By midseason, he could be game-ready.

The Cardinals intend to be there with an offer.

The team has opened its facility in Jupiter, Fla., for him to use as he rebuilds arm strength, and Ankiel said a reunion with his first team “makes a lot of sense for me.” Other teams expressed interest when Ankiel announced his return, including at least one other team in the Jupiter. Fla., area, where he lives. No deal has been finalized with the Cardinals, but both sides have confirmed interest in a minor-league deal once Ankiel is ready. The lefty made the point that first “the surgery has to work or we’re wasting all of this conversation for nothing.”

Ankiel, now 39, said he expected more anxiety when he pitched to one batter in a tournament this past fall with an alumni team. He struck the batter out – and that got him thinking. The book he wrote, “The Phenomenon,” helped him sort through the struggles he had as a young pitcher with the Cardinals and the wildness that led to his sudden retirement as a pitcher in spring 2005. Revisiting those moments, he said Sunday, helped him overcome them.

Plus, even as he left the mound and worked his way back to the majors to become the Cardinals’ everyday center fielder, he never lost his touch for the pitch that can allow a reliever to control the game — the curve.