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

While these moves might not be flashy, the St. Louis Cardinals could benefit from acquiring these three players.

It’s no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals have some holes on their roster. Catcher is the most glaring need, and Willson Contreras could be a fine replacement for the retired Yadier Molina. The outfield also needs help, as it performed poorly this year with Tyler O’Neill often injured and lacking in production when he did play, along with a disappointing season at the plate for Dylan Carlson.

The middle infield could be a spot in need of an upgrade too, at least for 2023. Paul DeJong is unlikely to be a Cardinal next year after his nightmare season, and it’s not clear yet if Nolan Gorman can hold down the second base job. Tommy Edman is a fixture in the lineup, however, and Brendan Donovan can play anywhere, including on the dirt.

It appears Adam Wainwright will come back for one more year, and the rotation is in decent shape, if not great. It could be quite a blow if Jose Quintana departs and the Cardinals don’t find a proper replacement if injuries strike.

While offseason trades could net some desired players, it’s always a good idea to look in the free-agent pool first so a team sacrifices less talent, if any at all. The free-agent class of 2023 has some big names. Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodon all have player options, and Trea Turner will be an unrestricted free agent. They are among several players many teams will have their eyes on. But while the Cardinals likely won’t be in on the stars, there are a few players who would cost less but could still make an impact with the team.

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.