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4 Cardinals offseason mistakes so far, and how to fix them

By Miranda Remaklus

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves
Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images) /

Cardinals need middle-infield help

Mozeliak has said Tommy Edman will be the Cardinals’ shortstop. Combining Edman with Gold Glove utility man Brendan Donovan, Paul DeJong, and Nolan Gorman did seem to work last season, but there were definite consistency issues with DeJong and Gorman. It would be ideal to sign a top-tier middle infielder, such as free agent Dansby Swanson so the team would have a top-tier infielder to pair with Edman.

The team could move Edman back to second base, where he won a Gold Glove in 2021.

Swanson fills the need for speed and another bat in the lineup and would complement an already stout infield defense. In his 2022 season with the Atlanta Braves, Swanson hit .277/.329/.447 with a BABIP of .348. He had 25 home runs, 99 runs, 96 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.

Defensively, Swanson had nine defensive runs saved in 2022 for the Braves.

Signing Swanson would also open up trade options to bolster the lineup, bench, and pitching staff. However, Dansby would be an expensive fit. Even if they look elsewhere, middle-infield depth should be a priority for Mozeliak.

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