As he searched for a way to explain Saturday why the Cardinals don’t have the drive to pursue a free-agent hitter at this point, general manager John Mozeliak explained that it wasn’t sticker shock but the batters already parked on his roster.

“If you can imagine multiple cars in your garage and you seem to (use) the same one every day. At some point you may ask yourself, ‘Well, does the other one work?’” Mozeliak said. “You have to give it a chance. You have to go test-drive it. You’ve got to let it out and find out if it’s what you thought it was. Whenever you simply go out and get that proven commodity it could be because you need it … (or) it could be because you ignore that because you want to give a person that chance.

“I feel like that’s the crossroad we’re at.”

The Cardinals, fresh from a 100-win season and yet flush with questions, approach spring training conceding a need to improve the offense and convinced they will, from within. The Cardinals have seen a decline in production over the past three seasons, especially at power positions such as first base and right field. The departure of Jason Heyward restored a void in right field, and though they wooed Heyward with one of the largest contracts they’ve ever offered they did not pivot to then make overtures to other free-agent outfielders.