Furcal to Have Tommy John; Where do the Cardinals Go From Here?

But What About This year?

Well, that’s a great question. You’ve got a lot of great questions. Um, sleep tight.

Really, though, it’s likely the Cardinals will be splitting time at short between three options, possibly four.

And before you start dreaming of Troy Tulowitzki in a Cardinals uniform, you might as well forget it. Tulo is an amazing talent, and when healthy, he’s likely the best shortstop in baseball. The key to this, though, is “when healthy.” Tulo has been in the league seven years, and he’s played 140 or more games in just three of them. The Cardinals inquired with Colorado regarding his availability, but given that he still has eight more years and $140 million owed in his contract (nine and $155 million if the team picks up his 2021 option), he’d not only cost an arm and a leg to acquire, but the team would likely have to give up at least one arm, as in one of their top pitching prospects, ie Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, or Carlos Martinez.

Anyways.

The Cardinals brought in Ronnie Cedeño this off-season to provide backup at second and short, but he’s likely to pick up a good portion of the at-bats now. Those hoping for some offensive pop from Cedeño are going to be pretty disappointed, as he’s never posted an OPS over .675 in a full season. His value’s going to lie mostly on the defensive side. He’s got above-average range, and as recently as 2011, he was rated as a plus defender, when he was the starting shortstop for Pittsburgh. He’s also just 30, and at $1.15 million, he’s a cheap insurance policy.

Ryan Jackson is another possible option, though it’s likely he’ll be a backup at second and short this season IF he earns a roster spot. Jackson hit just .118 in very limited action last season at the major league level, but he’s consistently hit at the minor league level (.276 since his rookie season at Low A Batavia). Jackson has consistently been rated as having a major league-ready glove, but for some reason Mike Matheny has been hesitant to use him.