St. Louis Cardinals: Cardinals trade rumors update

The Baltimore Orioles could be the perfect trade partner for the St. Louis Cardinals, even if it is an unlikely scenario.

In the world of unrealistic, Buster Olney says that if the Baltimore Orioles are looking to move Zach Britton they should also look into moving Manny Machado. I talked about the St. Louis Cardinals being both buyers and sellers a few weeks ago, with Machado being the end goal for the team. If the Orioles look to move Machado, as unlikely as it is, the Cardinals have to call.

Machado will be a free agent after next season, so there is some risk there. He will command a very impressive contract when his deal comes to an end at the end of next season. If the Cardinals want to potentially have a leg up on the competition for Machado in free agency, having him on the team and experiencing St. Louis can’t hurt.

Imagining Manny Machado in a Cardinal uniform sounds great, but it comes with a cost. If the Cardinals are going to add a player like Machado, expect to pay a pretty penny. The move would most likely require the Cardinals to move a good chunk of their top ten prospects. Is the potential future of Manny Machado worth that? It’s hard to say, but he would bring the star power this team has been missing.

If the Cardinals wait on Machado and look to get involved after the 2018 season it is safe to assume they will be in a bidding war. This team has stayed away from spending the kind of money it would require to add a player of this caliber in the past. If the Cardinals are willing to make that change, Machado is the perfect guy to buck the trend.