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Report: Cardinals not pursuing Turner

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

It appears the St. Louis Cardinals have changed their minds regarding Justin Turner.

Less than 24 hours after a report claimed they were interested in the former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder, ESPN's Mark Saxon reports the Cardinals are in fact not pursuing the free-agent third baseman, and are instead focusing on improving their defense.

Turner would undoubtedly improve the Cardinals' offensive output, as the 32-year-old slashed .275/.339/.493 in 151 games for the Dodgers last season while adding 27 home runs.

Interestingly, the 32-year-old would also be a defensive upgrade over incumbent Cardinals third baseman Jhonny Peralta - he amassed seven defensive runs saved at the hot corner in 2016 compared to Peralta's minus-seven - though St. Louis may be saving for an addition in the outfield instead, having declined to extend a qualifying offer to Brandon Moss.

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