What is the future of Juan Yepez with the St. Louis Cardinals?

Juan Yepez's role with the Cardinals this season

I'll be frank again, I don't see much of a role for Juan Yepez on this roster, and I don't really blame the Cardinals for feeling the same,

For as productive as Yepez can be at the plate for the Cardinals, does his bat and terrible defense outweigh the bats and gloves of the following players? Nolan Gorman? Brendan Donovan? No. Tyler O'Neill? No. Dylan Carlson? No. Lars Nootbaar? No. Alec Burleson? No. Jordan Walker? No.

That's seven players he's behind the pecking order on for five positions. That means on any given day, there are two players on the bench who I would say are more valuable to this club than Yepez is. Again, this is no shot at Yepez. I love his energy and the talent he has at the plate. But it's just hard to imagine him having more than a very minor role on this very talented roster.

Once Nootbaar is back, some have argued that Yepez should remain on the roster over Taylor Motter. That way, the Cardinals can just be more strategic about how they give Donovan and Edman off days so that they can go without rostering a backup shortstop. While this could work to get the most talent possible on this roster, I just don't see the logic behind it. Yes, Yepez is a far better player than Motter, but if Yepez replaced Motter on the roster, is he really going to play more than maybe once a week with some pinch-hit opportunities?

I don't think the Cardinals would start him in the corner outfield spots when their top five guys are healthy. They have too many options to consider over him. He could DH, but again, how often is that spot actually going to be available with Nolan Gorman playing as well as he is, and all of the different names the club would like to rotate into that spot? He can play first base when Paul Goldschmidt needs a day off, but Alec Burleson seems to be their preferred option there.

Do the Cardinals really want Yepez sitting on the bench most days, hoping to get a spot start every 5-7 games and some pinch-hit opportunities? Should injuries pile up for St. Louis at some point this season, Yepez could easily see his role increased a ton for the club, but in the meantime, I don't see Yepez being a significant part of this roster.

Juan Yepez as a trade piece at this deadline

If Yepez does not have a role on this roster in its current state, does that make him trade bait for the Cardinals in their pursuit to upgrade their pitching? Short answer, yes. The long answer, it depends on what kind of package they need to put together.

I would imagine clubs that are looking to rebuild or retool their lineup would love the idea of Yepez in their order. Most teams will value Yepez a bit less than other trade pieces though for the same reasons the Cardinals do - the lack of a true defensive position. But his bat plays, and there's always a need for offense around the league, especially when the bat has five years of team control.

Here's where it gets a bit complicated though. Sure, Yepez is probably one of the Cardinals' first options to be traded, but if they enter into negotiations for a front-line starter, they may need to create a different kind of package. Maybe the club really likes guys like Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, or Alec Burleson, and a few of those guys end up in a trade instead. Now Yepez goes from the odd man out in St. Louis to a valuable contributor.

In all likelihood though, I would expect Yepez to be on a different team after the trade deadline if the Cardinals seriously pursue starting pitching. Any package for pitching will require multiple assets, and I can see Yepez being the second or third piece in a larger trade for an impact starter. Yepez will likely go on to be a valuable bat in this league and put up numbers for a team that plays him every day, I just don't see that being with St. Louis.