Cardinals Have “Negligible” Interest In Lohse

The Cardinals don't expect Chris Carpenter to pitch for them in 2013, and the right-hander's career could be over. But it doesn't sound as though the team will turn to Kyle Lohse to restore its rotation depth. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals' interest in Lohse is "negligible" at this time (Twitter link).

The Cardinals stand to obtain a compensatory draft pick if Lohse signs with another team, as he declined St. Louis' qualifying offer after the season. The Cardinals seem content to let him sign elsewhere, but certain teams are reluctant to surrender a pick to sign Lohse. For example, the Rangers and Angels don't appear to have serious interest at this time. However, the Brewers and Orioles would be interested at the right price.

While Cardinals GM John Mozeliak declined to discuss Lohse in particular today, he acknowledged that the club could consider making an addition under the right circumstances. The Cardinals have their share of internal rotation options in Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Lance Lynn, Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller.