What’s next for the redbirds after missing out on Price?
By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Dec. 1, 2015, 11:15 pm CT
The first major domino of the offseason has fallen.
As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe was first to report, the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a seven-year, $217 million contract with left-hander David Price in what will become the largest deal ever for a pitcher in MLB history.
But, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports, Price was almost set to wear a different uniform for the better part of the next decade: the birds on the bat.
In fact, Nightengale writes that Price “teed off Tuesday morning at a charity golf tournament believing he would be spending the next seven years pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals.”
The redbirds, who reportedly had strong interest in Price, also offered him a seven-year deal, but it was at for at least $30 million less than the Red Sox’s offer, according to Nightengale. Such a deal would have been the richest contract in Cardinals franchise history, easily surpassing the seven-year, $120 million contract handed out to Matt Holliday in 2010.
Speaking on CBS Sports 920 AM radio Tuesday evening, Nightengale described the events that unfolded during the day that led Price from waking up thinking he’d soon be a Cardinal to ending up with Boston.
“Yeah, he really did (believe he was going to become a Cardinal),” Nightengale said. “He had met and talked with Mozeliak and Bill DeWitt. He really wanted to be a Cardinal, but the Red Sox needed a decision by today because Zack Greinke said he needed a decision and they didn’t want to lose both those guys, so they upped their offer and really made it impossible for the Cardinals to come that close. They were runner-up, but it was still a good distance.”
After coming in second in the Price sweepstakes, the key question concerning the Cardinals is: what now? With Price and Jordan Zimmermann (who signed with the Tigers this week) snatched off the market, Greinke and Johnny Cueto represent the last two elite-level free agent starters available. Nightengale said he doesn’t believe the Cardinals are in the market for Greinke, who is reportedly expected to choose between the Giants and Dodgers some time this week. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch echoed this sentiment Wednesday morning on the same radio station saying he “never gotten the sense that the Cardinals want to make that big lunge for Greinke.” Cueto’s rough history with the redbirds would make seem to make a signing of him unlikely, as Goold also discussed.
The team could now turn to the trade market in their search to improve the rotation, although there are many mid-range options still available on the free-agent market (varying from innings-eaters to solid #2-3 starter options), including Wei-Yin Chen, Doug Fister, Yovani Gallardo, Scott Kazmir, John Lackey (who led the redbirds in innings pitched last year), Mike Leake, and Jeff Samardzija.
After missing out on Price, could the Cardinals now turn their attention to bringing back Jason Heyward?
As for another impact the non-deal with Price could have, Nightengale brought up that it could increase the Cardinals’ chances of adding a big bat, whether it be bringing back Jason Heyward, signing Chris Davis (the latest on him here), or someone else. Nightengale said he “wouldn’t be shocked at all to see them turn to a guy like Justin Upton,” who hit 26 home runs and drove in 81 runs for the Padres last season. The free agent corner outfielder, who has hit 20 or more home runs five times in his career, is 28-years-old, two years older than Heyward. MLB Trade Rumors projected Upton for a seven-year, $147 million deal, while tabbing Heyward for a $200 million contract over ten years.
Also worth noting is that Ben Zobrist, a reported target of the Cardinals, is now seeking a 4-year, $60 million deal, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports. While his versatility would make him an outstanding fit for the redbirds (and practically every other team), it appears unlikely that GM John Mozeliak would spend that much for a soon-to-be 35-year-old middle infielder.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, Mozeliak told Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest that the Cardinals were looking to add a starting pitcher from outside the organization and hoped to acquire one in the next couple of weeks. On Tuesday, they almost had their man in Price. With him off the board, the starting pitching market is expected to rapidly pick up in the next few days in advance of the annual Winter Meetings in Nashville next week, meaning Mozeliak may have to act fast to secure a high-level pitching option… or he could elect to turn to a top offensive option.
Just hours from handing out a franchise-record contract, Mozeliak showed he’s prepared to make a splash this offseason.
His attention will quickly turn elsewhere. Where it turns, that’s now the key question.
More from STL Baseball Today:
Cardinals trade catcher Tony Cruz to Royals for minor league infielder
Cardinals keep Moss, non-tender Cishek and Stanley
Phillies claim Peter Bourjos off waivers from Cardinals
Cards sign veteran catcher Pena to back up Molina
Feature image used under Creative Commons by Arture Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
Price image used under Creative Commons by Arturo Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
Heyward image used under Creative Commons by Arturo Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
