What Should We Do Now?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about trading Carlos Beltran for prospects.  I would like to start off by saying I was wrong.  Although the Cardinals could potentially receive some pretty solid prospects if they were to trade Beltran, they are clearly not as bad as I thought they were.  Citizens of Cardinal nation, I was wrong.  I made a mistake.  The Cardinals are not done and are as alive as ever in the race for the division crown.

Now, with all that being said, the it’s time to start asking the question “what’s next?”  Over this past weekend, the Cardinals got a huge boost when Jon Jay and Matt Carpenter returned from the disabled list.  Even though these two aren’t all-star caliber players, they are very important in that add depth to the Cardinals offense; an offense that had lacked the kind of versatility and production they bring to the table.  As the trade deadline quickly approaches, there are a few needs St. Louis could fill in the coming month.  However, as the weeks progress, one of those needs could be filled.

Chris Carpenter appears to be a little ahead of schedule in his throwing program.  Despite the fact that he didn’t throw on Monday, I would still project his return by the trade deadline, eliminating one of the Cardinals needs.  The biggest need, in my opinion, is a left-handed reliever.  Marc Rzepczynski has been struggling as of late, mainly because of the number of times he has been used this season so far.  The other lefty in the bullpen right now is Sam Freeman.  Freeman has shown some promise, but has been wild and ineffective at times.  St. Louis needs to bolster their bullpen by adding another left handed reliever.  Some of the potential candidates could be Jeremy Affeldt, Tim Byrdak, Mike Gonzalez, Brian Fuentes, J.P. Howell, and Darren Oliver.  A couple of the names on that list jump out because the Cardinals have shown interest in the past (those names being Fuentes and Gonzalez).

Of the players listed, I believe it would be in the Cardinals best interest to pursue Darren Oliver.  He may not be the sexiest name on that list, but that doesn’t always matter most.  When it comes to the Cardinals bullpen, there is one humongous difference between the group that dominated last years playoffs and this years squad; other than names that is.  That difference is veteran leadership.  Right now of all the bullpen pitchers, the elder-statesman of the bunch would appear to be Jason Motte.  I have absolutely nothing against Motte, but I don’t  believe he should be the “wise man” of the group.  Bringing a guy like Darren Oliver over could definitely help with developing some of the younger bullpen arms.

Obviously adding Oliver wouldn’t solve all of the Cardinals problems, but it would certainly be an upgrade over the current team.  Adding a veteran right hander could also be in the plans for the Cards as well.  Everyone has their own opinions of who the Cardinals should go after by July 31st.  Let us know who you think they should be targeting.  Leave a comment below.  Who knows, maybe your prediction will be the right one.