St. Louis Cardinals: A First Base Battle

Now we get to the point where we get to dream a little bit. If you’re uninspired by both Adams and Moss, then here are your other choices:

The Free Agent: Ian Desmond

Some of you are going to insist that Ian Desmond is a shortstop, not a first baseman. And you would definitely be right. But if you shuffle things around a little bit, he could solve the problem at first base. By sliding Peralta to 3rd you help his defense, and Matt Carpenter would have been a top-10 first baseman by wRC+ in 2015. Just like that, the St. Louis Cardinals have a first baseman. Of course, not all of us are sold on Desmond (myself included), but nonetheless, it isn’t totally impossible.

The Trade Target: Carlos Gonzalez

I’m not big on Carlos Gonzalez to be honest, but he’s a bat, and there’s been some talk of the Cardinals trading for him. If they were to do that, Stephen Piscotty could slide over to first as he did at the end of last season and hopefully provide the kind of bat that we would need in a first baseman. Of course the glove might be an issue, but remember what we said about first basemen? Gloves are bonuses, not requirements.

The In-House Candidate: Carlos Peguero

Recently, the Cardinals signed Carlos Peguero to a minor league deal. He’s an outfielder by trade, but he’d be well suited for a move to first, if he can figure out his contact skills. His power is prolific by any measure, but he’s struggled to put the ball in play enough to make that power valuable. Perhaps John Mabry can set him on the right path and Peguero can turn into a superstar for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Next: Moss AND Adams ready to take over at First Base

So there we have it. Those are all of the options I see for the Cardinals, realistic or otherwise. Have any others? Let us know in the comments! In the meantime, let us know who you think is the best option for the Cardinals at first base.