It is hard for my brain to know what to feel about the St. Louis Cardinals being eliminated. With all of the top-four seeds in the NL being eliminated, I could be relieved that we were not the only team to blow it or be angry that our path to the NLCS could have been that much easier. Oh well, the pain will end eventually, right?
There are already many questions swirling around the Cardinals organization, specifically about our offseason plans. This article will focus on two needs for St. Louis, and where I feel our priorities as a front office should lie. Needs and wants are two different things, but let’s take a look at what the Redbirds need compared to what they want.
Molina’s Replacement
I love Andrew Knizner as a person, but I certainly do not love him as an everyday catcher. The majority of Cardinal’s Nation should feel the same. As bad as this sounds, finding a replacement better than Yadier Molina should not be very hard, but the emotional attachment is very strong. With that being said, the Cardinals need a star catcher to replace Yadi.
Nobody will ever be Yadi, but having an All-Star catcher in place of him will only add a sprinkle of salt to the wound, rather than the full container. A top-tier catcher is a need for the Cardinals as they head into 2023.
With a WAR of 0.8 in 2022, Knizner is not the answer. Heading into his fifth MLB season, I would love for him to stick around as the backup. I love him as a backup and think he is a very reliable guy to have on the bench.
In 260 at-bats, the right-handed batter hit .215 with a .601 OPS. This was the most Knizner has played in his Major League career, and he did not produce on the offensive end. He had very little power, with only 10 doubles, four home runs, and 25 RBIs.
So, if Knizner is not the answer, who is? Look a couple of hours to our enemies of the North for the solution. Willson Contreras may have an extra “L” in his name for some reason, but he belongs in a Cardinals jersey.
The three-time All-Star hit .243/.349/.466 last season for the Chicago Cubs. He is 30 years old and brings a lot of energy to this team which needs it with their two veteran leaders retiring. Also, would it not feel nice to steal a guy from the hateable losers of Chicago?
We Do Not Need a Shortstop
The St. Louis Cardinals do not need to go out and chase a new shortstop. Never in my life have I seen Tommy Edman as the starting shortstop and complained. We will be just fine with a combination of Brendan Donovan and Edman at short.
A lot of Cardinals fans were okay with making no moves at short, but the news about Carlos Correa opting out opened up some eyes and expectations. He broke our hearts once, and he can definitely do it again. I would not complain if a star shortstop fell into our laps, but I love Edman’s defense. On top of that, I love his ability to be a leadoff hitter, or bat ninth, and basically having double-leadoff hitters.
With so many Cardinals players that are skilled at different positions, the shortstop question is not a question at all. It will be resolved by guys currently in our system, and our biggest need as of now is reeling in a catcher. It appears that Jose Quinta and Willson Contreras are a package deal, so let’s get it done.
