Cardinals: Signing this player would be a huge mistake for St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals have money to spend this offseason if they so choose, but investing in this shortstop would come back to bite them.

The St. Louis Cardinals are fresh off another disappointing postseason exit where their starting lineup just could not produce the runs needed to beat the best teams in the National League. Many expect, or at least hope, that the Cardinals will improve their offense going into 2023, and one of the best crop of hitters in this year’s free agency is at shortstop.

While the Cardinals do not have a glaring need at shortstop, it is one of the positions they could target to add a big bat to their lineup. Names like Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa all stand out as huge additions to St. Louis and great “third bats” to add to Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Still, there is one name on the market that St. Louis has to stay away from.

Dansby Swanson.

Swanson, who was drafted number one overall in the 2015 MLB Draft, has emerged as a core piece of the Atlanta Braves over the last three seasons after starting off his big league career rather quietly. After becoming a World Series champion in 2021 and a first time All-Star in 2022, Swanson’s stock is rising around the league.

On the surface, this seems like the exact kind of player that St. Louis needs in their lineup, but a deeper look at Swanson should cause the club to stay away from him. Here are three different reasons the Cardinals need to stay away from Swanson this offseason, or risk making a huge mistake.