Cards' Adams jokes about the Cubs: 'They're not going to beat us'

Much of the offseason news in the National League Central has come from the Chicago Cubs, with moves like the signing of marquee pitcher Jon Lester.

You'll have to forgive St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams if he isn't ready to raise the white flag and concede the division title just yet.

"They're not going to beat us," Adams said with a smile during the Cardinals Caravan annual stop Friday afternoon at Hammons Field.

Adams made the trip to Springfield along with fellow big-leaguers and Springfield Cardinals alums Seth Maness and Kevin Siegrist, plus alums Kerry Robinson and Jason Simontacchi (the new Springfield pitching coach) and play-by-play voice John Rooney.

It's evident the hunger is there after the Cardinals' postseason run ended in a five-game loss to the eventual World Series-champion Giants in the NLCS in 2014.

"I think (the motivation) is huge," Adams said. "Going in and playing with a chip on your shoulder and knowing that we didn't finish it out like we wanted to. Everybody is hungry and can't wait to get down to spring training and get this season going."

And there's a constant eye on that regular-season opener, on ESPN2 on April 5 against the Cubs (of course) at Wrigley Field.

"That's going to be a lot of fun," Adams said. "They had a great offseason and should be better. But we always play each other tough. It'll be fun opening the season at Wrigley on Sunday night."

The Cardinals, of course, did not stand pat this offseason, dealing pitcher Shelby Miller to Atlanta for outfielder Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden, and adding infielder Mark Reynolds on a low-risk contract for one year and $2 million.

With Miller gone, that figures to open a spot in the rotation for big-time arm Carlos Martinez.

And it figures to only fuel more expectations for postseason success for Cardinals' faithful, something that Siegrist says is business as usual.

"We're expected to win," he said. "We want to win, and we're going to do everything we can do to make that happen."

Siegrist is looking forward to a healthy 2015 season. He was left off the postseason roster after being held back by a barrage of injuries last season. It was discovered late in the season that he had muscle tears in his left (pitching) hand and inflammation in his left forearm. He was limited to 37 appearances, going 1-4 with a 6.82 ERA.

He called it the most frustrating feeling he can remember, "Especially when you're watching the team in the playoffs and you can't do anything," he said. "It was bad.

"It's driving me even more because I wasn't able to be a part of it."

Maness was definitely a part of it last season, compiling a 2.91 ERA in 73 games. He was 6-4 and had three saves. He knows the offseason pitching moves will lead to a logjam in the bullpen and more quality arms battling for jobs.

"It's always a competition," he said. "Nothing is in stone yet, and you're coming into spring training ready to battle and compete for a spot. Nothing is handed to you.

"I just show up and try to compete for a job."

The former Springfield Cardinals all said they were happy to be back at their Double-A stomping grounds. The line started forming at 8:30 a.m. — some four hours before the event began — in the Hammons Field parking lot on Friday.

"This is probably one of the best places to play in Double-A," Adams said. "It's like a mini-St. Louis, and gets you ready for that next step."

They said it

Matt Adams

On the tragic death of Oscar Taveras in the offseason: "It's a tough loss, losing one of your brothers. We know that life goes on, and we're definitely going to go out there and play our hearts out for him. We'd love for him to be there with us, and it's just a tough situation with how it happened."

On the memories of playing in Springfield: "I think it's awesome. It was a fun place to play. The crowds were into every game, whether we were winning or losing. The field was great. We had a great team. It's fun to be part of a club here."

Seth Maness

On rumors of more moves to shore up the pitching staff: "That's above my pay grade. We've got a general manager who does an outstanding job with that, so I'll leave that in his hands."

On Carlos Martinez, who could take the final spot in the starting rotation: "The kind of talent he has, it's unreal the arm he has. It's fun to watch, and I think he can be a real strong pitcher."

Kevin Siegrist

On his outlook going into the spring after an injury-ravaged 2014 season: "I'm just ready to prove myself again, and I've just got to stay healthy."

On the support shown by Cardinals fans throughout the year: "We have some crazy fans, they're great. It's awesome for them all to come out."