Trades both big and small continue to occur during the MLB offseason. The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals are the latest clubs to strike a deal.
St. Louis sent backup catcher Tony Cruz to Kansas City in exchange for minor league shortstop Jose Martinez, both teams announced on Twitter.
#STLCards have acquired minor league shortstop Jose Martinez from the @Royals in exchange for catcher Tony Cruz.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) December 2, 2015
#Royals have acquired C/INF Tony Cruz from St. Louis in exchange for minor league infielder Jose Martinez.
— Royals (@Royals) December 2, 2015
Cruz, 29, is a good defensive catcher and the Royals perhaps made the acquisition to give Salvador Perez some rest next season, as he's caught 422 games over the past three years. Cruz served as the backup to All-Star catcher Yadier Molina, which provides the Royals with even more experience.
St. Louis had little need for Cruz after signing veteran catcher Brayan Pena to a two-year deal last week.
The Cardinals will get Martinez in return. The 19-year-old shortstop batted .246/.308/.296 with 29 runs scored, 2 home runs and 29 RBI in 63 games in the team's rookie league this past season. His best season came during his professional debut in 2013 when he was just 17 years old, but he has yet to match those career-best numbers since.
This minor move comes after St. Louis was ready to make a major move. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, the Cardinals finished runner-up to the Boston Red Sox in the race for David Price. The left-hander reportedly signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with the Red Sox on Tuesday and received the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history. The deal is pending a physical.
"The Cardinals were also in the hunt for Price, and offered him the richest contract in franchise history, a seven-year deal worth at least $30 million less than the Red Sox's offer," writes Nightengale.
"Now, unless he opts out of his contract or is traded, Price has a chance to become the first starting pitcher to spend his entire career in the American League in the DH era and reach the Hall of Fame."
St. Louis was previously rumored to be one of five teams in the running for Price, but it was said the Red Sox were ready to out-bid every other team on the market. Aside from the money, it seems as if Price had other ideas in mind and wanted to remain in the American League. The other four teams that were pursuing him were all in the National League.
If the Cardinals were indeed ready to make an enormous bid for Price, don't be surprised if they look to add a top starter this offseason to address their rotation, which has already lost Lance Lynn to Tommy John surgery and is expected to lose John Lackey in free agency.
