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5 players from the Angels that are a perfect fit for the Cardinals
Looking at potential trade candidates to fill holes in the roster, the Angels offer everything the Cardinals need
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to secure a National League Wild Card berth and are built to continue making a run for it. As one of the best teams since the month of May, they cannot settle with where the team is at currently. Every contender will always look to improve and with the trade deadline approaching, time is running out for teams to make necessary moves.
The Cardinals have several needs in order to build a sustainable roster to make it to October baseball. A starting pitcher, a right-handed hitting outfielder, and bullpen depth are all glaring needs to balance the current team. Luckily for St. Louis, they can accomplish all of this with the Los Angeles Angels.
Here are five players the Cardinals need to inquire about to start improving their roster.
1. Taylor Ward
The biggest trade piece for the Angels is Taylor Ward. With many teams looking for offensive improvements, Ward will be sought after and should hold a competitive market. Ward is slashing .235/.320/.413/.733 (104 OPS+) with 16 2B, 14 HR, and 44 RBI in 89 games played. He can play any outfield position and has a history of playing the corner infield spots. He is playing within his career normal statistics where he holds a 108 OPS+ over seven seasons.
He is not as dominant in the field as many of the Cardinals players, but he is serviceable. His flashes of power from the right-hand side is more attractive to the Cardinals than their surplus of defensive outfielders who only show production from the left side of the plate. The Cardinals might not want to jump into the competitive market for him come the deadline, but the options is still there if they decide to entertain it.
2. Tyler Anderson
In a similar fashion to Ward, Tyler Anderson is about to become a hot commodity at the trade deadline. Contending teams are always searching for pitching and he is one of the best available. The 2024 All-Star is having arguably the best season of his career. He holds a 4.1 WAR as a pitcher with an 8-8 record, 2.81 ERA, 151 ERA+, 4.53 FIP, 1.179 WHIP, and 6.2 SO/9. Anderson has had a stellar first half of the season and has earned a deserved All-Star game selection and also has earned a top seat in the trade deadline ring.
For teams interested in him, the under the hood stats do not look promising for Anderson to continue this level of success. The FIP is nearly double of his ERA and his strikeout numbers are at a career low. He might eat innings for you, but prepare for your defense to be worked all game. The Cardinals can take that risk, which makes this move desirable.
3. Carlos Estevez
The Cardinals have two ways of doing this. 1. Trade for Estevez and make a super bullpen that cannot be touched in October. 2. Trade Helsley to a World Series contender and get a haul of prospects, then trade for Estevez to replace him. Both options have pros and cons, but both options have Carlos Estevez being added to his bullpen which is a major upgrade. He is having a strong 2024 season where he holds a 2.79 ERA, 153 ERA+, 3.00 FIP, 0.793 WHIP, and has 16 saves over 29 innings pitched.
The June AL reliever of the month is building on his success from 2023 and is now a premier back-end reliever which will warrant many teams' interest. The Cardinals can shuffle their assets to where they do not skip a beat on the 2024 season and can build a stronger future going forward. This move makes the most sense for the current roster if they go either direction.
4. Reid Detmers
Here is where the dice begins to roll. Detmers was a once-heralded pitching prospect for the Angels and looked to be the future ace to eventually get Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to the postseason.
The 10th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft was one of the best arms coming out of college and was expected to make an immediate impact. Since then, Trout has been a mainstay on the Injured List, Ohtani is playing in Los Angeles for the other team, and Detmers has been demoted due to his poor performance. In 2024, Detmers is 3-6 with a 6.14 ERA, 69 ERA+. 4.40 FIP, 1.476 WHIP, and 10.0 SO/9 in 63 Innings pitched. Most fans will see the ERA and WHIP and want to run far away from Detmers. But there is something still in the tank for him. The FIP is almost two runs lower than his ERA and his strikeout rate is still impressive.
Baseball Savant has Detmers showing many categories in the red percentiles with very few in the blue. Is Detmers having problems? Or is it simply that the Angels are having problems? Let them think it is Detmers, and go acquire him for someone who also needs a change of scenery in Dylan Carlson.
5. Jo Adell
Okay before you all freak out about this...... hear me out. A right-handed hitting outfielder: check. Can play all three outfield spots: check. Plays good outfield defense: check. Extremely athletic: check. Shows power numbers: check. Where can you go wrong with this move?
The fans screaming at me for this will say his production has been atrocious, in which I cannot deny that. In 2024, he is slashing .181/.244.382/.625 (72 OPS+) which is sadly very comparable to his career numbers. Over 83 games he has been worth -0.2 WAR and is nearing his end playing for the Angels. So why even consider trading for a bust of a former top MLB prospect? Well, he was a top MLB prospect for a reason. The ceiling for Adell is much higher than any outfielder the Cardinals currently have. He is a potential five-tool player who can become a franchise cornerstone.
Before fans come back and say he is a bust of a prospect with no future ahead, Adell is still only 25 years old. If he can figure it out, Adell can potentially play for 10-15 more seasons. That is enough time to reach the MLB pension and also build a Hall-of-Fame career. Will he do either? Who knows. Right now it looks highly unlikely and this conversation is just blowing air into a balloon that needs to be popped. But the Cardinals will beat themselves up if they do not roll the dice and at least take the chance. They have avoided rolling the dice one too many times in the past by missing out on talents like Luis Robert and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Adell is at his all-time lowest value and the cost to acquire him will be slim to none. The Cardinals have an abundance of sources the Angels would rather have and it is worth it to make the gamble. The Cardinals have the same situation on their hands with Dylan Carlson. Pick up the phone and play with the odds.
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