ST. LOUIS _ After the 2019 postseason ended and the free agency period quickly ensued, the Cardinals made free agent left fielder Marcell Ozuna a standard, one-year, qualifying offer of $17.8 million in order to ensure a high draft choice if Ozuna signed with someone else. More than two months later, Ozuna, who turned down that offer, has signed with someone else, the Atlanta Braves, for one year at $18 million, as the Cardinals apparently did not come off that qualifying figure very much, if any, in the 75 days or so since it was made.
There likely was not a multi-year offer by the Cardinals, although general manager Michael Girsch, not addressing that theorem, said, "We've been talking on and off all offseason."
And now armed with another high draft pick, which will come shortly after the actual first round, the Cardinals' quest for a new cleanup hitter _ and left fielder _ can begin in earnest. Ozuna, despite missing some five weeks with a finger injury on his right hand, hit 29 homers and drove in 89 runs while hitting .241 and posting an .800 OPS (on-base percentage, plus slugging) for the National League Central Division champions in 2019.
