St. Louis Cardinals to offer Aledmys Diaz a contract

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are expected to offer Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz a contract.
Feb 13, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak (left) talks with manager Mike Matheny (right) during spring training at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It should not come as a suprirse that the Cardinals have an interest in the shortstop, who is eligible to choose a team as of today. After all, this is a position where the club is seen as weak when it comes to the organizational depth chart.

Diaz worked out for the Cardinals after the club held its second full camp workout of the spring. On hand were general manager John Mozeliak, manager Mike Matheny, and many more. It lasted 45 minutes and the Cardinals, according to Strauss, are prepared to give a formal offer to his agent, Jaime Torres.

Even though the club signed Jhonny Peralta to a 4-year deal during the offseason, Mozeliak said today that Diaz is “a player we’ve had interest in for awhile and the next natural step in the process was to put him in front of our people in this setting.”

A signing of this nature, should it reach that level, shows that the Cardinals are not afraid to go after talent seen as ready for major league competition. Four teams are believed to have expressed the most interest in the 23-year-old Cuban, who defected to Mexico.

Moreover, Diaz can play three infield positions. If he picks the Cardinals, somebody like Pete Kozma or Daniel Descalso could be out of a job soon.