Feeling and giving thanks ties perfectly with Thanksgiving. There is one problem though. Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday is here.
So, in the spirit of Black Friday and the greediness of shoppers as they pack malls, department stores, and the servers of Amazon, lets take a look at a St. Louis Cardinals Christmas list in hopes of identifying and trying to solve some of the holes in the Cardinals roster.
After all, we are spoiled rotten Cardinals fans. We might as well ask for the world.
1. Acquire meaningful insurance for the middle infield. Everyone is fully aware of the situation at shortstop. Rafael Furcal's elbow remains questionable despite reports to the contrary and Pete Kozma just looked to shaky in the playoffs. The Cardinals need to find an alternative at shortstop.
Without sacrificing Trevor Rosenthal, Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez, why not trade for Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians? It feels like a long-shot, but it would be nice to see Cabrera manning shortstop in a new off-white Saturday uniform.
2. Find a primary lefty for the bullpen. Marc Rzepczynski was outstanding during the 2011 playoff run. But in 2012, "Scrabble" was just average at best.
Washington Nationals lefty Sean Burnett is a free agent and would be a nice addition to the bullpen. Lets not pretend we can solve this issue internally and try and give some of the Kyle Lohse money that is coming off the books to acquire a solid LOOGY.
3. Give the second base job to Kolten Wong. The Tony La Russa school of though, which entailed bringing young players along slowly, is over. General manager John Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny have and will continue to embrace young players who play the right was.
Wong is not only ready to contribute in St. Louis, he is ready to excel as well and hopefully can win the job at second base out of spring training.
4. Keep Joe Kelly in the bullpen. Joe Kelly was great in the starting rotation last season while filling in for Jaime Garcia. But Kelly may actually have more value in the bullpen, as displayed during the playoffs.
There are plenty of young arms available to compete for jobs in the starting rotation, but the Cardinals should either look to move Kelly via trade to get a shortstop or make him into a full-time, stellar middle reliever next season.
5. Do not let Matt Carpenter play second base. Here is yet another La Russa way of thinking that has crept into the St. Louis fan base as normal baseball thought. Please do not move Matt Carpenter to second base.
Give the kid at bats by subbing him in for David Freese and Allen Craig. He will find plenty of time there.
The list is small and not too unreasonable. The wishlist addresses some valid concerns the Cardinals have heading into 2013 and with these minor tweaks, the Cardinals will once again be positioned for another great season.
Corey Rudd is the owner and founder of StlSportsMinute.com and hosts The Cruddy Show (@CruddyShow), a St. Louis sports talk show, every Tuesday and Friday night at 9:30 pm CT. You can also follow Rudd on Twitter (@CoreyRudd).
