The Definitive Blueprint for a Successful St. Louis Cardinals Offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals enter the offseason having just missed an opportunity at another World Series. Their offseason got off to a tragic start with the sudden death of young outfielder Oscar Taveras. Now, general manager John Mozeliak and his front office must go to work to ensure that 2015 will be an improvement over the recent season.

The hard thing with a team that plays very well but falls just short is finding the places to improve. While it is easy to assume that the team needs better power numbers or that it could use another bullpen arm, it is not always easy to determine which players should be replaced.

The Cardinals are a talented team with talented players at almost every position. There are a few places they could improve. Here is a three-step approach to a successful offseason for Mozeliak and Crew.

Statistics in the following slides come from Baseball-Reference.com.

Step 1: Confidence in the Outfield

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The death of Oscar Taveras leaves the Cardinals with a missing piece to their franchise, both in 2015 and well beyond. While it creates an obvious need for an outfielder, it casts a light on the players on the roster even more.

Mozeliak shared his thoughts on the right field situation with many reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, earlier in the offseason.

Goold noted that Mozeliak anticipated Taveras and Randal Grichuk to compete for the starting right field position for 2015. While Taveras has consistently been considered the outfielder of the future in St. Louis, it was obvious that the team was not ready to anoint the young man as the outfielder of right now.

It showed a lack of confidence in Taveras, but it showed the same for Grichuk. The young outfielder, who was obtained in last offseason's trade that sent David Freese to the Anaheim Angels, has shown moments of offensive production and an impressive defensive ability. That said, the consistency is still not there.

There are prospects who are close to making the major league jump into St. Louis. Stephen Piscotty comes to mind as does Tommy Pham. Both would be a slight risk and would likely leave the team feeling a bit less confident in the outfield as a whole.

If the team wants to make a splash, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that the Colorado Rockies are willing to entertain offers on Carlos Gonzalez. The two teams seemed to be a good fit last year for Troy Tulowitzki and seem to match up well now for Gonzalez. That may be more than what the Cardinals are looking for, but it is intriguing nonetheless.

Though the signing did not work out quite like the team had hoped, last year's addition of Mark Ellis is a good blueprint for what needs to be done here. The veteran was brought in to ensure that there was a fallback option if Kolten Wong was not ready for the everyday grind at second base.

Be it via trade, free agency or the international market, Mozeliak will likely look for the same type of insurance policy for right field in 2015.

Veteran sports reporter Rob Rains, via his own website, points out a potential match for the Cardinals in Yasmany Tomas from Cuba. He would come with a steep price tag but would certainly solve the issue of another option in right field in 2015 and be a player to be depended on well into the future.

Either way, the team needs confidence in the outfield as step one of its blueprint to building the 2015 roster.

Step 2: Solidify the Bench

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Once the outfield is set and the team knows who will be patrolling right field in 2015, Mozeliak will need to turn his attention to one of the largest weaknesses in recent memory. The Cardinals need bench players who can produce.

Tom Knuppel of CardinalsGM.com presented that exact question to the United Cardinal Bloggers on the second day of the fall roundtable discussions. There are a lot of similar thoughts shared by many of the bloggers. It gives a good snapshot of what the fanbase is currently thinking.

Tony Cruz is one of the most interesting pieces. The team seems confident in his abilities, but when Yadier Molina suffered an injury last season, the bulk of that playing time went to A.J. Pierzynski, who was offered a contract after Molina went down.

It causes some concern that the Cardinals may feel the need to replace Cruz going into 2015. The backup-catcher market is thin in free agency but does feature Geovany Soto, who would be an upgrade over Cruz. 

Beyond Cruz, the team will likely keep either Stephen Piscotty or Randal Grichuk on the bench, depending on who is starting in right field. The Cardinals will need at least one other outfielder for the bench and will likely look outside of the organization for that. While Tommy Pham may offer an internal option, he is hardly an upgrade to the power shortage that exists on the Cardinals' bench today.

The infield is obviously the easiest to upgrade offensively. Backups Daniel Descalso, Mark Ellis and Pete Kozma do not offer much in the way of offensive production. Descalso seems to desire a larger role based on his recent statements to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He is arbitration-eligible, which means that the team has the right to retain him despite his desires. Kozma is a player who is not arbitration-eligible but is also out of options. He will either need to stay in St. Louis, or the team will have to offer him the chance to leave.

There are a few options out there in free agency. Guys like Kelly Johnson, Rickie Weeks and Mike Morse all are intriguing options that could fill many needs. They come with a veteran leadership, a proven ability to produce in part-time roles and a bit more "pop" than the current bunch of reserves. They will likely also carry a significant price tag for the limited role they will play.

Still, rebuilding the bench can go a long way to improving the Cardinals going into 2015—though improving the bench will no doubt come at a price increase.

Step 3: A Lefty in the Bullpen

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a piece about the Cardinals' desire to find a new lefty in the bullpen. It was Derrick Goold, via his Facebook page, who first brought attention to one specific name: Andrew Miller. It is interesting that Hummel notes in his article that Miller may be too expensive for the Cardinals, but he does acknowledge hearing the name.

It is another need for the Cardinals that comes with a very short supply on the free-agent market. They will look to solidify the left-handed side of the bullpen during the offseason as the final step in their blueprint.

Miller is the obvious choice of the free-agent class. The tall lefty stands 6'7" and has been dominant of late. He boasts a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) below one and struck out 103 batters in just over 62 innings pitched in 2014. He is the power arm who can change the dynamic of a bullpen, and that is what St. Louis desires.

If not Miller, the choices get much less attractive. Zach Duke, formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, seems to be a name floating around various spaces when talking about the Cardinals vacancy. He would come at a much more affordable rate but also with much less of a pedigree about him.

Finding a lefty who can help the bullpen is the final piece in a complex puzzle for John Mozeliak this offseason. If he follows through with these three steps—finding an outfielder he can be confident in, solidifying the bench and finding a lefty for the bullpen—he can consider this offseason a success.

Seeing how those new pieces play on the field with the established team is another story altogether.

Bill Ivie is the founder of i70baseball.

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