3 ways the Cardinals can replace Peralta
With shortstop Jhonny Peralta set to miss up to two months of the regular season after tearing a ligament in his left thumb, the St. Louis Cardinals must now find a way to replace the three-time All-Star if they intend to compete in the loaded National League Central.
Here are three ways the Cardinals' front office can address the issue:
Underwhelming internal options
St. Louis acquired Jedd Gyorko in exchange for Jon Jay last December to fill in as a backup infielder, and he's the most likely internal candidate to fill in for Peralta. Gyorko belted 16 home runs (one shy of Peralta's mark) and hit .247/.297/.397 in 128 contests for the San Diego Padres last season. Although he can likely fill the void offensively, Gyorko has only played shortstop out of necessity, and prefers second base.
Greg Garcia and Aledmys Diaz are also candidates to absorb Peralta's at-bats. Garcia has played parts of two seasons in the bigs with the Cardinals, while Diaz has yet to get a taste of action at the major-league level.
Free-agent options
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, shortstop Ian Desmond came off the board in late February when he signed with the Texas Rangers. The next tier of free agents at the position aren't nearly as impressive as the heavy-hitting Desmond, leaving Everth Cabrera and Willie Bloomquist still looking for work.
Cabrera, who stole a NL-leading 44 bases in 2012, struggled in 29 games for the Baltimore Orioles last season. A 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2013 seemed to derail his promising career, but he does have seven years of major-league service under his belt.
Bloomquist hasn't been an everyday player since 2009, but the 38-year-old brings 14 years of experience to the table. He appeared in 35 games for the Seattle Mariners last year, hitting a miserable .159/.194/.174 in 69 at-bats.
Trade routes
Erick Aybar: The Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a complete rebuild, so it's not unrealistic to think they'd be willing to trade Aybar, who they acquired in the Andrelton Simmons deal last November. After landing shortstop Dansby Swanson in a megadeal with the Arizona Diamondbacks later in the offseason, the Braves now have their shortstop of the future, making Aybar expendable.
Ruben Tejada/Wilmer Flores: The additions of Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera this winter have created a logjam in the New York Mets' infield. Tejada and Flores are now competing for the lead reserve role on the club, which will likely leave one of the two starved for playing time. Tejada is easing back into action following a devastating leg injury, while Flores is now a fan favorite in New York following his emotional on-field outburst upon learning he'd been reportedly traded away from the Big Apple last year in a deal that never materialized.
Nick Ahmed/Chris Owings: Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart has been busy wheeling and dealing all offseason, and he now has a surplus of infielders after acquiring Jean Segura from the Milwaukee Brewers. Ahmed, highly regarded for his defensive ability, still has some upside as he enters his third big-league season, while Owings played the overwhelming majority of his games at second base last year after breaking in as a shortstop.