15 St. Louis Cardinals players who won't be back next season
By Josh Jacobs
![Cincinnati Reds v St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds v St. Louis Cardinals](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/33/01hbxf4gd08g94yfzh3q.jpg)
Juan Yepez
After being a bright spot for the Cardinals during the 2022 season, St. Louis has done nothing but mishandle Juan Yepez's situation this year, and it's time for a change of scenery for both sides.
Yepez can still be a valuable bat in this league, but it's time for him to get consistent playing time on a big-league roster to prove whether or not he can be that guy long-term. He finished his Triple-A campaign on a tear this year and has already proven himself in some of the biggest moments at the Major League level.
For the Cardinals, there's not really a clear spot for Yepez to play with the mix of veteran and young talent they are prioritizing. While I don't fault them for that, what I do not understand is how they did not foresee that in the 2022 offseason, and traded Yepez then to maximize his value. Instead, they wasted an opportunity to improve as a club and wasted a year of Yepez's development.