Report: Cardinals expected to strongly pursue Blue Jays' Donaldson

Having now missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in nearly a decade, the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly have some pretty ambitious offseason plans.

The Cardinals - eliminated from wild-card contention with Thursday's extra-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs - are expected to strongly pursue a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for star third baseman Josh Donaldson this winter, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Donaldson, a three-time All-Star, is heading into his final year of arbitration eligibility and will be a free agent following the 2018 campaign.

Still, despite his looming free agency and the Blue Jays' struggles this season, the club isn't expected to move the 31-year-old this winter, as president Mark Shapiro said last week it's "almost a certainty that he'll be back here next year."

Though he missed some time earlier this year due to a calf injury, Donaldson put up another terrific season in 2017, managing a team-high 5.0 WAR with a .953 OPS through 111 games. The 2015 American League MVP has been on fire of late, too, hitting .408/.453/.959 with eight homers, three doubles, and one stolen base over his last dozen contests.

Since debuting with the Blue Jays three years ago, Donaldson has been positively superb, accruing more WAR (21.4) over that span than everyone in the majors but Mike Trout and Kris Bryant while managing a .948 OPS (151 OPS+) and averaging 37 homers, 31 doubles, and 86 walks per season.