Cardinals trade Stephen Piscotty to his hometown Oakland

In the wake of acquiring All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna, the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to trade Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics.

In return, the Cardinals received infielder Yairo Muñoz and minor league infielder Max Schrock on Thursday.

With Ozuna slotted to a starting outfield spot, and with Randal Grichuk and Jose Martinez still on the roster, Piscotty, 26, became expendable. 

He is coming off a disappointing 2017 in which he hit a career-low .235 with nine homers and 35 RBI. 

But Piscotty, who signed a six-year, $33.5 million extension in April, has shown promise in the big leagues. In 2016, he batted .273 with 22 homers and 85 RBI in 153 games. 

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For Piscotty, its a return home. He played at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif., just south of Oakland, and at Stanford. It also allows him to be near his mother, Gretchen Piscotty, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in May.

Stephen Piscotty left the Cardinals for five days after the diagnosis and returned May 31.

Contributing: AP

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