The St. Louis Cardinals have signed infielder Alex Cora to a minor league deal, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jesse Sanchez of mlb.com reported the two sides were close on Saturday.

Goold notes that Cora gives the club a bit of depth at middle infielder and could compete for a utility spot on the roster:

• Cardinals sign veteran infielder Alex Cora - Derrick Goold | St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  "The Cardinals had been looking for a veteran to put alongside Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso at spring training this winter. Both will be competing for playing time at second base, with Greene also looking to seize a role on the bench as a backup to starting shortstop Rafael Furcal."
• Cardinals, Alex Cora to Sign Minor League Deal - MLB Daily Dish
  If you're into player value, sabermetrics, or you have a pulse, note that Cora is more or less the definition of a replacement player -- he's just had a long career doing exactly that. While he has hurt his career value over the past few seasons, he is still right around 1 win above replacement for his career. He just made $15 million over his career doing it, that's all.