Report: Cardinals looking at Darvish, Arrieta

The St. Louis Cardinals may be ready to make a big move during the offseason.

St. Louis is looking at high-end starters, including Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta, in free agency, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Heyman's sources tell him the Cardinals will first investigate the trade market before committing to a big-ticket free agent, but that team president John Mozeliak had an hour-plus meeting with Darvish's agent, Joel Wolfe, on Sunday.

Darvish and Arrieta are the top two pitchers available on the open market and are expected to fetch lucrative long-term deals.

The 31-year-old Darvish split his 2017 season between the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 3.86 ERA across 186 2/3 innings. He struck out 10.1 hitters per nine and appeared in the fourth All-Star game of his career.

Arrieta, also 31, was 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 30 starts for the Chicago Cubs in 2017. The 2015 National League Cy Young winner pitched 168 1/3 innings, but allowed his highest hits per nine since coming to Chicago.