Five Second Half Concerns Necessary for the St. Louis Cardinals to Address

Jun 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

5. Will the Cardinals make a splash at the trading deadline?

With various aforementioned issues regarding pitchers and position players, the Cardinals are anticipated to be one of this busiest teams before the non-waiver trading deadline on July 31. Although it seems unlikely that St. Louis would trade multiple farm pieces for a superstar rental player, the Cardinals have plenty of options that can help address short-term issues.

From a pitching perspective, it seems more realistic for the Cardinals to land a bullpen piece over a starting pitcher. Some intriguing targets include Jim Johnson, Joaquin Benoit or basically anyone in a losing team’s bullpen that can be acquired on a short-term clip. St. Louis could also look for a sport starter to limit the physical demand of Wacha and Martinez, so possibly a veteran pitcher with the caliber of former Cardinals prospect Dan Haren could make sense.

Adding a few power hitters could also prove beneficial to a Cardinals team that places 12th in the National League with 69 home runs. Potential trade nominees could include Adam Lind, Yonder Alonso and Logan Morrison, who all can play first base and outfield and historically hit for power. While St. Louis’s struggles in early July may prompt some sudden moves, the Cardinals are currently in a favorable postseason position and should not jeopardize their near future with blockbuster trades.

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