Could the Cardinals Match Up With These Teams?
I don’t think you’ll find a Cardinal fan right now that says this team doesn’t need an upgrade. The pitching is walking too many hitters, the bullpen can’t hold a lead, and the offense is very inconsistent. Here are 5 teams they could match up with on potential deals.
Colorado Rockies: This is probably the longest of long shots, after stealing Nolan Arenado from them over the winter. The Rockies have pending free agent shortstop Trevor Story, who might be one of the best hitters available at the deadline. Line him up to Arenado again would definitely boost the offense, but give the Cardinals some options in the field; Paul DeJong and Edmundo Sosa would lose the bulk of the playing time, but the Cardinals could deploy either at second base and move Tommy Edman to the outfield.
The Rockies also have starters Jon Gray and German Marquez. Both players would be upgrades for a rotation that’s down Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Kwang Hyun Kim (until Tuesday); it would also allow the team to move John Gant back to the bullpen, where he should be able to limit the amount of walks he’s issuing.
Both Story and Gray are free agents after this season, so they’d both be rentals; the price might be a little bit lower, but the Rockies might want compensation that offsets the Arenado deal. Meaning they’d be looking for a top prospect this time – Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, or Zack Thompson. You’d also probably have to throw in one of DeJong and Sosa, along with 2 mid-tier prospects. It’s a tall order for 1-2 potential rentals.
Texas Rangers: The Rangers are going to be in selling mode soon, and they have a few options that could help the Cardinals. Joey Gallo could slot into the outfield; he’s a three outcome player that’s struggling to hit for power. While he’s a name player, he’s not really an upgrade over what’s already on the field; that is, unless the Cardinals consider him a change of scenery candidate. Their outfields also hasn’t been horrible when everyone is healthy; Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson haven’t been the issue on the offensive side.
Texas could also move starter Kyle Gibson and closer Ian Kennedy. Gibson struggled in 2020, but he’s had a nice start to 2021; that was until he hit the IL with with a groin injury that’s not considered serious. Most teams will want to see how he returns before trying to pry the pitcher away. Kennedy signed with the team on a minor league deal and ended up being the team closer.
Contract-wise, Gibson and Gallo are under control until after next season; Kennedy is a free agent after this season. Since Gibson and Gallo have more control, they’d normally cost a little bit more; since we’re dealing with an injury-prone pitcher and a bad season from Gallo, they might not be moved because the value isn’t there. Kennedy is probably the top rental reliever on the market, so he could be the costly one. I’d think the Cardinals would need to give up some close to MLB-ready prospects: Thompson, Johan Oviedo, Angel Rondon. They’d also have to throw in a lower level player or 2.
Seattle Mariners: The Cardinals have traded a few times with Jerry DiPoto and the Mariners a few times over the last few years, so there is a good possibility that they could pull off another deal. Outfield Mitch Haniger might be the best available player on the market, if he’s healthy. Haniger is having a really good season (.259/.310/.518, 16 homers) but left Monday night’s game fouling a ball of his left knee; the injury isn’t serious though. Like I mentioned with Gallo, the outfield isn’t really the issue, so you’d have to cut some playing time when Bader is back.
They also have closer Kendall Graveman that could be moved. Graveman, who is on the Covid IL, has only allowed 2 run this season and has shown an increase in velocity since moving to the bullpen last season. He’s a groundball pitcher, so playing in front of the Cardinals defense would be a plus. He’s also only allowed 4 walks in almost 19 innings.
Graveman is signed through this seasons; Haniger is through next season, so his cost is higher then a rental. I’m guessing they’d ask about Ivan Herrera, but take 2 of our better pitchers (Thompson, Oviedo, Rondon, Junior Fernandez) and one of our 2020 draft picks (Masyn Winn or Tink Hence).
Detroit Tigers: Another team in rebuilding mode, the Tigers will be looking to shed veterans for prospects. Detroit has Robbie Grossman and Jonathan Schoop available as hitters. Neither player is perfect, but Schoop would fit with the Cardinals. He’s a second baseman that’s seen a little time at short; they could use him at second move Edman to short and use DeJong as more of a utility player (he played more second and third in the minors, so he’s got the experience). Grossman would face the same issue as Gallo and Haniger with playing time; more Gallo then Haniger.
On the pitching side, starter Spencer Turnbull and reliever Carson Fulmer would be nice additions. Turnbull is more of a back of the rotation starter, but would be a step up over Gant and Oviedo. He’s seen his ERA drop over the last 3 seasons, but also has seen his K/9 drop over that time; he’s also dropped his BB/9 this season. He’s only averaging just over 5 innings per start, so he wouldn’t help the bullpen usage. Fulmer was once a promising starter, but was demoted to the bullpen; it’s paid off, as his velocity is reportedly up, with his K/9, while his BB/9 is down.
Schoop is a free agent after the season, but the team could gain extra years with Fulmer (after 2022) and Turnbull (after 2024). The Tigers would want a good return for this much control. They’d ask for Herrera, Oviedo, Rondon, and 2 lower level prospects. Hererra’s inclusion would be a little steep, but not the end of the world.
Los Angeles Angels: I’m sure some Cardinal fans would have preferred getting Pujols, but that contract was unmovable as is. So they should instead focus on the Angels pitching. Dylan Bundy had an amazing 2020, but is struggling a little more this season; after allowing 14 earned runs in his first 5 starts (all in April), he’s allowed 23 in his next 5 (May). Start 11 (his only this month) was 2 earned over 5.2 innings. Looking at his spin rates, they haven’t been the issue; with MLB cracking down, many players are using fewer substances to increase spin rates and he’s not been impacted (yet). If he’s good over his next start or 2, he could be a good buy low candidate. Andrew Heaney could also be an option, but I like upside of Bundy more.
Raisel Iglesias is closing for the Angels, and while his ERA is a tad high (4.15), he could be an upgrade for the bullpen. He’s been giving up to many homers this season; he’s limited his walks and posting the best strikeout numbers of his career. He’s also familiar with the NL Central, as he pitched for the Reds for 6 seasons before joining the Angels via trade this past off-season.
Both pitchers would be rentals, so a decent name (Rondon) and maybe 2 lowers prospects could get the deal done.
There are other players that I’d love for the team to add (Max Scherzer, Eduardo Escobar/Asdrubal Cabrera), but they’d take multiple deals to get done. There is also the Pirates, but I don’t know if they’d be willing to make deals within the division, especially on players under team control.
