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Marlins rumors: Miami interested in Cardinals' David Freese

As noted by Marlins.com beat reporter Joe Frisaro, the Marlins are pondering if Cardinals infielder David Freeze would be a viable fit for the team. Could his offensive ability be enough to warrant the acquisition? Or could he be too costly for the thrifty Marlins organization?

By Dakota Schmidt
Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

As briefly reported by MLB.com beat writer Joe Frisaro, the Miami Marlins are apparently pondering if former World Series hero and Cardinals third baseman David Freese would be a viable option for 2014. After an unbelievable 2011 World Series run in which he lead the Cardinals to championship glory with a superb .397/.465/.794 line, Freese was kicked to the side two seasons later as prospect Kolten Wong took his spot inside the Cardinals lineup. Despite being pushed aside in St.Louis' lineup, Freese still had an above average overall offensive season in 2013 with a .262/.340/.381 which would put him towards the top ranks of Miami's lousy offense.

While Freese was pushed out of the starting third base role, he'd be instantly placed into Miami's starting lineup because of the horrendous state that the position is currently in. One negative aspect towards the potential acquisition of Freese would be his potential pay raise, as he is in his second arbitration season. His projected arbitration salary (per MLBTradeRumors) would be a slim $4.4 million, which would be right around the max amount that the Marlins would be willing to spend in this off-season for a single player.

The main obstacle behind a possible move for Freese would be figuring out the type of package that Miami would have to send to St.Louis. Possible names like Jacob Turner and Henderson Alvarez have been thrown around as potential pieces but perhaps their value would be too much for a player like Freese.

While his initial value as a competent fielder and above-average right handed hitter would probably exceed that of Turner or Alvarez, his future role with the team could be in jeopardy if Colin Moran continues to progress through the minors. For the next two seasons, Freese's salary will escalate, especially if he spends the entire season as the starting third baseman for the Marlins.

Third base is currently a huge hole for the Marlins as they start to improve their team during the " Hot Stove" season. Could Freese be a solid fit to patch in that Grand Canyon-sized hole? Sure, but there also needs to be concerns about the potential future of the team as stud prospect Colin Moran is slated to make his MLB debut in around the middle of 2015. Michael Hill, Dan Jennings, and the rest of the Marlins organization needs to figure out if trading a current starter would be the right price to pay to acquire the 30-year-old vet.

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