By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | December 5, 2016, 11:13 pm CT
Last updated Tuesday, 12/6 at 4:55 pm CT:
Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings are now well underway at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., and it’s no secret the Cardinals are looking to make a move. We’ll keep track of the latest rumors and reports surrounding the Cardinals right here as they come in:
MOZELIAK: CARDINALS “NOT ACTIVELY SHOPPING” KOLTEN WONG
Tuesday, 4:55 pm CT: While confirming reports of MLB teams’ interest in Kolten Wong (see below), Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest, Tuesday evening that the team is “not actively shopping” the second baseman.
A report Monday evening from John Perrotto of FanRag Sports and USA Today Sports indicated that the Cardinals and Royals have at some point discussed a trade that would send Wong and a “package of prospects” to Kansas City in exchange for speedy outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Wade Davis.
MOZELIAK: CARDS CURRENTLY NOT “A PHONE CALL AWAY ON ANYTHING”
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak meets with the media during Day 2 of the Winter Meetings. Photo: St. Louis Cardinals / Twitter
Tuesday, 4:55 pm CT: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including Frank Cusumano of KSDK and
ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon tweeted Tuesday evening that Mozeliak said the team is “not at a point where we’re just a phone call away on anything,” while Cusumano added that there’s more than four outfield candidates the GM is currently considering.
“For us right now I feel like we’re equally wading in both markets today,” Mozeliak said about the free agent and trade markets, according to Ortiz. “In terms of getting the feel for any momentum either way, it’s just not there yet.”
REPORT: CARDS’ INITIAL OFFER TO FOWLER SIMILAR TO OFFER FROM JAYS
Tuesday, 2:10 pm CT: A rival executive told ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon that he heard the Cardinals’ initial offer to free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler (see below) is “in the same range” as the four-year, roughly $60 million deal he was reportedly offered by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported early Tuesday morning that the redbirds had made an initial offer to the 30-year-old Fowler, who was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to land a four-year, $64 million contract.
REPORT: TEAMS LOOKING FOR INFIELD HELP ARE PURSUING KOLTEN WONG
By Keith Allison / CC Image
Tuesday, 11:25 am CT: MLB teams looking for help in the infield are pursuing Kolten Wong, sources told Chris Cotillo of SB Nation and MLB Daily Dish, who reports a rival executive with interest in the Cardinals second baseman said: “They want a lot for him.”
In response to Cotillo’s report, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted: “Mozeliak has control and is sold on Wong’s upside. His public statements have been part of lobbying to assure he plays, regularly.”
John Perrotto of FanRag Sports and USA Today Sports reported Monday evening that the Cardinals and Royals have discussed a trade that would send Wong and a “package of prospects” to Kansas City in exchange for speedy outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Wade Davis.
REPORT: CARDINALS HAVE WEIGHED PURSUIT OF IAN DESMOND
By Keith Allison / CC Image
Tuesday, 11:25 am CT: Possibly as a backup option to Dexter Fowler, the Cardinals “have had internal discussions” about a possible pursuit of free agent outfielder Ian Desmond, USA Today Sports’ Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday morning.
Desmond signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rangers last offseason, and had a very productive season in 2016. Shifting from shortstop to the outfield (primarily center field), Desmond hit .285/.335/.446 with 22 home runs, 86 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.
The 31-year-old rejected a one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer from the Rangers in November, but the team has reportedly had talks with him about a new deal.
Desmond was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to land a four-year, $60 million contract.
REPORT: CARDINALS HAVE MADE INITIAL OFFER TO DEXTER FOWLER
Image: Chicago Cubs / Twitter
Tuesday, 11:25 am CT: The Cardinals met with the agent for free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler on Monday and made him an initial offer, major-league sources told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Fowler, 30, and the redbirds have been connected throughout the offseason as the club looks to add an outfielder, preferably one capable of playing good center field defense.
Rosenthal notes that the Blue Jays, who have also been heavily connected to Fowler, have made him a four-year offer in the $60 million range, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Fowler is coming off a resurgent season in which he hit .276 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases for the World Champion Chicago Cubs.
REPORT: CARDINALS HAVE DISCUSSED TRADE WITH KC INVOLVING CAIN, DAVIS, WONG
Lorenzo Cain. Image: Kansas City Royals / Twitter
Monday, 11:12 pm CT: The Cardinals and Royals have discussed a trade that would send speedy outfielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Wade Davis to St. Louis in exchange for second baseman Kolten Wong and a “package of prospects,” John Perrotto of FanRag Sports and USA Today Sports reported Monday evening.
It’s unclear what Cardinals prospects might be involved in a deal, as well as if such a deal has gained any traction, although there have been other reports about the redbirds’ interest in Cain, as well as his fellow Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson.
Cain and Davis, who are both 30, are both under contract for just one more season.
Quick Hits:
- Cain batted just .287/.339/.408 in 2016, but slugged 16 home runs and swiped 28 bags in 2015, and is known for his outstanding abilities in center field.
- Davis emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in the game in the past few seasons, and saved 27 games for the Royals last season despite battled forearm issues. He’s posted a collective 1.18 ERA in last 182 2/3 innings from 2014-2016.
- Wong is expected to be the Cardinals second baseman in 2017, and the loss of the 26-year-old infielder would leave the Cardinals with a hole at the keystone. If Wong was traded, Jedd Gyorko would likely handle second base, with Jhonny Peralta starting in the hot corner. Alternatively, Matt Carpenter could shift from first base, with Matt Adams getting at-bats there.
CARDINALS IN MARKET FOR BACKUP CATCHER
Monday, 11:12 pm CT: After releasing veteran Brayan Pena one year into a two-year deal, the redbirds are in the market for a backup to Yadier Molina, GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tuesday evening. Carson Kelly, considered by many to be Molina’s eventual successor, is just 22, and Mozeliak said the team would rather sign someone so that Kelly can start the season at AAA Memphis.
Quick Hits:
- Notable free agent catchers include Alex Avila, A.J. Ellis, Chris Iannetta, Eric Fryer, Nick Hundley, Kurt Suzuki, and Geovany Soto.
- Yadier Molina, 33, caught an MLB-leading 1,218 1/3 innings last season, the most of his career.
CARDINALS EXPRESSING INTEREST IN ROYALS’ DYSON
Monday, 11:12 pm CT: The Cardinals “are expressing interest” in Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson in their search for a center fielder, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday afternoon.
Like fellow Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain, Dyson will be a free agent at the end of the 2017 season. The 32-year-old is only a career .260/.325/.353 hitter, but would certainly provide the Cardinals with the defensive upgrade their looking for in center field.
Check back here at STLBaseballToday.com for the latest Cardinals rumors and reports.
