Following their third straight season without a playoff appearance, the Cardinals’ offseason was going to be different this time. Due to the available players on the free agent market, the incumbent starters, and long-term commitments to certain players, the Cardinals’ potential upgrades was limited to three positions and the bullpen. Paul Goldschmidt moved Matt Carpenter to 3B and Andrew Miller helped improve the bullpen. The Cardinals are gambling that the combination of Dexter Fowler, Jose Martinez, and Tyler O’Neill will improve RF.
Two of the improvements were the best move available at a reasonable cost and the third is easy to justify.