St. Louis Cardinals Trim Roster as Aledmys Diaz and Others Get Cut

Exactly one day after adding Ruben Tejada, the St. Louis Cardinals send six players- Aledmys Diaz among them- packing to minor league camp.

Any St. Louis Cardinals fan knew that changes were impending when the club decided to ink Ruben Tejada to a $1.5 million deal on Saturday. Tejada is projected to be the stopgap- if perchance only that- for the vacancy at short stop during Jhonny Peralta‘s injury time. All that said, some of the assignments handed down this morning were to-be-expected as normal at this time of year, but the inclusion of reassigning Aledmys Diaz to Memphis came as a shock and disappointment to many.

Jeremy Hefner

First among the players reassigned is Jeremy Hefner. Hefner, 30 years old, appeared in five games this spring pitching 6.2 innings. In these innings, he struck out two batters, hit two batters, surrendered seven hits, surrendered five runs, and allowed one home run. His spring ERA finished (for now) at 5.40.

Hefner could, with regular work, be a force from the pen as he does bring with his some MLB experience with the Mets (again the Mets?!). For more on Hefner, go read my trade suggestions article.

Deck McGuire

Joining Hefner, Deck McGuire was also assigned to minor league camp. McGuire, 26 years old, appeared in two games this spring pitching four complete innings. In these innings, he struck out one batter, surrendered four hits, and surrendered two runs. His spring ERA finished (for now) at 2.25.

The club seems high on McGuire so I look for him to climb the ladder much faster than Hefner (or serve as trade bait as well?). While is spring sample is a little smaller than that of Hefner, McGuire posted better numbers all-around.

Austin Gomber

Another pitcher reassigned in this list of six players is Austin Gomber. Gomber, 22 years old, appeared in three games this spring pitching 2.2 innings. In these innings, he struck out four batters, surrendered nine hits, surrendered five runs, and allowed one home run. His spring ERA finished (for now) at 16.88.

Gomber, younger and less-experienced, has much more to prove than the names listed above. Gomber should spend 2016 in the minors building his repertoire. I doubt that he will see major playing time this season. For more on Gomber, see Steven’s prospect report.

Carson Kelly

The first of the position players reassigned is Carson Kelly. Kelly, 21 years old, has been touted as the potential heir apparent for Yadier Molina in the years to come. It appears though that the organization would like to see him develop more this season especially in light of the addition of Brayan Pena.

In spring, Kelly appeared in six games and twelve at-bats. In these appearances, he collected five hits (one double, one home run), three RBI, one walk, and scored three runs himself. His spring slash line finished (for now) at .417/.500/.750 in this small sample size. The organization, it can be assumed, would like to see if these numbers continue across a larger sample.

Dean Anna

Next in line on the reassignment train is Dean Anna. For whatever reason it seems that Anna simply cannot put all the pieces together to be a real contributing player, so this reassignment does not surprise. When the Cardinals signed Anna the organization was high on this player but it seems that he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.

Aledmys Diaz

The name that made many take pause in these reassignments is Aledmys Diaz. Diaz, 25 years old, had a strong spring and seemed to really complicate things for the organization as a possible solution to the Peralta injury. Many writers- myself included- felt that Diaz and Jedd Gyorko were the best solution for the Peralta injury and that these two spelled the lack of need to seek outside help. The organization felt differently.

In spring, Diaz sparkled in fourteen games and 32 at-bats. In these appearances, he collected eight hits (three doubles), five RBI, one walk, and scored three runs himself. His spring slash line finished (for now) at .250/.306/.344 in this small sample size. While having a strong August in 2015, the club felt that adding a player with stronger MLB experience (Tejada) at this point was more prudent. Add to this, Diaz will certainly benefit from everyday play to become stronger and he will certainly not see this in St. Louis with the cornucopia of short stops now with the club.

Next: Ruben Tejada adds competition at shortstop

Are we happy or sad by these assignments? Are we surprised by them? I am actually neither. I am not really surprised by any of them and actually find myself excited about them. I am excited to see if these pitchers get better or build their trade value. I am excited to get to watch Aledmys in person in Memphis and hope that he rakes so that he can climb faster. Let’s all watch together and GO CARDS!!