Cardinals News: Day 2 of Winter Meetings brings big rumors

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The St. Louis Cardinals are in the thick of some of the biggest stories at the Winter Meetings

For those who expected the St. Louis Cardinals to be passive this Winter Meetings, all indications are pointing toward them being a major player this week. From their active involvement in discussions for a new starting catcher, to potentially going after a big name shortstop, there appears to be a lot on the radar of John Mozeliak and company.

If you have been following the headlines or Twitter today, there has been a lot of speculation and reporting going on from both national and local media alike. Here is a roundup on today’s news and reports, and what to expect for the rest of the Winter Meetings for St. Louis.

Cardinals are going hard for Sean Murphy, keeping other options open

Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy is the best catcher available this off-season, and the Cardinals appeared to have zeroed in on Murphy as their guy, per both Derrick Goold and national media.

As introduced in chat, #stlcards continue to pursue a trade for #Athletics Sean Murphy, who sources described as their target at catcher -- and they're continuing talks with free-agent catchers as alternatives. That list includes Vazquez, Contreras: https://t.co/3F0ZHTuER8
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 5, 2022

Murphy is the perfect fit for the Cardinals. The team would love to upgrade their offense at the position, but also still value having a stable, defensive presence behind the plate. Murphy is one of the few catchers in baseball who do both at a high level, which would make him a huge get for St. Louis if they are able to pull off a deal. I detailed out why Sean Murphy should be their number one target a few days ago.

As I speculated in my predictions for the Winter Meetings, the Cardinals are aiming to leave San Diego with a new starting catcher, but are still going to look to make the best deal possible, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

In meeting with reporters today, John Mozeliak indicated he's hopeful the #STLCards leave San Diego with a starting catcher.

Obviously many variables will impact this, but it's clear the Cardinals want to find their backstop ASAP.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) December 6, 2022

Other options that the Cardinals have been linked to on the trade front include the Toronto Blue Jays’ trio of catchers and New York Mets’ James McCann. On the free agent side of things, Christian Vazquez and Willson Contreras remain in play, but the Cardinals also face a lot of competition for their services as well.

Although catcher is their biggest need, the hottest news comes from the growing buzz about the Cardinals and the free agent shortstops.

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