The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to add some firepower into their lineup in the off-season as they continue their pursuit for trade candidate Giancarlo Stanton. In case the deal does not materialize, the Cardinals appear as though they already have a backup plan as they expressed interest in free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer.
In an article written by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he said "There is a strong market for first baseman Eric Hosmer, and yes the teams that have at least expressed interest includes the Cardinals."
"He was described by a source as 'a good fit' for what the Cardinals want to do for their lineup," added Goold.
Goold's story also discussed super-agent Scott Boras' comments on the defensive metrics that suggest Jose Martinez is not a very strong defender in the outfield. Goold revealed that Boras takes issue with the mentioned defensive metrics.
As for Hosmer, the first baseman is coming off a 2017 season in which he batted .318/.385/.498 with 25 homes. Despite having started the season fairly slow, Hosmer's performance for the rest of his spell was good enough for a career-high OPS+ of 132. Throughout seven big-league seasons, the first baseman has a career OPS+ average of 111.With regards to his defense, there are varying opinions, but he is a four-time Gold Glove winner.
At 28, Hosmer is considerably young by free agent standards and is predicted to be signed for a six-year $132 million deal considering that he could be entering his prime. Additionally, Hosmer has won a World Series Championship title and is said to be a great teammate and leader.
At first base, the Cardinals have Matt Carpenter and Martinez on the roster as options. However, Carpenter is expected to fill a super utility role for the team by 2018.
