3 impactful players the St. Louis Cardinals will lose in free agency

The Cardinals made Wong a free agent this week, declining his $12.5 million option for 2021. However, the door does not appear closed on him coming back at a cheaper rate, or even on a multi-year deal as it was previously reported the Cardinals had an interest in getting done a few weeks ago.

Wong won a Gold Glove for his work at second base in 2019, and he’s a finalist this year. Offensively he had a .265/.350/.326 slash-line this year, with a lot of contact (14.4 percent strikeout rate). He also accounted for 6 Defensive Runs Saved with a 3.8 UZR in 2020.

Wong will now hit the free agent market with a case as the second-best second baseman available, behind DJ LeMahieu. Even if a return is possible, Wong seemed to say a full goodbye to the Cardinals’ organization and the fans in the wake of the decision to decline his option.

Wong is an above-average all-around player, and an outstanding defender, at a fairly premium position. He may not get all the way to $12.5 million per year on a new deal, in what’s lined up to be a rough run for free agents this offseason. But $10-$11 million a year is not out of the question. The Cardinals don’t seem inclined to pay that, after he would have made $10.25 million if 2020 if it had been a normal season. So Wong will be gone, unless he takes a discount he should not take just to come back to St. Louis.