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St. Louis Cardinals: Six free agents the team must pursue if 2020 matters

By Matt Graves

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 29: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals celebrates his two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Six of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 29: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals celebrates his two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Six of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 29: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals waits on deck for a video review to conclude against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Six of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 29: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals waits on deck for a video review to conclude against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Six of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Anthony Rendon, 3B

I believe that the St. Louis Cardinals are going to give Matt Carpenter every chance in the world to return to his career numbers, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t pursue an upgrade. Anthony Rendon wouldn’t only be an upgrade, he would immediately become the team’s best player.

Breaking out in 2019, Rendon put up a 6.3 bWAR by hitting a .319/.412/.598 slash line which is good for a 1.010 OPS. He hit 34 homers and drove in 126 RBI’s. He is a +1 DRS defender at third base which is just fine, and he is 29 years old.

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He will make more money this offseason than the Cardinals have ever paid to one player. More than Paul Goldschmidt, more than Matt Holliday. You can’t worry about Nolan Gorman when a player like Rendon is on the market. If you have the chance to acquire a top-five MVP finisher, you get him.

He would be worth every penny.

If I am the Cardinals, I am giving Rendon a blank check for however many years he wants. If it’s eight years, I’ll give him that. If it’s $230M, do it. Rendon is like Bryce Harper but more proven. Adding him to Paul Goldschmidt would make the lineup better all over the place. This would be my main target for the offseason, as it will be for many other teams too.

Josh Donaldson, 3B

If the Cardinals don’t want Rendon, Donaldson would be a good secondary upgrade at third base. There is reason to believe he won’t want to leave his childhood-favorite Atlanta Braves, but he is a free agent for now.

The soon-to-be 34-year-old had a bounceback year in 2019, putting up 6.1 bWAR of his own, hitting 37 homers with a .900 OPS. He likely won’t put up the same numbers, but with Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base even at age 33, he would be worth a 2-3 year deal.

You still can’t worry about Nolan Gorman as the proven Donaldson is the right choice every time. If the age and injury history worries you, a name like Mike Moustakas would be a better short-term piece. I’m not a huge fan of Moustakas personally and I think the Cardinals would be better off paying big for a player like Donaldson.

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