Cubs fans would lose their minds if Kyle Schwarber signed with the Cardinals

With the MLB lockout slowing any sort of rumors to a crawl of late, apparently we’ve hit the point where I wake up and read the transcripts of MLB Trade Rumors’ live chats to get my Hot Stove fix. It largely consists of speculation and wishful thoughts from fans and what they’d like to see from their teams, but, hey, it’s something.

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk fielded questions this week from readers – and one of them caught my eye. It pertained to former Chicago Cubs outfielder and first-round pick Kyle Schwarber, and a potential landing spot I’d definitely not considered till now: the St. Louis Cardinals.

A reader asked Polishuk if the Cardinals were interested in a left-handed bat – and, specifically, whether or not Kyle Schwarber or Joc Pederson (another former Cub) could be a fit. Here’s what he had to say:

"Either would fit, especially on a team that will have a DH available.  The Cards probably won’t want to detract from any playing time from their current outfield trio since they were all so good last year, but there’s nothing wrong with having a LH hitter."

Schwarber, who, while improved defensively, probably isn’t ever going to win a Gold Glove – whether it be in the outfield or at first base, where he got his first taste of action this year in Boston. But what he can do with the bat – especially if he just had to focus on that – is significant, and something that was on full display this year with the Nationals and Red Sox.

This season, he put up a career-high 148 OPS+, hitting 31 home runs in just 113 games. That included a prodigious power display in the month of June, when he took a run at Sammy Sosa’s single-month mark, hitting 16 long-balls with Washington.

Chicago Cubs: Cardinals could use a left-handed bat and Kyle Schwarber fits

Looking at the Cardinals’ projected lineup, they have no strictly left-handed hitters. Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson are both switch-hitters, but adding Schwarber as a lefty power bat alongside the duo of Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt could prove to be one of the most imposing combinations in the league.

Last we heard, Schwarber was seeking a three-year deal in the $60 million range. Spotrac has St. Louis at just over $158 million in payroll obligations heading into 2022, so there’s definitely room to make that work and solidify a lineup that’s already probably the best in the division.

The Cardinals have been quiet so far this winter. But once the lockout thaws, they could look to solidify their position alongside the Brewers as the favorites in the NL Central by adding a former beloved member of the Cubs – and setting us up for heartbreak for years to come in the process.