With Cardinals pitchers and catchers officially required to report to Spring Training down in Jupiter, Florida on Thursday, here’s a look at the latest news, rumors, and reports on the Redbirds:

• Despite the fact that the first official workout for pitchers and catchers isn’t until Thursday and position players aren’t required to report for a few more days, Jenifer Langosch of Cardinals.com reported that several players participated in voluntary and unstructured workouts at the club’s Spring Training complex on Wednesday. A few takeaways from Langosch’s article: John Lackey and Peter Bourjos were among the players to arrive to camp on Wednesday…Carlos Martinez threw his first bullpen session since arriving from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, and Yadier Molina caught the bullpen before offering suggestions to Martinez afterwards…Seth Maness, Marco Gonzales, and newcomer Matt Belisle also threw off the mound on Wednesday under the watchful eyes of Mike Matheny and bullpen coach Blaise Ilsley. Read Langosch’s full article here.
• Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talked with starter John Lackey, who discussed his contract status as well as his eagerness to get going with the Cards: “”This group of guys. . .this organization. . . it’s a great place to be…It’s great to be in an organization that’s always trying.” Read Hummel’s full article here.
• In additional articles on Cardinals.com, Langosch took a look a three questions facing the Cardinals, provided an update on the status of center-fielder Peter Bourjos, and reported on how bench coach David Bell has taken control of the team’s routine during Spring Training.
• Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he wants to be traded from the team to play on a competitor: “I just want to win. That’s all. That’s all any competitor wants…And I know it’s not going to happen here…This isn’t what I expected. It’s not what the Phillies expected, either. But it’s reality.” The Cardinals were one of many teams rumored to be interested in Hamels throughout the offseason, but Nightengale reports the Phillies won’t listen to potential deals for Hamels from the Cardinals unless young pitcher Carlos Martinez is involved in the proposed package. Read Nighengale’s full article on Hamels here.

–CB

Feature image used under Creative Commons from Ron Cogswell. No changes made. Image License.