SocraticGadfly: Time is right for #Cardinals to trade Freese in offseason

August 29, 2013

Time is right for #Cardinals to trade Freese in offseason

Now that Kolten Wong has been called up by the St. Louis Cardinals, Redbird fans wonder what this means for the future of 3B  David Freese, since current 2B starter Matt Carpenter is better at third than second, where Wong could start, assuming he makes the grade.

Jon Heyman at CBS has issued an initial ranking of the top 50 MLB free agents for the upcoming year. There's only one third baseman on the list, and that's perhaps using the term loosely. Michael Young is tied for No. 50 on Heyman's list. 

Freese is six years younger, and even with a bit of a slip this year, is still a better power hitter and better overall.

And, of course, we all know what to look for out of that trade — a shortstop!

Pete Kozma is what he is. Ryan Jackson is not the answer; if he were, he wouldn't be in Memphis. Daniel Descalso is not enough much better as a hitter to offset his stone glove. He's a utility player backup, period, and on the glove side, SS is the worst of his three infield positions. Cards fans who think he's the answer need to think again.

If anything's the answer out of Memphis, it's Greg Garcia, anyway, since he's pretty much supplanted Jackson at SS and also is a couple years younger and with a touch more speed, perhaps.

Cards fans, by blog posts, who need to "think again" about either Jackson, Descalso, or both, include this and this among others.

If you're going to link to a site like Baseball-Reference, actually look at the stats before making  comments like these. I understand the frustration with Kozma, but as Lincoln said about replacing Gen. McClellan, you can't replace Kozma with "anybody," you have to replace him with "somebody."

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