JUPITER, Fla. _ The last remaining piece of the Lackey/Craig trade that helped define the 2015 Cardinals won't be joining the club this spring as planned.
Corey Littrell, a left-handed reliever, has been suspended 50 games for a second positive drug test. He was a non-roster invitee to this year's major league camp, but he had not appeared during camp. His name also did not appear on the schedule, though the team did not confirm his absence until Major League Baseball had announced the suspension.
"From a pure baseball projection standpoint he was trending in the right direction," general manager John Mozeliak said.
Littrell, 24, was one of the prospects the Cardinals sent to Arizona Fall League, and he was considered for a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Cardinals left him unprotected.
That meant he was on the minor league roster for testing and that explains a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse. Had he been on the 40-man roster he would be protected from a suspension for a drug like marijuana.
Littrell was the minor league arm involved in the trade with Boston in 2014 that sent Allen Craig and Joe Kelly to the Red Sox and brought veteran reliever John Lackey to the Cardinals. Lackey was the Cardinals' leading pitcher in 2015 as the team won 100 games and the National League Central title. Lackey skipped to Chicago and the Cubs last offseason as a free agent, leaving Littrell as the spoils from the Craig-Kelly move.
The Cardinals had moved Littrell into a relief role, and the lefty found increased success there to go with increased velocity. At Class AA and Class AAA last season, he went 2-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 53 games. He pitched 67 innings and struck out 63 while walking 30.
