St. Louis Cardinals: Trade targets sitting one day from deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals need to do something before the 4pm ET deadline on Monday and they just might be in the mix indeed.

The St. Louis Cardinals lineup for Sunday’s final game with the Arizona Diamondbacks shows that outfielder- and trade target- Tommy Pham is sitting. Does this mean that he is traded? It just might. Fans know that Pham has been the target of trade rumors for a while.

As recent as Saturday, Tommy Pham was connected to the Indians via rumors. Does his absence from the lineup on Sunday indicate that he is headed to Cleveland? It just might.

It could also simply be that Pham is due a day of rest. Pham has appeared in all 15 games since the All-Star break. Maybe Mike Matheny believes (without actual evidence) that Pham is “tired” and needs rest (a.k.a. Yadier Molina). But wait, there’s more…

The St. Louis Cardinals have not kept it a deep secret that they would consider players such as Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson. And wouldn’t you know, they are also sitting out of lineups today. Do these absences mean they are moving? It just might.

A stretch for the St. Louis Cardinals was once Jose Bautista. With a swamped outfield, the Cardinals might not really have interest any longer in Bautista. That said, why would they then have interest in Stanton?

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The Cards need an impact bat. Keeping this in mind, I find that it makes plenty of sense for the likes of Stanton (and thereby Bautista as a fall-back name) to be squarely on the Cardinals’ radar. Likewise, it makes sense to keep a finger on the pulse of both of these names just in case immediate rivals start actively kicking tires.

Let me add this: I find it somewhat unlikely that Stanton is moved. I worry that the Marlins are more than likely waiting until the offseason and/or until the sale of the team is finalized. Selling a superstar like Stanton might take away from the potential high-dollar sale.

It makes plenty of sense for teams to rest players they suspect to be on the move (or likely on the move) a day out of the deadline to avoid injury. It would be a shame if the Cardinals were intending on moving Pham, he played on Sunday only to run into a teammate, and find his way to the DL with a concussion (and thereby no sale).

Let me go out on a limb here and make some bold predictions:

The St. Louis Cardinals will move Tommy Pham; 70 percent probability
The Miami Marlins will not move Giancarlo Stanton; 85 percent probability
The St. Louis Cardinals will not land Stanton
The Toronto Blue Jays will move Josh Donaldson; 60 percent probability
The Cardinals will land Donaldson; 40 percent probability
The Toronto Blue Jays will move Jose Bautista; 60 percent probability
The Cardinals will not land Bautista; 90 percent probability

All of the above are pure speculation and will remain pure rumors until Monday’s deadline comes and goes. Such is the world of baseball with just over 24 hours remaining until the deadline passes. Some moves have been made and other fan bases wait and wait and wait for something to fall.

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The St. Louis Cardinals’ fans are growing impatient (count me in). The news of Pham as trade interest and now the news of his absence from the starting lineup has many (count me in) intrigued and excited that something might actually happen… and soon, please?

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