5 bench options the St. Louis Cardinals should consider after the lockout

A good bench is a necessity the Cardinals need, and here are some players the club should check out after the lockout ends.

While Major League Baseball is in the middle of a work stoppage preventing any kind of official talks between teams and players, it’s unclear what teams will need in 2022 and beyond.

Will there be a universal designated hitter rule? What will roster sizes be during the season? How should teams prepare?

Answers are sure to come. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

The St. Louis Cardinals look to have Andrew Knizner return as the backup catcher to Yadier Molina. Lars Nootbaar looks to return as the club’s fourth outfielder. As we learned in 2021, anything is possible. Heck, Nootbaar wasn’t even on many of our radars last year at this time. The same could be said for Edmundo Sosa who was beneficial in the infield for the Cardinals.

If there is a universal designated hitter, I believe it is a certainty the Cardinals will look to bring back Albert Pujols. With Pujols, you’ll have a player beloved by the St. Louis community and Cardinals fanbase. Paul Goldschmidt would have a backup and could flip back and forth between first base and designated hitter with Pujols. Not to mention, a reunion with him and Molina would be a great story.

While I think it’s a certainty, the Cardinals may think otherwise. They have backed off on a Pujols reunion fairly recently. The team must keep their eyes open for other possibilities.

The team does have Juan Yepez and Nolan Gorman waiting in the minor leagues. Each is certain to make a major league debut at some point in 2022.

After the struggles of 2021, the Cardinals must be on the lookout for unique players that are major league ready. Thankfully, the free-agent market has many multi-position players available.

Here are some players the Cardinals should check into prior to 2022 spring training.