St. Louis Cardinals: An unpredictable 2018 free agency

The St. Louis Cardinals were busy at Winter Baseball Meetings, but it is hard to gauge where they are now with the rest of the free agents.

The St. Louis Cardinals were expected to be significant players this off-season with some certain team needs that needed to be taken care of for 2018. That includes a big bat or two, a couple of back-end relievers, and maybe even a starting pitcher if suitable.

They were in the hunt for Giancarlo Stanton, and the front office attempted in all the ways they could, but in the end, he decided to not come to St. Louis. It’s tough for the Redbirds, but so be it.

They then focused their attention on the next big fish in Miami being Marcell Ozuna and pulled off a great catch. The fans may not be satisfied fully with that signing in terms that he puts the team over the top, including me, but it closes in on the Cubs regarding projections for next season and shows the club is willing to try something different.

Another signing around this time was an established reliever in Luke Gregerson. Once again, kind of a classic shot-in-the-dark piece for the team.

This is considering that he is approaching mid-30’s regarding age, but also he is coming off a decent season, but not a great one. All and all, it could turn out to be a decent add, but not exactly the piece that puts the team over the top.

Lastly, probably the deal that may prove to be most beneficial in long-term, is trading Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics for two prospects. Those prospects are Yairo Munoz and Max Schrock.

Both are infielders with promising upside according to some experts in the scouting realm. With a plethora of outfielders in the system, this was a great trade in terms of bolstering the infield system of the minor leagues.

With those acquisitions being said, the question looms what the front office to do next is? Quite frankly, for how slow the market is I am not sure and can only speculate.

On one side it may be a good thing the market is slow, that means prices go down on players (possibly) and maybe allows the team to sign another big bat, or even more critical in my opinion, a big arm for the bullpen.

I would imagine if another bat were to be signed it would have to be a corner infielder. A few names left on the market wish list for the Cardinals include:

Third Base:

Mike Moustakas (29)

Todd Frazier (31)

First Base:

Eric Hosmer (28)

Logan Morrison (30)

Lucas Duda (31)

It has been speculated that the Cardinals have been in contact with Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Logan Morrison.

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There are also a few big named, back-end relievers left on the market.

The reliever market has been the only thing going this off-season for teams, but the biggest names are still left. Here are a few names left:

Relief Pitchers:

Addison Reed (28)

Greg Holland (32)

Drew Storen (30)

Tyler Clippard (32)

The 2018 free agent market has been unlike any other years, but with the New Year coming in a few days, it is expected that players will start getting contracts and dropping off the board.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, they have so far improved themselves for 2018, but it is not enough. In my personal opinion, they are still another excellent reliever away from indeed being a force in the National League next season. They may also consider diving into the market for another bat, too.

Next: Fantasy Baseball: Stash these AL young guns in 2018

Either way, 2018 should come in with a bang for the free agent market. I just hope the St. Louis Cardinals make another key move to compete next season. Obviously, there are plenty of options out there and in the trade market.

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