MLB Trade Rumors: 5 teams who have what it takes to trade for Giancarlo Stanton

3. St. Louis Cardinals

Since losing Albert Pujols after the 2011 season, the St. Louis Cardinals have been searching for a true power hitter to anchor their lineup. The departure of Pujols didn’t slow the Cardinals much at first, as they made the 2013 World Series, sandwiched between trips to the NLCS. However, it’s now been three years since St. Louis won a playoff series, and the next wave of solid hitters has not materialized from the farm system.

The Cardinals had a perfectly average offense last season, finishing eighth in the NL in home runs and OPS and seventh in runs scored. Even with a strong starting rotation led by Carlos Martinez and Luke Weaver, the lack of top-tier offense made it impossible for the Cards to keep pace with the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. It’s only going to get harder, especially if Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty cannot produce.

St. Louis has the finances to make a push for Stanton. They offered huge contracts to David Price and Jason Heyward after the 2015 season and gave Dexter Fowler a big contract to leave Chicago last winter. St. Louis was second in the NL in attendance last year and has a massive TV deal bankrolling their front office.

Piscotty and Grichuk have not hit much at the MLB level, but Tommy Pham broke out in a major way last season. He hit 23 home runs in 128 games and stole 25 bases to lead the team. It’s obviously impossible to get equal value back in a trade for a player who nearly hit 60 home runs, but Pham is a good start. Before Tommy John, Alex Reyes was the top pitching prospect in baseball. He could also headline a deal for Stanton.