Even after a 100-win season and the MLB's best record, the St. Louis Cardinals have work to do this offseason. John Lackey and Jason Heyward are now free agents and Lance Lynn will miss all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Recent rumors suggested the Cardinals are one of five MLB teams expressing serious interest in David Price, but how serious are they?
Earlier in the week FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal wrote the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Dodgers and Red Sox are among the top teams in the running for Price, which we wrote about here. The only issue with the Cardinals' interest in Price is that the left-hander is expected to command a $200 million deal and the largest contract in their franchise's history is Matt Holliday's $120 million pact.
They're facing the same predicament with Heyward, who may also get a $200 million deal.
But is Price taking precedent over Heyward for St. Louis?
"One GM speculated that the Cardinals could pass on Heyward, sign Price and bridge to their next generation of big-time young pitchers, including the suspended Alex Reyes, who one baseball man calls 'the best pitching prospect I've seen in a year,'" writes MLB insider Peter Gammons.
Reyes was suspended for the first 50 games of 2016 after testing positive for marijuana, so his MLB debut will be pushed back.
The call between Price and Heyward is a tough one. Price will provide a significant threat for the team every time he is on the mound, but the Cards will undoubtedly be locked in to paying him his entire contract.
On the other hand, Heyward was already seen to be a great fit in St. Louis, and while he's expected to sign a mammoth deal, he's more than likely to receive an opt-out clause after three, four or five seasons due to his age (26). This means the Cardinals wouldn't be on the hook for paying his entire contact because he'll certainly opt out at that point if he continues on his current path.
It could make make sense that Price is the Cardinals top priority because they are also said to be interested in Ben Zobrist, who could play a role in addressing the void if Heyward departs. However, it's been reported he prefers to mostly play second base as opposed to the outfield. St. Louis would prefer to use him as an uber-utility player.
The Cards could use another outfielder, first baseman and starting pitcher. There aren't any glaring holes on their roster, however, because they have youngsters ready to step up (Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, Marco Gonzales, Tyler Lyons and others) in the event the team fails to sign a high-profile free agent.
Nonetheless, the fact that general manager John Mozeliak is reportedly poking around the market regarding names such as Price means he's keeping all options open in the event the team can determine an all-around effective plan in free agency.
That plan could be in motion in the near future as the Winter Meetings are just over a week away.
