Here’s an interesting one.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune was told by a source that the Cardinals are trying to shop right-hander Kyle Lohse in an effort to make a run at free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle.
Buehrle is from Missouri, so many have long speculated about him potentially winding up with his hometown Cardinals. They don’t appear to have an opening in their rotation right now, what with Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, a rehabbing Adam Wainwright and the aforementioned Lohse all under contract for 2012, but things could change if the veteran southpaw is willing to give them some sort of hometown discount.
However, considering that Buehrle one of the most coveted pitchers on the free agent market, he would probably be turning down a lot of money elsewhere. We learned earlier today that he has received offers from three teams believed to be in the three-year, $36-39 million range.
Lohse, 33, is owed $11.75 million next season in the final year of a four-year, $41 million contract. While he’s coming off a solid bounceback year, a trade could prove difficult, especially when you consider that he has a full no-trade clause.
For what it’s worth, when asked by B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest about the possibility of adding another starting pitcher, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said, “I don’t really think so.”
