Cardinals Agree To Deal With Wainwright, Ozuna Rejects QO

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Tuesday that they have officially agreed to terms with pitcher Adam Wainwright on a one-year contract for the 2020 season. Salary details include a guaranteed $5M and an additional $5M in potential incentives.

A reunion seemed to be a foregone conclusion, as both sides appeared to show immediate interest in negotiating the starter’s return to the club once talks began last week. This marks the second year in a row in which Wainwright has agreed to return to the Cards on a one-year deal.

As for their position players, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that outfielder Marcell Ozuna rejected the Cardinals’ $17.8M qualifying offer on Tuesday afternoon, thus making him a free agent.

Heyman also noted that Ozuna already appears to be in demand, as seven different teams are reportedly in talks with the outfielder, including St. Louis- who remain open to negotiating a multi-year deal with Ozuna despite his rejection of their QO- and the Cincinnati Reds.

Strasburg and Cole Not in Picture for Padres

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that chances are slim when it comes to the Padres landing either Stephen Strasburg or Gerrit Cole this offseason. High asking prices for both starters will likely make it difficult for San Diego to snag what would be significant rotation reinforcements, especially considering that San Diego is expected to retain a payroll of $130-140M- which leaves little wiggle room after already-existing contracts.

Interestingly enough, Acee noted that a pitcher akin to the Mets’ Zack Wheeler– who would likely earn $16-20M on a four or five-year deal- would be more realistic for the Pods.

More on Cole Sweepstakes

The hottest commodity of the offseason, Gerrit Cole, is not expected to sign with a club before the new year said Andy Martino of SNY. His fellow commodities, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg, are expected to move at a faster pace.

Jayson Stark of the Athletic noted that the Philadelphia Phillies remain engaged in the Cole sweepstakes as well, with the plan being to add two starters this offseason- one on a significant multi-year deal, the other on a one-year basis.

Cubs’ GM Willing to Shake Things Up

According to Jon Heyman, Cubs’ GM Jed Hoyer has made it clear that he will consider all options when it comes to improving his team this offseason- even if that may include trading core players such as Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Javier Baez, or Kyle Schwarber.

In his comments, Hoyer emphasized the idea of “change” for Chicago, as they have retained the same core of players for the past five seasons- with the two most recent ending in disappointment and failure to live up to heightened expectations.

Cleveland Fielding Calls for Lindor

Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor is piquing the interest of teams around the majors, said Jon Heyman on Tuesday. Despite this intrigue, Indians’ president Chris Antonetti believes that Lindor will be their starting shortstop on Opening Day 2020.