B-Schaeff Daily

Brenden Schaeffer described the lay of the land with the Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot featuring Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols for the first time.Rest assured, this won't be a year where the vote is limited to one player being selected.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses whether the Ramon Urias signing from over the weekend is a good fit for the Cardinals roster and what it could mean for Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the possibility that JJ Wetherholt could be considered for a role as the Cardinals leadoff man in 2026.Would it be putting too much on his plate, too soon? Or is the club's top prospect simply built for this?

Brenden Schaeffer discusses a topic that has been often fantasized about by Cardinals fans, but is one that has now come to fruition as Yadier Molina has been at Cardinals spring training in Jupiter in recent days, sharing his wisdom with the next generation of catchers.What has the impact been, plus, we clean up some misconceptions about Ivan Herrera working in the outfield earlier in the week.

The Cardinals announced the way they will be handling new prospect Loo Cijntje as a switch pitcher in 2026 big-league camp after the talented 22-year-old threw in games as both a lefty and a righty last season in the Seattle organization.His inclusion among the Cards' prospect ranks now paints the minor-league pitching depth in an even more intriguing light.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the concept of the Cardinals reaching out to longtime rival player Andrew McCutchen to fill the need for some right-handed hitting outfield help.With the Pirates shunning Cutch and the longtime star believing he's got gas left in the tank, there's a case to be made that he fits what St. Louis needs on its roster--and that his 2025 stats show how he could contribute this summer for the Redbirds.

Chaim Bloom spoke with reporters on Thursday in Jupiter and shared that Lars Nootbaar will be delayed in arriving to Cardinals camp. Don't panic: The reason seems like a pretty understandable one.Plus, an update on Ivan Herrera's WBC participation.

Oli Marmol was asked by STL Sports Central's Mike Claiborne Wednesday about which area of the Cardinals roster he is most looking forward to seeing play out and establish itself this spring.Though he listed a number of names, there was a clear aspect of the club that he's eager to see get to work. And frankly, he's right: this aspect of the roster will be most critical to whatever success St. Louis could enjoy in the summer of 2026.

The Cardinals made a trade on Tuesday, sending Andre Granillo to the Nationals -- and the player they got in return is now on his FIFTH team of the winter! What gives?

Brenden Schaeffer discusses this projected St. Louis Cardinals lineup for 2026, which comes from RosterResource, a FanGraphs-backed outlet that digs into the nitty gritty for the rosters of all 30 MLB teams.They have Lars Nootbaar as the Cards' leadoff hitter, plus an interesting take on the catcher position. Do we agree with their projections? We discuss!

According to baseball reporter Francys Romero, the Cardinals are signing international free agent Leonil De Leon out of the Dominican Republic.De Leon is described as one of the top pitchers in this international free agent class. Is this late addition to the class a big get for St. Louis?

The Cardinals made a waiver claim on Friday, snagging third baseman Bryan Ramos from Baltimore. He hit 16 homers in AAA last year...Could Ramos be a good fit for the St. Louis bench? Did Chaim Bloom find a diamond in the rough? We discuss!

The Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan to the Mariners and in a three-team trade, got five total assets in return. Was the haul worth it for their lone 2025 All-Star? We discuss.

The Cardinals announced today that Yadi is BACK! What does it mean and what role will he fill in 2026?

Brenden Schaeffer reacts to the news from Sunday night of the Cardinals trading Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox for Hunter Dobbins and two pitching prospects.How does this impact the Cardinals off-season as Chaim Bloom continues to reshape the roster?

The Cardinals lost the MLB Draft lottery by landing at 13th pick despite having the eighth-best odds at the number one overall pick.But is this the worst outcome? Not necessarily, given the direction the team is likely to be heading int the next couple of years, and what losing out on a lotto pick this year could mean for their opportunity to gain them in future upcoming drafts.We explained it all in this episode!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals landing RHP Matt Pushard from the Marlins in the MLB Rule 5 Draft, while also diving into the curious case of the Yankees stealing away a Cardinals minor leaguer in the draft.It was the first time the Yankees have made a pick in the Rule 5 Draft since 2011, so what did they see in Cade Winquest? And could the Cardinals come to regret letting him go?

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the recent podcast appearance by Oli Marmol on Foul Territory in which the Cardinals manager hinted at the team's upcoming moves that we could see this off-season.It's not necessarily anything ground-breaking, but it matches what we've been told within the vision of Chaim Bloom as he and Marmol look to bring the Cardinals forward into the future.

The Cardinals claimed RHP Zak Kent off waivers Friday. What could the newbie bring to the bullpen for 2026?

Let's dive into the latest on St. Louis Cardinals trade rumors, rumblings and reports ahead of the MLB Winter Meetings, which begin Sunday in Orlando!

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down Tuesday's news of the Cardinals trading Sonny Gray and cash to the Boston Red Sox for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke.How much money did the Cardinals send in the deal to not pitch for their team in 2026?And does this move make sense in the bigger context of what the Cardinals were aiming to accomplish this off-season? In a lot of ways, Chaim Bloom and Bill DeWitt Jr. deserve some real credit for how this one went down.

Brenden Schaeffer tries to make sense of the Yohel Pozo news over the past week. The Cardinals non-tendered him last week, but on Monday, news emerged that they're signing him to a contract.What gives? And what does it all mean for Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal? We'll explain.NOTE: Apologies for the audio quality from the last few minutes of the show, my microphone settings got switched and I did not notice it until it was too late. Will be better for next episode!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses some of the top names in the Cardinals organization as trade chips this off-season.Inspired by an article by Will Leitch for MLB dot com (linked below), we dive into the merits for keeping or trading these various players as we await what the Cardinals will ultimately do.Article referenced in the episode: https://www.mlb.com/news/should-cardinals-trade-nolan-arenado-willson-contreras-more

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the four additions to the Cardinals 40-man roster from Tuesday before the Rule 5 protection deadline. The Cardinals left one player among their top 30 prospects list unprotected, and DFA'd a reliever with a 100-mph fastball.Were these the right decisions? We'll break it all down in detail.

Note: This episode was posted to YouTube on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. I inadvertently forgot to upload it to the podcast feed, but am doubling back to do so now in case any of our listeners don't also follow on YouTube. Apologies! The content should still be relevant, since no other 40-man moves have been made since.The Cardinals made a few 40-man roster moves on Friday, so we doubled back to discuss the departures of Michael Siani and more!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the landscape surrounding the Cardinals and All-Star Brendan Donovan amid the team's entrance into true rebuilding waters this off-season.Does the state of things mean that Donnie is a surefire trade candidate this off-season? Recent reporting from STL Today seems to indicate that Donovan was the belle of the ball out in Vegas in the way that teams are expected to inquire on the St. Louis utility man.We discuss the Donovan situation as well as what the Cardinals could be seeking in a return for him this winter.STL Today report on Donovan trade interest: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/article_6026903d-99c2-49f0-9128-2bbe59a37c67.html

Brenden Schaeffer discusses a recent report from Jeff Jones detailing the landscape for the Cardinals entering trade possibilities for each of their big three veteran players with no-trade clauses and hefty contracts.For full context for this conversation, read the article in the BND here: https://www.bnd.com/sports/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/article312863194.html

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down an oft-discussed topic of the past couple years, which is Yadier Molina potentially joining the Cardinals in a formal capacity.While the last time we heard about this, it did not ultimately materialize as expected, could Yadi's guest coaching stints in 2025 point toward his readiness to commit to a more significant role with the club in 2026?And how would Yadi serving on Oli Marmol's coaching staff potentially set the stage for his future foray into managing an MLB team down the road?

How did you like the introduction of the new POBO into Cardinals Nation earlier this week? Brenden discusses the Chaim Bloom press conference and what his words told us about how the Cardinals plan to embark upon the next chapter for the club.

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down the press conference from Monday for St. Louis Cardinals outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.The stage is now set for Tuesday, as Chaim Bloom will speak for the first time as the head executive of the club's baseball operations department.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals being eliminated officially from playoff contention on Wednesday, while Sonny Gray seems ready to waive his no-trade clause. Are the Cardinals due to move him this winter? Plus, will they take the extra step of committing to a rebuild by trading Brendan Donovan? We have some potentially controversial thoughts on that topic.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses his view of the worst mistake Mozeliak made while running the Cardinals - not in terms of the scale of the mistake, but because of how upsetting the misguided motivations of the organization were when he made it.And certainly today, with the Cardinals finishing the season with real pride, it looks even worse as this unforced error motivated by finances ending up helping to take the Cardinals out of contention for a wild card.

After a tough loss for the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, this episode of the podcast focuses solely on what's going on down on the farm!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the St. Louis Cardinals loss from Monday night in Seattle as the Cards dropped the game 4-2 to the M's, which dropped the team to back below .500.Miles Mikolas had one of his better road starts of the year, but when the sixth inning began to go off the rails, Gordon Graceffo came in to try and keep it on the track.When it went off the rails, do we blame Graceffo? Oli Marmol? Or do we just understand that this is all a necessary part of the growth process for these Cardinals.SUBSCRIBE to this channel for St. Louis Cardinals coverage all year long!

Brant Brown's recent appearance on KMOX spelled out the details on what the St. Louis Cardinals coaches believe needs to happen for Jordan Walker to become successful. And while the interview pointed out targeted ways that Walker needs to improve, it gets lost in the shuffle a bit that the Cards hitting coach also said he thinks Walker is just a stone's throw away from being able to achieve these things.Where do we come down on Brown putting the onus on the player to move Walker's own career forward? Interesting comments and timing with the season winding down. We break it all down on this episode.

Andre Pallante's struggles continued Tuesday, in a major way. What do the Cardinals do with him and his rotation spot now that it seems he's still as far as he has ever been away from getting to the other side of these struggles?

Alec Burleson had the final say as the Cardinals walked off the Pirates on Monday night, but Willson Contreras certainly had plenty to say of his own. We break down the night for Burly, Michael McGreevy, whether the Cardinals are closer to the Brewers or the Pirates in the hierarchy of the NL Central, plus Contreras' tirade against the home plate umpire that got him and Oli Marmol ejected from the game.

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down the St. Louis Cardinals loss to the Miami Marlins and Sandy Alcantara from Wednesday. Alcantara, the former Cardinal, has a 6.04 ERA in 2025, but when he faces the Cardinals, he truly looks like his former self.The 2022 Cy Young Award version of Sandy was back at it on Wednesday night in Miami, just another frustrating reality for the 2025 Cardinals season. Why does this keep happening to the Cardinals? It's one of those things we just can't seem to explain.

The Brendan Donovan situation over the past week--not in a vacuum, but connected to other recent comments from John Mozeliak--is a sign that the Cardinals still aren't operating at max capacity when it comes to their organizational thinking within the front office.Brenden produces a B-Schaeff Daily episode here to break down the situation after Monday's news that Donovan is hitting the IL. SUBSCRIBE to this channel for St. Louis Cardinals coverage all year long!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals' loss to the Yankees on Friday night at Busch Stadium, but spends the majority of the podcast today talking about a bizarre tweet by national media host Colin Cowherd about the St. Louis Cardinals fan base.We discuss why the tweet bothered Brenden and what he decided to do about it.Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage (that actually pays attention to the team, unlike Cowherd!)

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals loss to the Rockies in a series that a playoff hopeful simply cannot afford to lose.Plus, John Mozeliak gave a new quote to 101 ESPN on he topic of a possible September call-up for JJ Wetherholt and/or Quinn Mathews.We discuss the quote and why it's pretty frustrating in terms of the way the Cardinals are managing their roster from a front office perspective. SUBSCRIBE to this channel for St. Louis Cardinals coverage all year long!

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down the Cardinals win over the Rockies 3-2 from Monday night at Busch Stadium.Miles Mikolas was tremendous in a bounce-back outing for the Cards, while Kyle Leahy served as a bulk reliever and closing pitcher, essentially, within the same game!Brendan Donovan's contributions were necessary off the bench as his pinch-double was the only reason they were able to claw back to beat the Rox!(Note: Apologies that audio is slightly less quality today. I believed Streamyard ignored my settings and used my internal mic instead of my fancy mic for this video. Sorry! I'm a work in progress on tech).

Brenden Schaeffer breaks down the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 win over the Cubs from Friday night at Busch Stadium.Michael McGreevy shined on the mound while Jordan Walker continued pushing things in the right direction with another big night at the plate!Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage!

Former St. Louis Cardinals great Yadier Molina will be in uniform and in the Cardinals dugout tonight and Saturday night as the Cards take on the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. How did this come to be and what did Oliver Marmol think of the opportunity--and why it was so important?And based on his response to a question from Brandon Kiley on 101 ESPN today, clearly Marmol is aware of the memes that will come about as a result of this--but he was clear that having an ego about this is the last thing on his mind when it comes to the reasoning behind why it's so important to have Yadi around this Cardinals team.Plus, Quinn Mathews was excellent on Thursday night for AAA Memphis. When could we see him in St. Louis? I'll explain why his situation mirrors JJ Wetherholt.Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the latest rough outing for Miles Mikolas after Tuesday's 12-6 loss by the Cardinals against the Dodgers.Is it too late to bother doing anything about Miles Mikolas at this point? Could a journeyman name from Triple-A like Aaron Wilkerson be a reasonable replacement if the Cardinals want to show a modicum of urgency to improve their status?Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage!

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals winning an exciting game over the Dodgers on Monday night. Plus, why did Luken Baker get waived and how do we react to the overall trade deadline--and what do we wish the Cards and John Mozeliak might have done a little more of?Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage all year long!

Ryan Helsley is a Met, apparently Steven Matz is a Red Sox in news that broke just before I wrapped up this episode recording. My head is spinning, but I said words about the Cardinals, so I am posting them hear. Enjoy.

Sonny Gray described the impact of the St. Louis heat after Tuesday's loss to the Marlins as the Cardinals fell 5-0 to the Fish at Busch Stadium. Gray pitches decently, but described the issues he's been having gripping the baseball in the sweltering STL heat. Is this a matter of a player making excuses, or is he actually giving us exactly what we always claim to want from athletes -- CANDOR! Hey, I loved hearing it and I'll explain why I enjoyed Sonny's perspective so much.Plus, an odd scenario unfolding that made it seem like the Hug Watch could be on for Cardinal lefty Steven Matz. Ultimately, it seems like it all stemmed from a simple coincidence... Or was it?

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the St. Louis Cardinals heading into the mlb trade deadline as it sounds like Ryan Helsley is fully expecting to be traded -- and arguably even advocating that it's the most sensible thing for the Cardinals to do.His quotes to Derrick Goold of STL Today recently make it clear that Helsley understands the strategic side of everything going on around this deadline.Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage!---Link to Goold's story referenced in the podcast: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/article_e62ba5e5-7a36-4e03-b322-0bc78ee8c36e.html

The St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Padres 3-0 on Friday night to claw to within 1.5 games of a wild card spot. Are the Cards officially surging again, or is this a mirage?What should the Cardinals do at this trade deadline as their play on the field continues to muddy the waters?Follow this podcast feed for daily Cardinals coverage all year.

Brenden Schaeffer discusses the St. Louis Cardinals winning 9-7 over the Padres Thursday.Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan were two of the offensive heroes as the Cards finally packed a punch at the plate in the early portion of a game--a rarity on their recent road trip.Would a big weekend against the Padres alter the team's plans for the trade deadline?We discuss, plus hear from Donovan on how the Cardinals got to the dessert table on Thursday night.Follow this feed for daily Cardinals coverage all year long.