St. Louis Cardinals improve bench for 2014 season

Looking back at the trades and free agent signings of the recent weeks and it would be hard-pressed not to say that the St. Louis Cardinals have improved their bench.
Mar 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Oscar Taveras (87) rounds third base and scores a run in the fourth inning during a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
During the 2013 postseason, there were many times in late game situations at home in which it was questionable as to why certain moves were being made–especially since Allen Craig was injured. He was on the World Series roster but because he was limited in those early games at home, he was limited to only pinch-hitting late in the game.

In his Bernie Bytes column, Post-Dispatch sports columnist Bernie Miklasz wonders the same thing as I do about top prospect Oscar Taveras. Bernie writes:

"Will Taveras be able to make the big club in spring training, or will the Cardinals dispatch him to Triple A Memphis for more developmental swing time? He played only 47 games in Memphis last season because of the ankle injury.If Taveras begins ’14 in Memphis, how soon will he be promoted to St. Louis?"

This is the question that everybody would like to know. I would like to say, due to the limited production in 2013, a Taveras promotion won’t happen before June.

A bench with Taveras, Mark Ellis, Jon Jay, Tony Cruz, Daniel Descalso, and possibly Shane Robinson is way better than the 2013 bench of Ty Wigginton, Matt Adams, Descalso, Robinson and Cruz.