St. Louis Cardinals: Three (mostly) realistic trade targets for 2020

Trade 1: Nicholas Castellanos

I have wanted Nicholas Castellanos to be a Cardinal for quite some time now. Castellanos was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline last summer and then proceeded to sign with the Cincinnati Reds on a four-year/$64M contract this winter. So, unfortunately, the slugger has now become a familiar face in the NL Central.

Last season, Castellanos lead all of baseball in doubles with 58, a statistical category that the Cardinals struggled heavily at in 2019, thus explaining why they finished 28th in the league with an underwhelming 246 doubles.

Who finished behind St. Louis? Cincinnati, which is now the home for the 28-year old outfielder, and San Diego.

In 2019, Castellanos had an impressive slash line of .289/.337/.525 to go along with a .863 OPS, while also finishing with a stellar 121 wRC+. Additionally, his 21.5 K% would have put him 12th among Cardinals hitters in 2019.

I won’t ignore his defense, though… the numbers aren’t pretty. Last season, Castellanos posted a -5.2 UZR, -9 DRS, and -7 OAA, which is well below average to say the least.

So great offense and bad defense? Why would we want him? With the likeliness that there will be a universal DH moving forward, Castellanos could prove to be a perfect fit for the Cardinals as the everyday DH. And even if the DH doesn’t come in 2020, it’s hard to argue that the defensive gap between Dexter Fowler (-0.1 UZR, 4 DRS, -6 OAA) and Castellanos is enough to make up for the substantial difference on offense.

In a perfect world, the DH would be implemented, Castellanos would become the Cardinals’ DH, and top prospect, Dylan Carlson, will be the everyday RF in place of the declining Fowler.

If things don’t go as planned for the emerging Reds in 2020, Castellanos would be a great name to look in to at the trade deadline at any point throughout the season.

Trade 2: Joey Gallo

Much like the aforementioned Castellanos, Joey Gallo is an absolute slugger. The 26-year old outfielder had a very productive 2019 campaign where he posted a solid .253/.389/.598 slash line, while also exhibiting a well above average 144 wRC+, .986 OPS, and .401 wOBA.

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Since 2017, Gallo’s value has been really solid. Accumulating an fWAR of 8.7, the Texas Rangers have been able to heavily rely on Gallo for much of their offensive production. No matter what offensive stat or metric you look at, whether it be WAR, wRC+, OPS, wOBA, HR, RBI, or hits, you will find the name Joey Gallo either at the very top or among the top five for each leaderboard.

Sure, the Rangers weren’t the greatest team in 2019 as they finished 3rd in the AL West with a losing record of 78-84, but his impact is impressive nonetheless.

Gallo’s role as a Cardinal might be similar to that of Castellanos. But in contrast, Gallo is definitely a much better defender so he would probably be able to beat out Tyler O’Neill or Dexter Fowler as either the everyday left or right fielder. Gallo’s defensive numbers still aren’t considered great, but his 5.2 UZR, 5 DRS, and 1 OAA  are surely better than what St. Louis would get from O’Neill or Fowler.

It shouldn’t go unnoticed with Gallo either that if he became an everyday outfielder, the hypothetical of O’Neill being the DH for St. Louis is very attractive.

Whether the Cardinals would use Gallo as an everyday outfielder or as a DH, his offensive production could end up providing St. Louis with enough support to help lead the club to an even deeper Postseason run than they had in 2019.

Trade 3: Matt Chapman

Now before you click off of the article because of how crazy the idea sounds, I encourage you to read through why I have Matt Chapman, arguably the most underrated superstar of our game, listed as a trade target.

First, why would Oakland even consider bringing their franchise superstar into trade talks, right? Like my teammate, Ben Remis wrote on Thursday in regards to a Chapman trade, Oakland is going to continue to run into financial problems as they look for an alternative from their current home, the RingCentral Coliseum.

Plus, with the additional financial issues that the coronavirus is bringing upon companies all over the world, it may become increasingly difficult for franchisees in smaller markets to pay their superstars.

And I do mean superstar. Among the everso talented third base group, Chapman ranked third in WAR (6.1) while also slugging for stellar offensive numbers. In 2019, the 27-year old displayed a 125 wRC+, .848 OPS, and .354 wOBA. While crushing 36 home runs, Chapman was able to drive in a career-high 91 RBI’s. Those already impressive numbers will just continue to rise as the third baseman is just entering his prime.

Chapman’s game doesn’t stop on the offensive end, either, as he is widely recognized as the best defensive third baseman in all of baseball. Yes, even better than the much talked about, Nolan Arenado.

In 2019, Chapman’s 14.8 UZR put him atop all third baseman with Arenado (10.3) in second. Oh, and get this. Chapman posted an astounding 34 DRS, also first in the major league’s, and nearly doubling Arenado who had 18. Chapman (14) did finish second behind Arenado (17) in OAA, but that is clearly a much smaller gap than the previously mentioned stats.

With the struggles last season from Matt Carpenter and the uncertainty of what position Tommy Edman will play in 2020, third base is currently one of the Cardinals’ biggest holes. So if Matt Chapman is ever available in the trade market, St. Louis would be crazy not to pounce on the opportunity to bring in one of the games’ premier stars.

With many of St. Louis’ National League foes improving over the offseason, it will likely take some new faces and mid-season acquisitions if the club wants to set themselves apart and appear in their first World Series since 2013. There are several attractive options for Mozeliak and company, and if any of the aforementioned names pop up in trade talks, I would be surprised to not see the Cardinals engage in conversations. We’ll see how they play their cards.