St. Louis Cardinals rumors: Jordan Montgomery reunion, Julio Urias interest, Shohei Ohtani link?

St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Dream pitcher may be off the market

While on the Cardinals wish list of upcoming free-agent targets, the likelihood that St. Louis can sign Julio Urias of the Los Angeles Dodgers is not high. Urias will be prioritized even more by the Dodgers front office now that their top free-agent target, Shohei Ohtani, could be forced off the mound long term. Urias, meanwhile, is an ace in every sense of the word. With Ohtani's injury, his price tag just went up.

So, will the Cards be able to afford a player like Urias? If history is any indication, Urias might be a little out of St. Louis's price range. Prior to the Ohtani injury, FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray graded the likelihood of these two linking up as a 3/10:

"Signing Urias will be expensive and considering that his agent is Scott Boras, he’ll wait out the market until he receives top dollar. It’s difficult to see the Cardinals winning a bidding war for Urias, especially with the Dodgers posing a serious threat to retain his services. Will the Cardinals express interest? Of course. He also fits the left-handed arm that they have coveted in recent seasons (their previous additions Jordan Montgomery, Jon Lester, J.A. Happ and Jose Quintana were all left-handed). But a Urias to St. Louis deal feels unlikely."

The prospect of adding a frontline starter like Urias is enticing, but St. Louis would be better-advised investing in their own farm system, such as Tink Hence, and adding depth from within, as they're far more affordable.