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.

Brent Rooker

ESPN's Jeff Passan listed Brent Rooker as the Cardinals' best match recently, and when I first saw that, I was very surprised. He wasn't reporting that as something that would happen, but seeing a DH/corner outfielder as the best fit for St. Louis this year seemed to be a weird roster fit.

But man, it is hard to deny how much better this offense would be with Rooker in it, especially considering his strengths would improve the Cardinals' offense's most massive weaknesses.

On the season, the Cardinals have two, well actually three major issues that Rooker could help with.

1. Runners in scoring position

This is the thing that Passan was quick to point out. Rooker has been one of the best hitters in baseball with runners in scoring position this year, posting a .306/.405/.694 slash line and 204 wRC, If you look at the Cardinals as a team, they are slashing .226/.297/.347 with an 83 wRC+. Um yeah, it would be so helpful to have Rooker in those spots.

2. Power

The Cardinals home run leader on the year is Nolan Gorman with 17, but he's been really struggling at the plate as of late. Alec Burleson has 13 and Paul Goldschmidt has 11, but no one else on the team has more than 8.

Rooker has 17 home runs to his name this year like Gorman but has those bombs while slashing .273/.349/.531 with a 151 wRC+. Talk about a breath of fresh air!

3. Damage against left-handed pitching

As I highlighted earlier, the Cardinals really struggle against left-handed pitching, something Rooker feasts off of. While Rooker is excellent against right-handed pitchers as well (147 wRC+), he is even better against lefties, posting a .254/.313/.627 slash line with a 164 wRC+ and .940 OPS,

The positional fit is a bit awkward, but his bat is worth it, and there are ways to make it work.

Rooker can DH or play a corner outfield spot, and St. Louis could move Donovan to second base to accommodate for that. They could also give Goldschmidt less playing time (not bench him, but sit him more often), allowing Burleson to play first base, Donovan in the outfield, Gorman at second base, and Rooker at DH.

Rooker is not a free agent until after the 2027 season, so the Cardinals would have a ton of team control with him as well. At 29 years old and with little defensive value, his trade value is going to be lower than you'd think for a slugger like him, but he still will not come cheap.

Rooker may make someone like Herrera worth trading though, or possibly even a guy like Nolan Gorman.

Bryan De La Cruz

The Miami Marlins are one of the clearest sellers we have at this year's trade deadline, but a lot of their pitching talent that teams covet is on the mend. The club already traded infielder Luis Arraez earlier this season, and one has to wonder if a name like Bryan De La Cruz could be on the move as well.

Over the course of his big league career, De La Cruz has been mostly a league-average hitter and has posted just 1.5 fWAR in his 412 games played. He's kind of a bigger name than he is a player at this point, but his strengths could work out really well for this Cardinal team.

While for his career De La Cruz has not been a "splitty" hitter, he's absolutely crushed left-handed pitching this year while being below league-average against right-handers. In 123 at-bats against southpaws this year, De La Cruz is slashing .293/.318/.472, good for a 120 wRC+. That is awesome production that could be added to the Cardinals lineup when a left-handed starter is on the mound or off the bench late in games, and I don't think he'll cost a ton to acquire if the Marlins are open to moving him.

De La Cruz has not played any center field this year but has done so in the past, but it's clear the Marlins have been phasing him out of that. He'd be a below-average defender there if he's ever tasked with those duties, but he can hold his own in the corner outfield spots as needed.

De La Cruz makes a lot of sense at the plate for St. Louis, but I do think the fact that he has some control remaining and doesn't really play center field anymore makes it less likely. If the Cardinals aren't going to swing high for a guy like Rooker, then I'm not sure they'll want to pay for control when the player is a corner outfielder only. Still, he's an interesting name that is worth monitoring.

Randal Grichuk

Value-wise, Randal Grichuk may be the best "bang for your buck" option the Cardinals could pursue to upgrade their lineup against left-handed pitching.

Grichuk is having the best year of his career since he broke out with St. Louis back in 2015. Playing in Arizona, Grichuk has posted a .287/.343/.434 slash line with 2 HR and 18 RBI in 143 plate appearances. With that sample size being so small to this point, I do think the Cardinals could swoop in and grab him at a bargain price while reaping the benefits that Grichuk provides.

In 95 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, Grichuck has posted a .310/.368/.452 slash line (132 wRC+), exactly the kind of boost the Cardinals could use in their lineup. The Diamondbacks have mostly platooned Grichuk this year, but he has been just a hair below league average against righties, an encouraging sign if St. Louis needed him to play more.

Like De La Cruz, Grichuk has not played any center field this year but has in the past. Grichuk would not be a good defensive center fielder, but he could hold his own if asked to do so, and the Diamondbacks have plenty of center field options on their roster that limit the need for Grichuk to do so.

I like Grichuk as a fit over De La Cruz due to the familiarity St. Louis has with him, as well as the lack of team control. No need to pay extra for control for a guy who you really just need to fill a role down the stretch this year. Watch out for Grichuk's name as the deadline draws near.

Tommy Pham

We've already heard Tommy Pham's name connected to the Cardinals, and with the White Sox looking to cash in on any talent they can by this deadline, his name will continue to be attached to St. Louis until he is actually dealt.

In 52 games with the White Sox this year, Pham has posted a .266/.342/.372 slash line, good for a 106 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR thus far. He's been pretty solid for a terrible Chicago team, and we've seen Pham have the ability to take his game up a notch when he's playing for a competitive team (see his time with the Diamondbacks in the second half last year).

Pham, like Grichuk, is a former Cardinal and had interest in returning to St. Louis this past offseason. It's a bit odd that the Cardinals did not try to sign Pham after figuring out Edman would be down for some time, but they never anticipated Edman being out as long as he was, and Pham wanted playing time. Well, he should get that in St. Louis now.

Pham has been awesome against lefties this year, slashing .244/.382/.422, and has been playing center field with the White Sox as well. That would really help with roster construction for St. Louis, as they'd be able to move Edman around to second base, sit Gorman, and have Pham play center field, or just have Donovan play second, Pham in left field, and Edman in center.

Pham is also another guy who will be a free agent at the end of the season, so the price point should be a lot lower than others on the market.

Connor Joe

While trades within the division don't happen often, the Cardinals and Pirates could come together again on a deal for someone like Connor Joe.

Joe is 31 years old but still won't be a free agent until 2028, so I'm not totally sure how to assess his trade value. He's been an above-league-average hitter since landing in Pittsburgh in 2023, and he's shown the ability to play first base and the corner outfield positions as needed.

Joe feels like a Cardinal in a lot of ways. He's scrappy and versatile, and he's the kind of player that has fought his way through adversity. He's also been incredibly clutch this year. With runners in scoring position, Joe has posted .262/.395/.459 slash line.

The last time the Cardinals made a deadline deal with the Pirates, things worked out pretty well. They acquired Jose Quintana and reliever Chris Stratton in 2022 for Johan Oviedo and Malcom Nunez, as it helped them make a run to the playoffs and Quintana was their Game 1 starter in the Wild Card series. Stratton ended up being a small part of the Jordan Montgomery trade to Texas as well, which netted the Cardinals Thomas Saggese and Tekoah Roby.

If I had to bet though, I don't think the Pirates will want to move on from Joe. They may not compete this year, but they surely want to in the near future, and having Joe on a cheap salary helps them to do so. Maybe they could see it as an opportunity to sell high, but I don't think the Pirates are going to do that with players they have control over at this deadline.

Kevin Pillar

Kevin Pillar has had himself quite the year. After spending 2023 with the Atlanta Braves, he wanted to return to the club but was not resigned. After latching on with the Chicago White Sox, they designated Pillar for an assignment after just a few games with the club, and it looked like Pillar may be at the end of the road for his career.

Well, luckily for Pillar, the Los Angeles Angels came calling, and he's been having a career year so far for the Halos.

In 57 games so far, Pillar has a .284/.352/.500 slash line with 7 home runs while mostly playing center field for the Angels. He has already been worth 1.1 WAR this season and would make an excellent platoon partner with Siani for the rest of the season.

While Pillar should not come all that expensive due to the reasons I listed at the beginning, he's been hitting like a Hall of Famer against lefties this year, so there'll be a lot of teams interested in his services. In 64 plate appearances thus far against left-handed pitchers, Pillar is slashing .373/.422/.611, good for a 1.083 OPS and 202 wRC+. While he is due for a lot of regression, it is hard to deny the results thus far.

His incredible production against lefties this year is backed up by an elite LA Sweet-Spot% of 40.2% thus far, and both his Whiff% and K% have been top-tier as well. Pillar has always been an above-league-average hitter against lefties (boasting a career 108 wRC+ against them), so the Cardinals can rest easy knowing that he should produce, even if things crater a bit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Braves make an aggressive push to bring Pillar back with how much he enjoyed playing there, but I do think he should be on the Cardinals' radar, especially if they want to swing bigger with a starting pitcher acquisition or bullpen help.