Wednesday With Walton and Reis of The Cardinal Nation

Brian and Kyle open an extended podcast with new Cardinals pitchers Stanek, Zimmermann and Martinez and say goodbye to Nolan Arenado. They spend most of the time breaking down the starting pitching candidates at each level from St. Louis down to Palm Beach and close with a preview of Thursday’s international signing period opening.

Brian and Kyle open 2026 with World Baseball Classic talk, thenthe acquisition of lefty reliever Justin Bruihl. The primary focus this week is the Top 6 St. Louis Cardinals prospects for 2026 and two additions from Boston in the Willson Contreras trade.

Brian and Kyle conclude 2025 with varying views on pitchers ranked around our Top 10 St. Louis Cardinals prospects – Hence, Hjerpe, Roby and Henderson - after touching on the Nolan Arenado trade market. They also discuss Joshua Baez as an example of the prospect impact of the impending labor strife and close with the Top 10 Cardinals Stories of the Year as published at The Cardinal Nation.

Merry Christmas Eve! Brian and Kyle begin with the pitchers received by the St. Louis Cardinals in their trade of Willson Contreras to Boston. The minor league addition of Jared Shuster is noted. Kyle explains the ramifications of pitchers using the Major League baseball starting at Triple-A. They look at the magnitude of staff additions made by Player Development and Performance and close with a...

This week, Brian and Kyle start with the St. Louis Cardinals’ signing of Dustin May. Minor league topics include technology standardization and the Cards’ projected picks in the first 2026 draft mocks. They touch on the trade rumor mill and close with a discussion of outfield prospects in the 20-30 range – Nathan Church, Zach Levenson, Chase Davis and Travis Honeyman.

This week, Brian and Kyle start with the St. Louis Cardinals’ waiver claim of reliever Zak Kent. Next is the Lottery for the 2026 Draft, in which the Cards drew an unlucky #13. The main event is Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft. The Cardinals added reliever Matt Pushard but lost Double-A starter Cade Winquest in the Major League Phase. They selected one player in the Minor League phase, but three others w...

Brian and Kyle introduce their new podcast homes before outlining the new Competitive Balance Round A draft pick and the upcoming 2026 draft lottery. They touch on the changes to the St. Louis Cardinals major league staff and a minor league promotion. Yadier Molina surfacing in winter ball and the divestiture of the large contracts of Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado are also discussed. They cl...

This week, Brian and Kyle begin with the Sonny Gray trade, and why it one day may be called the “Brandon Clarke” trade. The focus on hitting in Tuesday’s Player Development and Performance hires and promotions is noted. The recent (re)signings of Yohel Pozo, Sem Robberse and Scott Blewitt are put into context and they close with the impact of new TV deals on the timing of the draft.