The St. Louis Cardinals are sitting out the postseason for the fifth time in the last nine years. Despite an 83-79 finish and 12-win improvement from 2023, St. Louis finished well out of contention.
Now, the Cardinals appear prepared to begin a rebuild. But that doesn't mean they won't add a few players this coming offseason.
Matt Higgins of Sportsnaut listed Seattle Mariners slugger Justin Turner as somebody who could be a target for St. Louis.
"He still has some hits left in his bat and he would make sense as a one-year option for a rebuilding Cardinals team," Higgins wrote. "He had a respectable .737 OPS and 114 OPS+ with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners in 2024."
The Cardinals are obviously not expected to contend in 2025, especially after announcing that they will operate with a lower payroll and focus their energy on investing in their player development system.
This means that the team will rely heavily on its core of young stars. But it would make sense to have a veteran like Turner around to serve as a mentor and leader.
In addition to his impressive OPS numbers, Turner hit .259 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI. He could potentially take over for Paul Goldschmidt at first base or even be used as a designated hitter.
Turner will be turning 40 years old in November, but his bat is still productive, and he could help give the Cardinals a bit of an offensive boost next season.
It will be interesting to see if St. Louis chooses to target the veteran slugger after his strong 2024 season.
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