The St. Louis Cardinals lost their series finale to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, but remain eight games over the .500 mark and in front in the National League wild card race. This has led to a lot of speculation over what they will end up doing at the trade deadline. They are rebuilding, but have found a way to contend while doing so.
There is still a lot of time left in the season, so things could change at the drop of a hat, but the Cardinals aren’t playing like a team that is conceding anything. Instead, they are playing like a team hungry for the postseason.
Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed several players that could be traded at the deadline and some potential landing spots for each of them. For Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, the Cardinals were listed as a fit.
“Minnesota is positioned to have another active deadline and go almost full rebuild, and if anything will change Buxton’s mind, it’s the Twins’ timeline. Should that happen, his chances of moving will be more like (Tarik) Skubal’s; and between Buxton’s multiple years of control and a reasonable contract, he’ll fetch a monster return.”
What Buxton Would Bring to St. Louis
Buxton is having one of his best seasons to date this year. He is slashing .275/.336/.601 with 23 home runs, 36 RBI, a 2.8 WAR and a .936 OPS. He also has two years of control remaining after 2026.
He would instantly boost the lineup and give them certainty in center field, as well as a much-needed right-hander power bat. St. Louis is stocked up on left-handed bats and may want to look for ways to alleviate that logjam.
But Buxton could be that middle-of-the-order presence that they need to separate themselves from the rest of the wild card race and potentially catch the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
That would be a win-now move from Chaim Bloom and could very much help the Cardinals this season.
The Drawbacks
There is one problem with this potential move, however. It’s that the Cardinals aren’t really in win-now mode. They are prioritizing player development as the foundation of their next window to contend, even if they stay in the race this year.
Making a trade for Buxton would cost a lot of top prospects, and the Cardinals just aren’t in a position to give up that kind of haul. At the same time, they have a right-handed power bat on the doorstep of the big leagues in outfielder Joshua Baez, their No. 3 prospect.
A move for Buxton would almost certainly cost the Cardinals Baez, as well as other top prospects, so there are a lot of reasons why the Cardinals might be best served not making this trade, even if it helps them this year.
Bloom has made clear that he wants to stick with his plan, regardless of how the Cardinals are playing. This doesn’t mean they will be sellers at the deadline, but it does mean that instead of buying big, the Cardinals could either do some light buying or leave their roster as it currently stands.
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