3 under-the-radar players the St. Louis Cardinals could sign

Jose Iglesias

It’s clear after two horrid seasons that Paul DeJong is not the answer at shortstop. Prospect Masyn Winn is at least a year away, and with Brendan Donovan often being needed in the outfield, the Cardinals could use a steady middle infielder. Enter Jose Iglesias.

Iglesias would be a valuable one-year solution for the Cardinals while Winn finishes his development in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Last year, Iglesias hit .292 with the Colorado Rockies and struck out only 56 times in 439 at-bats. While he has almost no power, hitting only three home runs last year, he can still be valuable at the plate given how often he puts the ball in play.

Iglesias is a slightly below-average fielder at short, but Tommy Edman could slide over there and give Iglesias time at second base, where he would likely be more suited to play at this point in his career.

Iglesias would be an affordable option for the Cardinals to pursue; his salary last season was $5 million, and he probably won’t command much more than that this year. For a temporary infield solution, the Cardinals could do worse.

Andrew Heaney

If the Cardinals don’t re-sign Jose Quintana, Andrew Heaney would be a good option to go after. Long a tantalizing pitcher who never quite put it together with the Los Angeles Angels, Heaney blossomed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, pitching to a career-best 3.10 ERA.

The Cardinals need a strikeout pitcher in their staff; the pitchers combined for 1,177 strikeouts in 2022, which ranked last in the major leagues. While the Cardinals strive to get ground balls and record their outs that way, they’ll need to start looking at a different approach with fielders who aren’t as apt, and Heaney could fill the strikeout role well. He whiffed 110 batters in only 72.2 innings last year, and while he won’t come as cheaply as the other names on this list, he’s still a few steps below the elite arms in price.

The Cardinals could decide to re-sign Quintana if they don’t want to pursue a big strikeout arm, and while I’d welcome him back to the Cardinals, the new-school approach of fanning a massive number of batters seems to be the way to go. I’d be in favor of shelling out a bit more to receive Heaney’s services.

Brandon Nimmo

With Tyler O’Neill’s and Dylan Carlson’s lack of performance and the likely loss of Corey Dickerson to free agency, the Cardinals need outfield production. Lars Nootbaar might be able to provide some, as his peripherals look promising, and Juan Yepez has shown that he can handle a bat. But a proven outfielder is lacking, and Brandon Nimmo could be the solution.

Nimmo hit .274 last season with 16 home runs in a career-high 580 at-bats. An adequate fielder with plus arm strength and a discerning batter’s eye, Nimmo is more than capable of filling a spot in the Cardinals’ outfield.

Nimmo was the New York Mets’ leadoff hitter in nearly every game they played in 2022, and that’s another spot the Cardinals aren’t in the best position to fill in the current lineup. Tommy Edman, the leadoff hitter for much of the season, was hitting ninth more often near the end of the year, and Nootbaar, who usually took Edman’s place, doesn’t have the counting stats that one would typically want to see from a table-setter. Nimmo could fill a spot that’s been a bit of a revolving door for some time.

If the Cardinals can agree to terms with any of these players, they’ll be in a better place for 2023. These three players might not have the superstar pedigree, but they should be able to perform at a level that at least helps the Cardinals reach the playoffs again.