5 shortstop trade options the St. Louis Cardinals should consider

Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts has been discussed quite a bit at Redbird Rants lately, and he certainly has appeal.  Let’s take a look at the details involved with trying to trade for him.

The Positive: Bogaerts is one of the best-hitting shortstops in baseball.  His worst OPS+ over the last five seasons has been 128.  He hits for average, takes his share of walks, and has very good power.  Slotting him into the lineup would offer an instant upgrade, making everyone around him a bit better in the process.

The Negative: As good a hitter as Bogaerts is, he can’t compare to DeJong defensively.  Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved rate his glovework among the worst shortstops, while Ultimate Zone Rating views him as mediocre.

And then there’s his salary, which is $20M for this season, and maybe beyond…

The Complicated: Bogaerts has complete control over where he plays via his full no-trade clause, so if he doesn’t want to leave Boston, he won’t.  But with the Red Sox having signed Trevor Story to a six-year contract prior to the start of the season, the writing on the wall is that Bogaerts won’t be their shortstop for long.

Additionally, he has an opt-out in his contract, meaning he can void the remaining three years and $60M of the deal and become a free agent after this season.  The counter to that is the risk of injury.  If Bogaerts suffers a major sprain, strain, or break, he can simply choose to opt into that three-year, $60M package.  What team wants to pay that much for a player who might not play?

And of course, the Red Sox have a say in whether Bogaerts will finish the 2022 season with them.  If they bounce back from a rough start and see their playoff chances increase significantly, they would have little interest in sending away a key player in their pursuit of October baseball.

Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves’ Dansby Swanson may not be a name that comes immediately to mind, especially since his current team is coming off a World Series championship it undoubtedly is eager to defend.  However, things don’t always work out as planned.

The Positive: Swanson provide solid all-around skills.  His bat has been roughly average the last few seasons.  His defense rates somewhere between average to very good, depending on which metric you choose; regardless, he’s no butcher with the leather.  And he’s a solid baserunner who can steal a base when needed.  It’s not the sexiest profile, but it works.

The Negative: Nothing Swanson does really jumps off the page.  Sure, he hit 27 home runs last year, but he’s never topped 17 in any other season, and this year’s baseball looks like it will tamp down power all season.

His best seasonal batting average is .274, his top on-base percentage, in .345, and his highest slugging percentage is .464.  All of those numbers were in the shortened 2020 season, so they could have been propped up by a hot streak or two.

The Complicated: As with the Red Sox, the Braves’ decision-making as the trade deadline approaches will be a major factor.  Atlanta didn’t sell last year despite being below .500 for a good portion of the season, and holding steady paid off.  Would they more readily deal their talent under similar circumstances this season?

If the Braves did make Swanson available, what would he cost?  As a player heading into free agency, the acquisition price wouldn’t be that great.  Rental prices have plummeted the last several years as teams realize 2-3 months of a player often aren’t worth several years of a promising prospect.

Didi Gregorius, Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are enduring a long playoff drought, and they’ve spent big the last few off-seasons as they attempt to end that dry spell.  One player they’ve allocated relatively small sums to the last few years is Didi Gregorius, who has been steady if not spectacular in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Positive: Gregorius isn’t as good as Bogaerts or Swanson, providing roughly average hitting and below-average defense.  His desirability doesn’t jump off the page, but his track record is long and fairly steady.

One thing that could work in the pursuit of Gregorius is availability.  Even if the Phillies are competing for playoff position in July, they might be doing so with rookie Bryson Stott as their starting shortstop.  If that’s the case, Gregorius most likely could be had for a song.

The Negative: While the acquisition price would be low in terms of talent, his $15.25M salary is rather high.  Maybe a balance of funds coming from Philadelphia and better prospect going from St. Louis could make this palatable for both teams.

The Complicated: What if the Phillies are contending, but Stott hasn’t overtaken Gregorius for the starting gig?  Well, it would be tough for Philly to send away their No. 1 shortstop.  There’s a lot of wait-and-see to this deal, too.

Nick Ahmed, Arizona Diamondbacks and others

There are several other shortstops who could be both available and beneficial to the Cardinals.  Each has questions that would need to be answered in the next couple of months: Are they available?  What would the trade cost be?  And most importantly, what skills would they bring to St. Louis?

Nick Ahmed of the Arizona Diamondbacks has long been viewed as a strong defender, but his offense only recently has approached average.  And his salaries for this year and next are higher than DeJong’s.

The Cleveland Guardians have Amed Rosario and several other middle-infield options at the big-league and minor league levels.  Would they be willing to move Rosario to improve other parts of their roster and while giving their younger players opportunities?

Jose Iglesias isn’t a flashy player, and his signing with the Colorado Rockies didn’t make any bold-print headlines.  But he’s been surprisingly competent with the bat the last few years while being something around average with the glove.

Can Gleyber Torres still play shortstop?  Would it be worth trying?  Probably not.

Could the Cardinals pry Ha-Seong Kim from the Padres, Gavin Lux from the Dodgers?  For a price, certainly.  For a price St. Louis’ front office would be willing to pay?  Not likely.

Another factor to consider in this pursuit is the Los Angeles Angels, who may be looking for a similar upgrade but with greater desperation to make a move while Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are among the game’s best players.  They may be willing to outbid St. Louis to get a player they really want.

There’s not an obvious shortstop target for the Cardinals to acquire, either because of skills, trade cost, salary, or a combination of all these factors.  But the next two months will make it clear whether overpaying is a viable strategy or if standing pat is the path to pursue.