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5 free agents the St. Louis Cardinals should pursue
Who would you like to see the St. Louis Cardinals purse amongst the long list of available free agents this offseason?
While St. Louis Cardinal fans scratch their heads about the “philosophical differences” between the president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and former manager Mike Shildt, the team still has business to attend to this offseason.
The team has a wish list that includes getting a top-tier shortstop, some starting and relief pitching as well as bench help. Some of their needs will remain curious until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached by Major League Baseball and if it will include a universal designated hitter.
If the designated hitter becomes universal there is a good shot they could attempt to bring back a St. Louis Cardinals legend in Albert Pujols. He would be returning to a team with his friends, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright, and a community and fan base that still adores him. Even if the DH rule doesn’t become universal, it would be interesting to see if the Cardinals brought him back in a coach/bench player role similar to what he’s brought to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaking of the Dodgers, fans would love to see St. Louis native Max Scherzer join the Cardinals in the offseason. While Scherzer has expressed interest in the Cardinals in the past, it’s unclear if he would rather stay in Los Angeles or join his hometown team in St. Louis. Previously, Mozeliak has not shown interest in bringing the Cy Young Award winner to the team which has desperately needed another arm.
There’s also concern about what the fallout will be from the dismissal of Shildt and who the new manager will be for a team set to greatly improve from this past season. During the course of a tumultuous 2021 season, several of the players expressed fondness for the father-like figure and his positivity. Whoever is tapped to take on the manager role will have an amazing team to work with that just needs a few pieces to greatly improve from 2021.
Let’s discuss who a few of those options may be for the Cardinals.