By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Dec. 6, 2015, 4:41 pm CT
After finishing second in the bidding for David Price, witnessing John Lackey agree to sign with the division-rival Cubs and watching the likes of Zach Greinke, Jeff Samardzija, and Marco Estrada fall off the market, the Cardinals are continuing to search for an addition to their rotation, with CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reporting free agent Mike Leake appears to be the team’s next target.
Heyman writes that the redbirds “tried hard” to sign Price, Samardzija, an Lackey, and are now “looking closely” at Leake headed into this week’s annual Winter Meetings in Nashville.
Like they did in the bidding for those three, the Cardinals will have plenty of competition for Leake’s services, as Heyman hears the Giants and Diamondbacks are also among the teams interested in the 28-year-old right-hander.
Leake makes his offseason home in Arizona, and that could give Diamondbacks the edge if they can find room for him in the budget after agreeing to a massive six-year deal worth over $206 million with Greinke, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.
A return to San Francisco, where Leake pitched down the stretch after a trade-deadline deal with Cinncinati this past summer, is another option, though the team’s recent deal with Samardzija could make that a little more unlikely.
Leake posted a solid 3.70 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 192 innings (30 starts) this past season between the Reds and Giants. Leake had been with Cinncinati since his rookie season in 2010, and owns a 3.86 ERA from 2012-2014 while averaging 195 innings pitched per season.
With the Winter Meetings — which are expected to be very busy — lasting until Thursday and reports that the Cardinals are expected to be have a more aggressive approach than usual, an addition to the rotation, whether it be big or small, is likely to come sooner than later. Stay tuned.
More from STL Baseball Today:
Cardinals keep Moss, non-tender Cishek and Stanley
Cardinals trade catcher Tony Cruz to Royals for minor league infielder
Phillies claim Peter Bourjos off waivers from Cardinals
Feature image used under Creative Commons by Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
