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Report: Cardinals, Rockies showing interest in Kintzler

Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies are both searching for a particular skill set in free agency this offseason, and it appears their respective front offices are eyeing the same target.

Both St. Louis and Colorado are on the hunt for a closer and one free agent both of the clubs are interested in is Brandon Kintzler, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports.

Kintzler split his time between the Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals last season, saving 28 games for the Twins before a July trade to the Nationals.

In Washington, Kintzler didn't reprise his role as a closer, but team executives around the majors are curious to see if he'll sign with a team that plans to use him in the ninth, according to Morosi.

The Rockies had an effective closer on their roster last season in Greg Holland, but he's also a free agent. Holland declined his player option for 2018 and turned down a qualifying offer, so he could be pricey.

St. Louis had eight different pitchers record a save for them in 2017. Eleven of those saves came from the recently released Trevor Rosenthal, while the team's save leader Seung Hwan Oh allowed opposing hitters to bat .285 against him.

The 33-year-old right-hander Kintzler appeared in a career-high 72 games last season, pitching to a 3.46 ERA and making his first All-Star team.

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