St. Louis Cardinals meet with Mark Ellis’ agent, seeking infield help

The St. Louis Cardinals met with Mark Ellis‘ agent during the 2013 Winter Meetings. It’s no secret that the Cardinals are seeking middle infield help and would like to make up for the Ty Wigginton mistake of the past offseason. The meeting was reported by both San Francisco Chronicle‘s Oakland Athletics beat writer Susan Slusser and Denver Post baseball writer Troy Renck.
October 15, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis (14) throws to first to turn a double play as St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay (19) slides into second in the sixth inning in game four of the National League Championship Series baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
In 126 games, Ellis hit a line of .270/.323/.351 while his career numbers are .265/.330/.390 in 11 seasons. Aside from playing 154 games in 2003 and 150 games in 2007, Ellis has been a part-time player for his entire career. Most of his career has been played at second base.

As of now, Daniel Descalso is the only bench player that can back up second base, third base, and shortstop but if one takes a look at Ellis’ defensive numbers, it’s certainly understandable as to why the Cards have an interest in Ellis. At the same time, Kolten Wong is in position to be the everyday player at second base. If Ellis had more games at third base or short stop, I could see the interest but it’s like having another Matt Adams on the team with being limited to only one position on defense.

However, given Matt Carpenter‘s slide over to third base, I could see the reasoning behind the interest. However, they ought to go after a guy that can play two or three positions like Descalso.

Given that Ellis is 37 years old, why not look at someone like Michael Young? Young is 37 but can play shortstop, second base, and third base. Formerly of Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, Young has seen time at first base, too. He’s a career .300/.346/.441 hitter and is close to winding up his career. With 2,375 career hits, Young would like to get to the 2,500 hits plateau before calling it a career.

Finally, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder is attempting a comeback. Mulder’s career with the Cardinals was dealt a setback with injuries but we’re rooting for him.