MLB: Five teams still stuck in no man’s land this offseason
By Travis Koch
St. Louis Cardinals
Payroll
$117,766,666 – (14th highest in MLB)
Contracts
Paul Goldschmidt: 5 years, $130 million – signed March 2019
Matt Carpenter: 2 years, $39 million – expires after 2022 season
Dexter Fowler: 5 years, $82.5 million – expires after 2021 season
Dilemma: The Cardinals are unwilling to spend despite having a modest payroll and having reached the postseason a year ago.
The St. Louis Cardinals might compare offseason spending to pulling teeth. For some reason, they don’t like to pay free agents or to make trades. But they’re not going to enhance their chances at a championship unless they begin to embrace such enticing tactics.
All that’s leaked from Cardinals camp this offseason is that they’re unsure whether or not to re-sign catcher Yadier Molina. They’ve hardly been “in” on a free agent or rumored as a trade prospect.
Are we missing something, or should the Cards be searching diligently for a couple of dynamite bats?
They finished fifth in the National League in 2020 with a 3.86 starters’ ERA and fourth with a 4.00 bullpen ERA. St. Louis was also one of the better defensive clubs in MLB.
The offense was their sole affliction, yet they haven’t expressed any intentions of scanning for help in that area. Free agents such as George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, Marcus Semien, and Justin Turner appear to be glaring fits. Still, the Cardinals keep quiet.
The front office can sit on its hands and conquer a dilapidated NL Central, but the team is stunting its growth by remaining unchanged.
How can the Cardinals flee no man’s land? Find the zeal to sign an impactful free agent bat or two. That’s all it will take for them to become legitimate contenders.