5 early season trade targets for the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a month into the 2022 season and team needs are beginning to shake out. Who are some players they may want to trade for?
The St. Louis Cardinals are into the month of May and are looking to contend all year long in a heavily contested National League. The Mets, Brewers, Dodgers and Padres have all gotten off to hot starts, and teams like the Braves, Phillies, Giants, Rockies, and Marlins are looking to make some noise as well.
St. Louis looks to be one of the top clubs in the National League thus far, but there are already a few weaknesses popping up on the ballclub that will need patched up as the year goes on. Some of these needs, such as DH and shortstop, likely will be filled by internal solutions, but injuries and regression from players could turn the Cardinals front office to the trade market.
Clubs are not usually active on the trade market in the month of May, but it is never too early to game plan potential deals that could happen now, or closer to the trade deadline. Along with the needs at shortstop and DH, the Cardinals could look at added another starter to the rotation, left handed option in the bullpen, or even another catcher should something happen to Yadier Molina or Andrew Knizner.
Here are five different trade options the Cardinals could look to pursue as the season goes on.
Tigers Reliever Andrew Chafin
After starting the 2022 season on the injured list, Tigers reliever Andrew Chafin has looked good in his four innings of work for Detroit.
Chafin received a two year contract worth $13 million from the Tigers this offseason after an elite 2021 season where he threw 68.2 innings with an ERA of 1.83 and WHIP sitting at 0.93 for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. Chafin is familiar with the NL central after his time in Chicago last year, and has a career 3.29 ERA that gives him a proven track record over his 9 year career.
Chafin would be a great target for the Cardinals to solidify their bullpen as one of the elite in all of baseball. St. Louis currently has four right handed relievers with ERAs under 2.00 at the moment in Andre Pallante, Nick Wittgren, Kodi Whitley, and Ryan Helsley, and Giovanni Gallegos looks to be getting back on track. With T.J. McFarland struggling a bit to start 2022, pairing Chafin with Cabrera gives St. Louis two elite left handed relievers.
Clubs that want to go far in the postseason need to be able to shorten games, and adding Chafin would make this Cardinal bullpen that much stronger and a force to be reckoned with.
Royals INF/OF Whit Merrifield
On the other side of the “I-70” rivalry during his 7 year career, super utility player Whit Merrifield could be an absolute weapon if he were to end up on the St. Louis Cardinals.
Both Merrifield and the Royals have gotten off to slow starts, with the club starting out 8-16 and Merrifield slashing .151/.198/.183 so far this season. Although the Royals will likely remain out of contention, the Royals veteran is a career .287 hitter and will likely regain his on base skills in the near future.
On top of a career OBP of .333, Merrifield has 162 career stolen bases, including a league leading 40 in 2021. The Cardinals are already top of the league in stolen bases thus far, and he would help the club swipe bags at an unheard of level. Merrifield has mostly played second base and corner outfield in his career, but has the versatility to play shortstop, third base, and center field as well.
If the club is not confident in Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, Brendan Donovan, or Nolan Gorman, Merrifield could slot in at shortstop or second and provide the team with immediate help. The club could also view Merrifield as the super utility player that many thought Tommy Edman would fall into this season, slotting in the lineup all over the place as needed, and offering manager Oli Marmol a ton of flexibility late in games off the bench as a pinch runner or pinch hitter.
Reds Catcher Tyler Stephenson
One of the few Cincinnati Reds off to a good start in 2022, Tyler Stephenson is slashing .263/.356/.500 with 3 HR and 8 RBI behind the plate for the Reds. Considering Cincinnati is off to a 3-22 start to the season, few players will be off limits for a club that was selling in the offseason.
Grabbing a guy like Stephenson would be a win now move for 2022 and give the Cardinals a great long term successor to Yadier Molina. Stephenson is 25 and in his third big league season, and has a career line of .284/.366/.447 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI in 154 career games. Stephenson can share the load with Andrew Knizner in 2023 and beyond.
On paper, trading for another catcher does not seem like a obvious move. Looking at the numbers for the club so far, the duo of Molina and Knizner have combined for an OPS of .615 thus far, which ranks 18th in baseball, and is dragged down by Molina’s performance so far. There is no way that Molina does not stay on the team this season, and there are signs of improvement there for him. Should he or Knizner deal with injuries though, Stephenson could be a feasible target.
Stephenson’s bat is also good enough to spend time at first base or DH, so the Cardinals could carry all three on the roster if needed.
Red Sox Starter Michael Wacha
The Boston Red Sox have gotten off to a dissapointing 10-16 start and already sit 8.5 games back of the Yankees in 1st place in the AL East while also trailing the Rays and Blue Jays. It is way to early to sell off pieces or call it a washed season, especially with the talent this team has, but if things go south, Michael Wacha could be available.
The former Cardinal young gun is enjoying a career revitalization with Boston, as he is off to a 3-0 start with an ERA of 1.38 in 26 innings of work in a very difficult AL East. No one expects Wacha to keep up this level of play, but even with some regression, Wacha could be a great addition to the Cardinal rotation.
Even with underwhelming seasons in 2016, 2017, and 2019, Wacha managed a career ERA of 3.91 over his seven seasons in St. Louis. He was a fan favorite during his time in St. Louis and has postseason experience, including winning NLCS MVP in 2013.
When Wacha is at his best, he is a great ground ball pitcher with sneaky swing and miss stuff. In front of the Cardinals defense, Wacha could give the Cardinals 5-6 quality innings a start and turn it over to their elite bullpen to secure the win.
Marlins Shortstop Joey Wendle
Traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Miami Marlins in the offseason, SS Joey Wendle has swung the bat well thus far for South Beach.
The Marlins shortstop hits from the left side and has begun the year hitting .286/.348/.429 with 1 HR and 8 RBI. Wendle is a career .274 hitter with an OBP of .329, showing great consistency at the plate. The shortstop provides defensive versatility at all infield spots and corner outfield as well.
Paul DeJong and Edmundo Sosa have combined for a .219 OBP so far this season, ranking the Cardinals last in major league baseball in OBP from the shortstop position. Even if the club were to move Tommy Edman over to the position to make room for Nolan Gorman, the club could really use another option at shortstop with how awful their current options have been. Wendle also gives the club another left handed bat, something they are weak in.
Joey Wendle is not a household name by any means, but the upgrade his bat would provide to this Cardinal lineup would be immense. The shortstop position at the moment is practically an automatic out, often times a strikeout, which can kill momentum or rallies for an offense that feeds off one another. Inserting a guy like Wendle who will work counts and find his way on base could unlock other guys in the St. Louis lineup.