CBS Sports' Danny Knobler is reporting on his blog that St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is placing Troy Glaus' odds of returning to the Cardinals' lineup in 2009 as "50-50." Given that Glaus is currently recovering from surgery on a shoulder that's bothered him on and off for six years and the constant changing of his return timetable, this isn't really surprising news, but I don't suspect that that makes it any easier for the Cardinals to hear. If Glaus can't make it back (and to be fair, a 50-50 chance he doesn't return means that there's a 50-50 chance he does), the Cardinals are going to need more help from someone at third base. Neither Joe Thurston (.224/.336/.364) nor Brian Barden (.259/.315/.414) have been particularly good in Glaus' absence, and Tony La Russa has already chewed up and spit out rookie David Freese, who got 22 miserable at-bats before being demoted back to Triple-A Memphis.
If no one steps things up soon, we might get to see 2008 first-round pick Brett Wallace before the summer is out. Wallace is hitting .295/.395/.440 between Double-A Springfield and Memphis this year and while he hasn't quite flashed the power he showed in his pro debut last summer, there's not any doubt at all that the guy can hit.
Of course, there's significant doubt that La Russa will give significant playing time to a rookie, especially if the Cards are in a pennant race. If that's the case, Mozeliak will likely have to look outside the organization for some kind of help. Adrian Beltre is in a contract year and I'm sure Seattle would be willing to dump his .563 OPS on anyone that will take him. He's a veteran though, and a good fielder at that, and as it starts to look more and more like Glaus might not be back, this could certainly increase the Cardinals' interest in him.
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LaRussa is giving a good bit of playing time to Rasmus, a rookie. Wallace is a defensive liability, but the kid can swing.