Best Jose Berrios trades for Yankees, Cardinals and Astros

The Cardinals need to put themselves in a position to bid for Jose Berrios

In order for the Cardinals to be in any position of buying at the deadline, they need to start winning games and fast.

St. Louis (44-46) sits eight games behind the division-leading Brewers and 7.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. It wouldn’t make any sense to take a big risk at a lost season in 2021, but Berrios’ extra year of arbitration could make the Cardinals more inclined to add if he is available.

Another reason St. Louis may consider shaking things up while in their current position has been the instability of the NL Central. Among the teams who have been in the first place are the Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers who have taken advantaged of a recent schedule of subpar opponents.

The St. Louis starting rotation has dealt with injuries and inconsistency, but has still posted a 4.20 ERA (16th-lowest MLB) this season. The struggling Carlos Martinez has joined Jack Flaherty on the 60-day IL, and Martinez is likely done for the remainder of the year. If St. Louis has any plans to reach the postseason, they’ll need pitching reinforcements.

The Cardinals were ranked with 17th-best farm system in baseball and would need to part ways with some of their best talent to land the Twins’ right-hander.

Two-way player and Cardinals No. 5 prospect Masyn Winn will be among the more intriguing names of St. Louis prospects. Exploring a deal for one of their young third baseman, No. 2 Nolan Gorman and No. 6 Jordan Walker could make for expendable moves given the team’s long-term commitment to Nolan Arenado.