St. Louis Cardinals: Redbird Rants writers give thoughts on free agency

Your Redbird Rants writers give their thoughts on who we *want* the Cardinals to sign and who we think they *should* sign.

Russ Robinson:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: I want Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright back and the Cardinals to trade for Nolan Aranado and sign George Springer. I would also like a Mazda Miata for Christmas. But we all know, at least any of us who pay any attention to president of baseball operations John Mozaliak’s words, the Cards are not going to do ALL of the above. Mark Saxon of the Athletic had two recent pieces on the State of the Cardinals. In them he points out how little wiggle room the Cards have in their payroll with their current commitments. If they add Yadi and Waino, even less.

Springer and Arnado would check all the boxes for the Cardinals offensive woes. But like my Mazda Miata, it’s just not realistic they will be in a Cardinals uniform in 2021. However, Yadi and Waino are realistic and help the Cards fill seats.

What the Cardinals should do: As stated above, there isn’t much wiggle room in the payroll for 2021, even less with Yadi and Waino included, which I still think will happen.

However, the Cardinals should pursue a free agent who can help the offense, and that would be signing an outfielder. There are some low-cost options who could help and possibly work in the Cards budget for 2021.

Jackie Bradley, Jr could be an affordable option for the team. 2020 was an up-year for the 30-year-old with a slashline of .283/.364/.450 with 7 home runs and 22 RBI and 118 OPS+. He has a Gold Glove in center field and would likely give the Cardinals more offensive production in that position than what they’ve had. Joc Pederson could be even more affordable than Bradley, but not the offensive potential. He certainly has a history of success against right-handed pitching (121 HR and a .849 OPS), but has struggled against lefties (9 HR and a .576 OPS). Still, in a platoon situation in the outfield, he would improve the offensive production.

Ben Remis:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: Outside of a splashy trade for a big bat, what I want most of all this winter is for the Cardinals to re-sign Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. Are they the two best options for improving the team in 2021? Maybe not. But with some big contracts set to expire after next season and a young core that looks like it’ll start arriving in 2022, I’m perfectly OK with giving these two legends one last run. Also, I don’t think I could take it seeing Yadi in pinstripes or Wainwright wearing the navy Atlanta alternate jerseys. It would be disrespectful to the incredible careers they’ve had in St. Louis to not offer them a chance to finish things out.

What the Cardinals should do: Although Yadi and Waino are the emotionally correct signings, from a pure baseball standpoint, the Cardinals should be going after Ha-Seong Kim. Signing DJ Lemahieu or reuniting with Kolten Wong might be too pricey, but a pivot to Kim could become the steal of the offseason for whatever team can secure the services of the 25=year-old from Korea. Improving the outfield is top priority, but none of the free agent outfielders stand out to me as a real difference maker. However, the Cardinals should still take an offensive upgrade at any position they can get it. He might be a bit of a risk, but Ha-Seong Kim is my pick for who the Cardinals should sign this offseason.

Kyle Jasper:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: As we approach Christmas in the dreaded year that has been 2020, it is time that we make a list of things that we desire. With my want list, I will be asking the Cardinals to consider going after two players who may have not had very recent success but are due for comeback or bounceback seasons.  The first person I will be discussing is Yoenis Cespedes.  Cespedes could be a huge asset for this club as he can provide a lot of pop in the middle of the order and can be used in LF when needed.  This move would make more sense if the designated hitter was kept in the National League.  Cespedes appeared in 8 games for the Mets last year before taking his leave from the club due to COVID.

Another player I would like to discuss is Eric Thames.  Thames has an incredible story behind him as he made the journey from the MLB to the KBO and back to MLB and immediately became a force with the Brewers in 2017, clubbing 72 home runs in three years in Milwaukee. He could be another player who can be used between 1B and LF/RF.  Thames regressed last year while playing for the Nationals, but it’s hard to judge players on small sample sizes.  While other teams may look at him as an aging player with nothing left, I see him as a prime bounce back candidate and a very serviceable role player at the very least who will likely cost next to nothing.

What the Cardinals should do: By declining Kolten Wong’s option and potentially moving on from Molina/Waino, the Cardinals might be lacking some leadership and experience. The option that makes the most sense is to bring back Molina. While Knizner has shown glimpses of offensive prowess, you know what you are going to get with Yadier Molina. Also, Yadi’s leadership and ability to handle a pitching staff is something that is invaluable. Bringing back Yadier Molina is something that the Cardinals absolutely SHOULD do.

If the Cardinals do not re-sign Wainwright, something that will be lacking in the clubhouse is a veteran pitcher who is a bulldog and can eat innings. While it may be the new way of baseball to not let your starter see the lineup a third time around, I love to see managers rely on their veterans to debunk this idea and use their wits and experience to get guys out any way possible.  I would love to see the Cardinals bring in Charlie Morton. Morton, somewhat of a late bloomer, would be a perfect asset to this young staff.  If you cannot bring in Morton, I think St. Louis SHOULD look into bringing in another veteran starter whether that may be Cole Hamels, Jon Lester or Corey Kluber.

Lastly, one player I am absolutely certain the Cardinals SHOULD bring in is Garrett Richards. While making the transition from starter to reliever in 2020, Richards looked like an elite pitcher with electric stuff that can go multiple innings.  His funky delivery, combined with an elite fastball and a sharp breaking ball is something that the Cardinals could absolutely use. Watch for Richards to be a sought-after commodity this offseason as he may be a hidden gem as a long reliever/spot starter.

Brett Ramsey:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: The St. Louis Cardinals need to improve the offense. The best bat on the free-agent market is George Springer. Springer would fill a few holes for the team. He’s a leadoff hitter, center fielder, and an absolutely remarkable postseason performer. For a Cardinals team that has seen their offense go ice cold in two straight playoffs, adding someone like Springer should be of great interest. Also, have you seen the Cardinals outfield production the last few seasons? It’s not ideal. Another “want” would be a mid-tier starting pitcher, to help replace Dakota Hudson who could be out for the season. Charlie Morton or someone like Jon Lester on a short term deal would provide some experience and depth to the starting rotation.

What the Cardinals should do: The Cardinals should try their best to bring back Yadier Molina and, to a lesser extent, Adam Wainwright. After that, they need to determine how to improve the offense. If Springer is not a top option, they should turn their attention to some quality players like perhaps Cesar Hernandez for second base or Justin Turner for third base, shifting Matt Carpenter to a bench or DH (if applicable) role. I’d then take a good look at the trade options to see if there is a possible match for a cost-controlled outfield bat. Basically, I think the Cardinals “should” bring back Molina and Wainwright (or sign a similar pitcher), add a bat via free agency, and look at trades for an outfielder who could fixture prominently into the future core.

Andrew Heckroth:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: By almost every advanced metric available, the St. Louis Cardinals offense was mediocre or average at-best. The Cardinals ranked 13th in team batting fWAR at 7.6 and 19th with a wRC+ of 93. Luck plays a factor in offensive performance, but the Cardinals were not unlucky. An average exit velocity of 87.3 mph and a BABIP of .290 disproves any notion of bad luck. George Springer would be a wonderful pick-up for St. Louis, as my colleague Brett previously alluded to earlier. However, I am particularly interested in D.J. LeMahieu.

LeMahieu will not be a cheap option, but he provides an instant upgrade for the Cardinals’ offense. In this 60-game season, LeMahieu posted a .421 OBP, a wRC+ of 177, and a BABIP of .370. Statcast ranks LeMahieu highly as well, posting over the 80th percentile  in exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and xwOBA. If the Cardinals are leaning toward letting Kolten Wong go, why not spend that money on one of the few upgrades in baseball? Finally, I want the DH to stick in the NL. This would make Carpenter the DH/bench bat, put Edman at third, and let DJ take over.

What the Cardinals should do: If the Cardinals are going to cut payroll for 2021, then one-year contracts should be used. I cannot imagine Yadier Molina or Adam Wainwright in another uniform, so I am on the “bring Yadi and Waino back” train for one more year. Another option the Cardinals should look at is Tommy La Stella as a utility infielder. This was an idea floated by Ben Fredrickson on Dan McLaughlin’s podcast last Friday, and I fully support this. In the last two years, La Stella has an OBP of .356 and an SLG of .471, equaling an OPS of .827. This also comes with improved power numbers, with 16 home runs back in 80 games played back in 2019.

Robert Murray:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: I want the Cardinals to pursue Francisco Lindor. Yes, I know, a deal is incredibly unlikely and trading for Lindor would require St. Louis to sign him to a deal as rich as $200 million. But he would be an ideal compliment alongside Paul Goldschmidt in the lineup and would give them a dangerous duo for the foreseeable future. It would add much-needed life to a lineup in desperate need of a spark. Do not get your hopes up, however, because the Cardinals are one of many teams dealing with financial troubles because of COVID-19. This is a pipedream at best.

What I think the Cardinals should do: I’m going to agree with everyone else and say that the Cardinals should re-sign Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. I believe Molina should be the priority considering his importance to the team and that the free-agent market for pitchers is much deeper than the market for catchers (J.T. Realmuto will be out of the Cardinals’ price range). If the Cardinals lose Wainwright, Charlie Morton makes a ton of sense. And even if they keep Molina, that shouldn’t take them out of the market for additional bats. They need all the help they can get, but the offseason needs to begin with bringing Molina back – even if it’s on a two-year deal.

Matt Graves:

Who I want the Cardinals to sign: I am all over the Joc Pederson train. For a team like the Cardinals that needs power, Pederson is the perfect middle-tier option to go after. He is on the right side of 30 and showed huge progress at the plate in 2018-2019. Despite an early-career trend of being a high-strikeout hitter, he moved away from that in those two years and hit a combined 61 homers. Sure, he hit .190 in 2020, but he still ranked highly in average exit velocity and was a valuable contributor to the Dodgers’ World Series championship. Play him in the corners or let him DH, Joc Pederson seems like the perfect fit.

What the Cardinals should do: I think signing Joc Pederson is a realistic and good option for this, but I’ll take a step back for this answer. The Cardinals should not put a ton of stock into the 2021 team. Revenues may still be down, and signing expensive one-year deals isn’t going to help the team in the short term. If I am John Mozeliak this winter, the only moves I am making are for guys who will be here beyond 2021 or players who can be acquired for less than $5M. That puts Pederson on the table for two years as well as the option for bringing in something like a first-year arbitration player via trade. Beyond the longer term options, there are going to be plenty of players worth much more than $5M who can be signed for less than that this winter, a Mitch Moreland type. Those types of players are fine on a one year deal.