The Cardinals Don’t Need a Shortstop. (And Won’t Sign One.)

The Winter Meetings start this coming Sunday in San Diego. The Cardinals are going to sign a catcher. They are also going for an impact shortstop. Christian Vazquez, Danny Jansen, and Sean Murphy are the most likely candidates. Ozzie Smith was an average hitter, but a great defensive player. The league reaped the monetary benefits of a new playoff system and the television contracts. It's a good time to spend. For the Cardinals, the priority is to add to the payroll. There are just seven shortstops with a career offensive performance above average. Jhonny Peralta is the highest-rated player in the group.

The free agent shortstop market has been flooded with offensive talent in the last two offseasons. Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, Trever Story, CarlosCorrea and Xander Bogaerts are among the best shortstops in Cardinals' history. Paul DeJong's early-career production has declined and he's not going to be a good enough player for the Cardinals. They bought out his arbitration years and locked him up through 2023 with option years for ’24 and ‘25. The Cardinals have committed over $9M to an offensive-oriented, roster-finishing shortstop in 20 23.

Tommy Edman is the Cardinals' starting shortstop. He won the Gold Glove last season and is a very good player. The Cardinals won't sign a short stop at the Winter Meetings. The team's priority is defense. They don't need a player who can play around the infield or outfield. It's not a good idea to sign someone who is not the team’s starting shortstop. The player they don”t need is Tommy Edmen.

Edman has been playing shortstop since he was a rookie. He has a good defensive reputation and is expected to be a starting shortstop in 2023. His offensive profile is more promising. Steamer projects him at 105 wRC+ next season with a .263/.318/.397 slash line. Edman's walk rate is improving. He is also one of the best baserunners in the game. Cardinals don't need a shortstop. They won't sign one. The team's priorities are at second base. It's understandable that many people ignore Edmen's impressive fWAR total.

The Cardinals don't need a shortstop. Tommy Edman's fWAR is better than Dansby Swanson's. Edmen plays shortstop for half a season instead of second base.

Tommy Edman has played too many positions in his career to be considered a good enough player to play shortstop. He has a range of .5 to 1.0 fWAR from playing SS.

The Cardinals don't need a shortstop.

Tommy Edman is a good player, but he's not a lock for 5-6 fWAR seasons annually as a shortstop. The Cardinals already have a very good shortstop, who's productive mainly through defense. They won't sign a new shortstop as they have enough at the position. . ... It's better than the league-average offense from that position in the past.