LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. • After spending most of the past few weeks waiting and wondering about the decision of a single slugger, the Cardinals made enough “forward progress” toward a trade Tuesday that members of the front office publicly shared a word they reserve for only rare occasions.
General manager Michael Girsch and John Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations, expressed “optimism” for the addition of their desired hitter.
They offered no further details.
Just as important, they attached no qualifiers.
“We’re not at the goal line, but we’ve made progress,” Girsch said Tuesday evening as the second day of the winter meetings neared dinner time.