The Cardinals' shortstop depth chart after Furcal is this: Pete Kozma-Ryan Jackson-Greg Garcia. Kozma and Jackson are the nearest to the majors, having already been there the past season. You all know Kozma finished the year as the Cardinals' starting shortstop in the postseason. Garcia could be the starter at shortstop in Class AAA this coming year depending on how the position shakes out ahead of him. With Kozma and Jackson, the question is going to be offense. They both have fine gloves. Kozma has a true arm. Jackson is well-regarded by scouts for his defensive play, though he doesn't have the swiftest feet and he clearly ran into a lack of playing time last year that caused him to vanish from playing time. Will they hit enough to play? Will they hit consistently enough to play the position? There is a reason why among the needs the Cardinals are said to have is shortstop. It's not for 2013. It's because they're looking ahead to see if a better option, an upgrade, presents itself.

Skip Schumaker did not ask for a trade. He and the Cardinals have made it clear that a trade may be best for all parties. Schumaker has told the Cardinals that he would be open to a trade. He doesn't have a no-trade clause, but he does have an interest in finding playing time somewhere, somehow, and the Cardinals have not given anyone the indication that playing time will be available with them. Schumaker's lack of games at the end was ... mystifying. Mike Matheny clearly stuck with a lineup there during the push and it happened that Daniel Descalso was the second baseman when the Cardinals got hot. I'm not saying that timing was all Descalso had in his favor. He's the better glove. So on. But the Schumaker Situation was a curious one. The team knew it. The media asked about it. Schumaker recognized it. His teammates wondered. Etc. The Cardinals will explore trading Schumaker if there is a "mutually beneficial deal." That means one that will give Schumaker a chance with another team and get the return that the Cardinals believe they should for a utility player under his contract for 2013.

Two Wainwright questions at once here. I handcuffed them together, because they are essentially asking the same thing. Hope you don't mind. I was told yesterday that there have been no substantive talks with Wainwright or his rep about an extension. Come back in from the window sill. Don't drive off to the nearest bridge. The Cardinals remain interested in making a play for Wainwright long term this winter and perhaps into spring training, like they did with Yadier Molina last year, Albert Pujols years ago, and even Wainwright a couple springs back. The question that I've posed is this: If they wait doesn't Greinke potentially skew the market? It has been presented to me that even though Greinke and Wainwright are similar pitchers, Greinke is younger and moreover he's reaching free agency about four years younger than Wainwright would be at free agency. To some that changes the equation and puts Wainwright in a different field. We'll see. However it works out, Wainwright could be bargaining for the biggest contract for a pitcher the Cardinals have ever signed. They do, as executives like to say around the Cardinals, do what they can to sign players they already have -- even at a high cost.

The short answer is this: going organic. They've got their urban garden of minor-league talent and they're going to cultivate the heck out of it. And then they're going to spend their payroll on keeping the homegrown players in place. That's the business model.