St. Louis Cardinals reportedly interested in Colin Moran

The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly interested in free-agent infielder Colin Moran, and he would be an ideal fit to round out their infield depth.

After Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned that free-agent infielder Colin Moran was a fit for the Cardinals, it was fair to wonder whether Hummel knew more than he was letting on. After all, he has covered the team for more than 50 years, and he knows people everywhere.

It turns out that Hummel did know more than he was letting on, as Derrick Goold reports that the Cardinals are interested in Moran.

Moran, 29, was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the lockout after they re-signed Yoshi Tsutsugo. MLB Trade Rumors projected him to earn $4 million in salary arbitration, but with Moran now being on the open market, he’s highly unlikely to garner a salary that high.

Which is where he fits into the Cardinals’ picture. While he is not an elite hitter, or someone that should get significant at-bats, he has proven to be a capable hitter throughout his career. He hit .258/.334/.390 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 99 games last season and in his career, has hit .267/.329/.418 in six seasons.

Defensively, Moran has extensive experience at first and third bases. Since the Cardinals have Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at each position, respectively, he would be their No. 1 backup off the bench. He would be a nice veteran complement with Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Lars Nootbaar at the designated hitter spot, too, so the Cardinals would have numerous ways for him to contribute.

With Albert Pujols unlikely to return to St. Louis, a deal that puts Moran in a Cardinals uniform makes a lot of sense for both sides. And unless something changes, it appears he’s someone they will pursue after the lockout.