The year was 2014, the St. Louis Cardinals were coming off of a National League pennant and a World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox, the team was also looking into dipping their toe into the Cuban free agent waters. As a intriguing young shortstop by the name of Aledmys Diaz was available and the Cardinals had just signed an aging shortstop to a four year deal, that was Jhonny Peralta.
The Cardinals took the flier on the young shortstop from Cuba, and the prospect languished in his first season in the Cardinals’ system, finding himself on the DL multiple times and having a hard time adjusting to playing ball in the United States for the first time.