4 Trade Ideas if the St. Louis Cardinals Play Their Way Into Buyers
Tyler O’Neill removes his helmet in frustration after recording an out. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS, MO.--- Don’t look now, but things haven’t gotten worse for the disappointing Cardinals in the past couple of weeks. Mercifully. The season looked like it had unraveled entirely amid a 2-12 start to their June that saw High Leverage Reliever Ryan Helsley go on the Injured List with a forearm strain.
Yet the team seems to have flipped a switch over the past 10 games, on which they are 6-4. They look motivated, energized, and most importantly– like they want to be there. Jordan Hicks has effectively taken over the Closer role after saving three games in three days against the Mets and Nationals as well as picking up another last night against the defending champion Houston Astros. Meanwhile, rookie Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 16 games last night following an abrupt demotion to AAA so he can “hit the ball in the air more”. Even the dark cloud, Manager Oli Marmol, has been more positive with the media these days. While the team sits at 33-45 with a difficult coming up against playoff contenders in the Astros, Yankees, and Marlins, momentum could not be picking up at a better time. It is an absolute godsend that the Cardinals sit just eight games behind first place in the NL Central, and it's time for the decision-makers to start thinking about taking advantage of this dumb luck. If the momentum keeps up and the Cardinals come out of the 4th of July weekend having gained a game or two on the division, there’ll be no choice but to invest in this year's team at the deadline rather than packing it in with eyes on the 2024 season.
The Cardinals stand as a top-10 offense in baseball in terms of WRC+ and a bottom-10 team in terms of ERA. The offense isn’t the problem, and this team has the organizational ammunition to go out and get an arm or two before August 1st. Here are a few solutions to the Redbirds run prevention problem:
St. Louis sends a pair of big-league bats to Cleveland for former Cy Young Award Winner:
Shane Bieber David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Acquires:
SP Shane Bieber
RP James Karinchak
Cleveland Acquires:
1B Luken Baker (#30 Prospect in System)
UTL Tommy Edman
SP Cooper Hjerpe (#4 Prospect in System)
OF Tyler O’Neill
Shane Bieber represents a clear upgrade over anyone on the Cardinals staff. The numbers haven’t been elite over the past couple of years, but he feels like a guy that would fit right into a city like St. Louis. Coming over from Cleveland with him is fiery Reliever James Karinchak, who was recently optioned to AAA by the Guards. His inclusion in the deal helps sweeten the Cardinals' inclusion of All-Star Utility Infielder Tommy Edman in the deal. The offense has slipped a bit this year and moving Edman opens up a spot in the infield for super-prospect Masyn Winn, who’s looking more MLB-ready by the day. You’re going to see Tyler O’Neill’s name mentioned a lot over the next few weeks. The organization seems to have become frustrated with the former All-Star and seems all but guaranteed to be moved at the deadline. O’Neill would provide a bit of thump for a Cleveland lineup comprised mainly of contact hitters.
Sox trade Cease to Cardinals for prospect haul:
Dylan Cease (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
St. Louis Acquires:
SP Dylan Cease
Chicago Acquires:
SS Masyn Winn (#1)
SP Cooper Hjerpe (#4)
1B Alec Burleson
C Ivan Herrera
Acquiring last year's Cy Young runner-up with 2.5 years of club control is going to be expensive. There’s no way around that. If the Sox decide to make Cease available, there will be no shortage of suitors and the Cardinals have the pieces to make just about any trade they put their chips on the table for. In this scenario, you are not only investing in your pitching staff but also in your MLB-Offense as the Cardinals hang onto both UTL’s Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan. If the Sox ask for “MLB Ready” talent then those two are likely the first names mentioned. Cease hasn’t been as sharp as last season but has struck out 9+ batters in his last 3 starts. His addition would fortify the Cardinal's rotation and create a bridge between the Goldy-Arenado window and the rest of the decade.
Cardinals get Ober from Twins for collection of assets
6 foot 9 Inch Bailey Ober Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Acquires:
SP Bailey Ober
Minnesota Acquires:
OF Tyler O’Neill
OF Victor Scott II (#25)
C Ivan Herrera
SP Michael McGreevy (#5)
Bailey Ober would probably be a household name on a more interesting team. Listed at 6’9”, Ober sports a 2.97 ERA as of Wednesday and carries an elite Chase % according to Baseball Savant. The Twins are a game under .500 and my crystal ball is cloudy in terms of what direction they will choose to go at the end of July. Minnesota not only picks up an MLB contributor in O’Neill, but also a potential long-term solution at the Catcher position in Ivan Herrera– who could potentially play the same role for St. Louis if they decide to move on from Andrew Knizner. Michael McGreevy, the Birds 2021 First Rounder, is closer to a Big League promotion than it seems and he could be in the Twins rotation by 2024. Ober is currently Pre-Arbitration, meaning he has at least 4.5 years of club control remaining. This would represent a massive acquisition for the Cardinals, who have just 2 of their Starting Pitchers (Mikolas, Liberatore) under club control after 2023. However, the Twins' control over Ober could cause them to hold onto him until at least Summer 2024.
Miami finally gets a natural Center Fielder in exchange for Young Arms
Sixto Sanchez looks into his Catcher during his 2020 NL Wild Card game start (Photo by Joseph Guza)
St. Louis Acquires:
SP Edward Cabrera
SP Sixto Sanchez
Miami Acquires:
OF Dylan Carlson
OR
St. Louis Acquires:
SP Edward Cabrera
Miami Acquires:
OF Tyler O’Neill
OF Victor Scott II
The Miami-St. Louis trade connection has been documented since the last trade deadline when the Cardinals attempted to acquire one of their young starters for Tyler O’Neill. However, GM Kim Ng stood pat asking for Dylan Carlson and then some. All three of the players named in this deal are on the Injured List and Sixto Sanchez might as well be listed as missing in action. Cabrera is expected to come off the IL at some point near either side of the All-Star Break and has an additional year of club control compared to Dylan Carlson. Cabrera’s high-velocity arsenal highlighted by a 95mph Changeup would instantly add an element of electricity to the Cardinals rotation while acquiring either O’Neill or Carlson would allow the Marlins to move Jazz Chisholm back to the Infield and platoon Jean Segura and Jon Berti at 2nd and 3rd. Sixto Sanchez represents a low-risk - high-reward investment for St. Louis as he has drawn comparisons to the great Pedro Martinez when healthy. The fit between Miami and St. Louis is obvious, but both teams are performing outside of expectations and it’s hard to get a pulse on how either club values their assets.
If this team begins to win games and climb the NL Central, President John Mozeliak should be more than happy to invest in the 2023 season. I think Tyler O’Neill is as good as gone and every pitcher in the System outside of Tink Hence could, and should be on the table. The Cardinals have the assets to pull off a big time move after missing out on Juan Soto at the 2022 deadline, it’s just a matter of how willing they are to compete with more traditionally aggressive teams at the negotiation table.
