Nightengale's Notebook: Cardinals' Adam Wainwright chases milestone in final season

You’re a New York Mets fan and you’re livid that $360 million bought nothing but despair. 

Or a New York Yankees fan and 2009 now seems so long ago that you could swear Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were on that team. 

Chicago White Sox supporters are drowning their sorrows watching a painful rebuild produce a contending window that lasted just 1 ½ seasons. 

You need someone, something, anything, to root for these next two months . 

Well, I’ve got the perfect guy for you

FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team

Adam Wainwright, the 41-year-old starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, who epitomizes the ultimate in class, professionalism and integrity. 

He could sure use your support in the final season of his glorious 19-year career. 

You see, Wainwright has been stuck at 198 victories for two months now, going back to June 17, lasting longer than five innings just once. 

Wainwright, who four times finished in the top three in Cy Young balloting, spurned retirement after last year and returned for one final season. He wanted one more World Series title and hoped to finish his career with at least 214 victories, eclipsing the total by his close friend, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz. 

Well, the Cardinals have been out of the NL Central race since May, on pace to finish with their worst record since 1990, and Wainwright is 3-6 with a 7.81 ERA. 

“Obviously, it hasn’t gone all of the way we all hoped," said John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations. “One of the things he always prided himself was being part of a winning team, and this year has been a struggle for all of us."

Wainwright, who turns 42 on Aug. 30, says he has no regrets coming back. As cool as it would have been to retire alongside future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, he didn’t want to sit home knowing he could still pitch. 

“I really thought we had a chance this year, and the way I was feeling, I was definitely coming back," Wainwright told USA TODAY Sports. “Come on, five wins from 200, feeling strong, and you’re going to quit that? Being that close to a cool number like that? There’s not too many guys who will do that unless the game changes back. It will be too hard. 

“But you’re going to quit five shy of that number? Come on. I’m too stubborn and too competitive to do that."

Wainwright, who has played longer for the Cardinals than anyone but Stan Musial and Molina, figured he’d have his 200^th victory by May. Instead, he sustained a groin injury working out during the World Baseball Classic, missed the first 33 games of the season, and then another 15 games in July with a shoulder strain. 

“I’ve been wanting to be great this year, it just hasn’t happened," Wainwright says. “But to get to 200, and even more, that would be pretty cool. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be standing on the mound, and hopefully we’re winning 8-0, and seeing it happen.’’ 

If Wainwright’s bid for history continues to stall, the Cardinals could get cute, and use an opener to enhance Wainwright’s chances of reaching the milestone. Yet, the Cardinals don’t want to do that, and neither does Wainwright. He’s a starter. He has won 19 or more games in four seasons. He’s a three-time All-Star. A two-time Gold Glover. A Silver Slugger. 

And yes, a World Series champion. 

Cardinals’ fans will forever remember Wainwright, as a rookie reliever, freezing New York Mets star Carlos Beltran on a curveball with the bases loaded for the final out of the 2006 NLCS, and then breezing past the Detroit Tigers for the World Series title. 

“That’s still my favorite moment, something that none of us will ever forget," Mozeliak said. “But when you think about Waino, it’s not about a moment in time, it’s what he meant to the organization. It’s about longevity and creating that winning culture over those two decades. 

“When I look back at what he’s meant for this franchise, it’s enormous. His fingerprints are not just on the success of this team, but also on the impact he’s made on other players that have been through this organization. He’s one of those guys that when you look back at his career, his impact is going to be far greater than baseball.’’ 

He is revered throughout the game, not only by those who played with him, but those who competed against him. 

“I think everyone in baseball is pulling for him," said Los Angeles Dodgers three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. “He’s just such a great guy, a great friend, and someone you admire. 

“You wish someone like him the best."

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Paul DeJong remembers Wainwright pulling him aside one day and giving him advice on signing his autograph, of all things. 

“He told me, 'You can’t have a bad signature like that, you need to clean that up,'" DeJong said. “I went back to third-grade cursive to write my name out, and have gotten compliments ever since. 

“He’s a legendary-type player, a change your-life-type player, the way he guides young players, his leadership qualities, and holding people accountable.’’ 

Says Baltimore Orioles starter Jack Flaherty: “He works as hard as anybody I’ve ever known, he kind of set the standard what it means to be a big-league starting pitcher. He is a friend, a mentor, and someone who has always looked out for me. We talk pitching. We talk life. He’s just been awesome having him there for me."

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas: “I don’t think there’s a thing in this game that he doesn’t do as good, if not better, than anybody that I’ve ever seen do it. He’s a great teammate. A great leader. A great golfer. A great father. An OK card player. He’s the kind of guy you’re going to remember for a long time, even when you’re done playing with him."

Now, here Wainwright is, with just seven weeks remaining in his career, needing just two more victories to give him one more glorious achievement that he can celebrate with his teammates, fans, peers and family. 

“We all want it to so bad for him," Cardinals manager Ollie Marmol said. “This is a guy who’s had to reinvent himself over and over to reach that milestone. Most people would have caved a few years ago.

“I remember being in San Diego in 2019, we’re sitting in the lunch room, and he’s looking at me, and says, 'I might be done.' It was the first time I saw his face that way. He was really contemplating it. 

“Now, to see him reinvent himself, compete at this level, and getting to 200, it would be special for all of us.’’ 

When Wainwright retires, he’ll be in the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame as one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history. He intends to stay in the game as a TV broadcaster. Who knows, maybe he’ll do a little singing too, and a whole lot of living with his wife and five kids.

“It’s special having people around the league sending me messages, saying they’re thinking about me,’’ Wainwright said. “It’s pretty cool. I want to come through and do this, really, for everyone. 

“I’ve got a whole lot of people out there cheering me on to do it."

Wait 'til 2026?

No one has changed direction more abruptly in baseball history than the New York Mets. 

One minute, they’re spending a record $500 million in payroll and luxury taxes to buy a World Series. 

The next, they’re spending a record $156.5 million in money for their players to simply go away. 

Absurd, but true. 

Their dead money actually exceeds the entire payroll of 15 teams in MLB. 

Mind-boggling. 

Next up, All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso, who was on the trade block last week, could be traded with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz possibly joining him once he proves he’s healthy. 

Forget Shohei Ohtani. Forget the World Series. For now, it’s all about prospects. 

“I think the expectations were really high this year and my guess is next year will be a lot lower,” Cohen told reporters before the Mets were swept by the Kansas City Royals. “But I can’t speak to the offseason. I’m opportunistic. I don’t want to roll a team out there we are going to be embarrassed by. 

“But we also know that spending a fortune doesn’t guarantee you a trip to the playoffs.” 

The Mets had the 21^st-highest payroll in 2015 when they reached the World Series, winning eight playoff games in October. 

In the eight years since, despite having payrolls in the top 10 the last five seasons, they have won exactly one postseason game. 

Money isn't everything

– It’s bad enough for the players union that the top three-spending teams, the Mets, Yankees and Padres all have grossly underperformed this year. It’s tough selling the concept that you must spend over the luxury tax to win when these three big spenders may all be sitting home for the winter. 

But take a look at how ugly last year’s free agent market has turned out with all of the struggles that have led to releases and salary dumps:

Shortstop Trea Turner, $300 million, Phillies: Demoted to eighth in the batting order, hitting .236 with a .656 OPS in the worst season of his career. 

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts: $280 million, Padres: Hitting .266 with 11 homers and a .740 OPS. 

Shortstop Carlos Correa, $200 million, Twins: Hitting .220 with a .295 on-base percentage and a .678 OPS. 

Starter Jacob deGrom, $185 million, Rangers: His season lasted 30⅓ innings and he won’t be returning until 2025. 

Starter Carlos Rodon, $177 million, Yankees: He has won one game and pitched 24 ⅓ innings. 

Catcher Willson Contreras, $87.5 million, Cardinals: It took three weeks for the Cardinals to regret the decision when their pitchers told management they didn’t want to pitch to him. He’s on the trade block. 

First baseman Jose Abreu, $59.8 million, Astros: He has a .653 OPS and -0.8 WAR. 

First baseman Anthony Rizzo, $40 million, Yankees: Batting .172 with one homer and 9 RBI since May 28 after colliding with Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis at first base, and is now on the IL with post-concussion symptoms

First baseman Josh Bell, $33 million, Guardians: Hit .233 with a .701 OPS and was traded from the Guardians to the Marlins in a salary dump. 

Shortstop Jean Segura, $17 million, Marlins: He was in that salary dump, with a brutal slash line of .219/.277/.279 and immediately released 

First baseman Trey Mancini, $14 million, Cubs: Released with his .234 batting average and four homers. 

Outfielder A.J. Pollock, $13 million, Mariners: He was traded from Seattle to the Giants, hitting .173 with five homers and 15 RBI, in a salary dump. 

Outfielder Michael Brantley, $12 million, Astros: Yet to step onto the field. 

DH Matt Carpenter, $12 million, Padres: Hitting .166 with four homers, and in danger of being released. 

Starter Matt Boyd, $10 million, Tigers: Underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in June. 

Starter Corey Kluber, $10 million, Red Sox: 3-6 with a 7.01 ERA. 

Outfielder Will Myers, $7.5 million, Reds: He was released in June, hitting .189 with three homers and 12 RBI. 

Catcher Mike Zunino, $6 million, Guardians: Hit .177 with three homers, struggled defensively, and was released in June. 

Infielder Josh Harrison, $2 million, Phillies: Released last week. 

DH Nelson Cruz, $1 million, Padres: He had five homers and a .681 was released last month. 

It’s hardly a ringing endorsement for this year’s weak free-agent market. 

Around the basepaths...

– The first order of business for the Mets this offseason will be deciding the fate of manager Buck Showalter. 

Showalter, 67, has one year and $4 million remaining on his contract. 

Certainly, he didn’t sign up to be the manager of an expensive rebuilding project. 

– How in the world can the Yankees’ medical and training staff not become aware that Anthony Rizzo may be suffering from post-concussion syndrome until now? Something has been wrong for two months, and now they discover there could be a problem? 

– Remember the days when players were clamoring to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers? 

Three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander showed no interest in going to LA before choosing to return to the Houston Astros, and Eduardo Rodriguez flatly snubbed them, rejecting his no-trade clause. 

Strange times. 

– The Seattle Mariners have a 20-10 record since July 1, tied with the Orioles for the best record in baseball, and are just 2 ½ games out of a wild-card berth, which makes it so absurd they they traded closer Paul Sewald and nearly outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. 

– Must be nice to be in the AL Central. The Minnesota Twins, who did absolutely nothing at the trade deadline, became the division favorites when they watched everyone else, including the Guardians, wave the white flag. 

The Guardians’ surrender was particularly surprising considering they were just one game out of first place but traded their best pitcher, Aaron Civale, as well as power hitter Josh Bell, in hopes of being a power in 2024, while saving $9 million. 

– The Guardians’ players were so upset with the front office surrendering that president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff boarded a 6:30 a.m. flight to Houston the next morning instead of waiting for the club to return home. They met with team leaders to calm their anger, vowing that they’ll be all-in in 2024, saying that the injuries to prized starters Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie forced them to audible. 

“I just told ‘em that 'if you are frustrated, if you’re angry, OK,' ” Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters. “But if that trickles into our play on the field, that doesn’t help anybody.” 

– The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals were engaged in serious trade discussions for Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez on trade deadline day before the White Sox simply weren’t willing to give up the prospects the Royals sought. 

Meanwhile, the White Sox entertained offers for ace Dylan Cease, but no proposal came close to even tempting them to move him. 

– The Red Sox and Marlins were involved in trade talks for popular Red Sox infielder Justin Turner, who has 17 homers and an .837 OPS, as The Athletic reported. When trade talks couldn’t progress past the finish line, the Marlins pivoted to Josh Bell and Jake Burger. 

Turner, who is earning $13.4 million, has a $6.7 million player option in 2024. He’s undecided whether he’ll return to the Red Sox. 

– The Tampa Bay Rays, whose historic start had them leading the AL East by 6½ games, only to fall apart in July with an 8-16 record, their worst month since 2007, are back to being a World Series contender. 

They never panicked when they went from averaging 5.64 runs a game to just 3.63 runs a game in July, and now they’re hitting again, and made a shrewd move at the trade deadline acquiring Guardians starter Aaron Civale. 

“We believe that this group is a championship-caliber group," Rays GM Peter Bendix told reporters. “We believe that they’ve shown that to be the case this season, over the course of the entire season. And we believe that that’s the group moving forward that can take us where we want to go. .. 

“We really do believe in the quality of this team to this point.” 

– It speaks to the Dodgers’ remarkable depth that they are in first place in the NL West with a 6.18 ERA by their starting rotation in July, the second-worst in franchise history. 

– A cautionary tale about prospects …. 

Remember in 2017 when the Tigers began their huge rebuild by dumping five of their most talented veterans in Justin Verlander, J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Justin Wilson and Alex Avila for a slew of prospects that were expected to be invaluable for their rebuild? 

They wound up with 11 prospects from those trades. 

Well, six years later, and the only one that still remains is catcher Jake Rogers. 

Ouch. 

– Farhan Zaidi, San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations, justified their lack of trade activity by telling local reporters: “Looking at the landscape of the National League, I don’t really see a seismic shift based on the trades. A lot of it’s going to just come down to who plays the best down the stretch.” 

Well, considering the Dodgers, D-backs and Padres all made moves, it may be tough to justify if the Giants don’t reach the playoffs. 

– The Tigers and Dodgers started involving teams for a potential three-way trade when Eduardo Rodriguez exercised his no-trade clause to the Dodgers, but they simply ran out of time. The Tigers better hope now that Rodriguez does not opt out of the remaining three years, $49 million of his contract considering that they won’t receive a draft pick if he walks since he previously has been given the qualifying offer. 

– Forget the wild-card races, which have become dull, the real suspense are the Division races. Atlanta is the only division leader among the six teams who has more than a 2 ½ game lead entering Saturday. 

The last time four or more division leaders had a lead of five or fewer games on Aug. 4 was in 2014. 

– Meanwhile, the Yankees are in danger of finishing in last place for only the fifth time in their storied history, and the first time in 33 years. 

If they don’t finish last, it will be the Red Sox, who have finished last five times in the past 11 years. 

This could be the first year ever that the Yankees and Mets finished in last place the same season. 

– Man, can the Giants ever develop catchers. 

First, Buster Posey. Now, Patrick Bailey. 

Bailey has already thrown out 19 baserunners attempting to steal a base this season. 

– The Giants certainly are mastering the bullpen games this season, going 15-5 when they’ve used an opener. 

– What did it mean for Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo to see future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera return one final time to Miami?

Luzardo remembers attending the 2003 World Series with his grandfather, Nicolas Alvarez, when Cabrera was just 20 years old. 

“Miggy was just shagging (batting practice), and my grandpa had a big Venezuelan flag,’’ Luzardo told Miami reporters. “We got him to throw the ball to him, and for my grandpa, that was huge. Miguel Cabrera, obviously, is an idol in Venezuela. 

“My grandpa kept that ball for his whole life." 

–The Padres are 0-10 in extra-inning games this season, and could become only the third team in MLB history to be winless in a full season. They have never gone an entire season having won fewer than four extra-inning games. 

They also are a major-league worst 6-18 in one-run games. 

– You want an old-school approach? Look no further than Atlanta. 

They have four players – infielders Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. – who have played in every single game this season. 

“You get paid to play, and you do what you can to go out and help the team win every day,” Olson told reporters, following in Freddie Freeman’s footsteps. “You can’t do it from the bench. … 

“You’re supposed to prepare yourself in the offseason and stay strong and get yourself ready during the season, to do that. As long as you’re feeling good and healthy, strong, there’s no reason to not run out there every day.” 

– The Minnesota Twins entered August leading the AL Central for 113 of 124 days despite never being more than six games above .500. It’s the most days leading a division by a team never more than six games above .500 in MLB history. 

– All you need to know about the Padres’ miserable offense is that they have a league-leading 53 quality starts, and have lost 20 of those games. 

– Congratulations on the fabulous careers of World Series MVP Cole Hamels and veteran Padres reliever Craig Stammen, who announced their retirement this week from the Padres. 

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale