Fansided

5 offseason moves the Cardinals need to make

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 15: Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts after they lost game four and the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on October 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 15: Harrison Bader #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts after they lost game four and the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on October 15, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 04: Dexter Fowler #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals runs after popping up in the sixth inning of game two of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on October 04, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 04: Dexter Fowler #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals runs after popping up in the sixth inning of game two of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on October 04, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

4. Move on from Dexter Fowler

If there’s any player in Major League Baseball who owes Joe Maddon millions of dollars, it’s Dexter Fowler. The right fielder’s “legend” was built by Maddon, who built up his legend in Chicago as a supposed leadoff sparkplug. It helped that the Cubs won the World Series during Fowler’s two-year run in Chicago, but he hit just .261/.367/.427 in 281 games with per-162 averages of 18 homers, 55 RBI and 20 stolen bases. Somehow, the Cardinals were convinced those numbers were worth five years and $90 million.

It’s not Fowler’s fault that the Cardinals were willing to pay for his postseason reputation and name value from Chicago, but he was never going to live up to that contract. He has hit just .233/.335/.410 with 45 home runs and has only stolen 20 bases in 30 attempts. Fowler no longer provides value on the bases and has always been a minus as a defender. His disastrous 2019 postseason aside, Fowler’s time as a full-time starter in St. Louis should be coming to an end.

The Cardinals shouldn’t release Fowler, but they do need to plan for a 2020 season that will not see him receive nearly 600 plate appearances. Top prospect Dylan Carlson needs to be given every chance to win Fowler’s starting job. Carlson ended the year by hitting .361/.418/.681 with five home runs and nine RBI in 18 games at Triple-A. The decision would be made even easier had Harrison Bader done more to live up to the hype that followed him to the big leagues.

A dream scenario would see the Cardinals finding a trade partner willing to take on a portion of Fowler’s remaining salary. That’s unlikely given Fowler’s age, but never out of the question depending on how much value is placed on his intangibles and veteran status.

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