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

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.