GM John Mozeliak says the team hopes to acquire a starter in the next few weeks
By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Nov. 25, 2015, 11:50 pm CT
Just a few days ago, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest 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.
In that search, the team appears to be at least taking a look at the top-tier starters on the free agent market.
According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals are one of the five teams showing the most interest in ace left-hander David Price, along with the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, and Red Sox.
Price, 30, finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2015, posting a 18-5 record with a 2.45 ERA over 220 1/3 innings between the Detroit and Toronto. Since he was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer thanks to this summer’s trade, Price will not require the club which signs him to forfeit a draft pick.
The veteran of eight pick league seasons is considered one of the top two starters available on the free agent market, along with Zack Greinke.
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Wednesday that there is a “high expectation” among major league executives involved in the Price bidding that the Red Sox will make the highest offer, while an NL GM told veteran journalist Peter Gammons that “Boston will go $30-40 million above anyone else.”
As for the sort of contract Price is expected to receive, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman projects a seven-year deal for $210 million, while MLB Trade Rumors estimates a $217 million contract over the same length.
The Cardinals have been known to be in the starting pitcher market since the announcement that Lance Lynn would miss the entire 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. While Tyler Lyons, Marco Gonzales, and Tim Cooney represent solid options for the fifth starter’s spot, each of the four pitchers guaranteed spots in the rotation — Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, and Jaime Garcia — comes with some degree of health and/or performance uncertainty.
To this point, the Cardinals have been tied to veterans Mark Buehrle and John Lackey (who led the team in innings pitched in 2015), as well as now Price, in offseason rumors and reports.
While it was widely believed that there’d be an external addition to the rotation this offseason, Mozeliak’s comments seem to indicate that addition will come sooner than later. Stay tuned.
Latest Offseason Rumors & Reports:
Report: Cardinals have reached out to Ben Zobrist, are “among the more interested teams”
Report: Cardinals interested in free agent slugger Chris Davis
Report: Cardinals among six teams who’ve “checked in” on John Lackey
Report: Veteran starter, St. Louis native Mark Buehrle will sign with Cardinals or retire
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Feature image used under Creative Commons by Arture Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
Article image used under Creative Commons by Arturo Pardavila III. No changes made. Image license.
