3 areas of need for the St. Louis Cardinals heading into 2023

The Wild Card round of the MLB postseason concluded on Saturday and Sunday. The Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres all punched their tickets to the division series, while the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets all saw the end of their short playoff runs. Big questions loom for the teams eliminated in the Wild Card round as next season becomes the priority.

In this series of articles, I will examine each eliminated team’s top needs looking ahead to 2023. First up, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here are the top 3 needs for St. Louis Cardinals heading into 2023

The Cardinals season came to a gut-wrenching end on Saturday as the Phillies swept them at Busch Stadium in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals have many holes in their lineup opening up this offseason with the retirement of first baseman/designated hitter Albert Pujols and long-time catcher Yadier Molina. In 2022, the Cardinals lacked offense production from the shortstop position as Paul DeJong finished the year with a .157 batting average, six home runs, and 25 RBI. The outfield, a year ago one of the most promising in baseball, was riddled with injuries and disappointing seasons.

3. Outfielder

The Cardinals had what seemed to be a endless carousel in the outfield this season. The Opening Day outfield consisted of Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson. O’Neill was limited to 96 games, but struggled to find his 2021 form when he was healthy. Bader, a mainstay in the Cardinals outfield in recent seasons, was shipped to the Yankees in exchange for pitcher Jordan Montgomery. Carlson’s production did not meet expectations after a very good rookie year.

St. Louis lacks a proven outfielder who can stay healthy. The 2022 free agency class is filled with talented outfielders, such as Brandon Nimmo, who seems to be a good fit for the Cardinals. Nimmo had an impressive 2022 season, playing in 151 games and setting new career highs in games played, RBI, and doubles.

Another possible fit for the Cardinals is Andrew Benintendi.  Since 2017, Benintendi has played in 120-plus games every year (except the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign), which would provide a sense of reliability that has been lacking for the outfield position in St. Louis.

2. Catcher

The one position the Cardinals have not had to worry about for the last 19 years is now vacant with the retirement of Yadier Molina. With Molina retired, the Cardinals have only Andrew Knizner listed at catcher. Knizner was once seen as a possible replacement for Yadi, but has since disappointed in his limited role.

The Cardinals are rumored to have interest in free agent catcher Willson Contreras, who has talked with Cardinals pitcher (and former teammate) Jose Quintana about the Redbirds. Contreras would be an great upgrade from Molina offensively, as well as providing a long-term solution to the catcher vacancy in St. Louis.

Another option for the Cardinals is Gary Sanchez. After fairly disappointing 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Sanchez would likely come at a discount. The Cardinals lacked power in 2022, finishing in the middle of the pack in home runs. Sanchez is primarily a power-hitting catcher who would provide a cheap upgrade offensively.

1. Shortstop

The Cardinals had high hopes for the shortstop position in spring training. Paul DeJong was named starter after an impressive spring training, but he disappointed early on and was optioned to Triple-A in early May. Edmundo Sosa, the backup shortstop for the Cardinals at the beginning of the season, was traded in July to the Phillies. The Cardinals platooned Tommy Edman at shortstop along with DeJong. Edman is a natural second baseman and DeJong, after being recalled, continued to disappoint.

After a season of disappointing shortstop play, it is rumored that the Cardinals are prepared to go after a big-name free agent shortstop. Dansby Swanson is an interesting name for the Cardinals to look at. Swanson who is coming off a career year in 2022, is just entering his prime, and would provide a long-term solution to a problem the Cardinals have dealt with since 2012.

Another intriguing name to watch out for is Xander Bogaerts, who is likely to opt out and test free agency. Bogaerts would be a fairly short-term solution, but has proven to be one of the top shortstops in the game (as well as the most consistent).

While free agency does not start until after the postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals, along with the other teams eliminated over the weekend, are now preparing to improve after disappointing seasons.