Cardinals: How rumored trade targets have played since trade deadline

Josh Bell

In early July, the Cardinals were reportedly in conversations with the Washington Nationals, looking to upgrade their offense. Remember, this was before news broke that the Nationals were going to trade Soto, meaning they were discussing other bats, namely Josh Bell.

Bell ended up being dealt to the Padres in the mega-deal for Soto. At the time, it was easy to see why the Cardinals would be interested. Bell was a switch-hitter in a contract year who was slashing .301/.384/.493 with 14 HR and 57 RBI for one of the worst teams in baseball. The Cardinals were struggling to find consistent offense from anyone not named Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, so an upgrade at the corner outfield spots or DH was in the cards.

Since being dealt to the Padres, Bell has underwhelmed, slashing .205/.322/.307 with 3 HR and 11 RBIs. Had Bell not been placed in a deal with Soto, maybe he would have gone on to produce at a similar level as he did with Washington with less pressure on him, but regardless, his numbers currently are not cutting it.

For St. Louis, they have seem guys like Albert Pujols, Lars Nootbaar, Corey Dickerson, and Brendan Donovan really step up to provide a deep lineup for the club since the deadline. Could the Cardinals use another bat? Sure, but the upgrades they made to their pitching staff have been much needed.

When you look at the Cardinals acquisitions at the deadline, it is easy to give them an “A” grade for the talent they were able to acquire. When you compare who they brought in for who they passed on, that really begins to say a lot about the talent evaluation and patience of the St. Louis front office.