Cardinals: These are the best trade partners this off-season

The club is primed to be active in the trade market, who should they be calling?

The St. Louis Cardinals have a variety of ways they could choose to improve this off-season, and the main way they may choose to do so is through the trade market.

Although the club has money to spend, they are likely priced out of the biggest names on the market, and there are not a lot of clear fits within their projected payroll constraints. The Cardinals are not afraid to make a splash when the value is there, but in their organization’s history, that tends to be through the trade market, rather than handing out mega-deals in free agency.

On top of the payroll implications, the Cardinals have a lot of assets that they can pool together right now. From a variety of young players already on the major league roster who are fighting for similar roles on the club, as well as a deep farm system that has some elite talent, they can afford to cash in their chips to improve the club’s chances in 2023.

There are also a lot of interesting trade partners out there this off-season. Typically, teams who are looking to contend are calling rebuilding teams to acquire that new talent. In today’s game, there are a lot of contenders looking to trade from areas of strength to improve in areas of weakness, making trading with fellow contenders more and more normal. There is a good mixture of sellers and buyers that St. Louis should be calling. Here are a list of the top team’s they should be on the phone with.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have already been one of the most active teams this winter, making a variety of trades to clear 40-man roster spots for their emerging young talent. The Rays have always been one of the most unique front offices in baseball, and it appears they will be operating like that once again.

The Rays will be looking to acquire Major League talent, especially for their lineup, while flipping their excess of young pitching to improve in that area. While St. Louis will be competing with Tampa Bay for the likes of Sean Murphy, they could help each other out with their needs pairing well.

The Rays could be interested in the likes of Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson, and provide the Cardinals with more rotation depth, high-level bullpen arms, or maybe even an ace like Tyler Glasnow.

The problem for St. Louis is that they will not be the only team calling the Rays, and with most of the league eying their pitching, the Cardinals will have to be careful in order to get good value here. But the Rays are in a place where they have so much good pitching that they may be forced to trade some, and the Cardinals need to be ready to pounce.

Oakland Athletics

The Cardinals have been consistently linked to the Oakland Athletics for the past year, first as a prime destination for former right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas, and now star catcher Sean Murphy. Unfortunately, for St. Louis, they will face a lot of competition for the all-around backstop.

Still, St. Louis has the assets to grab Murphy, and they should seriously consider this upgrade. Murphy is the best all-around option on the market, giving the Cardinals a great bat for their lineup, while continuing their great tradition of defense behind the plate. Murphy will cost the most on the trade market for St. Louis because of this though, which will play a major role in the Cardinals decision to make a deal.

Even if Murphy is not there end target at catcher, guys like All-Star starter Paul Blackburn or relivers A.J Puk and Sam Moll could be great options to improve the pitching staff for St. Louis. The Cardinals have plenty of prospects or controllable young talent to entice Oakland, it is just a matter of whether or not the Cardinals want what Oakland has to offer.

Toronto Blue Jays

Now this match almost seems too perfect, and it would probably be a huge missed opportunity for both clubs if they do not make a deal happen between the Cardinals outfield talent and the Toronto Blue Jays catchers.

The Blue Jays just traded away outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and are seeking a replacement in the grass, specifically a left-handed bat. The Cardinals have Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson who could easily fit that bill.

For St. Louis, it’s been reported frequently the interest they could have in the abundance of catchers that Toronto has. The Blue Jays have All-Star Alejandro Kirk, and hitter first catcher who is underrated defensively behind the plate. They also have one of the top prospects in baseball in Gabriel Moreno, who is the least likely to be traded but would be a great option for the Cardinals. The most likely fit here though is Danny Jansen, their primary backup who has a lot of power but not consistent playing time.

The Blue Jays are motivated to improve their roster and one of these catchers will be a way they do that. St. Louis really has the right assets to get the deal done, so do not be surprised if a deal happens in the coming weeks.

Miami Marlins

Similar to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Miami Marlins are motivated to improve going into the 2023 season, and have a need for a brand new center fielder that the Cardinals have for them. Unlike the Blue Jays, the Cardinals will not be looking for a catcher upgrade for Miami, but rather, a front-line stater.

The most talked about starter from the Marlins has been 26-year old Pablo Lopez, who has the stuff to be at the top of the Cardinals rotation and appears to be someone that Miami is willing to move off of. While this should be the Cardinals primary target on Miami, there is another route that St. Louis could go.

And no, that name is not Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins are not going to move the former-Cardinals prospect unless they get an absolute haul of a package. And even then, it is extremely unlikely. What may actually be an interesting fit for the clubs would be some of Miami’s top prospects.

The Marlins have one of the best farm systems in baseball when it comes to young pitching. Eury Perez and Max Meyer are top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, and look to be front-line starters for Miami. Other arms like Sixto Sanchez, Jake Eder, and Dax Fulton would be intriguing targets as well. If the Cardinals are willing to part with the likes of Carlson or Nootbaar and some other hitters, this could really happen.