Cardinals Trade For Needed Middle Infield Depth

Though the Cardinals were able to mask it with a wealth of outfield talent and the usual parade of young power pitchers, the organization had a soft spot on the minor league depth chart—smack in the middle of the infield.

They addressed it with one move at the Winter Meetings.

After trading four prospects—including righthander Sandy Alcantara and outfielder Magneuris Sierra who both ranked in the top 10—to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna, the Cardinals had another extra outfielder to deal and did so by sending Stephen Piscotty home to Oakland. The 2012 supplemental first-round pick from Stanford hails from the Bay Area.

In return the Cardinals received two needed middle infielders: shortstop Yairo Munoz and second baseman Max Schrock. Both will be 23 in 2018, and both immediately become the team’s top infield prospects in the high minors.

Munoz, who signed with the A’s out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, had to be added to the 40-man roster but represents an immediate replacement for the traded Aledmys Diaz. In 112 games at Double-A and Triple-A in 2017, Munoz hit .300/.330/.464 with 13 home runs and 22 stolen bases. He brings a plus arm and good hands to shortstop, third base or second base, and his speed fits the baserunning profile the Cardinals are trying to enhance.

“Both guys are sort of interesting,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “Munoz gives us a lot of defensive protection. When you look at where we were in the middle infield . . . and now being able to have him come in—it does a lot for us.”

The 5-foot-8 Schrock, a 13th-round pick by the Nationals in 2015 from South Carolina, becomes perhaps the system’s top pure hitter. The lefthanded batter hit .321/.379/.422 with six homers in 106 games at Double-A Midland in 2017 and ranked fourth in the Texas League batting race, third in on-base percentage and first in lowest strikeout rate.

The field staff at the Cardinals’ TL affiliate in Springfield raved about Schrock, who will rotate between second and third base.

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