The Cardinals will be without shortstop Jhonny Peralta for up to three months and they are exploring options to help replace him at shortstop. One player that the organization is considering is Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.
Cafardo cautions that the Cardinals are “just starting” their search process for shortstops, but Ahmed is, at the very least, on the list of potential trade targets for St. Louis. As it stands, the Cardinals’ internal candidates to fill in at short are Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz, and Greg Garcia. For different reasons, none of those three players are ideal for the role. Gyorko was ID’d by some as the main candidate to fill-in for Peralta early on, but he has limited experience at the shortstop position.
It’s not hard to imagine the Diamondbacks parting with the defensively-gifted Ahmed for the right price. The D’Backs could start Chris Owings at second base and Jean Segura at shortstop, making Ahmed somewhat expendable. On Sunday morning, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that one Diamondbacks official indicated that he would be comfortable seeing Ahmed relegated to a utility role or made into a trade candidate.
Peralta’s timetable on his left thumb injury could theoretically line him up for a return in early June, but Mark Saxon of ESPN reported that his return would more likely be around the All-Star break in July. Last week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams ran down possible replacements the Cardinals could bring in for the injured Peralta. Steve listed Ahmed as a trade possibility, along with D’Backs teammate Chris Owings and several other interesting names.
I don’t understand the clamoring to make a trade for a 3-month stopgap. A year, maybe, but it seems wasteful when Aledmys Diaz is waiting in the wings, he can fill that role. Don’t do it Mo!
The issue with Diaz is that he hasn’t been consistent in the minors. He had a strong second half but he has struggled a bit. I’d like to see them give him the chance to play but there are doubts about him. So that’s why they are at least exploring fairly low cost options to fill in until Peralta is ready. Ideally they’d be better off getting a 1 year rental and then flipping him again at the deadline if/when Peralta is back.
I agree the combination of what the Cardinals have works well as a stop gate. Ahmed isn’t much of an up grade from what they have. I think this is a great time to see what the kids can do.
If they would have used the strategy of shopping for a player BC of a short term injury before, they wouldn’t have given Pujols a shot when Bonilla went down. At some point you just have to give the kids a shot. That’s the only way youll know.
Pujols only making the team because of Bonilla’s injury is a myth. He was going to be on the roster no mater what.
But I do agree that a trade makes zero sense. There’s not a realistic target that is going to be an upgrade over in-house options.
Ahmed seems like more of a long term fix but they only need a short term one. Unless they can get him cheap I’ll doubt they go for him
Ahmed doesn’t hit much. His value is as a utility guy like Brendan Ryan. Owens won’t win the job at 2nd, either in Arizona. Gosselin is going to win the 2nd base job so Ahmed is quite expendable.
The fact that the D’backs are seemingly benching Ahmed in favor of Segura and Owings just goes to show that they don’t seem high on Ahmed. If the Cards can get Ahmed for 2 B level prospects, its a good deal. The kid is a defensive wizard whose cheap.
I’d rather have him at SS than Freddy Galvis, as a Phillies fan.
This is why Rumors are just that Rumors, what makes you think a Boston Beat writer would know more than Cardinal beat writers whom have never reported this.. This is the same jargon as the Mets and Tejada, another SS not worth a penny. Might as well get Kozma or Brendan Ryan. back if you only want defense !
Mozeliak will stay put and see what he has in Diaz and Garcia,
You guys ar MLB Trade rumors will print anything to make copy !
It’s a good thing the site is called MLB Trade RUMORS.
I expect Diaz to fill the roll, with Gyorko filling in twice weekly. Any club should try internal option before overspending elsewhere. Never been a fan of Peralta, so I hope Diaz dazzles.
Peralta has only been a top 10 SS since coming to the Cardinals so what is there to not like?
The Yankees may be willing to part with Didi, slide Refsnyder at 2b and move Castro to short. Could be an option for the Cards.
It’s a shame that the Pirates are in the same division. Gift or Hanson could be options for the Cards at short. The more I read about Hanson, I’m getting the feeling that the Pirates management isn’t as high on him and his consistency. This would leave the door open to Frazier and Moroff after 2016.
Honestly, the Cards should just take Ryan Jackson from Philly. Philly has like 4-5 NRIs preforming great and dont have the room. Only would cost a lotto ticket type guy.
As a Dbacks fan, I hate this. I believe Ahmed will improve at hitting – his numbers were brought down by a horrific April last year. The rest of the season, he was actually pretty good at the plate. I would much rather give up Owings and go with Segura at second and Ahmed at short.
I agree with you mmill. There is no reason to give up Ahmed unless the Cardinals orverpay. I’d rather have him on the roster for spelling guys and late inning defensive substitutions if Segura ends up starting. His bad did start to show some life last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into an average bat with gold glove defense.