St. Louis Cardinals: Michael Brantley doesn’t feel like the answer

With reports emerging that the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in Michael Brantley, I have to wonder what the front office is thinking. Brantley is a great player, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t seem to be what the Cardinals need right now.

To me, Michael Brantley just doesn’t fit the role that the St. Louis Cardinals need an outfielder acquisition to fill. With the congestion already present there, a new acquisition would have to have a radically unique and valuable trait, and while Brantley is valuable, he isn’t quite unique enough for what he will be worth.

He’s a .300+ average hitter when healthy and typically provides 10-15 stolen bases a year. His 2014 season was by far his best, where he slashed .327/.385/.506, hit 20 home runs, drove in 97 RBI’s, and stole 23 bases. This was a pretty significant outlier for his career line of .295/.351/.430, and this was the only season he had more than 18 homers or stolen bases. Despite this, Brantley would still be one of the best hitters on the St. Louis Cardinals roster.

I get that it may seem hypocritical to not want a good hitter like Michael Brantley on the St. Louis Cardinals in part because the team doesn’t need an outfielder when I clamor for Bryce Harper, but bear with me for a moment.  There’s a huge difference between Harper and Brantley, and it’s all about power.

The St. Louis Cardinals have needed power for years. Many of the acquisitions that have been made after the departures of Albert Pujols have been attempts to fill the gaping hole that he left in the Cardinals power hitting department. Matt Carpenter, who was one of the best contact hitters in the league in 2013 and 2014, but completely changed his hitting style because the team was so desperate for home run power.

To be honest, it still is, and Brantley just doesn’t provide that. Brantley averages just 13 home runs per 162 games, while Harper is at almost twice that with 32 homers per 162. While power isn’t everything in baseball, another dangerous power hitter would add a dimension to the lineup that it sorely needs. Brantley is solid, but with his mediocre defense, the way he hits won’t be nearly as suited to this lineup as Harper.

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On top of that, Harper’s younger age better coincides with the youth that the team is trying to build on over the next few seasons, while Brantley’s age and injury history just lights up question marks in the eyes of fans. This team is not in a position where adding Michael Brantley will have enough impact to propel them to the World Series in the next couple of seasons, so why take the risk?

The price is something to consider, as paying half of what you would have to pay Harper for Brantley would enable other moves, particularly the acquisitions of either Josh Donaldson or Paul Goldschmidt. While I am not a fan of those moves, they would be understandable, acting as one of the better options should Harper get significantly overpaid by another team.

That being said, this can’t be a way to get out of being fully invested in committing a competitive contract to Harper. I’m not saying write a blank check, but don’t back down when things start to get expensive because Brantley is another option should it not work out.

If this were 2014 Michael Brantley, I might be persuaded to think differently. But for a 32 year old Brantley that is five years removed from his only elite season and has barely played over half of his team’s games in the last three seasons, signing him without another major name would just feel like a consolation prize for St. Louis Cardinals fans.

St. Louis Cardinals fans have been waiting for the big free agent signing for far too long, and while Michael Brantley is a great player. He just isn’t the one that fits the team as it is right now, and hopefully won’t be necessary with the signing of a bonafide star.