St. Louis Cardinals: 2018 look ahead, Harrison Bader

Whether or not the St. Louis Cardinals make the postseason this year, there are a lot of questions to be answered when it comes to the roster and its layout for 2018.

As the 2017 season winds down it is important to take a look at the roster and specific players for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018. What will their role be? Will they still be on the team? These are questions that could be asked about nearly every player on the roster today.

This will be the first installment of Looking Ahead, and the first person we will focus on will be Harrison Bader.

Bader, just 23, finally got his chance with the big league club this year. After toiling in the minors for the beginning of the year and seeing others get their shot, Bader’s patience paid off. His promotion made him a household name.

The problem comes into play of what to do with the glut of outfielders already plaguing this team. Dexter Fowler, Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty and Jose Martinez have already staked claim to roster spots throughout this season. Add to that Harrison Bader and another young speedster in Magneuris Sierra, the outfield is a cluster, to put it nicely.

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It is hard to say the direction the Cardinals will take with Bader at this point. Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham have a handle on two of the outfield spots and the plan for the third is a giant question mark. It is unlikely that Bader could slot into right field next year. Considering the desperate need for a big-time bat and right field being a place to slot one (e.g. Marcell Ozuna, Giancarlo Stanton), Bader doesn’t make much sense there.

A fourth outfielder perhaps? Maybe, but doubtful. Jose Martinez, Randal Grichuk, or Stephen Piscotty are all going to be options for that role. More than likely one or two of those players are not on the team next year and a spot could open for Bader to stick with the major league club.

A bench role may not be great for Bader’s development, but his speed would bring an expanded dimension to the team that could be unbelievably beneficial, as we’ve seen.

Could Bader be used as trade bait? As I mentioned earlier, this team has a desperate need for a power bat to go in the middle of the lineup. Free agency will not bring one of those to this team this offseason. So a trade is really the only option.

Bader offers something a lot of teams will be interested in: a seemingly MLB-ready outfielder with game-changing speed and some pop in his bat. A rebuilding team could really use a layer like Bader (*cough* Marlins *cough*). Without a clear path to the majors, this may be the most realistic option for the Cardinals when it comes to this young prospect.

Next: Fair to look ahead?

Clearly the team has questions to answer when it comes to many of their players. Bader may not be at the top of the list but he can’t be forgotten. His talent is undeniable and no matter the route the St. Louis Cardinals take, Bader would not benefit in the slightest from another year spent in Memphis.