In one week, the St. Louis Cardinals touched some of the major issues affecting their ball club. David Freese was struggling, so they sent him packing somewhere warming and added an outfielder. The Cardinals took, what many consider, a chance, signing Jhonny Peralta to a four-year deal. Is there any other part of the Cardinals team that needs to be fixed? Let's take a look.
The Peralta Purchase gives the Cardinals extra flexibility. He can play both third base and shortstop. Currently, on the Cardinals roster, there are three shortstops listed, including Peralta; Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso. Who knows if any of these guys will move over to third or if in reality, the heavier Peralta will be asked to make the move. The point is, the Cardinals have upgrade their left side of the diamond with a consistent bat, something they did not receive in 2013.
With Peter Bourjos, the key is making contact. He might be a little overrated after having one decent season in 2011 when he hit .271 with 22 stolen bases, 11 triples, 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 147 games played with the Angels. There was never room for Bourjos to consistently get action in L.A., explaining why he played a combined 156 after the 2011 season. In 2013, he hit .274 with three home run, 12 RBI and six stolen bases. Busch Stadium will play into his ability to fly around the basepads as they spacious outfield will keep the ball in the park, allowing Bourjos to split the gaps and run for days.
Taking a look at the Cardinals' pitching, the team is stacked. With the rise of Carlos Martinez, Seth Mannes and the late season acquisition of John Axford, the Cardinals look set in the pen. Trevor Rosenthal showed a glimpse of greatness in the World Series, retiring batters with high heat that nearly tapped the 100-mph mark on the gun. These four guys could take over at any point throughout a ball game, helping pitchers confidently get on the mound. They can provide six solid innings of baseball and turn it over to a talented bullpen.
The starting pitching rotation will be grounded by Adam Wainwright, with Michael Wacha as the likely No. 2 option. Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller can also pitch decently and Lance Lynn actually looks like the weakest link at the No. 5 spot of the rotation. However, Lynn is a likely better option than many of the other No. 5 options on other teams, so the Cardinals look set.
Should Cardinals Look for 3B Men?
Chances are that the issues the Cardinals had at shortstop could transfer over to third base. If Peralta does start at short, where he is comfortable, then Kozma or Descalso will likely take over third, unless the Cardinals go shopping. Who is available?
Michael Young, Mark Reynolds, Juan Uribe, Placido Polanco. These are the only four third basemen worth mentioning. However, they are all burnt out. Young is 37, Polanco leads the pack with 38 and Uribe is right behind them at age 34. Reynolds is only 30, but he strikes out too much and might bring the rest of the Cardinals' lineup down despite his ability to hit home runs.
