Jeff Jones

Covering the St. Louis Cardinals in the clubhouse, on the field, and everywhere in between.

Oct 15, 2026

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3 min read

Doing what the Brewers do, as if that was so simple

With Milwaukee on the verge of their first pennant since 1982, there's not a team in the game that doesn't want to be them. Can they? That's harder to say.

Jeff Jones

Oct 13, 2026

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4 min read

Parsing the Cardinals' options for Rule 5 protection

The last lockout canceled the Rule 5 draft, but the protection deadline arrived just the same. Expect a similar result in 2026.

Jeff Jones

Oct 11, 2026

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3 min read

A clash of civilizations at the end of the baseball labor world

It could not be more fitting that the sport's three most-emulated Davids are taking a shot at the unfathomable Goliath.

Jeff Jones

Oct 8, 2026

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4 min read

As executive hiring season gets underway, the Cardinals seek to keep growing what they've built

Job interviews are happening across baseball. Promotions in St. Louis seem likely to follow.

Jeff Jones

Oct 6, 2026

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3 min read

A year after a spendthrift winter, the Cardinals should know when it's time to go

The White Sox lost 324 games over a three-year stretch and are five wins from the pennant. The bar has been raised.

Jeff Jones

Oct 3, 2026

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5 min read

Understanding the Cardinals salary structure in the context of arbitration

Arb projection figures are out. Where does that leave the Cardinals on the payroll front? (Hint: don't sweat it.)

Jeff Jones

Oct 1, 2026

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4 min read

Now on the St. Louis team we have...I Don't Know is on third

The Cardinals might have a third baseman coming soon, but they don't have one right now.

Jeff Jones

Sep 28, 2026

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5 min read

"This is a dangerous time." With more competitive success than expected in 2026, Chaim Bloom doubles down in commitment to plan and process

The president of baseball operations laid out unrestrained confidence, if few concrete markers, in a Monday press conference.

Jeff Jones

Sep 27, 2026

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4 min read

With 77 wins and an eye on development, the Cardinals finish a rebuild season that avoided the bottom of the barrel.

This was a season worth judging by their standards. Soon, the bar must be raised.

Jeff Jones

Sep 27, 2026

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4 min read

Jordan Walker exits 2026 exactly as important to the Cardinals as he exited 2025 for vastly different reasons

The right fielder revamped his swing, the Cardinals revamped their communication with him, and the world which was promised began to take shape.

Jeff Jones

Sep 26, 2026

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3 min read

On the standings page, the Cardinals stay even

In a year of upheaval and reset expectations, what does it mean that the wins remained the same?

Jeff Jones

Sep 25, 2026

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3 min read

Hancel Rincón gets a second trip to the big leagues, undefined by his first

The young righty just wanted to talk baseball, and who could blame him?

Jeff Jones

Sep 23, 2026

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5 min read

Faced with undeniable failure, Matthew Liberatore faces forced "growth and adaptation that I've never been faced with before"

He once feared his career was over in Triple-A. Now he's fighting for it in the big leagues.

Jeff Jones

Sep 20, 2026

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3 min read

What kind of year has it been?

Asking one simple question and getting many complicated answers

Jeff Jones

Sep 19, 2026

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3 min read

"It's a really good time to be a Cardinal fan," Oli Marmol says, as an historic streak of playoff absence officially arrives

He might even be right.

Jeff Jones

Sep 17, 2026

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3 min read

As the 2026 home schedule ends, 2027's uncertainty highlights both growth and risks

The Cardinals think they know when they'll next play at Busch Stadium after this weekend. A great deal will change between now and then.

Jeff Jones

Sep 14, 2026

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3 min read

"You've kind of got to not ride the waves:" what Cooper Hjerpe's ugly Saturday night demonstrates about the process of rebuilding

The Cardinals are prepared to ride out bumps in the road in service of process of results.

Jeff Jones

Sep 12, 2026

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4 min read

In entering the Cardinals Hall of Fame, the team's indelible legends define what it is to be foundational

Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and Bill Sherdel join an immortal group and enhance through the way they weave together centuries of history at the ballpark.

Jeff Jones

Sep 11, 2026

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4 min read

After 20 years and an entirely different lifetime, Anthony Reyes remains a Cardinals World Series hero

A decade in a fire house hasn't erased the memory of a frigid night in Detroit and a duel against a Hall of Famer.

Jeff Jones

Sep 10, 2026

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3 min read

Reunions, the Cardinals Hall of Fame, and turning the page

A franchise which has always defined itself by the past has an opportunity to leap with both feet into its future.

Jeff Jones

Sep 7, 2026

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3 min read

What Hancel Rincón shows baseball's players about the power of solidarity

On the last Labor Day ahead of a looming labor fight, there is evidence of more player unity than perhaps has been expected.

Jeff Jones

Sep 4, 2026

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3 min read

In losing Dobbins for 2027, the Cardinals suffer their first serious blow of the next year

It's been a half decade since a serious starter injury weighed heavily on the team's roster plans.

Jeff Jones

Sep 1, 2026

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4 min read

As rosters expand small, the Cardinals take a big look at their options

Three unique opportunities to look at players in three different spots

Jeff Jones

Aug 30, 2026

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3 min read

Peel the Patch: After weeks of waiting, Cade Winquest takes a big league mound

The righty reliever redefined Rule 5 purgatory.

Jeff Jones

Aug 28, 2026

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3 min read

While keeping O'Brien at closer, the Cardinals have a chance to share valuable experiences

The only way to feel the ninth inning is to feel it, so with series ticking down, the Cardinals could seize some rare opportunities.

Jeff Jones