The Cardinals watched their former outfielder ink an eight-year, $184 million contract with the division rival Cubs, but GM John Mozeliak says his club won’t chase outfielders. Instead, he’ll focus on starting pitching, as KMOX in St. Louis reports.
They’re not exactly in dire straits sans Jason Heyward, as they have Matt Holliday in left field, Randal Grichuk in center, and Stephen Piscotty in right. All three posted significantly above-average offensive numbers last season, albeit in 350 or fewer plate appearances each.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have some uncertainty in the starting rotation. Adam Wainwright missed most of the 2015 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Lance Lynn will miss all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Jaime Garcia is anything but a sure bet to make it through a season unscathed. Thus, it’s quite understandable why Mozeliak figures rotation depth to be of higher importance than outfield depth.