You’d look good in red: Scouting free agents in the LCS
By Chris Gigley

Ben Zobrist, IF/OF
Ben Zobrist is a Cardinal kind of player. Admit it. You’d love to see him in red, too. Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Zobrist is another player who fits the Cardinal mold. Selfless. Versatile. Consistent. And now, definitely on the decline, which means the Cards may have a shot at him in free agency. Zobrist has long been a plus defender no matter where he’s played, but his FRAA this season was in the negative before and after the Oakland Athletics shipped him to the Royals. He won’t hit 20 homers anymore, either. The last time he did that was 2012. That said, he’ll still hit around .280 and smack a ton of doubles for you. He had 36 this year, which helps explain his OPS of better than .800.
A lot of veterans like Zobrist get to St. Louis and experience a rebirth. Remember Lance Berkman after languishing in Houston all those years? How about Carlos Beltran escaping from his own personal purgatory in New York (after a nice little post-trade-dealine run in San Francisco)? Zobrist could be that guy, but the Cardinals will have plenty of competition for him. Here’s hoping Cardinals’ GM John Mozeliak has the budget to do it.