St. Louis Cardinals: Jedd Gyorko’s place on the 2019 roster

While the talk around Jose Martinez has been rampant, rumors on another displaced St. Louis Cardinals infielder have been non existent. If the Cardinals aren’t trading Jedd Gyorko, what are the team’s plans for him?

Jedd Gyorko has been a decent player for the St. Louis Cardinals, but not much more than that. Paul Goldschmidt‘s addition removed both Gyorko and Jose Martinez from the lineup, yet the Martinez rumors picked up heat almost immediately following the Goldschmidt trade, while talks on Gyorko have been mum.

So what does that mean? I am pretty sure that the St. Louis Cardinals could get decent returns for Gyorko from a team lacking a solid starting third baseman. Even if they couldn’t, it’s hard to imagine that you wouldn’t hear about such trade inquiries if they were in fact made in this world of social media.

If they don’t find a trade for him, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to have Gyorko on the roster in 2019 then, because releasing him isn’t an intelligent option either. He is making a hefty chunk of change at $13M, and even though the San Diego Padres are covering $5M. Gyorko is good enough to contribute off the bench, so it isn’t like the Pablo Sandoval case with the Red Sox.

I brought up in a previous article that Gyorko’s expendability is directly tied to Yairo Munoz and his ability to become a serviceable defender this season, and I feel like that the lack of noise around Gyorko is telling of  Munoz’s progress. If Munoz cannot  play third and second/short at a serviceable level this season, there is a legitimate reason that the Cardinals are holding onto Gyorko.

The thing is, the Cardinals don’t like letting big money sit on the bench, as evidenced by the Dexter Fowler situation. On top of that, keeping Gyorko would cut into Munoz’s time, which will hinder his development in turn. However, it might be something that the St. Louis Cardinals end up being forced into doing, given the current circumstances and the attitude they have shown so far.

The most out of the box idea is one Gyorko brought up himself: playing in the outfield. It’s great that Gyorko is willing to go out of his comfort zone for the benefit of the team, but it doesn’t seem like something that would be of much benefit to the St. Louis Cardinals as a whole.

The Cardinals are looking to make a push to contend now with the guaranteed year they have with Goldschmidt, so it is very possible that they decide to keep as many assets as they can to maximize their current flexibility. If that’s the case and the Cardinals do hold on to Gyorko, he can serve as a solid backup utility infielder for the 2019 season.

Jedd Gyorko has been a solid contributor over the past several seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. There is plenty of time for trades to occur, but it seems likely that Gyorko won’t be involved in them. Despite losing his spot in the starting lineup, Gyorko will be welcomed back with open arms if he does in fact have a spot on the 2019 Cardinals roster.