ESPN's Jeff Passan Believes Cardinals Could Acquire AL All-Star To Bolster Offense

St. Louis could use the help with runners in scoring position

Scott Neville | Jun 26, 2024

Apr 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (25) hits a double during the tenth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

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The St. Louis Cardinals opened the season flat and appeared to be headed for their second consecutive summer fire sale.

However, after a strong May and an unusually weak National League Wild Card race, the organization remains heavily in the mix for the postseason.

St. Louis currently holds the second wild card spot and reportedly is intent on buying if they have any realistic shot at a playoff run. While the back-end rotation appears to be the biggest need at the July 30 trade deadline, the offense could use some bolstering as well.

ESPN's Jeff Passan created a list of best trade deadline matches for each team over .500 and had an intriguing player listed for the Cardinals: Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker.

"How does a team whose everyday players are putting up solid numbers wind up with the second-lowest-scoring offense in the NL? Easy: By absolutely falling apart with runners in scoring position. As a team, St. Louis is batting .222/.294/.339 in those situations. It just so happens that Rooker is one of the best hitters this season with RISP, slashing .293/.382/.707 over 68 plate appearances -- a small sample, admittedly, but one that can't be ignored, either. Rooker, 29, might strike out too much, but he also offers massive power, three years of control beyond this season and, best of all, a fair asking price."
- ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote Tuesday

Rooker is hitting .259 with 30 extra-base hits including 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .845 OPS in 67 games this season.

The right-hander came out of nowhere last season to slash .246/.329/.488 with 52 extra-base hits including 30 home runs and 69 RBIs in 137 games, making the All-Star Game in his first full season in the big leagues.

The Cardinals have a messy outfield situation with some underperforming players such as Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson and Michael Siani as well as the impending return of Tommy Edman. With that said, Passan was right about their lack of clutch hitting and the need to bolster the lineup.

Rooker could be a reliable option for years to come and if Passan believes the prospect capital to acquire him will be moderate, St. Louis should heavily consider pulling the trigger.

Personally, I can't see Oakland just handing out Rooker without a blue-chip prospect plus more in return but he's certainly a player to keep an eye on.

More MLB: Cardinals Seen As 'Primary Suitors' To Land Pair Of Coveted Free Agent Hurlers

Published Jun 26, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu