7 bats the Cardinals could trade for to unlock their stagnant offense

Brent Rooker

ESPN's Jeff Passan listed Brent Rooker as the Cardinals' best match recently, and when I first saw that, I was very surprised. He wasn't reporting that as something that would happen, but seeing a DH/corner outfielder as the best fit for St. Louis this year seemed to be a weird roster fit.

But man, it is hard to deny how much better this offense would be with Rooker in it, especially considering his strengths would improve the Cardinals' offense's most massive weaknesses.

On the season, the Cardinals have two, well actually three major issues that Rooker could help with.

1. Runners in scoring position

This is the thing that Passan was quick to point out. Rooker has been one of the best hitters in baseball with runners in scoring position this year, posting a .306/.405/.694 slash line and 204 wRC, If you look at the Cardinals as a team, they are slashing .226/.297/.347 with an 83 wRC+. Um yeah, it would be so helpful to have Rooker in those spots.

2. Power

The Cardinals home run leader on the year is Nolan Gorman with 17, but he's been really struggling at the plate as of late. Alec Burleson has 13 and Paul Goldschmidt has 11, but no one else on the team has more than 8.

Rooker has 17 home runs to his name this year like Gorman but has those bombs while slashing .273/.349/.531 with a 151 wRC+. Talk about a breath of fresh air!

3. Damage against left-handed pitching

As I highlighted earlier, the Cardinals really struggle against left-handed pitching, something Rooker feasts off of. While Rooker is excellent against right-handed pitchers as well (147 wRC+), he is even better against lefties, posting a .254/.313/.627 slash line with a 164 wRC+ and .940 OPS,

The positional fit is a bit awkward, but his bat is worth it, and there are ways to make it work.

Rooker can DH or play a corner outfield spot, and St. Louis could move Donovan to second base to accommodate for that. They could also give Goldschmidt less playing time (not bench him, but sit him more often), allowing Burleson to play first base, Donovan in the outfield, Gorman at second base, and Rooker at DH.

Rooker is not a free agent until after the 2027 season, so the Cardinals would have a ton of team control with him as well. At 29 years old and with little defensive value, his trade value is going to be lower than you'd think for a slugger like him, but he still will not come cheap.

Rooker may make someone like Herrera worth trading though, or possibly even a guy like Nolan Gorman.