Yesterday, I blogged about how Matt Adams' hamstring tear, and the possibility of him missing the whole season, put a definite crimp in the Cards' batting, and noting that Mark Reynolds, signed to a one-year free agent contract in the offseason, isn't much better.
This one is in fair degree an onus on one player, plus GM John Mozeliak.
The player? Tony Cruz.
By the end of 2013, before Yadier Molina's 2014 thumb injury, it was clear that, even as a backup only, Tony Cruz wasn't ideal, or even that close to it.
And, even though Adams had shown improvement in 2013 from 2012, it still looked like he could stand to be platooned, at least against tougher lefties, since he did exactly that in 2013, and regressed in 2014.
Mo had the 2013-14 offseason, a full year before this past one, to look for a decent catcher-first base combo, whether by trade or free agency.
Like Wil Rosario. I wouldn't have gone higher up the ladder than him, whether in trade or free agency, but I would have gone that high.
If someone like Rosario was available as a free agent, spending $6-7 million on him rather than the $2 million on Reynolds, would have been smart indeed. Mo, you did sign Jhonny Peralta, but other than that, the crowbar hasn't gone into the free agent market for anything above the scraps level for some time. Brayan Pena would have fit the bill perfectly. And cost less than Mo is paying for Reynolds.
So, though Mo has been willing to gamble at times, like on the Jason Heyward/Jordan Walden for Shelby Miller trade, or on the Peralta FA move, at other times, with this an obvious one, he's just missed the boat.
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