Ranking the Cardinals' 6 most valuable trade assets they can sell at the deadline

4. Steven Matz

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals are getting calls from teams around the league on Steven Matz, with both New York teams, especially the Mets, expressing interest in acquiring the Cardinals lefty.

Matz has been money for the Cardinals this year in a variety of roles, which probably came as a surprise to many fans after how rocky the first three years went. Matz has remained healthy all year, something he was unable to do during the first three years of his contract, and has done so to the tune of a 3.35 ERA in 26 relief appearances and two starts.

Teams may view Matz as a starter, high-leverage left-handed reliever, swingman, multi-inning reliever, or all of the above. That is a very valuable commodity to have going down the stretch, and while he won't be one of the most valuable pieces moved at the deadline among all 30 teams, he will bring back real value if the Cardinals shop him.

Matz's $12.5 million salary prorated for the rest of the year is a modest price to pay for a veteran starter and not bad value for a dynamic reliever either. Considering every contender is going to likely want to add both bullpen help and rotation support, Matz should be in high demand.

Even though I think the Cardinals have a few pieces they could sell that are more valuable than Matz, his resurgence this year cannot be overlooked, and I do think he's someone that brings the Cardinals back an interesting piece or two. Matz's xERA (3.05) and FIP (2.93) indicate that his success on the mound has been real, and that is thanks in large part to his strikeout percentage rebounding this year, while his walk percentage and home run to fly ball rate have both dropped.

Had the Cardinals traded Matz during the offseason, they likely would not have gotten much in return. He is an example of someone who made a lot of sense to hold onto this year, as Matz has been able to rebuild his trade value to become an interesting piece at this year's deadline. Yes, he's been a huge reason why the Cardinals' pitching has been stable at different points in the year, but now it is time to cash in on him as a trade asset.