St. Louis Cardinals Roundtable: Talking trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals are hopefully gearing up to be active at the trade deadline. We thought, as a site, we should put some of our thoughts out there.

Rumors are already starting to fly round, and that is always a fun part of the year. Our great writers here at Redbird Rants do a great job of covering St. Louis Cardinals rumors, giving some in depth evaluations. So, why not bring all those minds to one place?

The Cardinals are in need of something. Some might say it is a new manager. But, let’s pretend something on the field is more important. This is a critical time in the organization, a wrong move could banish the team into a long rebuild. The right one could help right the ship and bring back postseason baseball for St. Louis.

What Is The Roundtable?

This is not as in depth as some of our other rumor pieces. Due to length issues, this is just the writing staff getting thoughts together. Each writer is allotted a paragraph for their answer to the question.

We’ve done this before at Redbird Rants, but this is the start of a weekly installment. Every Saturday at eight in the morning, there will be a new roundtable, about a new topic.

What’s In This One?

The simple trade talks. Potential targets, trade chips, and long shot hopes. Whether the answers are obvious or not, they are certainly worth talking about. After all, the deadline will be here before we know it. There very well could be a lucky new player sporting St. Louis Cardinals red soon.

This one is broken down into four questions. A bat to target, an arm to target, most valuable trade chip, and ideal player to be traded. The last question is more of a pipe dream in a perfect world situation.

So, without further adieu, enjoy!

Who is one offensive player you think can fix the St. Louis Cardinals lineup?

Russ Robinson

I’ll go with Mike Moustakas, especially since I just put a piece up on him. Low cost low risk and likely the Cards can sign to an extension if they want. He can’t carry the Cards himself, but he would fit nicely in the lineup between Martinez and Ozuna.

Matt Luhmann

I also think Mike Moustakas can fix the Cardinals lineup. Moustakas would bring power from the left side of the plate and could form a solid 1-2 punch with Ozuna. Add in Martinez and a surging Carpenter and we could see more two and three run home runs instead of solos.

Dan Campbell

I will go with Matt Chapman from the Oakland Athletics. The guy is one of the best defenders in the league, he has a lot of team control left, and he can swing it. He would solidify the infield defense and he would be a great number 5 or 6 hitter which would move Molina down to where he should be. These teams have done deals before and this is the kind of splash that could reconfigure the roster/infield and get this team clicking again.

Jason Grose

I really like Whit Merrifield. The Royals are awful and their minor league system is rated dead last by most outlets so they need to deal some of their good players to replenish their system. He isn’t a free agent until 2023, so it might take a few good prospects to get him. But, we need to upgrade at second base (sorry Kolten Wong) and he’s a good fit.

Matt Graves

The Cardinals have very few players who are good on both sides of the ball on the infield. Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez have been doing well offensively lately but are definitely below average in the field. That makes Mike Moustakas a great addition, but my best option would be Jose Abreu. I’d love to see his .281 average and 11 homers right before or after Ozuna in the lineup.

Dr. Miles

We talked a great deal about Moustakas during the offseason. Likewise we talked about Chapman and Merrifield in the recent podcast. I like all three of these names but my gut tells me that the Cardinals will do nothing and should do nothing.

One more hitter would simply go missed in this lineup unless others start hitting too. The perfect example of this is the time when Jose Martinez was on a tear and the others were not. The Cardinals need more than one hitter to make a difference and thus need to find this on the current team.

Trevor Hooth

Whit Merrifield comes to mind. More so than anything else, it is his position. Kolten Wong has been great on defense, but the St. Louis Cardinals offense needs to score runs for that to matter. So even if Merrifield is not the option, the hope is that a move can be made to get more production from whoever is penciled in at second base, game in, and game out. Another name I like is Nicholas Castellanos. He could be extended by the team, but he is also expensive.

Who is one arm you think can fix the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff?

Russ Robinson

I believe it needs to be an ‘under the radar’ relief pitcher who can come in and help stabilize the bullpen. Such as a Tyler Clippard of the BlueJays or Zach Duke of the Twins. The two are innings eaters and Mike Matheny can use up to his heart desire. Either would not cost the St. Louis Cardinals much and could stabilize the middle of the bullpen.

Matt Luhmann

Thus far the Cardinals have yet to have a dependable left hander arm out of the pen. Tyler Lyons has done a 180 from last season and Brett Cecil has somehow gotten worse. Brad Hand would be an option, but with multiple years left on his contract the Padres would want more of a haul than my choice in Zach Britton. Just like Moose, Britton is in the last year of his contract and with him recently returning from a ruptured Achilles, perhaps the Orioles do not demand as much in return.

Dan Campbell

Noah Syndergaard. The Mets are making him available. At some point in time, the Cardinals need to step up and go get the best pitcher available.

I know it would take Flaherty, Hudson/Weaver, and one or two other top prospects, but this guy is worth it and they should make that splash. That makes Carlos your number 2, with Mikolas, Wacha (when healthy again), and Waino/one of the remaining young guys. Did I mention Thor is controllable through 2021? This is the type of blockbuster we all want and need. Can you imagine 1-3 in a rotation being Thor, Carlos, and Alex Reyes?

Jason Grose

I like two closers – Shane Greene from the Tigers and Blake Treinen from the A’s. Both are under contract through 2020 and are arbitration eligible for the first time in 2019. Both are having good seasons for bad teams who should be sellers come the trade deadline.

Matt Graves

I have rung this bell for a while now, but I love the idea of Brad Hand from San Diego. Under a 2.50 ERA this year and with closing experience, he would slot in very well and fix the LHP deficit the Cardinals have.

Dr. Miles

Simply put, the St. Louis Cardinals need Luke Weaver to be the Weaver of last season. Combine him with Flaherty, call up Dakota Hudson, and retire Wainwright. These are the pitching changes needed this season. Adding someone from the outside isn’t something that a third place (or nearly fourth place) team needs to do.

Trevor Hooth

I really like Shane Greene from Detroit. I have seen this guy pitch more times than I can count and I am constantly blown away by the talent in his arm. Greene should come cheaper than most, which is important. I am one to believe in the farm system, and draining it for an arm is not something that will help the team.

Who do you think is the best trade piece that the St. Louis Cardinals have?

Russ Robinson

Dakota Hudson. I’m sure he could open and close a lot of negotiations with other teams. If the Cards go in this direction, he could add the bat piece and the bullpen piece that I think they need. Hudson should draw a lot of interest from other teams.

Matt Luhmann

Despite his struggles at the dish during his short MLB career I would go with Carson Kelly. A .150 career average would scare teams off, but that has come in just 107 at-bats. Kelly is never going to get a chance to play in the near future barring Yadi getting hurt again. Soon to be 24, Kelly has shown he has the defensive skills, all he needs is his bat to translate to the bigs and his AAA numbers should be enough to convince teams he can turn things around.

Dan Campbell

The best trade piece the Cardinals have is Jack Flaherty. He is showing he can hang in the majors with the best of them. I do not think it is Reyes right now due to injuries and I do not think it’s Hudson because he hasn’t shown other teams he can do it at the MLB level. My second pick would be Weaver, and then Kelly because Kelly is a good defensive catcher with high upside – every team needs that.

Jason Grose

Alex Reyes and Dakota Hudson. Reyes was once considered untouchable, and it still might be that way in the eyes of the organization. However, with his significant injury history, I would deal him for the right guy. Hudson does not have that injury history and has a 2.59 ERA in 246 career minor league innings. I do not think Flaherty is a trade piece at this time. He’s proven too valuable at the major league level and I now think he’s the untouchable guy.

Matt Graves

I think Michael Wacha, once he is healthy, would be a great candidate to sell high on. Even with his trip to the 10 day DL, he is pitching like the guy we saw in the 2013 playoffs against the Pirates and I think now would be a great time to flip the 26 year old.

Dr. Miles

Jedd Gyorko, Patrick Wisdom, and Rangel Ravelo are names that the Cardinals should post out there for trades. Gyorko I’d hate to lose but recognize his value (especially in light of SD still paying some of his contract). Wisdom has no future with this team and needs to be playing in the majors. Ravelo is a rising star. That said, he- like Wisdom- probably has nowhere to go in this system unless the team moves Jose Martinez to the AL and I only see that happening if the team becomes complete sellers (which I think would be a mistake this season).

Trevor Hooth

Carson Kelly is the best option, for sure. He is going to be blocked by Yadier Molina for the foreseeable future, and he is not developing like we thought he would. There is still enough buzz and defensive skill for his name to be worth something, though, Just do not trade Dakota Hudson, like, don’t even consider it.