Cardinals: Brad Miller in talks with the Philadelphia Phillies

A potential St. Louis Cardinals target could be coming off the board.

Recently, Matt Graves wrote that free-agent infielder Brad Miller could be a target for the St. Louis Cardinals. But Miller is in talks with the Philadelphia Phillies about a potential contract, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports, and there is a belief that a deal could get done soon.

Miller would have made a lot of sense for the Cardinals. Last year, they signed him just before spring training and he went on to have a strong season, hitting six home runs with a 121 wRC+. He signed for only $2 million last year and considering that Marwin Gonzalez, a much more established hitter, was only able to secure $3 million on a one-year deal, it is likely that Miller will land a deal similar to the one he signed last season.

The Cardinals have openly said that they are likely to only sign players to non-roster invitees, but if that is indeed the contract Miller lands, it is potentially a mistake by president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Of course, it is unlikely that the Cardinals have much room on their current payroll to hand out more guaranteed money, especially after landing Nolan Arenado and re-signing Yadier Molina. The goal of the front office, currently, is to maintain flexibility to add players at the trade deadline if the right opportunity presents itself.

Still, Miller should have been someone the team had on its radar — and should have found room on their payroll to add. But it is possible they transition to other players, with some of the names we’ve written about including Jedd Gyorko, Eric Sogard and Joe Panik. Gyorko is likely to command a major-league deal after a strong season with the Milwaukee Brewers, but Sogard should be within range. He offers upside after a down season last year and should come cheap as a non-roster invitee.