St. Louis Cardinals: Three outfield trade targets that won’t break the bank

FT. MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox rounds third base to score during the third inning of a Grapefruit League game against the Baltimore Orioles on February 25, 2020 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
FT. MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox rounds third base to score during the third inning of a Grapefruit League game against the Baltimore Orioles on February 25, 2020 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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Feb 27, 2019; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2019; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

BRANDON MARSH

Most baseball fans know Mitch Haniger and Andrew Benintendi. This guy is more of a wildcard. For those that don’t know him, Brandon Marsh is the current top prospect in the Los Angeles Angels farm system. He is also the number 73 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. Most importantly, the 6’4” left-handed power hitter is 22-years old and might be available in a trade.

The Angles have no pitching and an abundance of outfielders. Ahead of Marsh is veteran Justin Upton (signed through 2022), last year’s top Angels prospect Jo Adell, and a guy named Mike Trout. With Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols taking at-bats at DH, there really isn’t that much playing time available for Marsh in 2021. As the clock ticks on LA’s competitive window, Marsh might be most valuable to the Angels as a trade asset.

The Cardinals would probably prefer to add a more proven bat to their lineup. However, it would be tough to pass up the opportunity to acquire this talent. Marsh can play all three positions in the outfield, he is a threat on the basepaths, and maybe most importantly, he would be under team control for multiple seasons.

It would be tough to pry Brandon Marsh away from the Angels this offseason– they still haven’t agreed to a deal with a new general manager, but I assume that whoever the new GM is will be careful during their first offseason in charge. That being said, the future would be quite bright in St. Louis if the Cardinals are able to make this deal.