4 free agent outfielders the Cardinals may target this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching woes have been well-documented all year. The team ranked 24th in ERA, 26th in ERA+, 22nd in FIP, and placed 29th in total strikeouts. The Front Office has already stated that they will add multiple starting pitchers this offseason. Reinforcements on the mound are necessary, and they will absolutely happen.

However, the team's offensive struggles shouldn't be forgotten. The Cardinals ranked dead middle with a .250 average with runners in scoring position and 17th in runs batted in with runners in scoring position. The team ranked 13th overall in wRC+ across the majors as well. These statistics place the Cardinals in the middle of the pack offensively. With a poor pitching staff and an average offense, it is no secret as to why the Cardinals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

There are a few positions in particular that the Cardinals could target to improve. These improvements could come with direct replacements. For example, the Cardinals could target a left fielder to fill in that hole directly, or they could sign a true center fielder, thus pushing Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, or Jordan Walker to a corner spot full-time.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch discussed the Cardinals' "logjam" in the outfield recently on one of his chats. He stated that he doesn't see the logjam that fans see, and he posited that production would clear that logjam for the team. While there may not be much of a logjam, that doesn't mean there isn't a need for improvement.

Maybe I'm off on this, and we'll see. I don't spot the logjam that keeps coming up. And if there is one, fine, good, whatever, let the production decide. The logjam is alleviated some by the DH. The logjam is alleviated a lot by the production.

The Cardinals' left fielders ranked 21st in all of baseball with a -1.0 bWAR. The bulk of left field innings went to Tyler O'Neill; Alec Burleson played the second most in left, followed by Brendan Donovan, and then Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, and Dylan Carlson filled in the remaining innings. Therefore, whatever left fielder is signed must be better than O'Neill and Burleson primarily. Should the team sign a center fielder, then the Cardinals would be pretty comfortable playing a combination of O'Neill/Nootbaar/Carlson/Burleson in left, depending on who is traded away.

Here are 4 free-agent outfielders the Cardinals could sign this offseason to boost their offensive profile.

Harrison Bader

Wouldn't a reunion with a former beloved player be nice? Harrison Bader played his first 5.5 years with the St. Louis Cardinals. His effort, determination, and positive clubhouse presence were adored by fans. While Bader's bat never quite caught up to his defensive abilities, it was still serviceable in St. Louis. Bader is a true center fielder, similar to Kevin Kiermaier. Signing him would provide the Cardinals with comparable benefits that signing Kiermaier would have.

Bader is a slightly less polished fielder than Kevin Kiermaier, but he is 4 years younger and may be more apt to sign with St. Louis for a reunion tour. Bader racked up 9 OAA this year in center, and he has multiple years in double digits, including 2018 where he accumulated 18 OAA. He would provide an immediate boost to the team's outfield defense and would allow John Mozeliak the freedom to trade from the team's depth.

The main concern with Harrison, however, is his offensive abilities. He peaked in 2021 with an OPS+ of 114. Since then, Bader has yet to surpass an OPS+ of 85 in a complete season. His on-base percentage has simply not been good these last two years in New York, and he is walking at a career-low rate of 4.3% (bottom 6% of the league). His best offensive seasons came in St. Louis, so perhaps a return to the familiar confines of Busch Stadium would allow him to return to his old self.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started his career off with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was traded this past offseason to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a deal that included Gabriel Moreno and Daulton Varsho. Gurriel was more of a secondary piece of the trade, as the Blue Jays needed a lefty bat who could play center, and the Diamondbacks needed a solid catcher to replace the fading Carson Kelly. However, Gurriel ended up providing some decent production for the playoff-bound Diamondbacks.

In his 6-year career, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has a career OPS+ of 118 and an OPS just shy of .800 at .791. Gurriel primarily plays left field but has also seen some time at first base, although those appearances have decreased over the years. Gurriel has also played up the middle in the infield, but he hasn't logged innings at shortstop or second base in quite a while. He would be the Cardinals' primary left fielder. Gurriel Jr. has also been a supreme hitter with runners in scoring position; his triple slash of .295/.341/.470 would immediately improve the Cardinals' woes in those situations from 2023.

Gurriel's defense is right about league average, as he tallied 1 OAA this year in left field. Should the Cardinals sign Gurriel, one of Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, or Tyler O'Neill would have to play center. The infield mix would have to include Masyn Winn at shortstop and a combination of Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman at second. The front office would have to trade from its depth at this point, probably one of the outfielders. Winn's bat didn't play so well in his debut in the majors throughout September, but he has shown a penchant to adjust quickly to a level and begin to hit.

Gurriel's signing, since he is primarily a corner outfielder, complicates the roster and truly would create a logjam. However, his bat would be significantly better than Dylan Carlson's or Tyler O'Neill's despite the latter's former MVP showing in 2021. Should the Cardinals sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the team's defense would take a hit, but their offense would surely improve.

Cody Bellinger

Now for one of the biggest names this offseason. Cody Bellinger was once the darling of the league. He came onto the scene in 2017 and won the Rookie of the Year award that year. Bellinger then exploded in 2019 for the Dodgers, winning the MVP that year. He has 5 seasons with an OPS+ of 112 or greater, he has 4 seasons with an OPS of .814 or higher, and he often finds himself near the top of the home run leaderboard for outfielders.

The most interesting part about Bellinger, however, would be his 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was a far below-replacement-level player in those years on the offensive side of the ball. He battled injuries in both seasons and had a batting average of only .165 in 2021 and .210 in 2022. The entire league was floored by those two seasons, and his free-agency bidding was interesting last offseason. The Cubs took a flyer on him and signed him to a 1-year, $17.5 million deal with a mutual option for 2024.

Bellinger rewarded the Cubs handsomely by having a slash line of .307/.356/.525 in 2023 for an OPS+ of 133. He carried the Cubs offense this past year, and Bellinger will surely decline his end of the mutual option for 2024. Cody can play center field very well, has played in the corner outfield before, and he can also be featured at first base. His defensive flexibility would allow the Cardinals to trade from their depth, similar to the situation if they signed either Harrison Bader or Kevin Kiermaier. Additionally, Bellinger would be able to fill in at first for Paul Goldschmidt on his days off or the days when he is the designated hitter. Bellinger was also a very strong hitter with runners in scoring position with a .263/.362/.475 slash line.

Signing Bellinger would cost the team a lot of money. The 28-year-old outfielder will probably demand a multi-year contract nearly 8-10 years in length. He would also cost quite a bit of money, easily surpassing the $20 million AAV contract that Brandon Nimmo signed this past offseason with the Mets. If the front office wants to beef up its lineup offensively and defensively, Cody Bellinger would be the ideal candidate. They can then trade from their depth to get a front-end starter, and the Cardinals can sign another pitcher from the mid-tier list this offseason with any leftover money.