4 ways the St. Louis Cardinals can win the trade deadline

Trade for Blue Jays Catcher Danny Jensen

The St. Louis Cardinals rank 25th in baseball with a -1.3 WAR from the catcher position and 28th in OPS sitting at .514. Even with the return of Yadier Molina in August, it is clear they need a different option outside of Andrew Knizner, Austin Romine, and Ivan Herrera. None of those three should touch a postseason field in 2022.

Enter Blue Jays catcher Danny Jensen. Jensen is the backup to AL All-Star starting catcher Alejandro Kirk, and has the #6 prospect in all of baseball Gabriel Moreno nipping at his heels. Jensen has only received 59 AB this season but has a .902 OPS, with his career OPS sitting at .709. Even just his career average would be a huge upgrade for the Cardinals, and would not cost a ton of value for the club.

With the Blue Jays likely looking to add significant talent, they would probably welcome a deal that bolsters their farm system a bit in exchange for their surplus catcher. Arms like Johan Oviedo, Junior Fernandez, or prospects such as Connor Thomas and Edwin Nunez could appeal to Toronto.

If the Cardinals are able to grab Jensen, he can take on the bulk of catching duties and allow Molina to play as needed down the stretch. Jensen is not known for his on base skills but would provide significant power from the catcher spot, a welcomed upgrade for St. Louis.

Acquire Angels Starter Noah Syndergaard

One of the rumored targets for St. Louis during the offseason, Noah Syndergaard signed a one year prove it deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Although he has struggled for the fading Angels this season, there is reason to believe the Cardinals could help him make some adjustments to be an elite arm down the stretch.

While sporting a 5-7 record with an 4.00 ERA this season, two of the pitches that the right hander throws the most have been very hittable this season. According to Baseball Savant, hitters have a .311 average against Syndergaard’s fastball, which he throws 20.2% of the time, and .320 average against his change up, which is thrown 23.6% of the time. In contrast, hitters hit .167 off of his sinker, which he throws 27.1% of the time, .200 off of his slider, thrown 20.2%, and .143 on his curveball, which is just 9% of his pitches.

Similar to adjustments pitchers Luis Garcia, Jon Lester, J.A. Happ, and Wade LeBlanc last season, if the Cardinals can acquire Syndergaard and have him throw less fastballs and change ups while increasing his sinker, slider, and curveball usage, there is a strong reason to believe the righty will be the outstanding arm the club needs right now.

The Angels would love to replenish their farm system as they look ahead to 2023, so a package centered around one of Alec Burleson, Michael McGreevy, Joshua Baez, or Alec Willis could be a good base for a deal for Thor.

Deal for Rockies Reliever Alex Colome

The St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen has mostly impressed in 2022, with guys like Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, Jordan Hicks, Packy Naughton, Zack Thompson, Andre Pallante, and at times Johan Oviedo and Junior Fernandez impressing in their innings of work.

The issue that is arising for the club really comes down to their veteran options. Giovanni Gallegos has really begun to struggle and lose trust in high leverage situations, T.J McFarland and Drew VerHagen continue to implode, and the club just released Nick Wittgren. The club could really use another veteran arm to trust in big spots, and Alex Colome has been that guy for the Colorado Rockies in 2022.

Pitching in Colorado is no easy task, yet the 33 year old right hander has found a way to keep his ERA below 3.00 and get big outs for the Rockies. The Cardinals do not need to swing for the fences for a reliever, so getting a dependable veteran like Colome who has pitched in big spots throughout his career would be a huge get for the club. Colome could slot into a middle innings, operate as the set up man, or act as a stopper in big spots of the game.

Grabbing Colome would be a huge get for Mozeliak and likely not cost the club a ton of value, so this should be an easy decision for the club. Other arms around the league that could provide similar value would include Anthony Bass, Carl Edwards Jr., Wily Peralta, and Tanner Rainey.

Get Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow for 2023

Now this is a bit of a bold take, but if you’re President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak and General Manager Mike Girsch, you have to always explore options for making your club better in future seasons. 2023 and 2024 looks to be prime contention years for the Cardinals, and they may have the perfect assets currently to get a deal done for an ace like Tyler Glasnow and not hurt their chances in 2022.

Glasnow is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and there is a chance the right hander could return late this season in a reduced role. Before his elbow injury last season, the 28 year old was a strong contender for the AL Cy Young, with his ERA sitting at 2.66 and having 123 SO in 88 inngings of work.

The Cardinals could use this kind of pitcher in 2022, but will desperately need one in 2023. The club hopes Jack Flaherty can return to that this year or next, and there is still uncertainty about the return of Adam Wainwright next season or if Miles Mikolas can keep up his form. Trading for an injured pitcher may seem like it is compounding those issues, but the Cardinals should be able to roll the dice for a discount.

Sending center fielder Harrison Bader and top 100 prospect Alec Burleson could be the foundation for a trade for the Rays star. The Rays have battled injuries to their lineup all season long, and would love for Bader to take over in center field and allow Burleson to come up and mash at DH or the corner outfield spots. With Glasnow approaching free agency after 2023 and a wealth of MLB ready and up and coming arms, the Rays can afford to part with Glasnow.

The Cardinals have a wealth of options for the lineup right now, and with Bader battling plantar fasciitis, there is no guarantee he will be a major contributor the rest of the year. Burleson is ready to play everyday in the majors, but there is no spot on the Cardinals roster.

For those who worry that the right hander cannot bounce back, Glasnow is already back on the mound throwing bullpen sessions and will be more than ready to rock and roll in 2023, if not this season. Clubs have to take shots one high level players when they can in order to contend, and this appears to be a perfect opportunity to do so for St. Louis.