What every NL Central team should do before the MLB trade deadline

MLB trade rumors: St. Louis Cardinals need to determine if they want to add a starting pitcher and how much they’re willing to give up for one

One team in the National League that has massively disappointed this year is the St. Louis Cardinals. While many people expected them to contend for a division crown, they are six games back of first place and three games under .500 heading into the final weekend series of June. We know that they need to add starting pitching, but is this team really going to be a contender?

The Cardinals have the trade assets to make a move for Max Scherzer from the Washington Nationals, if they feel so inclined. They could also add someone like Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers who can do all sorts of things once he is on their pitching staff. Overall, the only thing that matters with the Cardinals is if they believe they can win the division heading into the deadline.

MLB trade rumors: Cincinnati Reds must figure out if they are buyers or sellers fast

As with the Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds need to figure out very quickly if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Cincinnati is 37-36 ahead of Friday night’s game vs. the Atlanta Braves. This has the Reds only four games back of first place in the division race. How they perform the next few weeks will ultimately determine if they are buyers or sellers at the deadline.

If Cincinnati believes it can win the division or contend for a wild card berth, the Reds can swing for the fences and try to add someone like Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins to bolster their rotation. If the Reds are not in the mix to contend, they could afford to trade off pieces such as outfielder Tyler Naquin, pitcher Wade Miley or catcher Tucker Barnhart in late July.

While Cincinnati and St. Louis are on the fence about what to do, two other teams will be buyers.