Cards Sign Izturis

[love_that_reefer]

Cardinals agreed to terms with shortstop Cesar Izturis, who had been with the Pirates, on a one-year contract.
The Cards go from World Series winners to sub-.500 team and their response is a clear downgrade at shortstop? Izturis isn't necessarily guaranteed of playing regularly in David Eckstein's place, but it looks like the Cards would prefer to spend their money on pitching. Izturis hit .258/.302/.315 in 314 at-bats for the Cubs and Pirates last season. He's at .259/.295/.334 in his career. Also, he's not quite what he once was defensively, though he's still clearly above average. Ideally, he'd be a reserve on a contender.

Hopefully the Cards are done looking for a SS. Tejada is still an option as is Wilson.

[catman]

Izturis can play 2B, 3B or SS, and should settle in as the Cardinals SS for the short term. I agree they down-graded at the position. Pete Kozma is a couple of seasons from contributing for them and my guess is that Eckstein wanted a longer term deal than that. They are willing to settle for less than they had until Kozma is ready.