St. Louis Cardinals interest in Colin Moran makes no sense

The St. Louis Cardinals have several questions on their roster, but there are a few certainties. Two of those can be found at the corners of their infield, where Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are located. Chances are, both players will see close to 150 games in the field, with their days off coming as a designated hitter.

But that is not stopping the Cardinals from looking for depth. According to reports, they are interested in bringing in former Pirates corner infielder Colin Moran.

St. Louis Cardinals could take shot on Colin Moran

Moran was acquired as part of the return in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to Houston. He was considered to be a future star, a consensus top 100 prospect prior to the 2014 season after the Marlins took him with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. The Marlins traded him to Houston just a year later in a swap of prospects.

While he has generally been a solid player, Moran has not lived up to that hype. He had produced a .269/.331/.419 batting line in his 1527 plate appearances in Pittsburgh, hitting 44 homers and 71 doubles. His 101 OPS+ may be above league average, but it is still subpar for a corner infielder.

In theory, Moran would serve as a decent backup and get plate appearances at the DH spot as well. However, the Cardinals already have several players that are expected to vie for those plate appearances, including prospect Nolan Gorman. As Gorman can play second and third, he may be a much better option.

The Cardinals do need more depth. Adding Moran on a minor league deal would make sense as they would be able to stash him in Triple-A in case he is needed. But signing him instead of a utility man who is capable of playing around the infield, or giving one of their younger players with more upside plate appearances as the designated hitter, does not make sense.

The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly interested in Colin Moran. He just does not make sense for their roster as currently constructed.