MLB Trade Deadline: The ultimate 30-team trade
16. St. Louis Cardinals
After picking up multiple prospects from the Red Sox for relievers Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer, and swapping Trevor Cahill to the Rockies, the Padres will have stocked their farm system to the brim. Should general manager A.J. Preller continue to wheel and deal, a potential trade partner would be the St. Louis Cardinals.
Shortstop Aledmys Diaz was an All-Star and finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year vote in 2016, but the 26-year-old was sent to Triple-A Memphis after hitting .260/.293/.396 with seven home runs in 71 games for the Cards this season. With Diaz on the outs in St. Louis, but ineligible for free agency until 2022, he’s the type of gamble that makes sense for the Padres. With the right prospect package, San Diego could also wrangle a starting pitcher into the deal.
The Cardinals are one of several teams entering the week on the fence about whether they will be buyers or sellers before the trade deadline. Only 4.5 games out of first place in the NL Central, with a plus-20 run differential despite a 47-51 record, and with one of the best starting rotations in baseball, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic the club can fight for a playoff spot.
Nevertheless, the Cardinals have reportedly placed Lance Lynn on the trade block this summer. Scheduled to be a free agent after the season, Lynn would be a rental for a contender in a better position. The Houston Astros would make sense, but given the bad blood between the front offices in Houston and St. Louis, an intermediary might be necessary.
Reliever Kirby Yates would provide bullpen depth, Ryan Schimpf would give the Cardinals a power bat off the bench with the ability to play both corner infield positions, as well as second base, and first base prospect Josh Naylor would be a nice fit to eventually succeed Matt Carpenter, or allow the veteran to move back to another position on the infield.