Baseball’s winter meetings wrapped up in Nashville on Thursday and it looks like the Cardinals have shored up their bullpen. The club will sign lefty reliever Randy Choate. He’s St. Louis for a physical that will finalize his three-year, $7.5-million deal with the Cardinals.
Choate limited left-handers to a .158 batting average last year, and over the course of his 12-year career, left-handed hitters have batted .201 off him. By using Choate almost exclusively against left-handed hitters, the Cards will free up Rzepczynski to be a more flexible middle-innings option. Edward Mujica and Mitchell Boggs will remain in setup roles ahead of closer Jason Motte.
The Cardinals also shopping Skip Schumaker. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Dodgers asked about him, and perhaps Minnesota and Cincinnati could be on the radar.
The Royals who were trying to land left handed starting pitcher David Price from the Rays, have put a trade on hold. The Rays want the Royals top minor league prospect Wil Myers. Both sides say they are waiting to see what happens with free agent Zack Greinke.
Shields turns 31 later this month. He was 15-10 with a 3.52 ERA last season in 33 starts, delivering 30-plus starts and 200-plus innings in each of the last six years.