2/26 16:57: According to Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are “close to (an) agreement” with free agent Felipe Lopez on a one-year contract. The Cardinals are seeking infield depth and a left-handed bat.

Strauss adds that the parties were close enough that Lopez could take a team physical this weekend. The deal would be “far lass than a $2 million base plus incentives.”

2/23 17:18: According to Buster Olney of ESPN, he tweets that Felipe Lopez will probably “wind up with the Cardinals.”

Lopez recently fired his agent Scott Boras last week. It was believed that he switched agents because Boras could not find Lopez a starting job. The Cardinals and Padres have been pursuing Lopez throughout the off season. The Cardinal’s need for Lopez may be linked to Brendan Ryan’s recent wrist surgery. The Padres do not have much middle infield depth and could use Lopez to give rest to Everth Cabrera and David Eckstein.

Lopez, 29, hit .310 with 9 home runs and 57 RBIs with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. You can see Lopez’s contract history and statistics here.