St. Louis Cardinals: The trade that must happen now

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 15: Lance Lynn #31 of the St. Louis Cardinals leaves the game in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 15, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 15: Lance Lynn #31 of the St. Louis Cardinals leaves the game in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 15, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The St. Louis Cardinals can “help” the Colorado Rockies respond to the Arizona Diamondbacks Trade for Slugger J.D. Martinez.

In case you were so mesmerized by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha’s complete game shutout gem that you missed it, the trade winds blew heavily yesterday.  One of the more interesting deals involved J.D. Martinez being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Yes, a team with the primary strength of hitting got another hitter – probably at the cost of their defense.

That said, Arizona cannot hit left-handed pitching, and, you guessed it, J.D. Martinez absolutely destroys lefties of all varieties.  This season, Martinez is 18/38 against lefties with six home runs, eleven total extra base hits, eleven runs and RBIs, and as many walks (seven) as strikeouts.

The snakes are clearly all-in for their run towards a wild card play-in game (because nobody is catching the Los Angeles Dodgers).  Martinez should also help Paul Goldschmidt in facing the Dodgers’ rotation that is stacked with lefties.

The Colorado Rockies are on the clock.  The Rockies are 55-41 , which would make them the overwhelming leaders in the paltry national league central.  That record is good for third in the stacked national league west.  Moreover, Colorado’s over-performing rookie pitchers have taken a step back, and the team needs to bolster its rotation and bullpen depth for the playoff run.

Colorado has to take its shot because the team has not been in the playoffs for nearly a decade.

The St. Louis Cardinals are a perfect fit for Colorado’s response trade.

The Colorado Rockies should orchestrate a deal for starter Lance Lynn and closer Seung-hwan Oh.  Lynn is coming off of two dominant performances in which he has pitched into or through the seventh inning without giving up a run.  He is riding a 13.1 inning scoreless streak.

As for Oh, he was performing better before giving up a three-run tater to Josh Bell and losing against Pittsburgh.  This is what happens when your manager does not set you up for success.

These two pieces are exactly what Colorado needs to buoy a pitching staff that ranks 20th in the league with a 4.61 ERA.  Furthermore, Oh can slot in nicely in an eighth inning role for Colorado.

Mo, please pick up the phone.

MiLB.com image

Now that we are down to brass tax, we need to put together a potential deal.  Any deal with Colorado must start with top prospect Brendan Rodgers.  Given the early returns in the market, and Colorado’s desperation on/in riding this team to the playoffs, John Mozeliak and Mike Girsch can demand a team’s top prospect in a trade that nets two vital assets.

More from St Louis Cardinals News

The St. Louis Cardinals should also seek pitching in return.  Riley Pint is the other major prospect the Cardinals can get in return for Lynn and Oh, and a lower-level prospect such as lefty Ben Bowden matches the profile our team seeks in young pitchers – college-experienced lefty with a nasty changeup and good control.

Mo should not wait for Colorado to “come a’ knockin'” – he should affirmatively text, call, tweet, chat, and tag Colorado in every Instagram post he or the Cardinals make in the next day or two.  The proverbial iron is hot, and executives are not waiting around for the deadline to make deals.

I know some fans may take issue with my idea because the St. Louis Cardinals are beating up on the beleaguered Mets.  This deal is a roster clarification move that allows Luke Weaver, Tyler Lyons, or Marco Gonzalez to slot into Lynn’s rotation spot (so we can see what we have there).

Next: Latest Cardinals trade rumors

This trade idea also eliminates any ability of Matheny to misuse Oh at the end of games – and further clarifies the end of game bullpen pecking order.  The deal has to be made.