Redbird Droppings: Winter Meetings Day 2 – Catchers, Dansby Swanson, Broadcast Team

Some news came out yesterday from the Winter Meetings; unfortunately the biggest story had nothing to do with the product on the field.

Danny Mac’s Strike 3
I thought Danny Mac put his alcohol issues behind him; unfortunately for everyone, he hadn’t. McLaughlin was arrested on Sunday for DWI – Persistent in Creve Coeur, MO. It’s his third DWI arrest (and first since 2011), which makes this one a felony and carries a maximum sentence of 4-years in prison.

No word yet from the Cardinals, and Bally’s Sports Midwest issued a statement that they were investigating the incident; he was suspended by Fox Sports Midwest last time, but later reinstated.

I hate to say this, but it’s time to move on. DWI is a serious matter and now having 3 of them is over the line. It’s unfortunate because Danny Mac is a great announcer and works well with his broadcast partners. I’m not sure who I’d want to replace him.

The Catcher Market
No progress was made on the Catcher market yesterday, but more suitors have been named.

The Cardinals are still one of the front runners for Sean Murphy, with Cubs, Astros, Guardians, Twins, White Sox, Red Sox, and Rays all showing some degree of interest. It’s also known that the Cardinals would prefer making a trade for a catcher rather then sign one of the free agents (specifically Willson Contreras, which would cause the Cardinals to lose their 3rd round draft pick). The A’s are looking for MLB players rather than prospects, so names like Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar are in play, along with pitchers like Dakota Hudson, Matthew Liberatore, and Genesis Cabrera; the Cardinals have young depth pieces for the outfield and pitching, so they have a good shot here.

Christian Vazquez is seeing his market pick up too; the Diamondbacks and Giants have been most recently tied to the catcher, while the Guardians, Padres, Twins and Cubs join the Cardinals in that pursuit. He’s a fall back option for the Cardinals, and he’s also seeking up to a 4-year deal, something the Cardinals might not want to do for a 32-year-old.

The Toronto front has been quiet, but they are probably waiting to see Murphy go off the board and what Oakland gets in return.

Dansby Swanson?
The most surprising report from yesterday was Jon Paul Morosi reporting that the Cardinals and Cubs were front runner for shortstop Dansby Swanson, a name that was not previously linked to the ‘Birds. Derrick Goold explained that if the Cardinals were to trade for a catcher, they’d have financial flexibility to get in on a shortstop.

GM John Mozeliak has repeated stated the team is prepared to go into the season with Tommy Edman as the starting shortstop and Paul DeJong as a bench option behind him.

Getting Swanson would be an upgrade for the team; it allows Edman to stay at second and use Brendan Donovan as a utility player and Gorman as a DH. At the same time, they could also use that money on an outfielder, as I believe they’ll need an everyday player there; I think Dylan Carlson will take a step forward, but I’m not sold on Nootbaar as an everyday option.

I also believe that if they miss on Swanson, they’ll stand pat; Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa will cost too much. They also have Masyn Winn in the pipeline, so they don’t want to block him for too long; I anticipate he’ll be ready for an everyday role by mid-2024.

The Lottery Draft
The MLB Draft will be changing in 2023 and we get our first hints of it tonight; as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the 18 teams that missed the post-season will have a chance at the first 6 picks of the draft. This won’t impact the Cardinals though, but it’ll make for an interesting story.

Around the Web

• Viva El Birdos looks as some international players the Cardinals could be interested in.
• Cardinal fans frustrated? The Cold Wire looks at the fallout of the Trea Turner signing.
• The All MLB Team. Congrats Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Ryan Helsley.
• Yardbarker breaks down Skip Schumaker‘s first interview as the Marlins manager.