Cardinals Rumors: Here are five names the club may be targeting right now

Here are five potential targets the Cardinals could be after between now and Spring Training

The St. Louis Cardinals have been rather quiet the last few weeks, but the off-season rumor mill continues to turn and there has been a recent buzz regarding another move from the Cardinals.

In a recent story on The Athletic (paid subscription required), Jim Bowden had the following to say about what he is hearing the Cardinals are up to.

"The Cardinals filled their biggest off-season need when they signed catcher Willson Contreras. Now they are open-minded in looking for ways to improve their team. They are actively pursuing trades and keeping tabs on the free-agent market. It is believed the Cardinals are working to acquire a certain player but want to make sure more specifics don’t become public because it would hurt their chances of completing a trade. They’re not done making moves."

- Jim Bowden

Let me start by saying, this quote doesn't really tell us anything. What Bowden said about the Cardinals could probably be said about every team in baseball. No team is sitting around today not looking to upgrade their team. That's their job, and they want to field the best product possible. Yes, the Cardinals are looking to upgrade their team, likely through the trade market, but this needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

We have heard this off-season that sources around baseball believed the Cardinals would be active in the trade market, especially with the position player depth on their roster. Although no deals materialized with the Athletics or Blue Jays regarding a catcher, St. Louis is still looking to improve the club if the right opportunity presents itself this winter.

Who could some of these players be that the Cardinals may be interested in acquiring this off-season? Let's take a look at five potential names that could be in the Cardinals' cross-hairs between now and Spring Training, as well as debunk a few names that have been thrown out there.

First, the five potential targets for St. Louis, in no particular order.