By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Nov. 30, 2015, 10:08 am CT
In his latest notes column, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal takes a look at the impact the Cardinals new TV deal with Fox Sports Midwest will have on the team’s ability to increase their payroll by spending big on free agents. The deal, which begins in 2018, will increase the team’s local TV revenue by at least $20 million in 2018. That year, the contract will net the redbirds nearly $50 million, with the revenue each year increasing to roughly $86 million by the end of the 15-year deal (according to Forbes).
While Rosenthal writes that it’s unclear how the deal could affect the team’s free agent spending this offseason, he does report that there is “the belief among some in the industry is that the Cardinals are in a flexible enough position to add a pitcher such as Price and a hitter such as free-agent right fielder Jason Heyward or first baseman Chris Davis.”
The redbirds have been tied to all three of those players in some capacity this offseason. GM John Mozeliak has expressed the team’s desire to resign Heyward, who rejected the team’s $15.8 million qualifying offer in mid-November, and the team has reportedly shown strong interest in both Price, who is one the the top three pitchers in the market, and Davis, who led the majors in both home runs and strikeouts in 2015.
Rosenthal cautions, though, that it’s far from a guarantee that the Cardinals will sign even one of these premium free agents, as the team could still be uncomfortable making the top bid for either Heyward or Price and could be “reluctant” to commit the amount of money Davis will command as the top source of power on the market.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest before the holiday that the club is looking to add a starting pitcher from outside the organization and hopes to acquire one in the next couple of weeks. With the annual Winter Meetings coming up from December 7-10, Cardinals fans could have an answer sooner than later.
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More from STL Baseball Today:
Cards sign veteran catcher Pena to back up Molina, team now looking to trade Cruz
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Feature image used under Creative Commons by Arturo Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
