Cardinals fans perplexed by decision to acquire INF Buddy Kennedy off waivers: “Who the heck is he?"

Utility man Buddy Kennedy is the newest member of the St. Louis Cardinals. However, he has not received the warm welcome to the Birds from fans. In fact, most had never heard of him before.

Kennedy was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. After six seasons in the minor league, Kennedy was finally called up to the D-Backs in 2022. In 40 career games, the 25-year-old has hit .206/.293/.299 with one home run and 13 doubles.

"INF Buddy Kennedy has been claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. Our 40-person roster now stands at 40." - St. Louis Cardinals

However, after a very embarassing season for the St. Louis Cardinals, fans are looking for bigger news. Several Cards fans lambasted the move on social media, calling Kennedy's arrival on the supposed roster into question.

While Buddy Kennedy has spent most of his career with the D-Backs, he was put on waivers by the now-World Series bound Snakes in September. Soon thereafter, the Oakland Athletics claimed him off waivers, but placed him back after Kennedy appeared in 11 games for their Triple-A affiliate.

2023 represented the first season since 2018 in which the Cardinals did not reach the postseason. After losing their 89th loss at the end of September, the Cardinals also finished last place in their division, the NL Central, since the 1990 season.

While the Cardinals' season was bad, it did not compare to that of the Oakland A's. The 2023 A's became the fastest team to be guaranteed a losing record since the 2003 Detroit Tigers. Winning just 50 games, ownership also finalized a deal to move to Las Vegas. While Kennedy never played for the A's, his association with the team might be enough to put many fans off.

A native of Millville, New Jersey, Buddy Kennedy attended Millville High School, which was also Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout's high school. At just 25, Kennedy will undoubtedly be looking to set personal bests this year when it comes to playing time.

Can Buddy Kennedy save the St. Louis Cardinals?

The 2023 season for the Cardinals was nothing short of a disaster. Some of their greatest bats like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado just could not get it going. While the appetite in St. Louis for a big acquisition this offseason is strong, it is unlikely that a hitherto-unknown name like Kennedy is going to make any sort of difference.