I have to question what took the Cardinals so long to decide that Glaus would need surgery to clean out his shoulder. This new surgery has a three month time table and pushes his return into April and he probably won't be ready until May at best.
I understand that his first notification "several weeks ago" was not deemed serious, but with the health history of a Troy Glaus you would think the team would always assume the worst with him. If addressed even as late as January 1st he would be projected to be back at opening day with maybe a few extra days in extended spring to get in shape.
The speculation is the Cardinals will look at outside sources with Craig Counsells name already being mentioned. I mention this as Counsell had a .226 average last year and a HR/FB of 1.6%. I would expect that one of their younger players get a shot including David Freese and Brett Wallace. Wallace was a 2008 draft pick and has limited pro experience although he has a lot of power potential. David Freese seems like a much better option as he showed great skills in AAA last year with 26 homers, 5 steals and a .306 batting average.
It will depend who excels in spring training, but David Freese makes the most sense for a short fill in. Minor League Ball rates him a C+ with spotty plate discipline, but a power bat and good glove at third.
