As the annual Winter Warm-up commenced in downtown St. Louis earlier this month, Cardinals fans and players had their first meet and greet of the year. For newcomers like Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller, it was their first taste of what many have called "Baseball Heaven." For a guy like Dexter Fowler, who missed the event the past two occasions, it was satisfaction acquired at last.
Jedd Gyorko couldn't make the Warm-up due to a winter storm making its way through the country, and I found it to be ironic, because this is the utility infielder's last guaranteed season as a Cardinal.
There's a $13 million option for the 2020 season, but there's also little guarantee the team will pick it up.
For the first time since he was acquired from the San Diego Padres in a package including Jon Jay heading out west, there's actual doubt over Gyorko's role heading into the season.
With the true defensive emergence of Kolten Wong and the breakout of Paul DeJong last season, and the arrival of Goldschmidt, Gyorko doesn't have 100 games on the schedule that purely belong to him.
We aren't talking about a fate of the world type player for a team here.
For a guy who has never played more than 128 games in a season or taken over 500 at-bats, finding at-bats for Gyorko has never been hard. He's a solid defender with some pop in his bat, smashing 50 home runs in his first two seasons in St. Louis.
However, the power wasn't there in 2018.
Gyorko's 11 homers were his lowest total in four seasons, and his .416 slugging percentage was a stiff drop from the .495 mark he posted in 2016. The glove didn't find new holes, even with the ten errors committed.
For the first time during his time in St. Louis, Gyorko didn't do one thing particularly great.
The on-base percentage of .346 was nice, but every other stat reading registered as non-prolific. Gyorko didn't make a huge difference, and with the arrival of Yairo Munoz and his sharp bat, his playing time decreased.
Injuries once again played a part. Gyorko suffered from an illness in July before encountering groin troubles in August and September. After a subpar first half, his power numbers found some lift in July, but by the end of the year, he couldn't find any real traction.
All of this begs a question: Should the Cardinals find a trade partner for Gyorko as spring training reporting lies just weeks away?
The bench can use another left-handed bat and the bullpen wouldn't mind another asset with pending injury concerns surrounding Luke Gregerson.
With a possible decreased role and impending departure lying close ahead, should the Cardinals cut Gyorko loose?
Before I answer that question, let's look at the money situation.
Gyorko has been a bargain since he arrived in St. Louis, making a total of $19 million in his three seasons. Here's the interesting part. San Diego has paid $4.5 million of the $19 million owed to Gyorko as part of the trade. When he collects $13 million in 2019, San Diego will cut a $5 million check for Bill DeWitt Jr. and company. At the most, he will make $8 million this season. Next winter, he becomes a free agent with a $13 million option (with a $1 million dollar buyout) resting between him and the Cardinals.
What has Gyorko produced, WAR wise, over the past few seasons?
Again, he's a bargain when it comes to production and cost. Gyorko's fWAR over the past three seasons goes like this: 2.2, 2.5, and 1.4. If the sabermetric crowd is accurate in their assessment that 1 fWAR equals $8 million in salary, this guy has been a secret jewel for the team. For $14.5 million, Gyorko has supplied the team with a fWAR of 6.1, which would translate to nearly $50 million.
My take? Keep him around. Unless another team makes you a great offer, it's best to retain a viable asset.
If Gyorko performs even slightly better than he did in 2018, he will be a good asset. Gyorko has more power than Munoz and plays better overall defense. Both are right-handed and have their own virtues, but Gyorko has experience and can move around without costing you outs and runs.
Are you going to find another bench bat that gives you more than Gyorko for a similar amount of cash? Maybe, but there's no guarantee.
The bullpen is stocked with plenty of reliable long arms and short burst limbs to protect against injury.
The Cardinals should protect Gyorko the same way they protected Jose Martinez this offseason.
Trade him if there is a valuable asset coming back in return, not just because he doesn't fit into your starting lineup at the moment. If DeJong or Wong goes down, which is bound to happen, Gyorko should arguably be the first one in. He can be a secret weapon.
If he starts the year with some aplomb, there could be some credence for a trade in July. At $8 million coming off the Cardinals' side of the books, Gyorko shouldn't be let go for anything.
I think there's still something left there to give.
Gyorko missed the Winter Warm-up due to a storm. It's possible he could still bring one with him to the field in 2019.
