The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be ready to make a big splash this offseason.
The Cardinals reportedly have been one of the more aggressive teams in pursuit of Giancarlo Stanton, but it looks as though the Miami Marlins slugger won’t be taking his talents to the Midwest.
But the Marlins aren’t the only ballclub St. Louis has engaged in trade talks with. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cards have kicked the tires on one of Major League Baseball’s best closers, which might develop into an even bigger deal involving another star player.
“The Cardinals have also had discussions with Tampa Bay about its closer, Alex Colome, and a source confirmed those talks could shift or expand to include third baseman Evan Longoria,” Goold writes. “The Rays are also reportedly looking to trim payroll, and the Gold Glove winner is due $86 million through 2022, $94 million if an option is exercised for 2023.”
The time might be now for the Rays to deal Longoria. The veteran third baseman will enter his 10th season in the big leagues in 2018, which will grant him no-trade rights as a result of a decade of MLB service, all of which came with the same team. If Tampa Bay truly is trying to rebuild, hanging onto Longoria’s salary doesn’t make much sense.
If St. Louis is able to acquire both Colome and Longoria, it definitely would close the gap on the Chicago Cubs, who have won the National League Central division title in each of the past two seasons.
