11 potential matches for the St. Louis Cardinals' latest deadline need

The St. Louis Cardinals are approaching the trade deadline not yet sure of which route they will take. John Mozeliak has noted it may take until the actual day of the deadline before they make a decision, but he does note there are holes on the current roster.

In two recent pieces by Katie Woo of The Athletic and Jeff Jones from the Bellesville News-Democrat, the outgoing President of Baseball Operations discussed the team's current season and playoff push while also understanding the need to focus on the future. In Woo's article, the question was clear to Mozeliak asking if the Cardinals would target a right-handed bat. The need for a righty option at the plate makes sense due to the Cardinals' continued struggle against southpaws and the overall lefty-heavy make-up of the offense.

The Cardinals continue to struggle against left-handed pitchers, but there does not appear to be a solid offensive option in the organization.

While totaling the most plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in the MLB, the Cardinals have been among the worst teams in the league in major statistics. The team ranks in the bottom half of all of baseball in batting average, WRC+, slugging percentage, and strikeout rate against lefties. Part of the reason the team has faced so many left-handed pitchers is because they have five left-handed hitters who are part of the regular lineup. Cardinal lefties have also taken the most at-bats against same-handed pitchers, and those batters are hitting just .203 (21st) with a 71 WRC+ (19th) in those spots.

Missing Ivan Herrera is a massive reason why the team is struggling against these pitchers. The designated hitter/catcher has a .733 slugging percentage and and five homers against lefties, which are tops on the team despite Herrera being on the IL for half of the season. While he has been out of the lineup, Alec Burleson has picked up the slack with a strong surge, but even Burleson is starting to regress along with the rest of the team. Nolan Arenado has been banged up as well, so that has forced players like Thomas Saggese, Garrett Hampson, and Jose Fermin into the lineup more often than the team probably would like.

In house, there are not a lot of options that could bring the offense to another level against lefties. Luken Baker has been on the MLB roster this season but has seen few opportunities and is struggling to hit for average down in Memphis. If he were to be called up again, it would be as a strict DH option, and he would most likely only face left-handed starters. The rest of the Cardinals' better bats are all lefties in JJ Wetherholt, Jimmy Crooks, Cesar Prieto, Matt Koperniak, Nathan Church, and Michael Siani. The left-handed logjam is a problem that the Cardinals will have to solve during this trading deadline and beyond.

John Mozeliak noted the Cardinals' struggles against lefties but did not mention any specific strategy for solving this problem. He mentioned that Herrera, Arenado, and Contreras have all been hurt at times, but the team needs to find more firepower beyond those three.

Potential fits to fix the Cardinals' issues against southpaws

The Rentals

Rentals for the 2025 season may not be top of the Cardinals priority, but it would allow them to still cash in on some potential trade value and see if they can catch lightning in a bottle on the way to become playoff-relevant again. The Cubs do not appear to be going away anytime soon, so a Wild Card spot may be the most likely option for the Cardinals to make the postseason, and a revamped lineup with a righty bat could help to push that offense to at least a league-average level.

Most of the guys on the list are free agents at year's end, and a couple may have options attached to them, but they are unlikely to be picked up, either by the team or the player. The rental list is full of outfielders or DH options since those appear to be the biggest areas of need when looking at where a right-handed bat could fit.

Trey Mancini

The only guy on this list who is unattached to a team seems like an extremely easy and low-cost move that the Cardinals could try with minimal risk beyond jettisoning someone off of the 40-man roster. Trey Mancini opted out of his minor-league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks after putting up stellar numbers with their Triple-A affiliate. In 74 minor league games, Mancini was hitting .306 with 16 homers in his first professional season since 2023.

Mancini was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2020 but completed treatment that year and returned to the majors in 2021. His last full season was 2022, and Mancini hit 18 homers between Baltimore and Houston. He also does not have the splits of a strict platoon hitter for his career, putting up a nearly identical .774 and .777 OPS against righties and lefties, respectively. He has also had a strikeout rate on the higher side, sitting near 25% for his career, but he has been above average by measure of WRC+ in every full season except 2018, but he still managed to hit 24 homers that year.

Mancini would cost very little in terms of financial commitment and may be looking for a guaranteed MLB deal after opting out of his minor league pact. The Cardinals would have to clear a 40-man roster spot if they were to sign Mancini and promote him to the big league roster.

Luis Robert Jr.

Robert came into the league in 2020 as the league's most exciting player and capitalized on his #6 prospect ranking in the following season before an injury ended the year. The hip flexor tear ended a year where Robert was hitting .338 with 13 homers in 68 games. He followed up the injury with another strong yet short 98-game year, where he hit .284. His 2022 season was what the experts expected when Robert was breaking in with the White Sox, as the then-25-year-old hit 38 homers and stole 20 bases in his first full season.

That season has also been best of Robert's career, as the past two years have been forgetful for the outfielder. Last year, the Cuban outfielder had a career-high 33.2% strikeout rate and saw his batting average drop to .224 while hitting 14 homers in 100 games. He missed games again due to the surgically repaired hip. The current season has not done much to inspire confidence that the former top prospect was turning a corner. Robert, just returning from another stay on the injured list, is hitting .187 this season with another elevated strikeout rate but has stolen 22 bases.

Robert is in the final guaranteed year of his White Sox contract, and the team holds $20 million options in each of the following two years. With the current state of the Sox and Robert's struggles, that option would most likely not be exercised, allowing Robert to become a free agent. If the Cardinals were to acquire Robert because of his career .879 OPS against lefties and his great defense in center, they would have the same option for his services. If Robert were to go on a hot streak and others in the current Cardinal outfield struggled to grasp a starting role, the Cardinals could take a chance and pay the $20 million for another season.

Austin Hays

Another player with an option is Reds outfielder Austin Hays, who is playing out a $4 million deal that has a $12 million mutual option for next year. Mutual options are rarely exercised, as both sides have to agree on the value and fit with the roster. Because of that, Hays appears to be a true rental coming from a Reds team who is likely another season away from truly competing for the playoffs.

Hays has been an extremely consistent outfielder with the bat and has put together another solid season with Cincinnati. He is mashing left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .366 average and has historically handed southpaws well with an .821 career OPS against them. A potential issue with acquiring Hays is whether the Reds would want to deal him within the division. With him being on an expiring deal and the Reds not in contention, that might not be as big of a deal as it has been in the past.

There may be a number of suitors for Hays, so the Cardinals could have to enter a bidding war, especially if the Reds see the division deal being a hold up. This could cause the Cardinals to balk at the move and any capital given up should not pull from the top prospect list.

Marcell Ozuna

Who doesn't love a good reunion, right? The Braves' season is a shock around the baseball world, as they looked to be near the top of the NL East coming into the year. However, Atlanta sits 11 games under .500 and 9.5 games out of the Wild Card. The talented Braves roster has some intriguing names on an expensive roster that is likely going to miss the postseason.

Ozuna is still a dangerous hitter who is in the last year of his contract and cannot be issued a qualifying offer, which could create even more interest around the league. The DH-only option has had a down season by his standard, with 11 homers and a 111 WRC+ over 85 games. He is taking walks at the highest rate of his career while also hitting lefties for an .827 OPS.

Acquiring Ozuna would bring up tough memories, as this would be his second turn with the organization. The Cardinals traded for Ozuna's services but had to part with Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen to make the deal. His two-season run was productive yet well under expectations, as he put up his lowest two-full-season stretch by measure of WRC+ in his career. The cost would have to be mouthwatering for St. Louis to pull a trigger on an Ozuna deal, as he is a strict DH and would take some lineup flexibility away from manager Oli Marmol.

Ramon Laureano

Laureano is putting up his best season since being suspended 80 games for PED use and is in the middle of a solid two-year run after a nice half year with Atlanta. Now with Baltimore, Laureano has an .851 OPS and has cut his strikeout rate while hitting 10 homers and hitting .274 overall. He hits lefties better than righties but has been a quality hitter regardless of the pitcher.

The outfielder has a $6.5 million club option that could actually end up being a bargain for an acquiring team. Because of this, there may be an increase in asking price from Baltimore as they fall further out of playoff contention. Laureano is set to turn 31 years old this month, so he may not be a long-term fit for the Orioles, and they would only move him if the prospect return made sense. If they do not receive an offer that meets their needs, they could choose to hold onto Laureano and use him and his contract as a trade piece this offseason.

Willi Castro

Anyone miss Tommy Edman? How about a younger, cheaper, and actually more productive switch-hitting utility man with the Twins' Willi Castro? He has played all three outfield positions along with every infield spot besides first base and is putting together his best offensive season. The 28-year-old is hitting .269 with eight homers and stolen bases with a decent strikeout rate, and he takes more walks than the average hitter.

Castro is making $6.4 million this year, his last year of team control, and will be a free agent at year's end. The Twins are four games out of the playoff race, so he could be available in the next couple of weeks for teams looking for defensive versatility and a solid offensive option that has hit most everywhere in the lineup.

Fits beyond 2025

These guys could fill in on this year's roster, either as a depth piece or as a potential starter while potentially being a fit for the team beyond just this season. The minor league depth with right-handed hitters in the Cardinals' system is severly lacking and these names could provide the opportunity to develop additional hitters or find lottery tickets elsewhere on the trade or free agent market.

Taylor Ward

Ward has been a solid offensive contributor since taking on a full-time role with the Angels in 2022. He has hit 20 or more homers in three of those years and is putting together a nice season despite a low batting average. Ward hits lefties well with an .807 OPS and is an average outfielder, so acquiring him could turn into a bigger role than a simple platoon split.

The 30-year-old has one more year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent at the end of 2026 and is making just over $7.5 million this season. If the Cardinals were to trade for Ward, he could serve as a solid insurance option for Jordan Walker in right if his bat does not pick up when he returns from the IL. The Angels are only 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and have not made their trade deadline plans public, but they have some costly pieces they may not mind moving for financial relief and prospect capital.

Adolis Garcia

Why not another reunion? Garcia had a small cup of coffee with the Cardinals in 2019 before being DFA'd and traded to the Rangers in the offseason. After latching on with Texas, Garcia took off as a superstar when he averaged over 30 homers and 15 stolen bases over four seasons. Like Ward, Garcia has another season of arbitration eligibility but is much more costly thanks to his high offensive output.

Garcia is playing the 2025 season on a $10.5 million salary after signing a two-year extension with Texas last year. However, the 32-year-old has been below average for each of those seasons, and with the Rangers fighting to remain in contention, they could dangle Garcia around the league to recoup some value. While he is only hitting .228 this season, he has cut his strikeout rate slightly and has still driven in 50 runs and hit 10 homers.

Bryan Reynolds

The Pirates are still stuck in neutral and appear willing to listen to any player on their roster not named Paul Skenes and Andrew McCutchen. This means that the switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds could be available at the right price to anyone around the league. Like Hays before, Reynolds plays in the Central as well. Unlike Hays, though, Reynolds has five years of control remaining thanks to a $100 million extension over a seven-year span.

This agreement could make the division deal less likely, as the Pirates would not want Reynolds to face them more than a dozen times a season over the next handful of years. His value may also be at his lowest thanks to being in the middle of the worst season of his career. While Reynolds has turned it on as of late, he is struggling with a .672 OPS, more than 130 points below his career average figure. The switch-hitter hits well from both sides of the plate but shows more pop from the left side. An acquisition of Reynolds would have to come with other players being moved because he would have to be starting every day to receive full value in any deal.

Dane Myers

Myers is already 29 years old, but he still has two more years of pre-arbitration team control since he played a total of 66 MLB games before carving out a role with the Miami Marlins this season. The late bloomer is having a very solid year, hitting .287 with a .732 OPS and 14 stolen bases. He swings at a lot of pitches but strikes out at an acceptable rate while mashing against lefties for his career.

Myers is on the older side for the Marlins, so it would be surprising if they do not accept calls despite his years of team control remaining. The financial cost of Myers provides cost certainty for acquiring teams, so he could actually receive a decent amount of interest around the league, which could cause his price to go up.

Ryan Mountcastle

Ryan Mountcastle has always been a favorite of mine, so I had to find a chance to get him involved even though he is out for another month or so with a hamstring injury. The timing of the injury could prevent the Orioles from shopping the first baseman, who had been struggling this season. If the Cardinals were to acquire him, it would be as a DH since he has not played the outfield since 2021 and is coming off a major injury. He is making under $7 million this year and has one more year of arbitration, so any team taking on Mountcastle would not have to try to rush him back from his injury.