The next big date for Major League Baseball is July 30, the trade deadline. Teams will be buying, selling, or holding as this date approaches. Some teams will make big trades that could change their season.
We are looking at teams that might be very active during this trade period. We’ll suggest who they should trade for and who they might let go if they’re rebuilding.
This time, we’re focusing on the St. Louis Cardinals. They are currently above .500 and in a good spot for the wild card in the National League.
What They Need
The Cardinals have had trouble with their offense being inconsistent this season. However, they have many position players and expect Tommy Edman to return soon. Because of this, they probably won’t look for hitters before the deadline. Instead, they’ll likely focus on adding pitchers to their rotation and bullpen.
Veteran starters like Miles Mikolas and Lance Lynn haven’t been performing well consistently . Andre Pallante’s spot in the rotation isn’t secure either, and Steven Matz is injured with no clear return date. Even if Mikolas or Lynn keep their spots, the team might still look to upgrade Pallante’s position due to possible injuries or further decline among older players.
In the bullpen, it’s more about how often pitchers are used than how good they are. Manager Oliver Marmol trusts three main relievers: Jojo Romero (left), Andrew Kittredge (right), and closer Ryan Helsley. Rule 5 pick Ryan Fernandez has joined them but isn’t part of Marmol’s core trio yet.
Fans might think it’s exciting to see what moves their team will make!
Helsley is kept healthy by only pitching one inning in save situations and rarely on back-to-back days. So another reliable reliever would help reduce strain on Romero and Kittredge.
Possible Trade Targets
The Cardinals probably won’t take on big salaries or make blockbuster trades that drain their farm system since it’s not very strong right now.
Erick Fedde has done well after returning from Korea with a new pitch mix : a 138 ERA+ and a K/BB ratio of 3.30 over 111 innings at age 31 makes him a solid mid-rotation option with an affordable contract ($7.5 million per year through 2025). This makes him attractive since Lynn and Kyle Gibson may not return next season due to club options.
Jack Flaherty could be another option; he was traded last year but has improved significantly with Detroit Tigers’ coaching staff: his FIP is 3.16 over 17 starts while striking out over 32% of batters faced! However, health issues have plagued him throughout his career which might cause hesitation from St Louis management despite needing more strikeouts from starters badly…
Tyler Anderson from Angels seems like another fit given current lack of left-handers among Cardinal starters but underlying metrics suggest regression risk outweighs potential benefits here…
On bullpen side plenty choices exist without breaking bank prospects-wise: David Robertson (if Rangers sell) offers veteran presence while old friend John Brebbia despite high ERA shows promise via advanced stats indicating bad luck rather than poor performance fundamentally speaking…Yimi GarcÃa also worth considering…
What They Can Give Up
Cardinals’ farm system isn’t top-tier now due low draft picks recent years plus graduations like Masyn Winn Alec Burleson Jordan Walker etc., still interesting packages possible featuring upper-rung arms such Gordon Graceffo Michael McGreevy Sem Robberse Quinn Mathews Cooper Hjerpe…position-player wise Thomas Saggese Ivan Herrera come mind too…
Major league level Dylan Carlson stands out as change-scenery candidate given age (25) plus two full seasons team control remaining…
What do you think? Should Cardinals go all-in or play it safe?
