
2. Angel Pagan – Can play LF, CF, or RF
Angel Pagan is likely one of those players that many St. Louis Cardinals fans don’t particularly like. He’s been a part of two World Series championship teams during his time with the San Francisco Giants but now he is a free agent. Pagan, 35, could serve in a similar way as I explained in the Rajai Davis analysis. His age is more of a benefit to the Cardinals than anything since they wouldn’t need to commit to him long term.
Regardless of his age however, Pagan could likely be a strong addition to the Cardinals. Like Davis, Pagan has typically batted at the top of the order but has also hit through the bottom third for the Giants. In 2016, he slashed .277/.331/.418 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI. Again, like Davis, that type of production could extend the Cardinals batting order and not allow opposing pitchers to take it easy against the 6, 7, 8 hitters.
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Unlike Davis however, Pagan actually performs better defensively in LF over CF. Pagan’s 2016 UZR in LF was 4.4 while he produced a -0.8 UZR in CF. This may very well be the reason that he isn’t a strong candidate for the Cardinals considering their strong interest in a center fielder. Unfortunately, there isn’t many options and giving Grichuk another shot in CF would open up the possibility for Angel Pagan to take over in LF.
Pagan also doesn’t quite provide the same amount of base running skill that Davis did. Pagan had 15 steals in 2016 while being caught 4 times. But, his impactful batting average and on-base percentage would make up for that.
Pagan would be a low-cost acquisition that would lengthen the batting order while serving as a strong left fielder. Grichuk would be responsible for patrolling center field but who’s to say he won’t return to his above average defensive ways?