Monday, January 28, 2013
Cards in search of infield depth
By Jason Catania
The St. Louis Cardinals have lots of uncertainty in the middle of their infield, so they're looking for all the help they can get.
Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the club may bring in veteran shortstop Ronny Cedeno to provide depth in case regular starter Rafael Furcal, who suffered a torn elbow ligament near the end of 2012, isn't ready to play full-time at the start of the season.
Cedeno hit .259 in a part-time role with the New York Mets last year. He's known much more for his defensive prowess than his bat.
The Cards' current backup is Pete Kozma, the team's 2007 first-rounder who had never seen much success in his minor league career before an unexpectedly solid showing last September -- he hit .333 with 10 extra-base hits over 72 at-bats -- while filling in for Furcal.
Cedeno primarily has played short in his career, but it's also possible that he could see some action at second base, which is nearly just as unsettled, as Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter are expected to vie for the regular job.
