Cardinals Reportedly Scouted Star With Free Agency Looming; Could Surprise Move Happen?

Should the Cardinals consider signing the Japanese star hurler?

The St. Louis Cardinals likely will be one of the most active clubs in free agency this upcoming offseason.

St. Louis has plenty of offensive firepower but will seemingly need to reconstruct its entire starting rotation. The Cardinals will have at least three starting rotation spots to fill in free agency, through trade, or from within the organization. One player who likely will have a massive market is Japanese star hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto and St. Louis reportedly was among a handful of clubs who recently scouted the ace, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"The (New York Yankees), (New York Mets), (Boston Red Sox) and Cardinals were among at least 10 teams to scout Orix Buffaloes right-handed star Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start Wednesday, and he impressed over seven scoreless innings with poise, focus and athleticism, and also with several solid-to-plus pitches — including a four-seamer up to 97 mph, cutter, curveball and splitter," Heyman said. "Also there to see the two-time MVP who’s expected to be posted were the (Chicago Cubs), (Los Angeles Dodgers), (Arizona Diamondbacks), (Philadelphia Phillies), (Texas Rangers), and (Detroit Tigers)."

Yamamoto is just 25 years old and already is a two-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player and two-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner as the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball in a given year. In seven professional seasons, Yamamoto has compiled an eye-popping 71-29 record to go along with a minuscule 1.77 ERA in 183 games. The righty will be one of the top available free agent pitchers this upcoming offseason and if the Cardinals could come to terms on a deal, it would be a massive lift for a club that needs it. 

St. Louis has some serious work to do in the starting rotation and Yamamoto could be the perfect answer.

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