Rather than digging deep to address one position, the Cardinals chose to become deeper across their infield Friday by committing their final roster spot and a one-year, $750,000 deal to veteran switch-hitter Nick Punto.
Punto, 33, offers a defensive safety net at three of four infield positions as the Cardinals again hope to receive regular playing time from oft-injured third baseman David Freese, recently acquired shortstop Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker, a converted outfielder returning for his third season at second base.
"Acquiring Punto helps us in a number of ways," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said shortly after the club confirmed the deal. "We look forward to a full season from David Freese but recognize that he's dealt with injury issues the past seasons. Nick gives us a veteran option, if needed. He's also proven to be a much-better-than-average defensive player at short and second base."
Punto spent at least pieces of the past seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, who anointed him their primary third baseman in 2006 and 2007. The Twins retained Punto after the 2008 season by signing him to a two-year, $8 million contract. Punto appeared mostly as a middle infielder in 2009 and mostly at third base last season. Punto has played a combined 6,067 major-league innings with his time almost equally divided among third base (2,133), shortstop (2,033) and second base (1,849). He has had minimal exposure in the outfield.
Offensively, Punto offers little pop. He has never achieved a .400 slugging percentage and is a career .244 hitter despite producing a .290 average in 2006 and a .284 mark in 2008. Punto ranked second in the American League in sacrifice hits in 2006 and 2009 — a nuance that escaped the Cardinals for much of last season.
The Cardinals had approached Punto last month but waited for his market value to drift before moving more aggressively this week. Punto joins starting pitcher Jake Westbrook, outfielder Lance Berkman, projected backup catcher Brian Tallet, catcher Gerald Laird and starting pitcher Brian Augenstein as the team's free-agent additions to the major-league roster.
Friday's move pushes the Cardinals' major-league roster to its 40-man limit, meaning any further addition must be accompanied by a subtraction.
Punto's offensive and salary profiles somewhat resemble that of Aaron Miles, whom the Cardinals re-acquired last season but showed little interest in retaining this winter. Punto, however, remains much more strikeout-prone than Miles, leaving the club to announce that Punto enjoyed a .294 average when putting balls in play. (He hit .238 overall.) The club as well described Punto as "gritty." Slowed by hamstring problems last summer, Punto had averaged more than 15 steals the previous five seasons. The switch-hitter's splits are consistent from both sides, though he has appeared much more often in his career as a lefthanded bat.
Defensively, Punto is rated superior to Miles, who appeared in 61 games for the Cardinals last summer, 50 of them at second base.
Injuries to Freese have exposed the Cardinals at third base the past two years. While Punto wasn't acquired as a potential starter, he does afford manager Tony La Russa much more late-inning flexibility. Punto last season became the first third baseman since Wayne Garrett of the 1977 Montreal Expos to handle more than 100 chances at the position without committing an error.
The Cardinals also have advertised Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso as potential depth at third base with Tyler Greene competing for a role as middle infield depth. Punto's presence would appear to complicate that equation for at least one candidate, most likely Descalso.
