2 shortstop trade options the St. Louis Cardinals should consider

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 24: Amed Rosario #1 of the Cleveland Guardians takes a swing in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 24, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 10-2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

If the St. Louis Cardinals decide to move on from Paul DeJong, here are two shortstop options trade options that they should consider.

It has been a rather slow start to the season for St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong. Entering the week, he was hitting .139/.262/.278 with one home run and four RBI. His OPS+ was 57, meaning that he is a well-below average player in his first 12 games.

But as written previously, it is far too early for the Cardinals to give up on DeJong. They invested too much in him, and passed up on too much talent in free agency, to pull the plug on him at shortstop. It will likely take until midseason for the front office and coaching staff to come to that decision.

Let’s say that the Cardinals do move on from DeJong and look to upgrade the shortstop position. Who might they target? In a piece written on Feb. 14, MLB Trade Rumors published a story on 27 players who could be trade candidates following the lockout. And Adalberto Mondesi and Amed Rosario, both veteran shortstops, were listed in the story.

Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals in action in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium on April 15, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Are Mondesi and Rosario good options?

Mondesi, 26, is a very intriguing player. He has a strong combination of power and speed and is relatively athletic at the shortstop position. But he also struggles to stay healthy and strikes out more than teams would prefer. In fact, Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore expressed concern whether or not Mondesi would ever be able to play more than 100 games.

With Bobby Witt Jr. now in the majors, and Whit Merrifield under contract and Nicky Lopez another infield candidate, it could make Mondesi expendable. That said, his numbers entering the week have actually been worse than DeJong, as he is hitting only .136/.174/.136 with zero home runs, two RBI and an OPS+ of -6.

Ouch.

Rosario, 26, was acquired by the Guardians in the Francisco Lindor trade and would be a much better option than DeJong or Mondesi. Last season, he hit .282/.321/.409 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI. This season, he is hitting .250/.300/.304 with zero home runs and five RBI while producing an 82 OPS+, which is slightly below league average.

He is relatively affordable – he’s earning $4.95 million this season – and is signed through 2023. The Guardians have a decent amount of infield depth, so it’s possible that he becomes expendable, and it’s hard to imagine that the price tag will be that expensive to acquire him via trade.

Both options come with positives and negatives. But if the Cardinals do decide to move on from DeJong, pursuing Rosario would be a much more wise decision than pursuing Mondesi. It just remains to be seen if the Guardians make Rosario available.

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If the St. Louis Cardinals decide to move on from Paul DeJong, here are two shortstop options trade options that they should consider.

Are Mondesi and Rosario good options?

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