St. Louis Cardinals do's and don'ts this off season

After yet another World Series appearance, the St. Louis Cardinals go into this off season with a few things that need to be done to assure continued success. Don't get me wrong, it's not as though a complete overhaul is needed, just a few tweaks could make this team stronger. I've broken it down to do's and don'ts.

DO's:

1) Make a decision whether or not Oscar Taveras can play CF at the major league level.
2) Decide if David Freese is going to remain the Cardinal third baseman. Decide if Kolten Wong is ready to take over 2nd base.
3) Straighten out the anemic bench situation.
4) Solve the issue at shortstop.

Alright...lets take this one at a time. The Taveras issue. In my opinion, the team needs to find out real quick if Taveras is able to play CF. If so, great, then the organization can tell Beltran thanks for a productive 2 seasons, and good luck as a DH in the American league. Allen Craig then can be the everyday RF with Matt Adams taking over 1B.

Next...actually, 2 of the next 3 issues are intertwined. If the team feels Wong is ready to play 2nd on an everyday basis, then you plug him in, move Matt Carpenter to 3rd, and package Freese with a pitcher, and get a SS. Finally, the bench situation. C'mon, the "hitters" off the bench were some of the worst guys I've seen in uniform in years. Go out, and find a player or two that actually has the capability to DRIVE the ball. Stephen Drew of the Red Sox comes to mind.

DON'TS:

1) Give in and sign Carlos Beltran to any deal longer than 1 year.
2) Even consider trading one of the team's power arms and a prospect to the Cubs for Starlin Castro.
3) Play Yadier Molina so many games in a row!

If there is any doubt about Taveras being able to handle CF, look at signing Jacoby Ellsbury and put Taveras in RF. The time has come for Taveras to play everyday. Besides, having a leadoff hitter with base-stealing ability like Ellsbury wouldn't be all that bad, now would it?
Concerning Molina, either play Cruz more, or find a backup that the team feels comfortable with. We saw what happened last season when Molina plays game after game after game...you get the drift.

This team has so much going for it. Great young arms, the best catcher in baseball, a newly discovered star in Matt Capenter, a future one in Oscar Taveras, and a minor league system second to none. Oh, and 47 million dollars coming off the books for 2014. Good times are around to stay Cardinal fans.