4 position players the Cardinals could trade for this offseason

DH/OF Brent Rooker

Wouldn't this be nice? The Cardinals' 2024 manager, be it Oliver Marmol or someone else, could plug Brent Rooker in as the team's designated hitter every day and not think twice about it.

Rooker will turn 30 in November, so he's definitely what most would call a "late bloomer". He didn't debut until he was almost 26, but he's made up for the lost time these past two seasons. After slow starts with the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, and Kansas City Royals, Rooker has found a home with the Oakland Athletics. He has spent most of his time as a designated hitter, but he's also played a little bit of corner outfield for the A's.

This year, Rooker is slashing .298/.370/.578 with 36 home runs and 103 runs batted in. He has a crazy .947 OPS and a 170 OPS+. It's not hyperbolic to say that Brent Rooker has been one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball this year. It's taken him some time to discover his power stroke, but he seems to have tapped into something these past two years offensively.

In just 102.1 innings in the outfield this year, Rooker has accumulated -2 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average. If the Cardinals acquire him this offseason, he should be used sparingly in the outfield. Given the fact that the Cardinals have at least five players who could plausibly play the outfield next year, his time out there probably won't be necessary.

The one-time All-Star will enter arbitration for the first time next year, so he still has three more years of team control. A player with his offensive profile and team control won't come cheap; to acquire Brent Rooker, at least one of the organization's top prospects will have to go. Perhaps John Mozeliak can get creative and send some major league players over as well to entice the A's.