St. Louis Cardinals: Cards who could be traded in the off-season.

Several St. Louis Cardinals on the current roster could be traded during this offseason.  Some may surprise you, others may not, and some may be your favorite Cardinal.

Marcell Ozuna

The St. Louis Cardinals thought they were not only getting a power-hitting-RBI-producing-middle of-the-lineup-clean-up-all-star, but also a gold-glove left fielder in Marcell Ozuna.  But by mid-season, it wasn’t working out that way. The 27-year-old right-handed bat was stuck in the .250s for most of the season and wasn’t showing much power or even defensive acumen in left field.

Consequently, Ozuna was given a cortisone shot to quiet his shoulder issues and then put on the 10-day DL on August 22. The move seemed to have worked. Since his return to the lineup, his power seems to have been restored and his throws from left field are stronger.

Ozuna now leads the St. Louis Cardinals in RBIs with 83, hits with 152, and his 22 HR are second on the team behind Matt Carpenter.  Also, he has raised his BA to .281 and is now only trailing Jose Martinez’s .301 batting average.

The 27-year old would make a valuable trade piece, if the Cardinals decide to go in that direction.  Although on only a 1yr/$9 million contract for 2018, he is not a free agent until after the 2020 season. The Cardinals are deep in the outfield throughout their organization, and would like to open up playing time for Tyler O’Neil, and the likely soon-to-arrive Adolis Garcia and Randy Arozarena.

Jedd Gyorko

I bring up Jedd Gyorko at the risk of making many of his loyal fans angry at me, but the 30-year-old right-handed hitter would bring some value on the trade market.  I believe the Cardinals need another big bat in the lineup in order to make it a World Series contender and third base seems to be the position to find that player.

Gyorko has been a valuable addition to the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster with his ability to play third, short, second or first. However, Yairo Munoz has been able to play all those positions, as well as the outfield, as a sort of ‘supersub.’

Additionally, it seems that the St. Louis Cardinals are not fully committed to Gyorko as an everyday player. Third base seems to be his best position, but the Cardinals often use a rotation of Carpenter, Munoz, and now Patrick Wisdom at that corner.

Gyorko is not quite the power-hitting-RBI- producing bat the Cardinals need at third base.  Nevertheless, his career slash line of .248/.312/.430 would make him a valuable piece during the off-season trade market.  Also take into account he is signed through 2019 on a 5-year, $35 million contract with a 2020 team option.