Cardinals Send OF Fowler Out West To The Angels

The St. Louis Cardinals Thursday night sent veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler out west and back to the American League, trading him to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations.

The 34-year-old Fowler spent the last four seasons in St. Louis, where last season he hit just .233 with four homers and 15 RBI in 31 games.

Fowler has struggled the last few seasons. He hit .238 in 150 games in 2019 and hit just .180 with eight homers and 31 RBI in 90 games the year before.

"With the expectation that we will have plenty of competition in the outfield this season, and with Dexter's approaching free agency, we felt that this deal made the most sense for all parties," Cardinals president John Mozeliak said in a statement.

The Cardinals are expected to pay most of Fowler's $14 million salary for the 2021 season, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Sending Fowler out to Los Angeles puts him back with manager Joe Maddon, who was Fowler's manager during his time with the Chicago Cubs. Their team won the World Series in 2016.

Fowler's best season was 2016, when he was an All-Star, hitting .276 with 13 homers and 46 runs batted in.

St. Louis has been plenty busy lately reshaping their roster for 2021. The team made a huge deal with the Colorado Rockies for third basemen Nolan Arenado this past week .

Right now, the Cards' depth chart has Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Harrison Bader set as the three starting outfielders come Opening Day.

Fowler is set to be a free agent following the 2021 season.