Though the St. Louis Cardinals' offseason began earlier than hoped; with the MLB season over, things are finally heating up in the free-agent and trade markets.

The Cardinals are already off to a quick start this offseason, making a trade with the Boston Red Sox to bring in 6'7'' pitcher Eduardo Rivera in exchange for right-handed pitcher Juan Garcia. This is a great deal for the Cardinals, who get a big lefty hurler with a blistering fastball who can help right away. Despite the looming threat of a lockout this winter, don't expect this to be St. Louis' only move this offseason.

St. Louis has a great young core, but its biggest priority should be improving its pitching staff, and there's also one key offensive area to address. Third base was one of the Cardinals' biggest weaknesses this season, and though the team has a few young options who could fight it out for the position, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicts the team will instead sign former All-Star free agent Alec Bohm.

Bohm would be a great addition for St. Louis' offense

"Bohm didn't have a great contract season, though a settled lawsuit against his parents likely contributed to a slow start," Kelly wrote on Wednesday. "He posted a .632 first-half OPS but rebounded to .794 after the All-Star Break. Bohm still drove in 88 runs, the third time in four seasons he's driven in at least that many. Over seven seasons with the Phillies, Bohm has shown he can bring runners in, as he's a career .314 hitter with runners in scoring position. The sample size is large enough that it's not just a coincidence.

"There are still downsides with Bohm. Despite being listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds (which feels like selling him short if you have been around him), Bohm has never developed into someone who consistently drives the ball out of the park. Additionally, teams will likely have mixed views about him as a defender. He still has value as a player. Perhaps a new club will be able to get more out of him. The Cardinals make sense for Bohm, who is from Omaha and played collegiately at Wichita State. He can sign a multi-year deal with them, but opt out and return to the market if he has a more complete 2027."

Despite not having the best season, Bohm still slashed .249/.315/.383 with 15 home runs and 88 runs batted in, which is far more production than the Cardinals got out of the third-base position this year. Spotrac projects that the 30-year-old infielder will command a contract worth roughly $12 million a year, and the Cardinals should absolutely have the financial flexibility to make that work.

St. Louis has a couple of big bats in Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson, but bringing in another solid offensive contributor like Bohm may be what the team needs to take the next step forward and compete for a postseason spot next year.