Randy Arozarena
The Cardinals have drawn significant ire from fans since trading Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays for Matthew Liberatore and a few other players. Arozarena received little playing time in St. Louis, hitting .300 with a home run in 20 at-bats in 2019. Fans' vitriol over the trade is understandable, as Arozarena led the Rays through the 2020 postseason before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since the trade, Arozarena has been an above-average player for Tampa Bay overall, but he has found 2024 to be tough sledding.
Arozarena is hitting just .191 on the year, with an OPS of .660 and a 7.7% barrel percentage. Formerly elite at hitting the fastball, Arozarena has managed just a .183 average against heaters this season — a full 100-point drop from 2023. Arozarena has heated up in June, though, hitting .309 with a .974 OPS since June 1.
The Cardinals appear to have accepted that they were fleeced in the Arozarena trade, as they have mostly given up on the possibility of Liberatore emerging as a starter. However, Liberatore's improvement in the bullpen combined with Arozarena's horrid start to 2024 could make Cardinals fans feel a bit less bitter about the deal.