The front office's work this past offseason keeps getting worse
Jordan Walker is headed back to the minors, partly as a result of roster construction
Before the Cardinals pratfell (pratfalled?) their way to a 9-15 start in 2023, the front office’s offseason decision-making was already rightly regarded as a half-measure. Nearly a month into the season, the lack of activity looks worse by the day. The latest tacit indictment came down Wednesday, when the club optioned ballyhooed 20-year-old rookie Jordan Walker to Memphis the day after the most crushing loss of the season to date (competitive category, that one).
Although Walker had very predictably run into some recent struggles, the move seems driven more by acknowledgement of roster flaws rather than the merits or demerits of Walker’s performance to date. Specifically, the outfield has been overstuffed beyond reason, and that explains why Walker was dispatched back to the minors in favor of 33-year-old retread infielder Taylor Motter, who seems perfectly redundant in light of Paul DeJong’s recent activation and who didn’t hit when he was up for the first time.
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