St. Louis Cardinals Jon Jay swings hitting a RBI single in the seventh inning. Jay had two hits and two RBI's to back Kyle Lohse. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

St. Louis Cardinals Jon Jay swings hitting a RBI single in 2012. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

The Chicago Cubs made a move to add a piece to their outfield, a telltale sign that points to free agent center fielder Dexter Fowler leaving the World Series champs. On Tuesday, the Cubs signed former Cardinals CF Jon Jay to a one-year deal worth $8 million.  With Fowler on the market, will the Cardinals make a solid run at him?

Fowler had an on-base percentage of .393 last season in the leadoff spot for the Cubs, which ranked sixth in the National League.  While Matt Carpenter led off in 114 games, his on-base percentage was .386.  While Carpenter did not bat in the number 2 spot all of last season, over his career that position has garnered the second most at-bats.  Signing Fowler could bump Carp back to that slot and give the Cardinals a deadly 1-2 punch in the lineup.

As far as Jay, he went to San Diego in the trade for Jedd Gyorko and suffered a broken right arm.  Jay was hitting .296 with the Padres before his injury.  Over his career which spans seven seasons, Jay is a lifetime .287 hitter who can play all three outfield positions.

It is also rumored that the Cardinals are interested in Dodgers free agent third baseman Justin Turner.  His 27 homers, 34 doubles and 90 RBIs would certainly ramp up the lineup and replace and improve on a bat like Matt Holliday’s.