Former All-Star Infielder Available; Cardinals Could Take Chance On Him To Bolster Depth

Would it make sense for the Cardinals to take a chance on a former All-Star?

One former All-Star is about to be on the move. 

Former Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs infielder Eric Hosmer was designated for assignment by Chicago on Saturday, according to the club. 

Hosmer at one point in his career was one of if not the best defensive first basemen in all of baseball. The 33-year-old was drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft by Kansas City and made his big league debut with the club in 2011. Hosmer spent the first seven years of his career with the Royals and won five Gold Glove awards, earned one All-Star nod, and helped lead Kansas City to the 2015 World Series. 

The infielder joined the Padres ahead of the 2018 season and remained with the club until he was traded to Boston in 2022. Hosmer signed a one-year deal with the Cubs ahead of the 2023 season after being designated for assignment by Boston and becoming a free agent.

In his career, Hosmer has slashed .276/.335/.427 to go along with 198 home runs and 893 RBIs in 13 seasons. He may not be exactly what he once was, but he certainly still is a very serviceable first baseman. He's still above average defensively and in 2022 slashed .268/.334/.382 to go along with eight home runs and 44 RBIs for San Diego and Boston. Hosmer has struggled to open the season batting .234 in 31 games for Chicago, but it certainly would make sense for another club to take a chance on him to add more depth. 

Now that Hosmer has been designated for assignment by Chicago, teams will have one week to claim him off waivers, although this would require a club to immediately place him on their 40-man roster. Chicago also could trade Hosmer over the next week, or he eventually could be released and become a free agent. Hosmer is a player that the St. Louis Cardinals should look into bringing in to add more depth. 

The Cardinals are set at first base with 2022 Most Valuable Player Paul Goldschmidt, but Hosmer is a 13-year veteran and above-average defensive first baseman who could slot in as a backup. If Goldschmidt ever were to get injured, Hosmer would be the perfect veteran fill-in to keep the team afloat at first base until Goldschmidt were to return. 

Hosmer is just 33 years old and should have some productive years ahead of him. He's a 13-year veteran and World Series champion. The Cardinals are hoping to get there this year -- although they started the season very poorly -- and Hosmer could be the perfect player to add to the mix as a depth piece. 

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