The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker. The Dodgers have also reported that their shortstop, Dee Gordon, is available for trade.
With the limited amount of time that Schumaker played down the stretch in 2012 for the Cardinals, and the team’s desperate need for a shortstop, it appears that this trade could very well happen.
In 87 games last year, Gordon struggled for the Dodgers. He hit only .228 and had an on-base percentage of only .280. Gordon’s WAR was also an abysmal -1.3. Defensively, Gordon was not very good either. He made 18 errors at the shortstop position and had a DWAR of -1.1.
It was really a rough second year for Gordon in Los Angeles.
With all these awful stats, though, why would the Cardinals be interested in acquiring Gordon?
First off, the price is not too high. The Dodgers appear ready to be done with Dee Gordon, and the Cardinals may be able to trade away a 32-year-old player who is in the last year of his contract for a player who is 24 years old and is just beginning his career.
Secondly, Gordon has good offensive potential. In his first year in Los Angeles, Gordon hit for a .304 average in 56 games with the Dodgers and had an on-base percentage of .325. He is also a massive threat on the bases, having stolen 56 bags in only 143 major league games.
Sure, Gordon was terrible last year, but he was put under a lot of pressure from the start of the year. The expectations were fairly high for the second-year player, and he buckled under them early in the season and never quite recovered. The expectations will, of course, be very high in St. Louis as well, but the fans and media tend to be a little more compassionate in St. Louis than they are in Los Angeles.
Finally, Gordon has the potential to be not just a good shortstop, but a great one. The Cardinals have very good fielding coaches who can work with Gordon. Not to mention that Rafael Furcal can help him while Furcal is still in a St. Louis uniform. It was already mentioned that Gordon has tremendous speed, which is a huge key for shortstops. If he can combine that speed with a strong fielding ability, he could become a great shortstop for the Cardinals.
Skip Schumaker has done some great things with the Cardinals, but he is not likely to get much playing time with the team this year and would be an unlikely candidate to re-sign as a free agent next offseason. The Dodgers are interested in Schumaker, and they have a player the Cardinals could turn into a star.
It is obvious what needs to be done.
Dee Gordon needs to be brought to St. Louis.
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