Paul Goldschmidt is campaigning for the Cardinals to sign his former teammate

The concern behind Tommy Edman's wrist injury was downplayed at Winter Warm-Up and at the start of Spring Training, but the possibility that he isn't ready for Opening Day remains quite real. As the starting center fielder and the backup shortstop to Masyn Winn, Edman is one of the most important players on the St. Louis Cardinals' roster, and losing him to start the season would be quite an unfortunate blow.

Replacing Edman in center field will be quite easy, as Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson can both play the position well, with Brendan Donovan or Alec Burleson available to fill the empty corner, but replacing Edman as the backup shortstop will not be as easy. Brendan Donovan can play a bit of shortstop but it's one of his weaker positions and he'll probably be needed elsewhere should Masyn Winn underperform at Spring Training or be unavailable due to injury.

In a report by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Paul Goldschmidt would "love" for his former Diamondbacks teammate Nick Ahmed to join the Cardinals. As a premier defender at shortstop and a positive clubhouse personality, Ahmed could fill Edman's shoes should he open the season on the IL. It's no secret the Cardinals are trying to fill the roster with many veteran voices to guide the younger players after the 2023 disaster, so he'd fit well in that role as well.

While Ahmed's defense is great, his bat leaves much to be desired. He was released from the Diamondbacks before their wild Postseason run after recording just a 53 OPS+ in 72 games played. And at age 34, it's not likely his bat will have a resurgence. However, if Ahmed can step up as yet another veteran leader and steady the ship until Edman's return, it may just be worth the flyer.