A hypothetical St. Louis Cardinals offseason blueprint

And that’s my offseason plan! That sure was a lot of fun. To recap, here’s what I’ve done:

DFA: T.J. Zeuch, Johan Quezada, LJ Newsome, and Ali Sanchez

Add to the 40-man: Delvin Perez, Luken Baker, Kramer Robertson, and Brendan Donovan

FA signings: Corey Seager (or Trevor Story), Albert Pujols, and left-handed veteran bat

Trade away (from the 40-man): Paul DeJong

Acquire in trade: Top-end starter/starting pitching depth

I think this offseason plan leaves the team in pretty good shape for spring training. The offense has been strengthened and pitching depth has been added. Now, the team will be able to focus on developing top prospects Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore, and defining roles for talented arms like Alex Reyes and Jordan Hicks.

I didn’t address the bullpen, because I think Reyes and Hicks will be crucial to the 2022 St. Louis Cardinals. For this team to be successful, they need to be healthy and consistent contributers. I don’t know what the best spot for these two flamethrowers should be, but I do know that the Cardinals are counting on their talent.

The one move I considered but did not make was signing a free agent starter– more specifically, I decided to pass on Max Scherzer. I’ve been calling for a St. Louis homecoming for Mad Max all year. With Waino’s resurgence and the need to deepen the offense, however, I just think money will be better spent elsewhere. Justin Verlander looks intriguing, too, but ultimately I chose not to pursue either of these top names.

With that, I cede control of the St. Louis Cardinals back to John Mozeliak and his crew. This is just one possible course of action— there are other options. If you’re reading this, Mo,  just spend a lot of money and trade for some all-stars. Simple as that.

This offseason is full of potential, as the Cardinals have a chance to take control of the NL Central with a few key additions. The hot stove is officially on. Here we go!