Cardinals Rumors: Kolten Wong turns down multi-year deal from St. Louis

Kolten Wong turned down a multi-year offer from the Cardinals, and there are increasing odds that he will not be back in St. Louis next season.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ decision to decline Kolten Wong’s $12.5 million club option immediately raised eyebrows. On the same day that Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, two franchise cornerstones, became free agents, the Cardinals parted with a player who has been instrumental to the franchise’s success the past seven years.

Immediately, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak did not rule out a return. Wong’s production the last few seasons, especially on defense, is worthy of the compensation he was due. But the Cardinals took a calculated risk that the COVID-19 pandemic would lessen salaries on the free-agent market, with the hopes of bringing Wong back on a more team-friendly contract.

But the market has been active so far. Robbie Ray signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Drew Smyly signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Atlanta Braves. It has free agents encouraged that teams may have more money to spend than originally thought, and it could impact the Cardinals’ chances of bringing back Wong.

Wong recently turned down a multi-year offer from the Cardinals, according to Bob Elliott, a retired Hall of Fame baseball reporter. He adds that the Blue Jays are interested in Wong, joining a list that includes the Los Angeles Angels and others.

It is hardly surprising that Wong, 29, is drawing interest from teams around the league. But the fact that Wong has turned down a multi-year offer from the Cardinals indicates one of two things: 1) St. Louis’ offer did not meet his asking price and 2) his market is stronger and more lucrative than expected.

This is the risk that the Cardinals took when they declined Wong’s option. As teams look for ways to improve their run prevention, they are looking for elite defense behind their pitching. That is what Wong provides. He ranked near the top among all second basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (6) and Outs Above Average (2) last season.

Hearing new Angels general manager Perry Minasian in his introductory press conference describe his ideal player to improve the teams run prevention, it was hard not to picture Wong. And owner Arte Moreno indicated that the team would have money to spend this offseason, meaning that they could meet Wong’s contractual demands.

If Wong does leave in free agency, however, the team has Tommy Edman as their internal replacement. He is cheap and offers versatility on defense (he played five positions in 2020). But he has been inconsistent on offense (.304/.350/.500 in ’19; .250/.317/.368 in ’20) and the team is still figuring out who he is as a hitter.

Of course, Wong turning down the Cardinals’ offer is part of the negotiation process. It is highly likely that the two sides will continue negotiating while he talks to other interested teams. But there are increasing odds that Wong is playing elsewhere in ’21, and it’s something that the Cardinals could have – and should have – avoided at all costs.