Cardinals News and Notes: Lackey, Heyward, and the Hot Stove

What? You spent your weekend enjoying unseasonably unterrible Midwestern weather and not keeping up with the latest hot stove news on Viva El Birdos dot com? Well, that's okay. We forgive you, this time. Anyway, here's what you may have missed.

John Lackey Signed

• #Salty veteran John Lackey signed with the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Because they made Lackey a qualifying offer, the Cardinals will now receive a first round draft pick as compensation.

Your Latest in Jason Heyward Reads

• Crowdsourcing Jason Heyward's Next Contract-€”In case you haven't heard, Jason Heyward is a free agent who may or may not re-sign with the Cardinals. There are a wide range of opinions on how much money he deserves, and you can have your voice heard here.

• Jason Heyward likes doggies!

Cardinals Hot Stove Rumors

• It appears unlikely that Ben Zobrist will sign with the Cardinals.

• For a while on Friday, it looked like the Cardinals might pursue Jeff Samardzija as a consolation prize of sorts for not signing David Price. However, on Saturday, Samardzija signed with the San Francisco Giants, presumably making the San Francisco 49ers very jealous that a different local team was able to pick up an All-American wide receiver and not them.

Potential Starting Pitching Targets

• Nick Lampe wrote about whether the Cardinals should pursue Cliff Lee, the former Cy Young winner who has not pitched since early 2014 but could be an excellent bargain if he recaptures his pre-injury form.

• The red baron considered some free agents as well-not only the aforementioned Lee, but also Mike Leake, Hisashi Iwakuma (who later, as first reported by ESPN's Jim Bowden, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers), Mark Buehrle, Doug Fister, and (briefly) Johnny Cueto.

Also, if you are still craving strong Peter Bourjos and/or Tony Cruz takes (and who isn't?), a new and handsome VEB writer has you covered...*sheepishly kicks dirt*

Okay, is everybody caught up? Good. Should be an action-packed week of rumors and perhaps even transactions coming up for the Cardinals and, as always, Viva El Birdos will be here to cover it all. Y'all come back now!