St. Louis Cardinals: 4 Under the Radar Outfield Free Agents to Consider

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to make some changes this offseason so that they don’t repeat a postseason-less season like in 2016. General Manager John Mozeliak has already stated his interest in adding a center-fielder but with a weak free agent market, he may have to go with someone who isn’t at the top of everyone’s wish list.

While the Chicago Cubs were busy winning the 2016 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals were experiencing the offseason earlier than usual. It was the first time the Cardinals haven’t played a game in mid-October since 2010.

Because of that, the Cardinals front office and GM John Mozeliak have the opportunity to be more prepared for free agency than they are used to. One of the moves they are looking to make is adding a center fielder while Randal Grichuk gets moved to Matt Holliday‘s old stomping grounds in left field.

While every team in need of an outfielder will be focused on Yoenis Cespedes and Dexter Fowler, the St. Louis Cardinals may have to consider someone a bit deeper on the list of free agents. The following four players could prove to be valuable assets at a fraction of the cost. Signing one of these guys could very well be another one of Mozeliak’s great moves that is credited by the Cardinals “magic.”

1.  Rajai Davis – Can play LF, CF, or RF

After his Game 7 game-tying home run, Rajai Davis may get quite a bit of attention this offseason and the St. Louis Cardinals would be smart to at least consider him. The 36-year old veteran has proven to be a very valuable player despite his age. In a Cardinals organization that was 5th youngest in the MLB last season, his presence could really benefit the team in more ways than one. His age also could work in the Cardinals favor since he won’t require a long term contract and could serve as a stop-gap for someone else in the system or elsewhere.

Ultimately, he could serve as either a full-time outfielder or as a platoon partner. While in Cleveland, Davis mainly served as a platoon partner in CF with left-handed rookie Tyler Naquin. Davis batted .243/.306/.388 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs in 134 games. While that slash-line may not blow anyone away, it should be noted that Davis led off for the Indians and also batted in the 6-9 spots for the Indians. If the Cardinals did add him, he’d obviously be a bottom of the order hitter and with numbers similar to those, it would be welcomed production.

Davis’s main value to the team however, comes through defense and base running. At age 35, Davis led the American League in stolen bases with 43 and added 4 more in the postseason. He is an absolute menace on the base paths and that alone would benefit the Cardinals considering they were one of the worst teams in all of baseball at base running.

He’s no gold glove winner, but Davis is an adequate defender. He can man all three outfield positions without being a liability. Much of his defensive success is due to his speed but Davis actually grades better in CF than he does in LF according to his Ultimate Zone Rating scores. In 2016 as a CF, Davis had a 1.3 UZR while only a 1.0 in LF. And that imbalance is consistent throughout his 11-year career.

Davis is going to get some calls this offseason, and the Cardinals would be wise to make one. He is a short-term answer that would help the team in the areas they struggled in most while also buying the front office time to find a full-time answer for the future.

2. Angel Pagan – Can play LF, CF, or RF

Angel Pagan is likely one of those players that many St. Louis Cardinals fans don’t particularly like. He’s been a part of two World Series championship teams during his time with the San Francisco Giants but now he is a free agent. Pagan, 35, could serve in a similar way as I explained in the Rajai Davis analysis. His age is more of a benefit to the Cardinals than anything since they wouldn’t need to commit to him long term.

Regardless of his age however, Pagan could likely be a strong addition to the Cardinals. Like Davis, Pagan has typically batted at the top of the order but has also hit through the bottom third for the Giants. In 2016, he slashed .277/.331/.418 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI. Again, like Davis, that type of production could extend the Cardinals batting order and not allow opposing pitchers to take it easy against the 6, 7, 8 hitters.

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Unlike Davis however, Pagan actually performs better defensively in LF over CF. Pagan’s 2016 UZR in LF was 4.4 while he produced a -0.8 UZR in CF. This may very well be the reason that he isn’t a strong candidate for the Cardinals considering their strong interest in a center fielder. Unfortunately, there isn’t many options and giving Grichuk another shot in CF would open up the possibility for Angel Pagan to take over in LF.

Pagan also doesn’t quite provide the same amount of base running skill that Davis did. Pagan had 15 steals in 2016 while being caught 4 times. But, his impactful batting average and on-base percentage would make up for that.

Pagan would be a low-cost acquisition that would lengthen the batting order while serving as a strong left fielder. Grichuk would be responsible for patrolling center field but who’s to say he won’t return to his above average defensive ways?

3. Austin Jackson – Can play LF, CF, or RF

Austin Jackson has previously come up in St. Louis Cardinals rumors. This 2017 offseason will be his first opportunity to capitalize on free agency, but he sits behind some other outfielders that are  going to get the majority of the attention. Jackson isn’t Dexter Fowler or Yoenis Cespedes, but he gets the job done.

Austin Jackson, like Rajai Davis and Angel Pagan, would fit better into the bottom third of the batting order. He batted .254/.318/.343 with 0 home runs and 15 RBI in 54 games. Jackson suffered a knee injury that required surgery on a torn meniscus in August that shut him down for the remainder of the 2016 season. In 2015, where Jackson played 136 games, he hit 9 home runs with 48 RBI while slashing .267/.311/.385.

The 29-year old outfielder was typically known as a solid defender that can man all three outfield positions while primarily being a center fielder. However, in 2016 his UZR was a shockingly low -4.6 in CF. But, as previously stated, 2016 was a down year and he also missed the majority of the season with a serious knee injury. Furthermore, in 2015, Jackson had an above average CF UZR with a solid 7.5 so there’s reason to believe he still is a very strong defender.

Overall, Jackson would be a bit of a gamble given his injury history. His ability to bounce back from knee surgery is unknown at this point but if the St. Louis Cardinals believe he can return to form, then Jackson has the potential to be the strong defender in CF that they are looking for.