Hochman: Upgrade in center on Cards' to-do list

This must be the case if the Birds are going to, if anything, play in the wild card game, and man, it’s sort of depressing to think that the next 360-plus days could all be a build-up to just nine innings.

Maybe the Cards actually can catch the Cubs? (The Cubs’ pitching can’t be that good again, right?) Regardless of how they make it in, if the ’17 Cards are going to be a playoff team in some capacity, it’s pretty obvious they need an upgrade somewhere. Center field makes the most sense, and general manager John Mozeliak addressed as much Wednesday.

Right away, this is not the Cardinals giving up on Randal Grichuk. His new home should be just a couple dozen yards over in left field. The reality is, Grichuk is an average defender, and the Cardinals must get more out of that position’s glove — and maybe even the bat, too.

In center, it’s “What can we do to upgrade in center vs. keeping Grichuk there?” Mozeliak said, when asked to name the biggest domino likely to fall this winter. “And if we don’t find a good solution, we keep Grichuk there and put someone else in left field. For us, it’s really exploring what the trade and free-agent market looks like before we make that determination.

“All of us, from an offensive standpoint, think he can be an All-Star. If we were having this conversation last year, defensively, we were pretty confident he would be an above-average defender. Maybe just the pressures of being that everyday player this year — Mike (Matheny) spoke about some of the younger players getting thrown into the fire, and (Grichuk) was one of them. And so, there is a maturity, growth pattern he needs to follow as well. We still think he is an elite-type talent. We certainly don’t want to give up on him.”

I say, go get Allen Pollock’s son.

Allen Junior, aka A.J., would be a stupendous addition. The Arizona Diamondback returned from injury late in the season, rejoining a catastrophe of a team that thought it could win the Commissioner’s Trophy. Arizona is now hiring a new general manager, but if this person looks to rebuild, the Cards should pounce on Pollock.

Drafted 17th in 2009 — two spots ahead of Cards pick Shelby Miller and seven spots ahead of the Angels’ pick Grichuk — Pollock’s glove is gold. He won such honors in 2015, a season he also played for the National League All-Stars. In ’15 (he played only 12 games in 2016), Pollock hit .315 with a .367 on-base percentage, swiping 39 bases, swatting 20 homers. Baseball-reference.com has a stat called power-speed number, which is described as “the harmonic mean of home runs and stolen bases.” Pollock led the league in that stat.

Arizona’s asking price in a trade is hard to gauge, since we don’t even know who Arizona’s trade-maker will be, but the good news about now, compared to a year ago, is the Cards’ minor-league crop is stronger.

For all the frustration about the big team this season, many minor league squads won titles and developed talent to help fill the gulch seen after the promotion of Stephen Piscotty in 2015.

Pollock turns 29 this winter, is due to make $6.75 million in 2017 and then is an “arbitration year 3” player the following postseason. And with Jose Oquendo probably staying in Florida to work with Cards prospects, Pollock can wear No. 11, the number Pollock has worn his whole career.

“I really feel like when you look at our club,” Mozeliak said, “we’re almost like a station-to-station team, so if there was a way we could inject some athleticism or speed to this team, I think you could forgo a little of that power. … We’ve looked at addressing speed and athleticism and just haven’t been able to come up with that right combination. We’re hoping, when you look at guys like Piscotty, (Kolten) Wong, Grichuk, that they can take that extra base, but when you see what’s out there and see if there’s a way to inject some of that type of talent onto the club, it would be something welcoming.”

It’s fun to suggest and speculate names, and this is the time of year to do so — well actually, in St. Louis, that time is historically a few more weeks into October, but here we are (“First time we had October free for a while,” Mozeliak said).

Chicago’s Dexter Fowler had a $9 million mutual option for 2017, so it’s unlikely he’ll be available, though I don’t think he’s the defensive player St. Louis should want for its vast center field. It’s possible Pittsburgh will trade Andrew McCutchen, but would they trade him to a division rival? The Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon, whose beard alone covers a bunch of ground in center, is a fun name to discuss. And unlike previous seasons, his splits were actually enticing — he hit .335 at the pinball machine that is Coors Field but also .313 on the road. But knowing the Rockies, who finally took a step forward this season with their nucleus, it’s hard to see them dealing him.

Lastly, in the baseball wasteland that is Tampa and its drab dome, there is a jewel hidden in center. Like Pollock, he won the 2015 Gold Glove. And like Pollock, he was injured for much of 2016. But Kevin Kiermaier, who turns 27 in April, fits the profile (and, according to an SB Nation blog, “he’s a fan favorite with his deep blue eyes and show-stopping defense,” so he’s got that going for him). Is he the offensive boost St. Louis needs in center? Probably not. But in this exercise, one wonders if the Cards can make a blockbuster deal with Tampa to get both Kiermaier and, wait for it, Evan Longoria? Now that would be an upgrade at center and third base, where I fear Jhonny Peralta is not the answer for next season (though his contract suggests otherwise).

As for Grichuk, he salvaged his season. After his second demotion to Memphis, he returned Aug. 11, hit a pinch-hit homer and went on to hit .275 in the rest of the year, with 12 homers. His batting average on balls in play in that duration was a preposterous, eye-popping .359.

But perhaps the image that lingers from Grichuk’s return is the botched fly ball — in the ninth inning — that tied last Thursday’s game. Yadier Molina saved the day with his double, but the reason the Cards were batting to begin with was the Grichuk misplay.

No question, Randal made numerous amazing plays in center. But the Cards hope to have someone field the position more like a previous No. 15.