Cardinals Insider Doesn't Rule Out Pursuit For Mets Superstar Slugger

Could the Cardinals actually pursue the superstar slugger this winter?
May 11, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of the New York Mets logo on a bat during the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images
May 11, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of the New York Mets logo on a bat during the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Will the St. Louis Cardinals make a run at one of the top available sluggers in baseball this winter?

This upcoming offseason will be an extremely important one for the Cardinals. St. Louis looks like it's going to miss the playoffs for the second straight season unless something extremely surprising happens over the next few weeks.

St. Louis currently is 6 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals would need a historic few weeks in order to get back to the postseason. Once the season ends, the front office will need to take a hard look at the roster and make some tough decisions.

Clearly, the Cardinals need to make a change. St. Louis needs some pop in the middle of the lineup and one of the best players who will be available is New York Mets star first baseman Pete Alonso. It would be extremely unlikely for the Cardinals to land him, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold at least didn't completely rule St. Louis out.

"Now will they spend? That could be relative," Goold said. "They're not going to break from character and make the big bid on (Juan Soto). But you look at those available starters -- and there is the chance for the Cardinals to shift from past approaches, build on their pursuit and offer to (Sonny Gray), and get one of those players, for sure. Bid for Pete Alonso? I don't think that's a non-starter for the Cardinals. It would be wild if Anthony Rizzo is the Cardinals' 1B at the end of winter, but there's a non-zero chance of that, too."

Alonso would be a great addition to the Cardinals' lineup, but that also likely would mean that St. Louis would be parting ways with fellow star slugger Paul Goldschmidt in that scenario. It would be very surprising to see a move like this happen, but anything can happen in free agency.

More MLB: Cardinals Should Target Projected $48 Million Star To Fill Biggest Hole


Published
Patrick McAvoy

PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu