Cardinals rumors: St. Louis not pursuing shortstop

While the St. Louis Cardinals projected regular at shortstop, Rafael Furcal, requires Tommy John surgery that will sideline him for six to eight months, general manager John Mozeliak told reporters, including B.J. Rains of MLB Trade Rumors, that he doesn't expect to look outside the organization to fill the void, for the time being.

"From the immediate standpoint" Mozeliak believes the Cardinals are OK. He added that in the "short-term" St. Louis feels "comfortable" where it's at and with its current options. Still, Mozeliak did admit that if the season progresses and he doesn't "feel that things are going as we hoped" he could explore "other options."

That leaves the Cardinals with Pete Kozma as their projected Opening Day shortstop, with Ronny Cedeno and Daniel Descalso filling reserve roles. Kozma was solid during a brief stint with St. Louis last season, hitting .333/.383/.569 with 10 extra-base hits in 82 plate appearances. But it's an extremely small sample, and the 24-year-old only hit .236/.308/.344 over six seasons in the minors.

If the Cardinals do explore outside options, Mozeliak believes they'll have better luck on the trade market than free agency. However, he did note that this could change later in the spring as out-of-option players and others at risk of not claiming a roster spot on their current club become available.