5 trade packages for the St. Louis Cardinals rumored trade targets

The St. Louis Cardinals have a busy trade deadline ahead of them, and there are already some names popping up that are being linked to this club at this deadline.

In a recent story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold, he linked the Cardinals to three starting pitchers - Mariners' Logan Gilbert, Yankees' Clayton Beeter, and White Sox's Lance Lynn.

I began to touch on each of these names the other day when they were first reported. Each starter would come at a different price point for St. Louis, and all three have club control beyond the 2023 season.

Logan Gilbert would be the most expensive of the bunch in terms of trade capital, surely requiring at least one of the Cardinals' best young bats. He does have a very high upside though and has already proven for multiple seasons that he belongs at the big league level.

Clayton Beeter is an intriguing prospect in the Yankees farm system but interestingly is only their number thirteen prospect according to MLB.com. Beeter feels like a very realistic target for St. Louis, and his strikeout stuff could break out in a huge way for them.

Lance Lynn is familiar to Cardinals fans from his time in St. Louis years ago and has had a dreadful season with the White Sox. His strikeout stuff is still top tier though, making him a very interesting trade candidate.

What could it take to acquire each of these arms in a trade? That's what I want to dive into with this story, and I added a fourth arm to the mix that I could see the Cardinals looking at as well.

Here are five trade ideas for the starters linked to the Cardinals

Trade #1

Cardinals receive: RHP Logan Gilbert

Mariners receive: 2B Nolan Gorman and RHP Giovanny Gallegos

Let's get this out of the way to start. Starting pitchers are typically valued higher in the trade market than position players, especially young starters with team control. Logan Gilbert is not coming to come cheap for the Cardinals.

Honestly, I'm not really sure the Mariners will want to part with him without getting a haul in return. They do not need to deal him, and so I can see them playing hardball here.

Nolan Gorman I think has to start the conversation, especially with Lars Nootbaar being off-limits in the Cardinals' mind. Gorman would provide high upside thump to the Mariners lineup, and Giovanny Gallegos is a strong second piece that bolsters the Seattle bullpen even more for a run this year and in future years.

Gilbert has a 3.66 ERA this season but is coming off a 2022 season where he had a 13-6 record with a 3.20 ERA in 185.2 innings. Gilbert would be under team control through the 2027 season, giving the Cardinals a much needed arm for years to come.

Trade #2

Cardinals receive: RHP Clayton Beeter and RHP Randy Vasquez

Yankees receive: RHP Jack Flaherty and OF Tyler O'Neill

Ever since Clayton Beeter was floated out there as a fit for the Cardinals, I've been in love with the idea of the Cardinals being a fit for a swap with the Yankees.

Beeter has been excellent this season, posting a 2.64 ERA with 83 SO in 71.2 innings for the Yankees' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year. Beeter was a strikeout machine in 2022, posting a crazy 15.1 SO/9 while throwing 71.2 innings, the highest rate of minor leaguers with that many innings.

The Yankees need an outfielder, and they could also use some support for their rotation to help them push for October. Why not get both in the form of Jack Flaherty and Tyler O'Neill?

The Yankees already have Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes Jr., Luis Severno, and Domingo German. They do not need to acquire a front-line starter this deadline, just another arm to help propel them to a Wild Card bearth and perhaps start a post season game for them. Flaherty can do that for them.

O'Neill would be a high-upside play for them, someone who can provide some much-needed defense in left field while also boasting huge power potential. I have predicted that O'Neill will bounce back with whatever team he goes to, and the Yankees could benefit here.

Randy Vazquez is another interesting arm for the Cardinals to acquire in this deal with the Yankees, as he is also MLB-ready and could be another option for St. Louis for 2024 and beyond.

Trade #3

Cardinals receive: RHP Clayton Beeter and RHP Drew Thorpe

Yankees receive: OF Dylan Carlson

Dylan Carlson has been drawing a lot of buzz amongst Yankees fans and media outlets are a potential fit for the club, and I can see it as well.

Carlson still has a high upside and multiple years of club control, making him a valuable asset still in this league. Immediately, he can provide good outfield defense and a streaky bat for any club looking to acquire him, but his upside is much higher at the plate.

This would cost the Yankees more than the previous deal, which is why I have the Cardinals getting both Beeter and the Yankees' number six prospect. Drew Thorpe.

Thorpe is in High-A for the Yankees and has been excellent to the turn of a 9-1 record with a 2.27 ERA and 111 SO in just 91.1 innings. Thorpe is the Yankees' top pitching prospect, and paired with Beeter, would make up a strong package for both sides. Beeter is a few years away from making his Major League debut, but he is still a valuable talent.

Trade #5

Cardinals receive: RHP Lance Lynn

White Sox receive: OF/1B Juan Yepez

Lance Lynn is only a realistic option under a few caveats. First, he would not be their "biggest" pitching acquisition between now and the end of the offseason. He could be a number four starter for the Cardinals, but they'll still be in the market for an ace and another arm to pair with Mikolas.

Second, the cost cannot be expensive. I like the idea of Juan Yepez in a swap because I believe he just needs consistent Major League opportunities to find his way as a hitter in this league. There's a chance that could happen with the Cardinals if they deal off a few young bats, but I think it's much more likely he finds that opportunity elsewhere.

The Cardinals have kind of "air-mailed" their feelings on Yepez to all of baseball with the way they've treated him this year, so he's not going to hold much value in the market since teams know he is expendable for the Cardinals. Why not swap a piece you will not be using long-term to take a flyer on Lynn?

Lynn has a club option at $18 million for 2024. The Cardinals can get Lynn back into their organization for the rest of the year, work with him to see if they can improve his 6.03 ERA to match the kind of strikeout stuff he still has, and if so, pick up his option for next year. If he cannot, they can easily decline the option and they didn't really lose much, or they can try and resign him at a lower number.

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