Post-porno flap, the Cardinals tell their players to use social media The Right Way

Posting porno on a Twitter feed is something a low-class organization’s players will do. It’s not The Cardinal Way:

A day after Deadspin, a sports website that posts commentary on various sports issues and athletes, posted a list of pornographic images that showed up on the Twitter feed of Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, manager Mike Matheny addressed players in a morning meeting about the need to be vigilant about their use of social media.

Oops. Here’s the Deadspin post.

If I was talking to athletes about social media I’d simply tell them: it’s a microphone. Assume every social media platform you use, be it Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, a blogging platform, MySpace, Friendster or some weird forum on the last outpost of Commodore64’s HomeLink network is the same thing as a microphone being held by a reporter from the local paper. Say nothing into it that you wouldn’t say to the reporter and you’ll never go wrong.

(Thanks to NatsLady for the heads up)

Free agent lefty reliever Aaron Loup has been given a locker in the Padres’ clubhouse, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reported Sunday. Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Loup received a one-year MLB deal with a club option for 2020. The Padres will shift right-hander Garrett Richards to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.

Loup, 31, began the 2018 season with the Blue Jays and was traded to the Phillies for minor league right-hander Jacob Waguespack at the midseason deadline. The veteran left-hander pitched just two innings in Philadelphia before hitting the injured list with a forearm strain and returned for a handful of appearances at the end of the year, bringing him up to a 4.54 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 10.0 SO/9, and 0.3 fWAR across 39 2/3 combined innings.

Assuming health issues don’t complicate his next campaign in San Diego, Loup will be added to the bullpen alongside fellow left-handers Matt Strahm and José Castillo (with the possible late addition of southpaw reliever Brad Wieck, who underwent surgery for testicular cancer earlier this year). There are worse places to be — according to FanGraphs, the Padres’ ‘pen jumped from second-worst in 2017 to second-best in the league with a cumulative 3.53 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and 8.7 fWAR in 2018.