Cardinals Shockingly Linked To Highly-Coveted All-Star Slugger In Offseason Deal

St. Louis needs to bring back some offensive power next year

Aug 20, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium as the sun sets during the fourth inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals offense has failed the pitching staff again after falling to the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in Tuesday night's series opener at Busch Stadium.

With the bases loaded and only one out, Nolan Gorman and five-time Silver Slugger Paul Goldschmidt struck out swinging to end the game. Ending an important game like that was gut-wrenching and disappointing for Cardinals fans everywhere.

Hopefully, the Cardinals' offensive production next season will be different but that all starts with what St. Louis does this offseason. Perhaps they'll land a highly-coveted slugger to add to the lineup.

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was recently listed as a potential fit to sign with the Cardinals this winter, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The right-handed hitter's contract is expiring and he will become a free agent after this season ends.

Alonso has batted .250 with 365 extra-base hits including 219 home runs, 567 RBIs and a .859 OPS across six seasons played for the Mets.

The 29-year-old has been voted to the All-Star game four out of six seasons playing in the majors -- one of those years was 2020, when the event was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The former National League Rookie of the Year is batting .242 with 55 extra-base hits including 27 home runs, 69 RBIs and a .799 OPS in 126 games played for New York in 2024.

Goldschmidt's recent performance decline, combined with his expiring contract, makes Alonso seem like the better option -- if the Cardinals were to choose between the two highly-acclaimed first basemen.

It's still too early to tell how drastically things will change for St. Louis this offseason. If the club hopes to compete in 2025, it would be wise to go after Alonso instead of re-signing a regressing Goldschmidt.

More MLB: Cardinals Drop Series Opener To Division-Rival Brewers Despite Late Comeback Efforts