JJ Wetherholt is the star of the show at St. Louis Cardinals camp this spring, as the 23-year-old aims to make the Opening Day roster. Wetherholt is one of the best prospects in the sport and after the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado this offseason, Wetherholt's path to the majors felt crystal clear. The Ramon Urias signing that came about on Saturday might change that slightly.
To be clear, the Urias addition is far from game-changing. He signed a cheap one-year deal with St. Louis, adding depth to their infield. With that being said, Urias signed an MLB deal, making it almost certain that he'll make the team out of spring training. This puts the pressure on Wetherholt and other Cardinals infielders to produce this spring to make the roster.
Why JJ Wetherholt is feeling extra pressure after the Cardinals sign Ramon Urias
Urias is nothing more than a journeyman at this stage of his career. He's coming off a down year that saw him put up a .675 OPS with the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros, and he'd be best used as a platoon player against lefties. With that being said, the Cardinals don't plan on competing this season.
Knowing this, they'd be more than fine starting an underwhelming option like Urias at second base or third base if they think Wetherholt is anything less than 100 percent ready for big league action. Urias is likely to make the team no matter what, but he enters the mix for a starting job, making things a smidge more difficult for Wetherholt.
Wetherholt will almost certainly make the team if he has a good spring, but the Cardinals having a veteran replacement lined up increases the possibility of Wetherholt being sent down if he struggles. This puts even more pressure on Wetherholt, a prospect who hasn't played a single big league inning yet, to have a big spring.
Other Cardinals who must perform to make Opening Day roster
INF Thomas Saggese
Thomas Saggese was once seen as part of the long-term solution in the Cardinals’ infield, but in his 100 games of big league action, he hasn’t done much, as his .250/.292/.336 slash line with just three home runs would indicate. The 23-year-old seemingly had a good shot to make the team, at least in a bench capacity, but Urias makes his path to the bigs much tougher.
The Cardinals suddenly have more big league infield depth in the mix. With Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson and Urias guaranteed spots, there isn’t much room for the likes of Saggese to make the team. This could be his last chance to make an impression in a Cardinals uniform.
INF Jose Fermin
Saggese faces immense pressure, but there might not be a Cardinals infielder under more pressure than Jose Fermin. The 26-year-old played well in limited big league action last season, posting a .786 OPS in 30 games, giving Cardinals fans reason to believe he was on the inside track towards earning a roster spot. Urias obviously makes that less likely.
This stings for Fermin in particular because he’s out of options. This means he either has to make the team, or the Cardinals will have to DFA him. Fermin could latch on elsewhere if he’s claimed, but he’d be outrighted off the 40-man roster if he wasn’t claimed.
He’ll hope to play well enough to avoid waivers altogether. Even if he does play well, though, with Urias guaranteed a spot and other younger guys like Wetherholt and potentially Saggese likely being preferred options, Fermin could be facing an uphill battle to make the team.
1B/3B Blaze Jordan
It was never particularly likely that Blaze Jordan would make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, but Urias makes his path to the bigs even tougher, as he’s an extra body in the team’s infield.
Jordan struggled after getting traded to the Cardinals at the trade deadline, but he had a .920 OPS in Double-A and an .820 OPS in 44 Triple-A games with the Boston Red Sox organization before the deal. He was hitting like a player knocking on the door of being big-league ready.
His slump in Triple-A for the Cardinals eliminated any chance he had of earning his first call-up, but a strong spring could’ve etched his name in the Opening Day roster conversation. Adding another infielder makes it that much tougher for Jordan to make the team, especially as a non-roster invitee.
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