So Albert Pujols is gone. Just thought I’d point that out, and truthfully, the Cardinals seem like they are better off without him. That’s partly because they pinch themselves every day for not spending north of 200 million on him. But also because they have a solid, if not very good, 3-6 spots in the batting order. Those spots are filled by Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Postseason Hero David Freese and the last one used to be Lance Berkman’s.

Now, Berkman might have torn his ACL. He might not have. He’s getting another opinion. The point here is that he’s probably going to be out for a very long time.

So who do the Cardinals turn to until the Big Puma comes back?

Kevin Youkilis seems like a really good fit. He can start at first while Berkman is out and also occasionally shift to third to give Freese the day off. He also gives St. Louis another high quality bat to pair with the other three hitters previously mentioned. Plus, given Boston’s apparent desire to move him, it would make sense.

Justin Morneau is another guy who I think could, and should, be moved. Minnesota needs all the pieces it can get to solve their puzzle. Which I might add is still sealed in the box. They need pieces, and Morneau is one of the few guys on the roster who can get those kinds of pieces.

Bryan LaHair is a huge long shot. The Cubs aren’t going to deal him in division. Though I do think the Cubs should sell high on him at some point to make room for Anthony Rizzo.

Mark Trumbo or Kendrys Morales are dark horse candidates should the Angels choose to move forward without one of the two.

Recently demoted Gaby Sanchez is a low buy option if he struggles whenever Miami calls him up. Hence he’d be out of their long term plans, yadda yadda yadda.

The point is there are options for the Cardinals. I haven’t even mentioned the in-house guys, but they are there. Look for this thing to be resolved in one way or another.