Cardinals could rob Cubs of a real outfield asset after latest roster move

Whether it be Lars Nootbaar, Tommy Edman or Willson Contreras, the St. Louis Cardinals have had some rough injury luck early this season. Oli Marmol's team is up against it, sitting in last place in the NL Central following a series defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Not much has gone right for the Cardinals this year. Struggles in the outfield paired with Tyler O'Neill's success in Boston has made the front office look downright horrible. John Mozeliak and Marmol are on the hot seat, and should the season continue at its current rate, they won't be employed much longer.

St. Louis needs outside help if they are to turn things around this season. Thankfully, they may have received some help from an unlikely source.

Chicago Cubs lose former Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger

David Peralta signed with the Chicago Cubs late this spring and never received an opportunity in the Windy City. Due to the slow nature of the free-agent market this winter, Peralta never really had a chance at game action in the big leagues. That is, unless he performed well enough to earn a spot on the bench over some of the Cubs other utility options, which he did not In Triple-A Iowa, Peralta slashed just .217/.341/.348.

In a way, Peralta was signed as Cody Bellinger insurance. At the time, Bellinger remained a free agent, but eventually re-upped with Chicago, thus making Peralta expendable. In 2018 and 2019, Peralta had back-to-back seasons in which he won a gold glove and then a silver slugger with the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, Peralta's downslide began in the 2021 campaign, and he's slashed .258/.301/.368 in 602 big league plate appearances since leaving the D'Backs.

Could the St. Louis Cardinals sign David Peralta?

Peralta isn't the big-name solution to the Cardinals hitting woes that fans are looking for, but he can't be much worse than what St. Louis is trotting out on the field these days. Matt Carpenter in the DH slot is not cutting it.

The 35-year-old Peralta hits noticeably better against right-handed pitching than lefties. Perhaps he could platoon with one of the Cardinals other DH options, or even receive opportunities as a reserve outfielder.

Peralta clearly still thinks he's a big leaguer, as he opted out of his current minor-league deal with the Cubs to re-enter free agency, thus forfeiting his MiLB paycheck.