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Speculative Jhonny Peralta Replacements For The Cardinals

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The Cardinals are still reeling from the loss of Jhonny Peralta, perhaps for as long as three months, due to what is believed to be a torn ligament in his left thumb. While the book isn’t closed on Peralta’s recovery timeline just yet — he’s still headed to St. Louis to receive a second opinion on the injured digit — it would appear that Jedd Gyorko will step into the vacancy. Acquired in an offseason swap with the Padres that was made in part to keep Peralta fresh and in part to subtract Jon Jay (and his remaining salary) from a crowded outfield picture, Gyorko is the favorite to absorb Peralta’s at-bats, with Greg Garcia and Aledmys Diaz also representing internal options.

The problem with that scenario, of course, is that Gyorko isn’t a shortstop. He played some short out of necessity for the Padres last year after their widely panned platoon of Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes failed to yield dividends. Gyorko was about three to four runs below average in 220 innings at the position in the estimation of Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved, and UZR pro-rated his defensive contributions to -17.6 runs over a 150-game spell. Clearly, there’s danger in extrapolating a small sample of 220 innings in that manner and treating it as fact, but Gyorko wasn’t even perceived as a plus defender at his more natural positions of second and third base, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he graded out very poorly at the most difficult infield position on the defensive spectrum.

Over at Fangraphs, Dave Cameron provided a quick glimpse at the injury and listed Erick Aybar as perhaps the most logical stopgap the Cardinals could pursue in an effort to upgrade. Aybar is a free agent at season’s end on a rebuilding Braves club, so the fit certainly stands out as logical. Cameron also noted that the Mets have a potential infield surplus with both Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada slated to fill reserve roles (the latter of those two is rumored to be on the bubble when it comes to the 25-man roster, anyhow), though he aptly notes that the Mets may not want to help strengthen another National League contender.

As MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes, GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that, depending on the severity of the issue, the club could pursue outside help at the shortstop position. Each of the names suggested by Cameron is indeed a logical fit for the Cardinals. Here’s a look at a few names from around the league that could potentially be looked at if the Cardinals wish to address the unexpected void with a player from outside the organization…

Trade Possibilities

  • Erick Aybar, Braves: As noted above, Aybar is one year from free agency on a rebuilding club that has shown a willingness to trade virtually any veteran piece it has (Freddie Freeman excluded). Atlanta has internal options that it could consider long-term pieces (Dansby Swanson, Ozhaino Albies), and while they’re not particularly close to the Majors, the Braves could slot someone like Daniel Castro or a minor pickup of their own in at short in the event of an Aybar trade.
  • Ruben Tejada/Wilmer Flores, Mets: Tejada was recently awarded an extra day of service time, making him a free agent following the season. He’s said to be on the fringe of New York’s 25-man roster this spring, and Flores could serve as the club’s primary backup all over the infield even if Tejada were to be traded. It seems far less likely that the Mets would move Flores, who has a fairly productive season last year and offers more offense in a reserve capacity with multiple years of club control remaining, but the team was famously open to trading him last summer.
  • Nick Ahmed/Chris Owings, D-backs: As recently as last spring, this combination looked like a potential long-term alignment for the Diamondbacks, but that’s less the case this spring. For one, Arizona went out and acquired Jean Segura to field one of the spots — likely shortstop — thus displacing the defensively gifted Ahmed from an everyday role. Beyond that, Brandon Drury had a strong season and worked his way onto multiple top 100 prospect rankings, giving the D-backs another potential option at second. Drury could play third base as well, though Arizona has Jake Lamb as a big-league-ready option at third base — one that could handle the spot long-term. With Segura, Ahmed, Owings, Drury and Lamb, the Snakes seemingly have five infielders for three spots.
  • Eduardo Nunez/Danny Santana, Twins: While Nunez isn’t known for his glovework himself, he’s more experienced than Gyorko at the position and is coming off a solid season with the bat, having slashed .282/.327/.431 in 204 plate appearances with Minnesota. Santana is out options and has yet to proven himself in the field or at the plate. After a BABIP-fueled rookie season, Santana cratered in 2015 and now looks like a utility player for the Twins. Neither player is a definitive upgrade, but both would deepen the club’s infield mix and provide greater shortstop experience than the Cards’ incumbent options. Minnesota wouldn’t be anxious to shed either player, but doing so could create a utility role for top prospect Jorge Polanco. Their preference, though, could be to get him everyday at-bats in the minors.
  • Chris Taylor/Luis Sardinas, Mariners: Both infielders are competing for the right to back up Ketel Marte at shortstop. Taylor, a career .313/.394/.460 hitter at Triple-A, struggled badly in the Majors this past season but offers more offensive upside than Sardinas. On the other hand, Sardinas is probably a more sure-handed defensive option despite his own big league struggles at the plate and a more pedestrian .285/.315/.365 batting line in his Triple-A career.
  • Freddy Galvis, Phillies: Galvis doesn’t bring much to the table from an offensive standpoint, and the returns on his defensive work at shortstop are mixed. Ultimate Zone Rating feels that Galvis has been about average over the life of his 1567 career innings there, whereas Defensive Runs Saved feels he’s cost his team 10 runs there. If Cardinals scouts feel that Galvis is a passable shortstop, then perhaps they’ll overlook last year’s .263/.302/.343 batting line, which rated more than 20 percent worse than the league average after adjusting for his home park (76 wRC+, 77 OPS+). For what it’s worth, he did homer seven times and swipe 10 bases in his 603 plate appearances.
  • Nick Franklin, Rays: Considering how long Franklin’s name has been bounced around, it almost feels like he should be in his late 20s. That comes with the territory for a player who made his big league debut and played a whole season before he even turned 23 years old, though. Franklin only turned 25 last week, and while he hasn’t developed into the everyday infielder that he was projected to, he hit .266/.353/.500 in 221 PAs at Triple-A Durham last year. The presence of Brad Miller and Tim Beckham could effectively block Franklin in Tampa Bay.

Free Agents

  • Everth Cabrera: The former NL stolen base champ barely played in 2015, hitting .208/.250/.229 in 105 plate appearances with the Orioles. He wasn’t much better in the minors, batting just .230/.302/.259 in 150 PAs between the Orioles and Giants. Cabrera is nearly three years and a PED suspension removed from providing value at the Major League level, but the Cards could take a look on a minor league deal and hope to benefit from a resurgence.
  • Willie Bloomquist: At 38 years old with a .238/.262/.287 batting line across his previous two seasons in Seattle, Bloomquist probably isn’t on radars as anything more than a veteran on which to take a minor league flier with a utility role in mind.

Suffice it to say, there aren’t any enticing options currently on the free agent market, though the Cardinals could find some options late in camp as veterans on minor league deals with out clauses begin to exercise those provisions.

NL Notes: Cubs, Heyward, Pirates, Morton, Span

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The Cubs have several players, including Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Dexter Fowler and Trevor Cahill that turned down more money elsewhere to sign in Chicago, tweets Jon Heyman. The Cardinals’ best offer is to Heyward is “thought to [have been]” $200MM over 10 years, while the Nationals, as previously reported, offered the outfielder $200MM+ over 10 years, albeit with significant deferrals, Heyman tweets. The three bids between the two teams were pretty much comparable (link), but Heyward simply preferred the Cubs over the other clubs. The outfielder, he adds, liked the team’s nucleus and, personally, he has a good history of playing at Wrigley. Heyman also notes that the other teams would have been willing to give him an opt-out as well.

A few more notes from around the NL…

  • Charlie Morton is hopeful that his groundball-inducing ways will translate to hitter-friendly Citzens Bank Park, PhillyVoice’s Ryan Lawrence writes. Morton produced a 4.81 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 pitching with the Pirates, although with an excellent 57.3% ground ball rate. “I had a theory about smaller parks, and the ground that outfielders have to cover, it’s minimized when you have a smaller park,” Morton says. “So if you can pitch to contact and pitch to weak contact, especially ground balls, I think you’ll do really well. Knock on wood, but I’ve had some success at Great American Ball Park, Great American Small Park. I think some of the reason why that is is because if I’m inducing weak contact or ground balls.” Morton has, indeed, posted a career 3.83 ERA in 54 innings at “Great American Small Park,” better than his career 4.54 ERA. That could merely be a sample-size issue, however. In any case, if Morton succeeds in the tight confines of Citizens Bank Park, he could perhaps, as Lawrence points out, fetch a prospect or two for the Phillies this summer.
  • Highly touted minor league right-handers Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow represent options this season should any pitcher in the Pirates’ rotation fall to injury or struggle significantly, GM Neal Huntington told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, while the Pirates recognized that Taillon and Glasnow could factor into the club’s rotation in 2016, they didn’t bank on that fact. Pittsburgh added veterans Jon Niese (via trade with the Mets) and Ryan Vogelsong (via free agency) to round out the rotation. Huntington noted that Glasnow still needs to refine his changeup before making it to the Major Leagues, saying Glasnow is “still doing minor league hitters a favor” when he turns to his changeup over his electric fastball. Taillon is now two years removed from Tommy John surgery and will have his innings monitored this year.
  • Giants outfielder Denard Span talked with MLB Network Radio’s Cliff Floyd and Casey Stern about his free agency this winter and his goals for his first season with the Giants (audio link). “This team, they took a chance on me,” said Span. “A lot of other teams were shying away, but the Giants just showed how much they really wanted me, and so it made it an easy decision for me. … The fact that they pursued me and pursued a couple other guys — [Jeff] Samardzija and [Johnny] Cueto — it makes me feel good that they feel like, they didn’t go to the postseason last year, and I’m one of the missing pieces to help them get back there.” Among the other topics covered by Span are his first impressions of future Hall of Fame skipper Bruce Bochy and how he plans to work on outfield communication with the man he displaced in center field — Angel Pagan (who will now slide over to left field).

Quick Hits: Cubs, Cahill, Davis, Judge

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Yesterday, we heard about several Cubs free agent signees who took less money to play in Chicago. Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter) illuminates a few of the teams that missed out. We know the Orioles were in on Dexter Fowler as well as the Nationals and Cardinals interest in Jason Heyward. Ben Zobrist turned down better offers from the Nationals and Mets while Trevor Cahill declined to join the Pirates on a stronger offer. Of course, the details of those hypothetical deals are unknown. For example, the Nationals probably made heavy use of deferred money in their offers, reducing the present day value of their proposals. Heyman also has some contract details for reserve clause signees (on Twitter).

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Pirates offer to Cahill was to pitch as a starter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times. However, rumors of a two-year offer may have been exaggerated. Cahill himself claims to be unaware of any two-year proposals. In my opinion, Cahill was smart to remain in Chicago as a reliever. His skill set plays particularly well out of the bullpen and could set up a strong multi-year offer in free agency next winter.
  • New Athletics outfielder Khris Davis is happy with his new ball club, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The former Brewer saw the writing on the wall when Milwaukee dealt away several veterans in the last calendar year. Davis, originally picked in the 2009 draft, was the second-to-last player from that draft class with the club. The Brewers still have Scooter Gennett penciled in to play second base.
  • When Yankees prospects Aaron Judge and Jorge Mateo homered earlier today, they offered a glimpse of the future, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPN. The pair rank first and second in the Yankees farm system. Judge, 23, has a shot to contribute to the club in 2016 while Mateo, 20,  is a little way off. Judge is a power hitting outfielder who hit 20 home runs in 540 plate appearances last season.  Mateo is a speedy shortstop with 82 stolen bases in 2015 (500 plate appearances).

NL Injury Notes: McKirahan, Walden, Hamilton

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Braves lefty Andrew McKirahan has a torn UCL and will likely have Tommy John surgery, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. McKirahan will visit with Dr. James Andrews, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (on Twitter). McKirahan left Wednesday’s game with discomfort in his left forearm and had an MRI. He had previously had Tommy John surgery in 2012. Since then, he headed from the Cubs to the Marlins in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, then to the Braves on a waiver claim. He posted a 5.93 ERA (albeit with a decent 7.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9) in 27 1/3 innings in 2015, missing a significant portion of the year after a PED suspension. Here are more quick notes on injuries.

  • Cardinals righty Jordan Walden’s return from the shoulder issues that sidelined him for most of last year appears to be going well so far, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Walden pitched a scoreless inning against the Astros Friday. Walden was a key part of the Braves’ bullpens in 2013 and 2014 and was expected to help the Cardinals after arriving in the late 2014 trade involving Jason Heyward and Shelby Miller. He only pitched 10 1/3 innings last season, however, none after April 29.
  • Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton was scratched from yesterday’s game with a stiff right shoulder, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. Hamilton had surgery on the shoulder near the end of last season to fix a torn labrum and had conceded late last month that the shoulder wasn’t completely healthy (although he did say it was “feeling good” and that he wouldn’t be limited in Spring Training). There’s no indication yet, however, that the speedster’s current shoulder stiffness is serious.

Peter Bourjos Eager For Fresh Start With Phillies

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In December, the Phillies added to an already stacked outfield mix when they claimed Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals.  The outfielder’s time in St. Louis was not terribly memorable and many pointed to his lingering hip injury as the culprit for his struggles.  However, Bourjos says it was something else keeping him from playing his best with the Cards. Peter Bourjos (vertical)

“I think it was more just being in and out of the lineup.  It was tough getting into a rhythm,” Bourjos told MLBTR in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday. “That’s the role I was in, that was the role I accepted, and you just try to do your best with it.  It’s tough coming in and facing the set-up guy or the closer in pinch hit at-bats.  It’s tough to get something going.”

Because of his inconsistent playing time, it was no surprise to Bourjos when he was exposed to waivers in the offseason.

“I didn’t really think I’d be back there, just because of how things played out down the stretch.  I think I had three or four starts in the second half of the year.  I didn’t really have a lot of at-bats.  You can just kind of see the writing on the wall, that they had a lot of good young outfielders coming and it probably just wasn’t going to be a good fit,” said Bourjos.

Realizing that he wouldn’t be back with the Cardinals, Bourjos and agent Curtis Dishman huddled up to discuss potential landing spots and which teams would make the best fit for him.  With the potential for significant and consistent playing time, the Phillies were “at the top” of his personal wish list.  General Manager Matt Klentak told MLBTR back in December that his familiarity with Bourjos from their shared Angels days played a role in acquiring him, but the outfielder says that the Phillies have actually had interest in him for years, dating back to the Ruben Amaro-led front office.

It’s easy to see why the Phillies would have coveted Bourjos for so long.  In 2011, the defensive wizard made a name for himself in baseball when he slashed .271/.327/.438.  Now on his third big league team, Bourjos is determined to make the most of his fresh start.

“Whenever I’ve had consistent at-bats, I’ve played pretty well, and that goes back to 2013.  The at-bats were consistent, but I got hurt.  I was playing pretty well up until that point.  It’s about getting out there and being consistent in the lineup.  It kind of goes both ways, I have to prove that I can do that.  I can’t get off to a bad start, I have to prove that I belong out there.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals Extend Kolten Wong

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The Cardinals have announced an extension with 25-year-old second baseman Kolten Wong. Wong, a client of PSI Sports Management, will reportedly be guaranteed $25.5MM over five years, beginning in 2016. The contract also includes a $12.5MM option (with a $1MM buyout) for another season, and doesn’t come with any no-trade protection.

Oct 10, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman <a rel=

Because it begins with the 2016 campaign, the deal will give St. Louis control over two free agent seasons — the latter via option — in addition to covering Wong’s entire arbitration eligibility. He’ll be under team control through his age-30 campaign. Wong had entered the spring with just over two years of MLB service under his belt and had yet to qualify for arbitration. Now, he’s set to earn $1.25MM in 2016, $2.5MM in 2017, $4MM in 2018, $6.5MM in 2019 and $10.25MM in 2020.

Last year was Wong’s first as a full-time regular, and he came out of the gates strong with an excellent first half. He ultimately faded down the stretch, struggling in particular against left-handed pitching. All told, his overall offensive output — a .262/.321/.386 batting line with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases over 613 plate appearances — represented a fairly close match to his 2014 campaign.

With excellent baserunning and strong glovework added into the equation, Wong has played at about a 2-WAR rate to start his career. Surely, both he and the team will hope that he can build off of that as he matures. Even if he doesn’t develop into a sturdy everyday regular, he figures to represent a heavily-used and readily platoon-able option at second.

Indeed, the club already has a platoon mate on hand in the righty-swinging Jedd Gyorko, who is controllable through 2020 (the final season via option). He has fared much better against opposing southpaws over his first several seasons in the majors. The Cards added Gyorko earlier this winter from the Padres, taking over his prior extension (with about a fifth of the tab staying on San Diego’s books).

It remains to be seen precisely how playing time will be allocated — Gyorko could, at least in theory, also spend time at first with Matt Carpenter entrenched at third — but the club certainly now has infield options moving forward. By locking up Wong now, before he has a chance to boost his earning power and shorten his free agent timeline in the coming season, St. Louis will lock in a quality player at a reasonable rate of pay. For Wong, of course, the deal represents a chance to secure earnings now rather than rolling the dice year-to-year.

Ultimately, it’s not clear how much room for growth there is in Wong’s game. He walks and strikes out just a bit under the league average rates, with a career ISO that’s right at the mean for his position. Most of his other batted-ball results stand at or near that of a league-average player, and he never exactly set the world on fire in the minors. He’s certainly justified his former status as a first-round pick and top-100 prospect, but probably isn’t ticketed for stardom.

Of course, the Cards don’t need Wong to play at a superstar level to justify this commitment, and the Gyorko acquisition seems to suggest they don’t really expect it, either. There aren’t many direct comparables for the deal, but the most recent at the second base position is the four-year, $20MM extension reached by the Twins and Brian Dozier last winter. That contract only covered his arbitration eligibility, and represented the heightened arb earning ability in his power bat.

A better comp, though, might be found in another deal last winter: center fielder Adam Eaton’s five-year, $23.5MM pact with the White Sox, which came with two club options. That contract has long looked like a nice get for the team, and today’s deal only adds to that impression. Wong understandably fell shy of the six-year, $50MM+ guarantees landed by two other 2+ service-time players in recent years, Carpenter and Jason Kipnis, each of whom were coming off of much bigger seasons when they signed their deals.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the agreement on Twitter. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reported financial terms (all links to Twitter), while ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon had the term of the deal and its lack of a no-trade clause (Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NL Central Notes: Russell, Cubs, Weaver, Reds

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The Cubs are convinced that young Addison Russell will thrive at shortstop, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes.  Russell is just four years removed from anchoring the Pace High School Patriots’ starting infield, but they believe that he is mature beyond his years.”He’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said of the 22-year-old. “He’s our youngest player, but he might be the one we worry about the least.” Russell was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Athletics and figured to be a big part of their future until he was shipped to Chicago in the Jeff Samardzija trade.  In his first big league season, Russell slashed .242/.307/.389 as he adjusted to major league pitching. This year, the Cubs are hoping that the shortstop will provide them with a line closer to the combined .295/.350/.508 he posted at the Class A+ and Double-A levels in 2014.

Here’s more out of the NL Central:

  • The Cubs are stacked with position players and they have great trade chips if they want to go out and add a pitcher, MLB.com’s Phil Rogers writes.  After signing Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist this witer, the Cubs have a bit of a logjam as they try to get playing time for Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, and Javier Baez.  On top of that, the team has even more young hitters in the pipeline, so they can afford to work from their surplus.
  • Cardinals prospect Luke Weaver is impressing early in Spring Training, as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes.  Weaver, ranked as one of St. Louis’ top prospects in 2016, projects to open this season at Double-A Springfield. Weaver has been working with veteran right-handers Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn, Langosch notes, picking up tips on his curveball and release point. “We always try and figure out how to put some of the young players with guys they can watch and emulate a little bit,” Matheny explained to Langosch. “We just thought Luke would be one of the guys who would benefit from not just the spoken, but the watching the habits that have become second nature for Adam.”
  • Reds Rule 5 picks Chris O’Grady and Jake Cave are eager to show what they can do in camp, as Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes. It’s been nine years since the Reds last successfully carried a Rule 5 pick all season, Sheldon notes, when the club had a pair of excellent Rule 5 pickups in right-hander Jared Burton and outfielder Josh Hamilton. Cave, selected out of the Yankees organization, spoke to Sheldon about the importance of maximizing an opportunity with Cincinnati, as the Yankees have a fairly notable logjam in the outfield, whereas the Reds have a clearer path to at-bats. Manager Bryan Price spoke to Sheldon about each player’s chances, noting that video alone of O’Grady on the mound has impressed him, while Cave faces a challenge going from an everyday role in the minors to either a platoon situation or a reserve that would move all over the outfield.

NL Central Notes: Epstein, Holliday, McCutchen, Hamilton

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The Cubs had the best offseason according to FanGraphs’ David Cameron. The additions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey, and Adam Warren to the talented ball club will help even out the performances of younger boom or bust talents. Cameron had only one critique – signing a true center fielder would have let the Cubs put Heyward in a more comfortable spot while taking pressure off Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler. Cameron graded the offseason of all 30 teams in his post so go ahead and see what he has to say about your favorite. The Brewers rebuild ranked second.

Here’s more from the NL Central:

  • Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts plans to once again make Theo Epstein the highest paid executive in baseball, writes Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. When Epstein originally joined the franchise on a five-year, $18.5MM contract, it was the largest ever signed by an executive. Since then, others have surpassed him – most notably Andrew Friedman of the Dodgers. Ricketts emphasized that Epstein has delivered on his promises to build a perennial contender and therefore deserves to be compensated as the best. He also noted that it’s a low stress conversation because of their good working relationship.
  • The Cardinals won’t be making any decisions on Matt Holliday’s 2017 club option until after the season, writes Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Dispatch. Holliday is in the final guaranteed year of a seven-year, $120MM contract. Notably, his $17MM option for 2017 comes with just a $1MM buy out making it a $16MM decision for the club. Holliday has also approached the club in the past about deferring money in his contract.
  • Pirates chairman Bob Nutting spoke to reporters about the next CBA, writes Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As a low revenue club, access to talent is the team’s top concern. In the past, they used large amateur budgets to build their current contending roster. The most recent CBA closed off these avenues of spending. Further, the club’s recent success has compounded the issue since they receive lower draft picks and budgets for winning. Nutting declined to comment on specifics. Nutting also reiterated that the club will “try to find an opportunity” to extend Andrew McCutchen.
  • Reds manager Bryan Price hopes speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton can grow into a leadoff role, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Hamilton is just a career .242/.287/.324 hitter. Despite excellent base running, including 126 stolen bases in 1,087 plate appearances, few players could earn regular reps with that triple slash. With Hamilton, his elite defense guarantees him a regular role, per Price. Now it’s just a matter of finding where his bat plays. FanGraphs’ WAR metric agrees with Price. Hamilton has compiled 6.1 WAR putting him on a 3-4 WAR pace per full season.

Outfield Notes: Holliday, Hamilton, De Aza, Victorino, Pagan

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All 1663 of Matt Holliday’s career games in the majors have come in left field or DH, but the veteran is getting some time at first base, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Holliday’s offseason workouts at first were initially reported by Heyman in December, as Holliday is hoping to extend his career by adding some positional versatility.  Quad injuries limited Holliday to just 73 games in 2015 but he has been an extremely productive and usually durable player over his six-plus years with the Cardinals, and he tells Heyman that he hopes to remain in St. Louis “as long as possible.”  The Cards will face a decision in the fall about whether to exercise their $17MM club option on Holliday for 2017 or buy him out for $1MM, though the 36-year-old could cause the option to vest with a top-10 finish in MVP voting.  Here’s some more about other prominent outfield names…

  • Josh Hamilton is visiting Dr. James Andrews’ clinic to get what is being termed as a second opinion on his left knee, which led Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News to rhetorically and somewhat ominously wonder “what was the first opinion?”  Hamilton has undergone two knee surgeries in the last six months and another procedure could be an option to relieve the knee soreness and pain that has continued to plague the outfielder.  The Rangers were already known to be looking for outfield depth, but if Hamilton isn’t healthy enough to manage even the platoon role that the team had laid out for him, Grant figures Texas might pursue a regular left fielder rather than a backup center fielder.  The Rangers might also be forced to give such a player a Major League contract if he’s getting regular playing time.
  • Alejandro De Aza finds himself in the unusual position of having just signed with a new team as a free agent but immediately facing trade speculation, yet the maybe temporary Mets outfielder told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin) that he was just focusing on preparing for the upcoming season.  The Mets’ surprising re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes created a surplus in New York’s outfield, and De Aza could already be the odd man out.  He cannot be traded without his permission until June 15, though this may not be an issue if De Aza wants more playing time elsewhere.  The Rangers have notably been linked to De Aza in trade rumors, pending the Hamilton situation.
  • Shane Victorino is yet another name on the Rangers’ list but Texas is reportedly only interested in signing him to a minor league contract.  Victorino is still holding out for a Major League deal, however, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, that the veteran outfielder could find such a contract within the next few days.  (Again, Hamilton’s health could be a factor if the Rangers remained interested in Victorino’s services.)  On Monday, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweeted that the Cubs seem like a fit for Victorino, who would fill a reserve role in Chicago.
  • Angel Pagan admitted to reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he “was a little surprised” by the Giants’ signing of Denard Span.  “It’s not like I was mad, but I had to sit down with my family and explore what was going on and accept it and move on,” Pagan said.  With Span on board, Pagan will spend most of his time in left field, and while he admits it’ll be an adjustment not being a regular center fielder, “I’m just being unselfish to make that move. I just want to be able to provide the best I can to this team.”  Pagan is a free agent himself this coming offseason, so 2016 will be an important platform for him to rebound from three injury-plagued seasons and potentially earn another lucrative contract.

NL Central Notes: Arrieta, Braun, Bruce, Waldron

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The Cubs will keep an eye on Jake Arrieta’s workload this season to ensure that the Cy Young Award winner is still fresh for October, Joe Maddon tells reporters (including ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers).  Arrieta threw 248 2/3 innings in the regular and postseason in 2015, far above his previous career high of 176 2/3 frames in 2014.  While Arrieta takes pride in being a workhorse and finishing games, “there’s certain sacrifices that need to be made and I’m more than willing to make those sacrifices to be better for my team later in the season,” he said.  Jon Lester and John Lackey will also have their innings monitored, Maddon said, as the Cubs clearly have their eyes set on being at full strength for the postseason.  Here’s some more from around the NL Central…

  • Ryan Braun will indeed be moving back to left field this season, Brewers manager Craig Counsell confirmed to media (including the Associated Press).  “We talked it over and discussed it, and I think with the players that we have on our roster this year, it’s an advantageous decision for both Ryan and the players we have involved,” Counsell said.  Milwaukee’s left field spot was opened up when Khris Davis was traded to Oakland, and there had been speculation that Braun would be shifted to give highly-touted youngster Domingo Santana regular playing time in right.
  • Also from Counsell, he discusses his first Spring Training as a big league manager and many other topics as part of a Q&A with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Jay Bruce has been the subject of several trade rumors this offseason but he’s taking everything in stride, the Reds outfielder told reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer.)  When asked if the trade speculation made it awkward to be in the Reds’ clubhouse, Bruce said “No, not at all.  If it were somewhere else, it’d be awkward right now.  This is what I know, this organization has been much more to be than just a baseball team. I’ve been here since I was 18 years old, and this is all I know.  I look forward to still being here and if something does happen, I completely understand.  It’s part of the business.  I mentioned before, obviously, I truly believe the Reds have to do everything they can do improve the organization and if they end up feeling that making a move with me is part of that plan, I respect them for that.”
  • The Cardinals have shut down right-hander Tyler Waldron due to an impingement in his throwing shoulder, the team told media (including MLB.com’s Barry W. Bloom).  Waldron, 26, was a non-roster invite to the Cards’ camp.  He has a 4.54 ERA over 492 minor league innings in the St. Louis and Pittsburgh farm systems.  Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Waldron was being shut down indefinitely and he wasn’t sure when the righty would be throwing again.
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