CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The defending National League Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals haven’t done much to improve their roster over the recent months.
With that being said, neither have their biggest threats to overtake their crown in the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rumors swirled all winter long of a potential blockbuster trade involving the Cardinals and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado. Apparently, the two sides could never come to an agreement, paving the way for either Matt Carpenter or Tommy Edman to hold down the hot corner in 2020.
Arguably the most notable move of Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak’s offseason was the resigning of Adam Wainwright.
As far as new acquisitions go, St. Louis has welcomed in left-handed pitcher Kwang-hyun Kim and outfielder Austin Dean.
Kim came over from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) after spending 13 seasons with the SK Wyverns.
After recording a scoreless spring training through eight innings pitched, he may force the Cardinals hand and earn a spot in the starting rotation to begin the season over Carlos Martinez.
Dean will likely serve as the fourth outfielder behind Dexter Fowler, Harrison Bader and Tyler O’Neill on Opening Day.
The team also chose to bring back veteran catcher Matt Weiters to once again back up Yadier Molina behind the dish and even added depth by acquiring utility player Brad Miller via free agency.
The Card’s biggest key loss of the offseason was undoubtedly Marcell Ozuna who went to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year deal.
St. Louis should have some trouble replacing Ozuna’s bat in the order, as well as in left field in an already shallow outfield from a talent standpoint.
Infielder Yairo Munoz is another noteworthy departure who recently signed with the Boston Red Sox. He was cut by the Cardinals during spring training for going AWOL after refusing to have his hamstring injury examined by the medical staff.
During his stint with the team, Munoz showed promising pop and hit .278 with 10 home runs.
On a positive note, the front office did manage to shed the significant salaries of Jedd Gyorko, Jose Martinez and long-time Cardinal Michael Wacha.
Even without a big-name signing or adding a number of new pieces, St. Louis could still remain the favorite to win the NL Central division going into this upcoming year. If early season Cy Young candidate Jack Flaherty can replicate the amount of success he had on the mound in 2019, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas pull their weight in the rotation and Paul Goldschmidt can continue to overcome a slow start to his Cardinal career, the Red Birds could potentially fly high in 2020.