St. Louis Cardinals Sending Down Aledmys Diaz is Confusing and Understanding

Earlier today the St. Louis Cardinals made an unexpected cut that is a head scratcher, but is a smart move.

All Spring Training you have heard me make a case for Aledmys Diaz making the roster as either the starting shortstop or the backup/platoon guy. However, today it became apparent that it won’t happen. The St. Louis Cardinals made him one of the nine cuts they made today.

This came just one day after signing Ruben Tejada to come in and compete for the shortstop job along with Jedd Gyorko. The part that I cannot wrap my head around is that Diaz remains the most consistent offensive and defensive option at shortstop, yet he is the one to go.

However, there is skepticism as to whether or not Diaz is necessarily ready for full time major league action or not. Especially considering his lack of a full stint of AAA. Diaz did not “rise to the occasion” necessarily in Spring Training, as his numbers were relatively low for a guy battling for a spot on the roster (.167 aside from his 4-4 game).

So, in a sense it makes sense for the St. Louis Cardinals to go with a combination of Tejada and Gyorko. While I think that Diaz is readier than some think, I have nothing to base that off of other than his second half and Arizona Fall League numbers. 

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This doesn’t mean that Diaz will not be seen again as with a strong start in AAA Memphis, Diaz will likely look appealing when compared to the likely uninspiring numbers of Gyorko and Tejada.

As Michael Miles mentioned earlier today, Diaz needs at-bats, and he is not going to get them with the big club right now. They need to see what Gyorko and Tejada can do, and it is about time guys like Kolten Wong will start seeing more and more time, as they ramp up to be ready for Opening Day. So, there won’t be the at-bats Diaz needs to be ready for Opening Day.

The concern here, is that there is now dramatic concern about how the offense will perform with the lack of Jhonny Peralta. The main player who had the potential to somewhat replicate his numbers will now be in AAA. 

If previous cases are any example, it may take the team longer than we would like to adjust to and issue at SS, and a lack of response could lead to a hole in the offense for longer than the Cardinals can manage. Hopefully, this is not the case and the Cardinals either act fast or have decent production from Tejada/Gyorko.

Part of me wants to rip management for failing to give Diaz a shot, but Diaz (like most of the Cardinals’ offense) didn’t prove anything. This is hard to swallow, as I believe Diaz is a gifted offensive player and is a better option than both Gyorko and Tejada. But, management knows what they are doing (I think) and I believe this will work itself out by May.

Next: Ruben Tejada Adds Competition and Flexibility

The season is getting closer and closer, and the roster is shaping up and battles are being won. Without a doubt, I am excited to watch this team play real and meaningful games, as Spring Training sure is waning on me.