Cardinals Predicted To Cut Ties With 'Expendable' Outfielder

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of decisions to make this season and they all stem from the upcoming trade deadline. St. Louis is likely still deciding whether it should buy or sell at the deadline, but the reality likely lies somewhere in the middle.

Scott Plaza of Redbird Rants recently called 27-year-old outfielder Matt Koperniak an expendable asset and predicted the Cardinals would try to use him as trade bait this season.

"Another outfielder after complaining about a lack of outfield depth?" Plaza wrote. "Unfortunately, yes, and it is simply because Matt Koperniak is already 27 and is another left-handed hitter to join the outfield that already sees Victor Scott, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Alec Burleson as other lefty options. Koperniak is a quality hitter who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and was included on the 40-man roster before the start of this season.

"The outfielder had a great spring with the big league squad, hitting .355 with two homers and three doubles in 31 at-bats, but he was squeezed out by each of the above names. Koperniak has struggled mightily this year with Memphis, hitting .199, but he is a career .289 hitter with 63 homers in his three-plus years with the organization."

Koperniak has been with the Cardinals for a few seasons, and it doesn't seem like he's bound for regular big league playing time anytime soon.

With that in mind, trading him to a team that's struggling with outfield depth could be the best option. There's a chance he could catch on with a bad team like the Miami Marlins or Colorado Rockies. Koperniak could also be included in a bigger deal to acquire a star for the Cardinals.