While it may be hard to envision third baseman Anthony Rendon in a different uniform, that same thought was had about outfielder Bryce Harper, and look at what happened. If the Washington Nationals were to prioritize other elements of their team, like resigning starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, then Rendon could be left out in the cold, looking for a team like the St. Louis Cardinals to come on through and pay good, good money for the next five-plus seasons.
Not necessarily known as a high-spending franchise, the Cardinals understand what has to be done to remain competitive in the difficult National League Central division, which has seen the likes of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers win the divisional crown in recent years. With the Cardinals looking to be a piece or two away from becoming the NL representative in the World Series, Rendon could go a very long way to making sure that they remain at the top of their division for the foreseeable future.
President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak and manager Mike Shildt both just received contract extensions, and this team is primed for another deep playoff run. Having shown that they are committed to making the necessary moves to go out and get players with their acquisition and subsequent extension of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt last offseason, a move to add Rendon is not totally out of the question.
With free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna a very likely candidate to not return, that kind of money that he would have commanded in a new deal can immediately go towards a deal for Rendon, which will easily eclipse $200 million in total value. Some sort of deal that resembles a six-year pact for $230 million should get it done for one of the three-best hot-corner specialists that this league has to offer.
In the 2019 championship season, Rendon decided to mess around and put up career bests in home runs, runs driven in, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage, and WAR. While these stats jumping off of the page can somewhat be tied to him playing in a walk year, this may have just been the culmination of Rendon in his career, and he may have found his new plateau for the time being.
Any team is obviously interested in adding 30+ long balls, 110+ RBIs and Gold Glove-caliber defense to their team at third base, but not many teams are able to make that long-term, financial commitment that Rendon will be looking for. Thankfully for the Cardinals, their willingness to make smart moves has increased in quantity the past few seasons, so the likelihood of Rendon joining the Redbirds has a realistic chance of happening.
For St. Louis, if they were able to make this move, it would mostly cap their offseason in terms of spending at this, unless they were able to make a trade or two that would help push the needle, which is always in the cards for Mozeliak. But if Rendon ended up being their big move of the offseason, it would be hard to see another team eclipsing them for having the best offseason for an MLB franchise this winter.
Follow Us
Subscribe