St. Louis Cardinals Reportedly Agree to Terms with Dexter Fowler
It looks as if the Cardinals have nabbed themselves a reigning World Series champion.
Reports circulated on Thursday night that free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler–who was a key member of the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series-winning club–has agreed to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals on a long-term contract, and that the team will officially announce the deal on Friday morning. KSDK’s Frank Cusumano first reported that Fowler was coming to St. Louis to undergo a physical.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network suggested that Fowler’s deal could be for five years and between $80-90 million, but we have yet to hear any detailed financial figures for Fowler’s reported deal. The 30-year-old outfielder, who will turn 31 next March, has been rumored to be the Cardinals’ top free agent target all offseason. He immediately plugs a hole in center field, and on an intangible level, his addition allows the Cardinals to get back at the rival Cubs for poaching their top pitcher and hitter respectively from 2015, John Lackey and Jason Heyward, in free agency last offseason.
Fowler might not be the clear defensive upgrade over Randal Grichuk in center field that some Cardinals fans have hoped for.
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He’s generally been considered average at best in center during his major-league career, though he was rated better by defensive metrics last season as the Cubs adjusted his positioning in center. Either way, it’d seem that having two solid outfielders, Grichuk and Fowler, in left and center is better than having a below-average and an average one, as the Cardinals did when they played Matt Holliday or Brandon Moss in left with Grichuk in center.
Fowler enjoyed a career-best 2016, posting career highs in rWAR (4.2), OPS+ (126), and OBP (.393). With that said, he’s been a rather average player for most of the rest of his career, and two of his most valuable assets–his speed and his outfield defense–logically will regress over the length of the contract. Thus, by signing Fowler, the Cardinals have clearly shown two things: 1) that they believe Fowler can come close to matching his banner 2016 season in 2017, and 2) that they’re truly committed to challenging for a playoff berth in 2017, because you don’t give a soon-to-be 31-year-old outfielder whose game is centered around speed and defense a long-term deal with the intention of him making his biggest impact near the end of the contract.
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There’s a very strong chance that Fowler’s contract will be the third-largest ever for a Cardinals position player, trailing only those of Matt Holliday (seven years/$120 million, signed in 2010) and Albert Pujols (seven years/$100 million, signed in 2004).