--2B Adam Kennedy was -- surprisingly -- waived by the Cardinals, who now have no clear-cut second baseman with spring training looming. "We have exhausted all trade possibilities for Adam, and have decided that it was within both the club and the player's best interests to give Adam his unconditional release," said general manager John Mozeliak in a statement. "As we move forward, we feel that it is best to try and fill the second base position with other players from within our organization."
--OF Skip Schumaker, who signed as a shortstop in 2001, said he would bring an infielder's glove with him to camp. With a crowded outfield and little infield depth, Schumaker is likely to take some grounders at second base this spring. --Schumaker, as he has done in other years, spent several days a week this offseason hitting under the watchful eye of former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, a neighbor in Southern California. Manager Tony La Russa has tried for several years to get McGwire to come to camp as an instructor, but McGwire has declined those invitations.
--The Cardinals have shown no inclination to sign any more left-handed relievers, preferring to go with the trio they signed to one-year deals in the offseason -- Trever Miller, Royce Ring and Charlie Manning.
--Although the Cardinals had a National League-leading .281 batting average last season, they would like to improve their hitting with the bases loaded. In those situations, the club batted just .246 with four grand slams. C Yadier Molina batted .455 with the bases loaded, but 3B Troy Glaus, who fell one RBI short of 100, hit only .118 with three runners on.
--The Cardinals' exhibition schedule features home-and-home games with both World Series contestants, the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays, in addition to a home-and-home series with the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals haven't played an exhibition game against the Rays in 11 years.
--RHP Chris Carpenter, who has missed virtually all of the last two seasons with arm problems, was one of the early arrivals in camp at Jupiter, Fla.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 -- Catchers on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, Yadier Molina and Jason LaRue.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "My thinking was Brett Wallace would start at Double-A and then see what happens from there. That's still the plan, but the plan with Brett Wallace is that you cannot set a plan." -- Cardinals farm director Jeff Luhnow on the club's fast-rising top pick in 2008.
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