The offseason is in full swing, and teams will soon be making some moves to put the finishing touches on their roster for Opening Day in 2023.
With Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina both gone, the St. Louis Cardinals have a few holes to fill.
After their season came to an end at the hands of the eventual National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak made clear that he intended to increase the team’s payroll for 2023.
Interestingly, the Cardinals have five of the 100 highest-paid players in all of baseball and still rank 13th in payroll.
In simpler terms, St. Louis has plenty of money to spend.
Interesting to note where the top 5 highest paid #STLCards rank in salary out of all major leaguers
1. Nolan Arenado (T-7th)
2. Paul Goldschmidt (T-20th)
3. Adam Wainwright (T-48th)
4. Miles Mikolas (T-56th)
5. Steven Matz (T-99th)Team ranks 13th in payroll heading into 2023.
— Joshua Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) November 27, 2022
Cards Have Money To Spend
Now, will the Cardinals outspend teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, or New York Mets?
No.
But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room to spend some money.
First, they’ll need to find somebody to replace Molina behind the plate.
Christian Vazquez, who shares the same agent with Molina, could be a potential fit.
They also need to replace the production of Pujols in some way and potentially grab an outfielder to address their offensive needs.
Names such as Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez, Trey Mancini, Brandon Drury, and Josh Bell could fit into the Cards’ offseason plans.
They also may target a few pitchers, though Justin Verlander, Carlos Rodon, and Jacob deGrom appear unlikely.
Granted, the Cardinals won’t fill all their needs via free agency, and will likely explore the trade market, but it is clear that St. Louis has money to spend and that they’re in a good position to spend it.
NEXT: Adam Wainwright May Join A Special Team Early In 2023