St. Louis Cardinals Interested in Acquiring Josh Donaldson this Offseason

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise promising season for the St. Louis Cardinals. They narrowly missed out on a wild-card playoff berth, but it seemed that they're already looking for ways to improve their squad next season.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Cardinals are expected to pursue veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson this offseason.

The 2015 American League most valuable player seems like a viable target for the Cardinals this summer because the Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly considered trading him before the non-waiver trade deadline last July. Incidentally, the Cardinals were one of the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring him back then.

Donaldson missed a lot of games this year due to a calf injury, but he's still a very productive player. The three-time All-Star has posted a 0.270/0.385/0.559 slash line In 113 games this year, and he also has 78 runs batted in and 33 home runs in 496 plate appearances.

The Cardinals should really give the Blue Jays a call if Donaldson is placed on the trade market this winter, but he's definitely not going to come cheap.

Meanwhile, it appears that Donaldson is still hoping to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension with the Blue Jays.

"I've made it known to our front office that I enjoy being a Blue Jay. If it's a possibility, I would definitely enjoy being a Blue Jay for a long time," Donaldson said, via the National Post.

"I'm not going to sit here and try to force their hand and they're not going to sit here and force mine. If it's able to work out, I'd be tickled pink. But at the end of the day, I don't make those decisions and I can't control that," he added.

Donaldson is eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.