Cardinals: 5 teams that should trade for Harrison Bader

The St. Louis Cardinals have a major need at starting pitching for 2022 and 2023, and should use Harrison Bader as a trade chip to acquire impact arms.

On June 27, the St. Louis Cardinals placed Gold Glove centerfielder Harrison Bader on the injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Bader has been a key contributor for the club over the last few seasons, and any team would miss his glove and energy in their lineup.

But sometimes, injuries to key players give teams a moment to consider their long term options. Bader will be a free agent after the 2023 season, and the club already has three other controllable outfielders on the big league roster in Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Brendan Donovan.

Carlson is a large reason why this idea has begun to gain traction around Cardinals circles. The 23 year old outfielder has filled in seamlessly in centerfield, providing elite defense and a better bat than Bader. Carlson appears to be stepping up to the plate, both literally and figuratively, in the absence of Bader.

The Cardinals also face a bit of a log jam long term at the position. Outside of the current options on the roster, top prospect Jordan Walker will likely need to fill in at a corner outfield spot next season if he continues his meteoric rise. Juan Yepez could see time in the corner spots, and names like Lars Nootbaar, Moises Gomez, and Jhon Torres can be inexpensive 4th outfield options for the club.

Trading Harrison Bader between now and the trade deadline may prove too difficult without getting fair value in return due to his injury. These trades likely become ones the club looks at in the offseason, but a team may decide to get aggressive and make the Cardinals an offer before the deadline.

The Cardinals have clear needs when it comes to starting pitching, and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions to trade out of your strength to address a weakness. Whether it is before the trade deadline or after the 2023 season, the Cardinals should seriously consider trading Harrison Bader to one of these five teams.

New York Yankees

It is no secret how much Harrison Bader loves his hometown, so a return to the Bronx seems inevitable at some point in the centerfielders career.

The Yankees have the best record in baseball and will clearly be buyers at this seasons trade deadline, and would certainly have interest in Bader during the offseason as well. With the impending free agency of Aaron Judge, Bader can bring some excitement to the Bronx if he were to leave, or help create one of the most dynamic outfields in baseball if they choose to resign him.

Outfielder Joey Gallo has been a huge let down for the Yankees since acquiring him last season at the deadline, so the presence of Bader would allow Judge to shift back to a corner outfield spot and give up on the Gallo experiment.

For the Cardinals, the Yankees boast both elite pitching on their big league roster and a good farm system that could provide the Cardinals with the value they’d need to part with their center fielder. MLB ready pitching would be ideal for the club, but even a strong prospect package would replenish the club’s farm system in the event they make a big move for pitching.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays feel like a trade partner made in heaven for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays consistently pump out more pitching talent than they know what to do with, and have major holes in their lineup at the moment, specifically in the outfield. The Cardinals desperately need starting pitching and have depth in the outfield to trade from.

One trade that could make a ton of sense is a Tyler Glasnow-Harrison Bader swap. Glasnow has been rehabbing from elbow surgery that he has last summer, but was a Cy Young candidate in the American League before his injury. The Cardinals could throw in Alec Burleson and another prospect and ask for one of their other arms in return (Ryan Yarbrough, Jeffrey Springs, etc.), giving the Rays multiple new bats for their lineup while only dealing away one arm that is currently throwing for them.

Both Glasnow and Bader are free agents after 2023, so each club can determine if they want them in their plans long term. With money coming off the books for the Cardinals in the next two years and uncertainty around Jack Flaherty, making a move for a guy like Glasnow makes a ton of sense for the club. Swapping Bader in a package for him still allows the club to deal from their prospect depth to acquire 2022 ready arms as well.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are putting pressure on the New York Yankees as the summer progresses as the other favorite to represent the American League in the World Series. The club has two major holes, one at catcher and one in centerfield. But with the recent promotion of top prospect Korey Lee at catcher, the club may look harder at center field.

The Cardinals would love to get their hands on the likes of Jose Urquidy, Christian Javier, Luis Garcia, or even Jake Odorizzi to provide impact innings for their rotation this year. The clubs really appear to be great destinations for one another in the event of a swap, and could propel both clubs to serious contention in their perspective leagues.

Bader would provide the energy and above average offense that would make Houston’s lineup that much scarier up and down the order. The Astros also have one of the best defenses in baseball, so acquiring Bader could make their already elite pitching even better.

If St. Louis grabbed one of those arms, it would take significant pressure off of their lineup and bullpen, and give them a legit shot at not only the division crown, but making some noise come October.

Cleveland Guardians

Another club with a huge hole in center field, Harrison Bader would be a major upgrade over Myles Straw if the Guardians want to sneak into the postseason in 2022 or prepare for a run in 2023.

The first name the Cardinals should be calling about is Shane Bieber. Bieber has yet to regain his Cy Young form this year, and there are some concerns with his dip in velocity, so the Guardians may feel compelled to move off of the right hander for the right package. Bader, Burleson or Yepez, and a few prospects could compel the Guardians to upgrade both their offense and their farm system at the expense of their ace.

If the price is too high or the Guardians would like to wait on that sort of move, starters Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, and Triston McKenzie would all make terrific upgrades to the St. Louis rotation. The advantage of moving a guy like Bader is when a team values him, he lessens the level of prospects the club would need to part with, which will be critical for maintaining roster flexibility.