The trade deadline is just about three hours away, and the St. Louis Cardinals have still yet to make any moves. They have a lot of pieces that teams should be interested in, but because it’s more of a buyer’s market, it’s not quite as easy for Chaim Bloom to get it done.
The players that they have on expiring contracts seemed to be the most likely to be moved, but the market hasn’t exactly developed for them. So, the Cardinals might have to focus on trading away some of their controllable players.
Among these players are outfielder Lars Nootbaar and first baseman Alec Burleson. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, a certain team from the National League West is showing interest in both of them.
San Diego Padres Showing Interest in Cardinals Bats
The Cardinals have a lot of left-handed bats in the organization, so it wouldn’t hurt to trade one or two of them away if it brings back a solid return.
They need controllable pitching, and they have the pieces to trade in order to pick up a young arm or two with several years left on their contracts. The Cardinals are supposed to be selling at this year’s trade deadline, but they just haven’t found the right deal yet.
The return for Burleson would have to be substantial given that he won a Silver Slugger award last season. Nootbaar provides elite defense, and though he has struggled at the plate this year, he is still an above average offensive player, and a move for him would require a decent return as well.
So, it will be interesting to see what Bloom is thinking as the hours dwindle before the deadline. The Cardinals have a lot of work to do, but time is running out. Nootbaar and Burleson are intriguing trade pieces, and the Cardinals have made clear that they are willing to listen on anybody besides Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt.
As long as those pieces are not included in any deals, Bloom and the Cardinals should be open for business on anybody else, so the phones should be ringing with just a few hours left until the deadline.
The Cardinals need to prioritize the future at this year’s deadline.
San Diego Padres May Not Match Well With Cardinals
The one caveat here is that the Padres have had to trade a lot of top prospects over the years, and such was the case last year when they picked up Mason Miller. If the Cardinals are offering Burleson and Nootbaar, the returns will need to be substantial, and since the Padres have parted ways with a lot of prospects, they might not exactly match up well with the Cardinals.
Other teams might be more willing to deal the prospects necessary or have a better inventory of what the Cardinals might be looking for.
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