15 St. Louis Cardinals players who won't be back next season

Luken Baker

Here is a really unique situation. Luken Baker was one of the best players in all of MiLB this past year, and he is constantly being named to All-MiLB first teams from different scouting outlets. He was not a highly regarded prospect this year, but did nothing but mash, and got some opportunities in St. Louis because of that.

Unfortunately, he didn't do much with those at-bats, posting a .627 OPS during his time with the Cardinals this year. Much like Juan Yepez, there just really isn't a clear path toward those at-bats coming, but his performance in Triple-A warrants a legit opportunity in the Major Leagues.

So what should St. Louis do? Unless they plan on trading some of their highly valued position players this offseason for pitching, Baker should be a part of trade packages to improve their pitching staff. Baker won't headline a deal that brings back significant pitching in return, but he could be one of those extra pieces that a club gets to take a flyer on for potentially a high reward.