The St. Louis Cardinals are in need of a catcher to replace Yadier Molina and another big bat to replace Albert Pujols, both of whom have retired.
Some have theorized that the impact bat that they target might be an outfielder.
With the Winter Meetings nearly complete, the team has been exploring options in the free agent and trade markets.
Yesterday, the team’s manager, Oliver Marmol, spoke to the media and was asked about the outfield.
Marmol replied by saying that he expects fan favorite Lars Nootbaar to be an everyday outfielder in 2023 and that the team is hopeful that Tyler O’Neill can return to his 2021 form.
He also stated that the center field job is “wide open.”
Also in his media session today, Oli Marmol described the CF job as being “wide open” and also said Lars Nootbaar will be an “every day” outfielder. Team is banking on a comeback year from Tyler O’Neill as well and have been adjusting his offseason workout plans.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) December 6, 2022
Cards Manager Comments On The Outfield
That may be banking a lot on things to go right, but it’s clear that Marmol is confident in the Cardinals young outfielders and is excited to see what they can bring to the table in 2023.
The Cards began the 2022 season with an outfield trio of O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson.
Bader was ultimately traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for left-hander Jordan Montgomery, which opened up a spot for Nootbaar.
St. Louis then shifted Carlson over to center field.
However, Marmol’s comments do not necessarily mean that the Cardinals aren’t still looking for some bats.
If the center field job is “wide open” like he says it is, it’s always possible that the team could play O’Neill or Nootbaar in center field.
Carlson’s status with the team may be up in the air.
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