To me, Michael Brantley just doesn’t fit the role that the St. Louis Cardinals need an outfielder acquisition to fill. With the congestion already present there, a new acquisition would have to have a radically unique and valuable trait, and while Brantley is valuable, he isn’t quite unique enough for what he will be worth.
He’s a .300+ average hitter when healthy and typically provides 10-15 stolen bases a year. His 2014 season was by far his best, where he slashed .327/.385/.506, hit 20 home runs, drove in 97 RBI’s, and stole 23 bases. This was a pretty significant outlier for his career line of .