The St. Louis Cardinals still appear to be taking their sweet time before making any major moves this offseason.
The team is in need of a catcher to replace Yadier Molina and a bat to replace Albert Pujols.
The catcher position is the team’s highest priority, but with less than a day before the Winter Meetings end, the market isn’t getting any less competitive.
Sean Murphy, Christian Vazquez, Alejandro Kirk, and Danny Jansen are a few possibilities.
On Twitter, a Cardinals insider proposed a plan for the offseason, one that centers around the team potentially trading for Murphy and adding an extra bat.
I present a realistic #STLCards offseason plan:
– Trade for Sean Murphy
– Bring back Quintana
– Take a cheap chance on Bellinger
– Prepare to give Jordan Walker a legit chance to earn a starting spot on this year's club— Corey Miller (@corey_miller5) December 5, 2022
Cards Analyst Proposes Offseason Plan
St. Louis has made it clear that the catcher position is their top priority.
In that case, Murphy would be a perfect fit for the Cards.
The team has also been adamant that they are looking for a left-handed bat.
Taking a chance on somebody like Cody Bellinger wouldn’t be a bad idea, but the Cardinals can probably do better than that.
With Josh Bell now off the board, Andrew Benintendi and Brandon Nimmo are the best available options.
The proposed plan also includes attempting to re-sign mid-season acquisition Jose Quintana.
The veteran left-hander went 6-7 during the regular season and posted a 2.93 ERA.
He also drew the start in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
St. Louis remains interested in retaining the lefty.
This seems like a pretty reasonable offseason plan for the Cards.
And even with the Winter Meetings reaching their end tomorrow, there is still plenty of time to add some pieces.
Fans would certainly prefer a little more urgency, however.
NEXT: Cardinals GM Discusses An Urgent Need At The Winter Meetings