Report: Cardinals interested in Hosmer

The St. Louis Cardinals might be eyeing a new face at first base, and they wouldn't have to travel very far down the I-70 to find him.

St. Louis has expressed interest in free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer, formerly of the team's cross-state-rival Kansas City Royals, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Goold reported Thursday that Hosmer's agent, Scott Boras, has reportedly "been in touch" with the Cardinals, though the nature and depth of their apparent talks is unclear.

Matt Carpenter was the Cardinals' primary first baseman in 2017, appearing in 120 games at the position. He also played 16 games at third base and 13 at second, while rookie Jose Martinez moved between first and the outfield. The Cardinals would reportedly like Carpenter to be their super-utility man next year - a role he filled for them during his All-Star 2016 season - and manager Mike Matheny told Goold this week he's already reached out to Carpenter to discuss this move.

Using Carpenter as a utility man instead of an everyday first baseman would seemingly open the door for a Hosmer-Cardinals union. Signing Hosmer - who won both of this year's AL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at his position - would cost the Cardinals draft-pick compensation, however, after he rejected the Royals' qualifying offer on Thursday.

While the Royals have apparently held out some hope of re-signing the 28-year-old, they're reportedly now more pessimistic about their chances of doing so. Other teams that have been connected to Hosmer this offseason include the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox.