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From Honus Wagner to A-Rod, shortstop has always been a position that was tough to find greats at. Let's take a look at some of the buzz today surrounding the position.
(INSERT SHORTSTOP HERE) to Cardinals rumor
The Cardinals are a really good team. The Cardinals have a lot of depth, but they do not have a good shortstop. Elvis Andrus is a really good shortstop, and the Rangers could use some of the Cardinals players in a hypothetical trade. The speculated-trade here is the Cardinals (shocker) trading for Elvis Andrus.
I see why this is tossed about, and it certainly is interesting for both sides, but I think St Louis should sit pretty with what they have. Not many teams have the kind of depth that they have, and if they mortgage that for Andrus and a few players go down, they could all of a sudden have not-so-much depth. Call me conservative I suppose.
Derek Jeter to try and play shortstop on Wednesday
Not like he could play it well before he got hurt anyway.
All kidding aside, this is great news for a Yankees team that could use some good injury news for a change. Jeter could provide a steady bat and a calm presence for a team that will have a lot of turmoil at least to start the year. It will be crucial that he is decent-enough at shortstop to allow his bat to be as valuable as it is.
Jeter is still a super-productive player, and he can slide into the leadoff hole and put up high OBPs and run the bases with some sort on an efficiency. This will help set the table for guys like Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano, both of whom will be playing a big role for the Yankees early on.
McDonald for sale?
For teams looking for cheap solutions at shortstop, John McDonald is reportedly on the block. The slick-fielding shortstop does not provide much with the bat, but for a team like St Lous he could provide good depth in case the young solutions aren't yet ready for the big show.
The Diamondbacks will likely go with recently-acquired Cliff Pennington at shortstop, with youngster Didi Gregorius getting some seasoning in Triple-A to start the year.
