St. Louis Cardinals fans react to team designating James Naile for assignment on his birthday: "Absolutely brutal" "Life comes at you fast"

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired left-handed pitcher Anthony Misiewicz from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. To make room for Misiewicz, the team had to designated pitcher James Naile for Assignment.

Teams DFA players all the time. That's not something out of the ordinary. What is out of the ordinary is that the team DFA'd Naile on his birthday. What a way to celebrate your 30th birthday.

James Naile was selected in the 20th round of the 2015 draft by the Oakland Athletics. In 2016, Naile was named the best defensive pitcher in Minor League Baseball. After spending years in the Athletics' farm system, he became a free agent and signed with the Cardinals last season.

Last year was his debut season in the major leagues. He appeared in seven games out of the bullpen for the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched nine innings, giving up eight hits and five earned runs on two home runs.

"Absolutely brutal," one fan tweeted.

"The world comes at you fast" said another fan.

Fans can't begin to imagine how he must feel. He went from being on top of the world, cracking a major league roster, to not being a part of a team on his birthday.

It's understandable that MLB is a business, but they couldn't have at least waited a day? Can't imagine a mess of teams were after Misiewicz, so what was the rush? It just makes the Cardinals look petty.

What a tough day for James Naile. Hopefully, he can bounce back and find another team to take a chance on him.

Do the St. Louis Cardinals have enough talent to repeat as National League Central champs?

Wild Card Series, Game 2: Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals won the NL Central last season with a 93-69 record. They finished seven games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and 19 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

The division won't be as weak this year as the Cubs have had a busy offseason. They acquired Trey Mancini, Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson alongside some other moves. The Cubs should be a much better team than they were last season.

For the Cardinals to repeat this season, they'll need another monster season from Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

The NL Central could be a competitive division this year. Do you think the St. Louis Cardinals will cruise to another division title this season?