Twins trade rumors: Cardinals ‘very much’ in talks for Brian Dozier

UPDATE (Tuesday): ESPN’s Mark Saxon reports that St. Louis is not “actively” working on a deal for Dozier. St. Louis may have had previous interest.

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ORIGINAL: The Cardinals are “very much in” talks for Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, according to a report from Darren Wolfson of KSTP. Wolfson adds that the Dodgers are “very much in” as well, with the Nationals and Giants remaining in dialogue with the Twins.

St. Louis is a surprising entrant into the Dozier sweepstakes, as the Cards seem to already have a logjam with Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong, Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz, Matt Adams and Jhonny Peralta in the mix for infield playing time. The Cards could theoretically move Wong in a trade for Dozier, but were expressing to teams at the Winter Meetings that they were unlikely to deal Wong at all this offseason.

The Dodgers have seemed to be the favorite for Dozier all winter, though talks have reportedly stalled despite the team’s agreement on Jose De Leon as the centerpiece of the package the Twins would receive. Los Angeles has been the most aggressive club on Dozier as they look to replace Chase Utley at second after re-signing key contributors Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Rich Hill.

Washington doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as a suitor due to Daniel Murphy’s role as the club’s full-time first baseman, as the club recently sent Danny Espinosa to the Angels and are projected to have an infield of Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman. The Giants have Eduardo Nunez and Joe Panik as top options at the position, but appear to be considering Dozier as an upgrade as well.