Cody Bellinger injury opens up unique trade opportunity for Cardinals

New York Yankees' manager Aaron Boone provided some stark news for the New York Yankees and their All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger. Bellinger suffered a grade-2 hamstring sprain and will be out for 4-6 weeks as a result. The Yankees now have a glaring hole in the outfield, and the St. Louis Cardinals could help fill that need.

Aaron Judge has been out since May 31st with a fractured rib, and he doesn't have a timetable to return. This has left the Yankees' offense sputtering and in desperate need for help. Cody Bellinger had been providing offensive help of late, but now with him gone, the Yankees will surely want more help in the outfield. Giancarlo Stanton, who is primarily a designated hitter at this point, is also hurt.

The St. Louis Cardinals could take advantage of the New York Yankees' desperation this trade deadline.

The Cardinals have fallen completely flat out of the All-Star Break. They have gone 3-7 since the break, and they're now 1.5 games out of the Wild Card race. They've fallen behind teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals in the standings. This poor showing out of the break has made it certain that the Cardinals will be all but sellers at this year's trade deadline.

The Cardinals have several appealing candidates they could move at the deadline. Players on expiring contracts like Dustin May, Ryne Stanek, and JoJo Romero are likely to be moved. Others with more team control like Riley O'Brien could be traded. Chaim Bloom could make a big splash and trade bigger name players like Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, or Andre Pallante.

There is one player, however, who could be of great help for the New York Yankees: outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

Nootbaar could essentially replace the production that Cody Bellinger gave the Yankees in the corner outfield. Both players are plus defenders, they both have a knack for getting on base, and they can both handle multiple outfield positions.

Nootbaar by himself could net the Cardinals an interesting prospect, and the Yankees are known as a pitching development powerhouse. According to MLB Pipeline, seven of their top 10 prospects are pitchers. While Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are likely off limits in a deal for a player with just over a year of control, Chaim Bloom could ask for another pitcher. Right hander Ben Hess, who boasts two plus breaking balls and a fastball that plays up, could be in play. Henry Lalane is a tall southpaw with a good changeup.

Thatcher Hurd, Allen Facundo, and Bryce Cunningham round out the remaining pitching prospects in the top of the Yankees' farm system.

St. Louis could also mirror a deal they made at the 2022 deadline with the Yankees when they sent outfielder Harrison Bader, who was a year and a half away from free agency at the time, to New York for left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery to fill a need in the rotation. This was a need-for-need trade between two contending teams that was consummated at the last second. The Yankees don't have a pitcher who matches Nootbaar in team control, but there's a chance St. Louis could include a prospect to nab a controllable pitcher like Ryan Weathers or Will Warren.

The trade deadline is going to heat up very quickly, and the Cardinals are likely to be big players in transactions. They could start the process by finding a cozy deal with the New York Yankees.

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