St. Louis, MO (My Sportsbook) - The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday that they have given second baseman Adam Kennedy his unconditional release.

Kennedy was expected to be one of several candidates competing for the second base job with the Cardinals, a scenario that didn't sit well with the 33-year- old. He had previously requested a trade and was actually placed on waivers prior to being let go.

In a news release announcing the move, Cardinals vice president and general manager John Mozeliak said that the club had decided releasing Kennedy was in both the second baseman and the team's best interests after failing to find a trade partner.

"As stated last year, it has been our intention -- at Adam's request -- to try and seek a trade," said Mozeliak. "As we move forward, we feel that it is best to try and fill the second base position with other players from within our organization."

Candidates expected to compete for the job include Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Joe Thurston, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Tyler Greene, along with outfielder Skip Schumaker.

Kennedy appeared in 115 games last year with the Cardinals and hit .280 over 339 at-bats. The left-handed hitter added two homers, 36 runs batted in and 42 runs scored.

In 1,227 career games with the Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who he played for from 2000-06 after spending 1999 with St. Louis, Kennedy is batting .276 with 57 homers, 423 RBI and 516 runs scored.