The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired infielder Jedd Gyorko and cash from the Padres for outfielder Jon Jay, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015.
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Gyorko burst on to the scene in 2013, when as a rookie rookie he slashed.249/.301/.444 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 games for the Padres. He hit just.210/.280/.333 for an atrocious 77 wRC+ in 443 plate appearances. The move accomplishes one of the Cardinals’ stated goals and now it will be up to Mike Matheny to deploy Gyorko appropriately next season.
The Cardinals expect to use Gyorko, 26, as a super-utility player, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told ESPN’s Jim Bowden. He hit 16 home runs, and he was successful against lefthanded pitching – a skill the Cardinals are seeking so they can pair with Kolten Wong at second base.
Gyorko (pronounced JERK-oh) has started 296 games at second base in his career, but this past season he started for San Diego at shortstop. What could end up happening in St. Louis is an extremely effective platoon. 248 with only four long balls against left-handed pitchers.
For next season, Gyorko’s $4 million salary is actually less than the $6.225 Jon Jay is scheduled to make this season.
For the fourth-year pro, the best thing that the St. Louis Cardinals will offer him is simply the fact that he doesn’t have to put added pressure on himself in the lineup. While he’s not much of a power threat (he hit a total of 28 homers over that span), he does boast an above average career strikeout rate (15.7 percent) and is viewed as a capable defender in center field (career 3.5 UZR/150).
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