7 bats the Cardinals could trade for to unlock their stagnant offense

The St. Louis Cardinals were supposed to have an elite offense this year, or at least get back to being a top 8 unit like they were before the trade deadline last year. Instead, the offense has continued to lag behind expectations, in large part due to the significant regression the club has had from future Hall of Famers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

It also has not helped that they've had players like Willson Contreras, Lars Nootbaar, and Tommy Edman miss significant time this season, or that Jordan Walker has been working on his swing in Memphis. The offense has been getting better in recent months and will continue to do so with the return of Nootbaar and Edman, but it would make a lot of sense for them to bolster the lineup further.

In recent years, left-handed pitching has been the least of the Cardinals' worries, but with the significant regression that Goldschmidt and Arenado have undergone and reliance on left-handed bats like Donovan, Gorman, Burleson, and Nootbaar, the Cardinals are really struggling against southpaws now. It is a clear area the Cardinals could improve upon at this deadline, and that is why Mozeliak referenced adding a right-handed bat who could play center field in early June.

Since then, I think that it's become clear that they are continuing to keep their mind open to the idea of adding such a bat, especially now that we have over half a season of sample size to show the offense's struggles. We'd all love to see that improvement happen internally, but I don't think the potential of that should stop them from adding a bat at this point.

Today I want to look at 7 bats that I think could really optimize the Cardinals' offense. The biggest way a bat could do so is to come in and mash left-handed pitching, and so I focused on guys who can fit that billing. There is a mixture of names on this list when it comes to what it would take to pull off a deal, but I believe all seven could provide a lot for the Cardinals offensively.