Cardinals: 5 under the radar trade deadline candidates
The St. Louis Cardinals have pitching needs. While they may depend on options within their organization, there is a possibility they could go under the radar to make some deals.
The St. Louis Cardinals have many pitching options available through the minor league system as well as many expected to return from the injured list soon.
Zack Thompson made his major league debut in relief of Miles Mikolas on Friday. He earned a save after four innings of work in the Cardinals’ 14-5 victory. He only gave up three hits and one run, while striking out three and inducing five swings and misses.
Jack Flaherty is expected to make a rehab start for the Springfield Cardinals Sunday. The team is still trying to assess where they are with Steven Matz’s injury.
On Thursday, Matthew Liberatore was demoted to Memphis after a rough start against the Cubs. Johan Oviedo didn’t look great in a spot start on Saturday but managed to eat a few innings alongside Jake Woodford. Reliever Andre Pallante looked good in a spot starting Saturday evening paired with Drew VerHagen.
While all of this youth is great, it may benefit the Cardinals to trade for some help outside the system so as not to expose that youth too early.
Let’s take a look at some under-the-radar names the Cardinals could take a look at the closer we get to the trade deadline.
Paul Fry, Arizona Diamondbacks
Despite an ERA of 6.00, the 29-year-old lefty has pitched in 12 games, going 12 innings with 12 strikeouts on the season for the D-backs.
Fry’s most effective pitch is a slider followed by a four-seam fastball and a change-up. He has induced 62% ground ball outs this season. This is a trait the Cardinals enjoy as it allows the pitcher to place trust in the defense behind him. When you have a defense that includes Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado in the infield, you want to use it.
The slider averages 84.1 mph with a 42.4-inch vertical drop and an active spin of 55%.
With T.J. McFarland having a string of bad outings this season, Fry might be a good candidate for the Cardinals to try to acquire just to bolster their bullpen down the stretch.