Cardinals have depth to swing a trade for pitching and maintain a productive lineup

The ad nauseum theme of the St. Louis Cardinals offseason is pitching, pitching, pitching, leaving largely unremarked upon the other 90 percent of players on the field at a given time.

For a last-place team which played as poorly as the Cardinals did for such large stretches of the season, it may be difficult to understand why they are apparently content to return the same group of position players. The numbers, though, do bear out a degree of their confidence.

Each of Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar missed significant stretches with injury, sapping the club of much of its threat from the left side, and yet they still finished comfortably in the upper half of teams in the National League in most offensive categories, including placing sixth with a .742 OPS.

Put simply: they hit more than well enough, especially when you consider the context of the final 50 or so meaningless games down the stretch. What’s important on that side of the ball, then, is clearing up the existing log jams and crystallizing the parts of the offense which must stand as pillars in 2024.

Catchers

Willson Contreras was the sole significant offseason addition prior to 2023 and he performed almost exactly as expected, discounting the still inexplicable spell of defensive criticism in late April. Andrew Knizner, meanwhile, continued admirable work as a pitcher whisperer in the backup role while also turning in his strongest offensive season to date.

At the same time, Iván Herrera demonstrated himself to be beyond the Triple-A level and was a solid part-time performer in the majors. Originally at risk of being part of a roster jam, the Cardinals were granted a fourth year of option control over Herrera, allowing him to be sent to the minors as necessary in 2024.

With the recent addition of Pedro Pagés to the 40-man roster, though, the Cardinals find themselves with the sort of high-level depth behind the plate which raises questions about their short term plans. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak committed to Contreras at the recent GM meetings – something he notably declined to do in July – leaving open questions around potential playing time.

Herrera would undoubtedly be desired by potential trade partners. Knizner, too, might have some value in a limited role, though perhaps not the sort which would bring an impactful addition on his own. Given that Contreras still has four seasons remaining on his free agent deal, it would make a great deal of sense for the Cardinals to see catcher depth as one of their expendable chips.

Infield

The pillars of the team are the corner infielders, until they’re not. The Cardinals never seriously considered moving either Nolan Arenado or Paul Goldschmidt last season, and they won’t now without movement coming from their side. Goldschmidt is entering the last season of his deal and Mozeliak has said that extending him is a priority; he has yet to put a timeline on that priority.

Masyn Winn is set to enter spring training as the not-quite-incumbent starting shortstop. The Cardinals are likely to use a similar strategy with him as they did last spring with Jordan Walker; they hope and expect him to win the job, and they will engineer opportunities in such a way that he would have to fall out of it rather than climb into it.

That leaves Donovan, Tommy Edman and Gorman to shift between second base, the outfield, and the designated hitter slot. Each of the three would be an above average starter at second. Edman also plays a strong short and centerfield, Donovan can play anywhere on the field other than those two spots, and Gorman is cromulent at third.

Clearly, in the event that the Cardinals turn to the trade market to address the pitching problems, they will benefit from the value of their depth at second. Flexible infield depth is arguably the organization’s strongest suit, and assembling a bench even while trading one significant part of that depth should pose little to no challenge.

Outfield

The Cardinals are committed to Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker, and manager Oliver Marmol was firm at the end of the season that Nootbaar profiles best in the corners rather than in center. Walker has been more comfortable with the angles in right field and it also plays to his strong arm; Nootbaar grades out perfectly well in left.

Center, though, is an open question. If Winn seizes short and Edman isn’t traded, he would seem to be at the top of the depth chart. Victor Scott II, fresh off a minor league Gold Glove and a strong run in the Arizona Fall League, will be a factor at some point this season, and would likely today be the team’s best defensive outfielder and base stealer.

Dylan Carlson, recovering from ankle surgery, is a puzzle that requires solving. He will be involved in trade discussions this winter, though it’s unclear whether he still holds enough value to be considered a potential headliner. If not moved, his ability to play all three spots could make him a useful bench piece alongside Richie Palacios.

Tyler O’Neill’s days with the Cardinals are seemingly up. A year away from free agency and coming off another lost season to injury, all parties would be best served by finding him a new destination; clarity could potentially even come as soon as Friday’s non-tender deadline, given his large projected salary.

Moisés Gómez and Juan Yepez remain on the 40-man roster, seemingly against odds and expectations, given the organization’s willingness to pass them up for opportunities. They turned instead to players like Michael Siani, whose all-glove approach makes him an unlikely fit with better players both ahead of and behind him.