It's official: Cardinals to announce signing of Fowler |
Tony Crumpton
· · Friday, December 09 2016
The St. Louis Cardinals will have a 10 am press conference on Friday morning to announce the signing of former Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler.
The deal is reportedly in the five-year range around $80-$90 million. This move will allow the Cardinals to bat Fowler leadoff and move Matt Carpenter down in the order. The Cardinals outbid the Blue Jays $60 million dollar offer earlier in the week. The positive news for the Cubs since he rejected their qualifying offer, the Cardinals will lose their 19th pick in the 2017 draft and put Cubs pick at the end of the first round. Fowler is the first Cubs player to sign with the Cardinals after playing with the Cubs the previous year since Mark Grudzielanek in 2004. Fowler had strong interest from the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and others with his impressive season spearheading the Cubs offense. He batted .276 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs, and 13 steals this season and was named to his first National League All-Star team. However, his numbers do not tell the tale of his play, leadership, and how great of a teammate he was during his time with the Cubs. The Cubs and Cardinals will play on Opening Night in 2017 on April 2 in St. Louis (8:30 pm ET, ESPN).
