St. Louis Cardinals: Pros and cons of 5 free-agent shortstops

ST LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 24: Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals fields a ground ball during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Busch Stadium on August 24, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 24: Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals fields a ground ball during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Busch Stadium on August 24, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 22: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts during the seventh inning of game six of the 2021 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park on October 22, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 22: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts during the seventh inning of game six of the 2021 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park on October 22, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Carlos Correa

While on his way to another world series appearance with the Houston Astros, Carlos Correa hopes to land a lucrative contract this offseason as one of the top shortstops available.

Pros

  • In 2021, he hit .279/.366/.485 with a 134 wRC+.  He had 34 doubles, one triple, 75 walks, 26 home runs, and 104 runs scored. He assisted with 61 double plays with only 11 errors in the field. Correa’s fielding percentage is .981.  With great defense, Correa is a bat you want in your lineup.

Cons

  • It’s easy to see Correa wouldn’t be the greatest of fits with the Cardinals. The fanbase doesn’t take kindly to players accused of playing large parts in a cheating scandal in which the players were never punished and said player insists fans should just move on. It would be easy to see this comment coming back to haunt Correa during his hunt for a new contract with any team.