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<h3>Clarke Sidelined Until June After Vascular Procedure</h3>The Cardinals’ system will be without one of its more intriguing offseason acquisitions for the first half of the 2026 campaign.Left-hander Brandon Clarke is not expected to be game-ready until June after undergoing a procedure in January to address an aneurysm in his left arm, according to Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com. The condition had caused circulation issues, leading to recurring blister problems and numbness in his fingers — a troubling combination for any pitcher, particularly one still refining command and feel.Clarke was acquired from the Boston Red Sox organization in November as part of the deal that sent veteran right-hander Sonny Gray to Boston. At the time, Clarke was viewed as a developmental arm with upside — a power left-hander whose stuff flashes better than the stat line might suggest.In 2025, Clarke was limited to 38 innings between Single-A Salem and High-A Greenville, posting a 4.03 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 60:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The strikeout numbers indicate swing-and-miss potential, though the walk rate underscores that refinement remains part of the project.Health, of course, now becomes the first priority.Circulation-related issues can be particularly concerning for pitchers. Feel in the fingers is everything — grip, spin efficiency, command. Even minor disruption can snowball mechanically. The fact the issue was identified and addressed surgically is encouraging, but it does push back his developmental timeline.For a Cardinals organization that has emphasized pitching depth and long-term inventory management, Clarke remains a name to monitor. This is not a finished product. It’s a mid-level prospect with tools — now temporarily paused.The Cardinals’ player development staff will likely take a cautious approach once he returns to throwing, prioritizing full recovery over rushing innings in April and May. June becomes the new target.In the big picture, this is a developmental delay — not a derailment.But in a system that values durability as much as upside, Clarke’s 2026 season now begins with one word:Patience.&nbsp; Photo Credit - MLB.com

Clarke Sidelined Until June After Vascular Procedure

<h3>Nootbaar’s Health First — Trade Speculation Second</h3>Cardinals unlikely to move asset at diminished valueA recent comment by Joey Schneider of KTVI suggesting the St. Louis Cardinals could consider trading Lars Nootbaar before this year’s deadline has generated its share of discussion.Trade talk is part of modern baseball. It fills airtime and winter columns. But timing — and context — matter.Nootbaar, 28, is entering what should be his prime years. When healthy, he provides on-base ability, defensive versatility, and an edge that energizes both the lineup and the clubhouse. The problem has not been talent. The problem has been durability."Nootbaar is coming off a down season in 2025, where he set career lows in batting average (.234), slugging percentage (.361) and OPS (686) while also dealing with a left costochondral sprain that sidelined him for 16 games" ~ Jacob Macofsky, Staff writer TrueBlueLA The heel issues that have followed him for multiple seasons led to surgery on both heels this offseason. He is not expected to be ready by Opening Day. That alone shifts the conversation.A player coming off surgery, with a history of lower-body concerns, does not command peak trade value. Moving him now would almost certainly mean selling below full return. That is not typically how disciplined front offices operate.Under the direction of Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals’ approach is expected to prioritize asset management and long-term structure. Bloom’s reputation has been built on patience and value evaluation, not reactionary moves. Unless there is internal concern that Nootbaar’s health outlook is more troubling than publicly known, it is difficult to see the organization moving him before he reestablishes both health and production.Roster depth does complicate matters. The Cardinals have built outfield options, and younger players are pushing. If the club finds itself out of contention by July, a controllable outfielder with Nootbaar’s offensive profile could draw legitimate interest.But July is a different marketplace than February.First-step quickness, lift at the plate, range in the outfield — all of it begins with healthy feet. Until Nootbaar demonstrates that the surgeries have resolved the lingering issues, trade speculation remains largely theoretical.There is also the intangible factor. He plays hard. He represents the organization well. Those traits are not easily quantified, but they carry weight inside a clubhouse.In the end, this feels less like an imminent move and more like offseason noise. The Cardinals’ most practical path is straightforward: allow Nootbaar to get healthy, evaluate him through the first half, and let performance — and the standings — determine the direction at the deadline.Health first.Speculation second.That’s usually how steady organizations operate. Photo Credit - Japan Times

Nootbaar’s Health First — Trade Speculation Second

<h3>Cardinals Testing Herrera Beyond the Plate</h3>Herrera’s Outfield Work Signals Roster Flexibility, Not Position ChangeMultiple reports from camp indicate that Iván Herrera, the team's primary designated-hitter last year, who is currently projected as the Cardinals’ No. 1 catcher on the depth chart, has been taking reps in the outfield during Spring Training. On the surface, it raises eyebrows. Underneath, it reflects roster math.Herrera is not new to defensive flexibility. He appeared in three games in left field last season, a quiet but telling experiment that suggests this is continuation — not improvisation. He also could potentially logged time at first base to further reinforce the club’s willingness to expand his defensive profile beyond catcher and designated hitter.The optics this week were interesting. Herrera was seen shagging fly balls with a first baseman’s mitt — an unusual visual for outfield work. In structured spring drills, equipment sometimes follows the station rather than the position, but the image underscored the broader theme: this is experimentation, not a formal conversion.The catchers were working through pop-time drills and throws to second base, while Herrera was shagging flys. The catcher drills are prohibited for Herrera as he continues his recovery from surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow, and exploring options other as the team's primary designated-hitter, working out at first and and in lelf makes sense to keep his bat in the lineup.The underlying objective is clear.Herrera’s right-handed bat profiles as playable — particularly against left-handed pitching — on a roster that features significant left-handed presence. If the Cardinals carry Pedro Pagés for defensive stability and Jimmy Crooks as a developing two-way option.Adding corner outfield and first base versatility: • Preserves his bat in the lineup • Reduces physical wear behind the plate • Justifies a potential three-catcher roster • Provides matchup flexibilityThis is not about turning Herrera into an everyday outfielder or first baseman, it is about maximizing offensive value without compromising depth.In February, experimentation costs nothing. By April, roster decisions will reveal whether these reps were precautionary flexibility or part of a larger deployment strategy.For now, it’s roster chess in the Florida sun. Photo Credit - UPI.com

Cards Testing Herrera Beyond the Plate

This Date in Cardinal History February 18, 2011<h3>Jim Edmonds Announces Retirement &nbsp;</h3><figure id="figure-xkaa8vmbkqmlrp4ct4"><img id="xkaa8vmbkqmlrp4ct4" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3bnNkPGlzO1YYbOfftYA1itztah42SqXxV7ngK0cbfMidkalh11wiFvVcJKUWrZz.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3bnNkPGlzO1YYbOfftYA1itztah42SqXxV7ngK0cbfMidkalh11wiFvVcJKUWrZz.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>Veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds, one of the premier defensive outfielders of his generation and a cornerstone of the St. Louis Cardinals’ resurgence in the early 2000s, announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on this date in 2011.Edmonds, 40, had reported to spring training on a minor league contract in hopes of extending his career, but lingering injuries and the cumulative toll of 17 major league seasons led him to step away from the game.Acquired by St. Louis prior to the 2000 season, Edmonds quickly became the anchor in center field during the club’s “MV3” era alongside Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen.Over his career, Edmonds posted a .284 batting average with 393 home runs and 1,199 runs batted in. He was selected to four All-Star Games with St. Louis and earned eight Gold Gloves overall, six in a Cardinals uniform.His postseason résumé remains etched in franchise history — most notably the dramatic Game 6 walk-off home run in the 2004 National League Championship Series and his role on the 2006 World Series championship club managed by Tony La Russa.Edmonds played the game with intensity and flair, turning difficult chances into signature moments and providing middle-of-the-order power to complement elite defense.On February 18, 2011, the curtain closed — not with ceremony, but with quiet resolve. A ballplayer knowing his time had come.And for nearly a decade in St. Louis, center field belonged to him. Research Sources - HistoryofCardinals.com Creator: ELSA | Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Jim Edmonds Announces Retirement

<h3>This Date in St. Louis Cardinals History - 1993</h3>Lonnie Maclin – &nbsp;(born February 17, 1967 in Clayton, Missouri), played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1993 season. In 12 career games, Maclin had one hit in 13 at-bats.Ironically, that lone hit came on a night that I was at the ballpark. A night that I will never forget and will forever be etched into Cardinals lore — September 7, 1993, at Busch Stadium, when Mark Whiten launched four home runs and drove in 12 runs against the Cincinnati Reds. Lost in that historic barrage was Lonnie Maclin quietly recording the only Major League hit of his career. For Maclin, simply reaching the big leagues with the hometown St. Louis Cardinals was a testament to perseverance — years of grinding through the minor leagues for a September call-up and a brief cup of coffee in The Show. While the box score will always spotlight Whiten’s fireworks, Maclin’s single stands as a reminder that for many players, a single base hit in the majors represents the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. On a night remembered for tape-measure home runs, Maclin claimed his own quiet piece of baseball history — and for those who were there, that’s something no stat line can diminish.<figure id="figure-a9gtugxbcmlq0gtgl"><img id="a9gtugxbcmlq0gtgl" src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3audVe9s7ot3SzRjv62y25iieo4zFuo0lKfNsJTLsmyH4BMayKPzvx1FprkHMzgR.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/blocks/3audVe9s7ot3SzRjv62y25iieo4zFuo0lKfNsJTLsmyH4BMayKPzvx1FprkHMzgR.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>The former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder and first baseman, who spent seven years in the Cardinals farm system beginning in 1987, was inducted into the Greater St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.(Photo Credit - St. Louis American / Research Sources - HistoryofCardinals.com) &nbsp;

Local Hall of Famer Gets His Only MLB Hit

<h3>Nelson Velázquez: Power Bat, Narrow Margin</h3>Every spring brings a handful of names that sit just outside the spotlight. Not prospects. Not established veterans. Just ballplayers trying to make someone’s decision difficult.Nelson Velázquez fits that description.The 27-year-old right-handed hitter arrives in camp as a non-roster invitee with something tangible to offer: power. In 552 career Major League at-bats, Velázquez has launched 31 home runs and slugged .433. The raw strength is not theoretical. When he connects, the ball carries.The question has never been power.The question is consistency.Velázquez owns a career .212 batting average and a .286 on-base percentage. His OPS+ of 98 suggests he has been roughly league average overall, but that mark hides the streakiness. There are stretches when he looks like a middle-order threat, and others when the swing-and-miss becomes difficult to ignore.At 27, this is no longer a development story. This is a refinement story.The Cardinals have reportedly given him work in left field this spring, a sign that they are at least exploring the possibility of a roster fit. With uncertainty still hovering over portions of the outfield depth chart, a right-handed power option carries value — especially one capable of punishing mistakes off the bench or filling in against left-handed pitching.But non-roster invitees operate without cushion. They do not get patience. They must show it.If Velázquez can tighten the strike zone, control at-bats, and demonstrate steady defense in left, he gives the club something it can use: controllable power at a modest cost. If the strikeouts mount and the at-bats grow uncompetitive, the margin disappears quickly.Spring training numbers can mislead. Process matters more than production. For Velázquez, the evaluation will be simple: Are the at-bats stronger? Is the approach steadier? Does the power come within the framework of a complete hitter?There is real strength in the bat.Now comes the proving.

Nelson Velázquez: Power Bat, Narrow Margin

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle 

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.