St. Louis Cardinals: Failed vesting options could add to the Cardinals

ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Matt Carpenter #13 and Tommy Pham #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after Pham hit a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium on September 14, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Matt Carpenter #13 and Tommy Pham #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after Pham hit a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium on September 14, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 24: J.J. Hardy /

The St. Louis Cardinals seemingly found a great shortstop with pop in DeJong, but picking up a veteran for a year or two could allow additional options for DeJong.

The St. Louis Cardinals could be seeking options for third base during the upcoming offseason. Gyorko has done well at third and could remain there but another option at third could be Paul DeJong. This would only happen if the Cardinals found a different shortstop.

One such shortstop facing a failed vesting option is J.J. Hardy. According to MLBTR, Hardy returned this season from the disabled list too late to achieve the required 600 plate appearances to get his $14MM option. Instead, the Orioles can now pay a mere $2MM buyout and are looking to do so.

Hardy is a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and one-time Silver Slugger. These came during his best three seasons shown below:

Standard Batting
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
2007 24 MIL NL 151 638 592 89 164 30 1 26 80 2 3 40 73 .277 .323 .463 .786 101 274 13 1 4 1 1 *6 AS
2008 25 MIL NL 146 629 569 78 161 31 4 24 74 2 1 52 98 .283 .343 .478 .821 115 272 18 1 5 2 3 *6
2013 30 BAL AL 159 644 601 66 158 27 0 25 76 2 1 38 73 .263 .306 .433 .738 99 260 14 0 3 2 3 *6 AS,GG,SS
13 Yrs 1553 6284 5781 714 1483 289 14 187 685 8 9 410 955 .257 .306 .408 .714 90 2361 156 15 40 38 24
162 Game Avg. 162 656 603 74 155 30 1 20 71 1 1 43 100 .257 .306 .408 .714 90 246 16 2 4 4 3
BAL (7 yrs) 881 3611 3366 391 849 166 3 106 382 2 2 193 574 .252 .293 .398 .691 87 1339 89 10 19 23 12
MIL (5 yrs) 571 2298 2075 279 543 104 8 75 265 5 6 189 327 .262 .323 .428 .751 95 888 59 5 18 11 11
MIN (1 yr) 101 375 340 44 91 19 3 6 38 1 1 28 54 .268 .320 .394 .714 96 134 8 0 3 4 1
AL (8 yrs) 982 3986 3706 435 940 185 6 112 420 3 3 221 628 .254 .295 .397 .693 88 1473 97 10 22 27 13
NL (5 yrs) 571 2298 2075 279 543 104 8 75 265 5 6 189 327 .262 .323 .428 .751 95 888 59 5 18 11 11

His 2017 numbers aren’t terrible but are certainly affected by his injury(ies). While the Orioles are likely to “sell” this offseason including the likes of Manny Machado (with whom the St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly interested), J.J. Hardy will likely be auctioned by a few clubs.

A general double-digit home run hitter per season will bring some interest in Hardy and should bring interest from the St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Cardinals were to pick up Hardy, they could have a left side platoon of Gyorko/DeJong at third, and Hardy/DeJong at short. And if the Cardinals were so inclined, they could “sell” Gyorko this offseason and swap him for someone like Josh Donaldson (or Machado).

Picking up a shortstop, while at first glance might not seem too necessary, would add value to the 2018 St. Louis Cardinals. Until questions are answered regarding Wong, Gyorko, and Carpenter, the Cards would be wise to consider someone like Hardy.