The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly made a surprising declaration at the general manager's meetings last week in Las Vegas: They are, in fact, interested in some free agents this offseason.

Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

The Cardinals let agents know that their interest this winter in some free agents will hinge on moving salary in trades, per multiple sources.

Goold: Trade talks galore give Cardinals 1st chance to flex improved scouting In first month leading front office, Chaim Bloom has augmented player evaluation with staff hires, new practices to 'kick it into overdrive.' Trades will be early test.

The news about the Cardinals wanting to shed money is not really news. That's been expected for weeks, and the Cardinals are looking for a way to move Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in order to make it happen.

However, the fact that they are interested in free agents of at least some value is surprising - and a little confusing.

Given that Chaim Bloom is here to rebuild the farm system and shed money, I had been thinking that the Cardinals would only be interested in extremely moderate and low-budget free agents, the kind that wouldn't require moving money around for. One-year deals, bounce back candidates, veterans that might be able to be moved at the trade deadline, you know the type.

After all, that's the kind of thing he did in Boston with the Red Sox for the first few years: Garrett Richards, Kevin Pillar, Martin Perez, and Matt Andriese were all brought in under Bloom's watch.

However, are the Cardinals looking to bring in more expensive players on multi-year deals? It seems unlikely, but based on these comments, it is at least possible.

And that hope alone is something new to the St. Louis offseason, as some fans have been bracing themselves for a full rebuild. The Cardinals have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, posting a losing record in each of the last two.

Related Cardinals stories

THE ARENADO BLUEPRINT: If the Cardinals are going to move the future Hall of Famer, this could be the way to do it. CLICK HERE: 

BLOOM ON GROWTH: Chaim Bloom caught up with MLB Network on Wednesday to talk about areas of focus for the organization. CLICK HERE: 

NOOTBAAR GAINING SUITORS: According to one report, the Cardinals were fielding calls on the outfielder at the outset of the offseason. CLICK HERE: 

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