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "So, it's still like that too. If they want me. If they want to move apart, that's it for me."

Goold noted Molina signed a two-year, $60 million extension with the team that is set to expire following the 2020 campaign. 

"It's likely they'll explore the look of an extension that reaches through 2021 and then gives the team and Molina an option for 2022, the season when Molina will turn 40," Goold wrote.

Molina is a Cardinals institution and has been the defining player of the team for more than a decade.

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. spoke with Goold about Molina's future:

"Well, Yadi has done some pretty remarkable things at his age. And as much as he played last year and has played through injuries the last couple of years, but we'll see. Get the lay of the land and sort of take it as it goes. I know in his mind he thinks he can play for a number of years, and that'd be great if he can."

The catcher may be past his prime, but he still managed to slash .270/.312/.399 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI in 2019. He also hit 20 home runs in 2018, which was the second-highest total of his career.

Molina has nine Gold Gloves, two World Series titles, nine All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger. He helped the Cardinals reach the playoffs 10 times and the Fall Classic four times, cementing himself as a St. Louis legend.

The place is clearly special to him, given his comments heading into the 2020 campaign.