St. Louis Cardinals: Making The Best of Kolten Wong’s Imminent Situation

Option 1: Revert to 5-man infield rotation

To some degree, a second base platoon has already been evident in 2016. Wong has been inserted into the lineup mainly against right-handed hitters, while Gyorko, as planned, has received starts against southpaws.

The Cardinals could still aim to provide Kolten Wong starts every other day, whether it means giving Peralta frequent days off to recover from his thumb injury or resting heavily-tested infielders Matt Carpenter and Aledmys Diaz when breaks are needed.

The largest caveat with the new setup is that it would be difficult to insert Kolten Wong in the lineup regularly. Matt Carpenter would be a near lock with a .392 OBP against right-handed pitching, and Gyorko would likely continue to match up against southpaws. It’s not easy to justify leaving Greg Garcia’s .519 batting average, albeit limited playing time, out of the lineup.

Furthermore, this structure could lead to more inconsistencies of the regulars from an offensive and defensive spectrum. Matt Carpenter made 16 errors at third base in 2014 one season removed from second base and Jhonny Peralta posted a .986 fielding percentage as last year’s primary shortstop.

Asking the two veterans to take on more responsibilities could affect their offensive output. Yet a 5-man infield rotation seems like the most likely option for handling Kolten Wong, likely sending Greg Garcia to Memphis.

Next: Take a trip to Memphis?

Option 2: Minor League assignment

Another action that seems possible more from a present than future standpoint would be optioning Kolten Wong to the minor leagues. Such a change could help Wong correct inconsistencies that led to increased strikeout and error rates in each of the last three seasons.

The Cardinals have already experimented with this by keeping Tommy Pham in Memphis after completing his rehab assignment late-May. But sending Wong on a minor league assignment would be a larger issue because it doesn’t necessarily offer much confidence in the second baseman’s future abilities.

Wong has played pivotal roles on the Cardinals last three playoff rosters, placing third in the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year voting and compiling a 4.3 WAR in his first two full years. Demoting Wong to the minors would question the Cardinals’ system for developing future building blocks, and not allow Wong to make proper pro-level adjustments that may help St. Louis down the stretch.

Thus Peralta and Brandon Moss are the only two Cardinals infielder with contracts ending in the next two years, meaning the middle infield competition will only grow tougher for Wong.

Next: Maybe time to cut bait?

Option 3: Keep in big leagues, but eventually trade

Wong’s situation proves similar to one that the Cardinals experienced with Allen Craig in 2014.

The former All-Star signed a 5-year, $31 million contract and guided the Cardinals to their last World Series birth with 13 HR, 97 RBIs and a .315 batting average in 2013. But a slow decline and the promotions of Randal Grichuk and Oscar Taveras forced the Cardinals to trade Craig to the Red Sox, where his career has not been the same ever since.

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If the Cardinals envision themselves in a win-now mode, it wouldn’t be out of proportion for the Cardinals to move Kolten Wong similar to how Craig and Joe Kelly were deployed for John Lackey. But St. Louis’s stakes were much different two trade deadlines ago, as the Cardinals had a slimmer margin to climb than the current 10.5 game standings deficit behind the Cubs.

From a management standpoint, trading Wong to a team with a larger need for a second baseman could help the Cardinals acquire a much-need asset, such as more left-handed relief pitcher or m swing man. But the team outlook could need be much different two months from now, as there could be a larger need for a player with the power and speed combination of Kolten Wong.

In retrospect, it’s hard to determine if the Cardinals are in a similar win-now, especially with five of their next seven opponents featuring records above .500.

Other less-likely scenarios

A trip to the disabled list could follow if there is an apparent injury. But this seems very unlikely, given that Wong has yet to reach day-to-day injury status and hasn’t sat out back-to-back games once in 2016.

The Cardinals could roll with a larger bench and fewer relief pitchers. This arrangement would allow Wong to remain with the organization and see more starts in interleague road games against Seattle and Kansas City in June, but it’s almost more unlikely than a trade.

Next: Kolten Wong's Swing Change Not Providing Results

Ultimately, the Cardinals will be challenged to make a move that mutually serves in the best interest of the team and their former first-round draft pick. Whatever the decision may be upon Peralta’s return, it will prove difficult for St. Louis to assess the talent of Kolten Wong for this year and beyond.