3 Free Agents the Cardinals Should Avoid This Offseason

After getting swept in the NLCS this year, the St. Louis Cardinals have their sights set on making another deep run into the postseason come next campaign. They had a superb year in 2019 and are likely just a couple of savvy moves away from establishing themselves as elite contenders. With that being said, there are some names on the free agent market this offseason that they'd be better off taking a pass on.

3. Dallas Keuchel

The Cardinals would be wise to spend a bit of money bolstering their starting rotation, just not on Keuchel. His fastball velocity ranked in just the third percentile in 2019, and his 4.72 FIP was almost a full run higher than his 3.75 ERA. The 31-year-old hurler was extremely lucky last year, and the Cardinals should absolutely stay away from him. There are better options on the market such as Zack Wheeler that could be much better and a good bit cheaper than him.

2. Nicholas Castellanos

Castellanos' bat is certainly appealing, but his defense should be enough to scare off every NL team, especially the Cardinals. He has logged an appalling -28 defensive runs saved in the outfield since the start of 2018, and signing him would be a curse in disguise. Outfield defense proved to be a costly problem for the Cardinals in the NLCS, and tossing Castellanos into the mix wouldn't help things one bit.

1. Marcell Ozuna

Marcell Ozuna's two years in St. Louis weren't necessarily a failure, but they certainly weren't enough to warrant a reunion. He finished with a serviceable .779 OPS during his time with the Cardinals, but was absolutely abysmal in the field. In 2019 alone, he managed -8 outs above average in the outfield, good for 82nd out of 92 qualified outfielders. He simply didn't live up to expectations in any regard. There were few redeeming aspects of his tenure with the team that would justify another year or more wearing their uniform.