At the upcoming MLB Winter Meetings, the St. Louis Cardinals have three teams they can make a blockbuster trade with two help both ball clubs.
The MLB Winter Meetings could be a time when the offseason hot stove gets a little warmer. Thus far, action has been moving slowly. Teams like the St. Louis Cardinals are in a position to make some big free agent signings and maybe strike a few trades.
The Winter Meetings will be a good time to at least start the conversation for a big trade. St. Louis, with a surplus of outfield talent in the majors and minors, has every reason to make a deal.
With needs of their own to address, it’s these three teams the Cardinals should cling to at the Winter Meetings in hopes of possibly making a deal.
1) Cardinals should make a trade with the Athletics at the Winter Meetings
There isn’t much left on the Oakland Athletics roster to pick from. Catcher Sean Murphy is one exception. Definitely a trade target of the Cardinals this offseason, he can help them fit their great need behind the plate.
The retirement of Yadier Molina has made catcher one of the biggest needs for the Cardinals this winter. Prospect Ivan Herrera doesn’t seem quite ready. He might not even be a realistic option for them in their current win now mode.
A trade involving Herrera and another piece or two from the farm system makes a lot of sense for St. Louis and Oakland. The Cards receive a young catcher with great defense and a slowly improving bat. Oakland reloads.
Unlike some other teams on this list, the Athletics would be more interested in trading for players who have yet to make their MLB debut. Jordan Walker is way too good to give up for only Murphy. Lesser prospects would make sense.
2) Cardinals can find more by making a trade with the Blue Jays at the Winter Meetings
The Athletics can only offer the Cardinals relief behind the plate. The Toronto Blue Jays are actually a match in a few more ways.
The Blue Jays have a growing need to trade Gabriel Moreno or Alejandro Kirk. The latter, an All-Star last season, would be a fine addition to the Cardinals roster. He would come at a huge cost. One of the MLB outfielders already on the Cardinals roster would make sense. What about Dylan Carlson? He’s a switch-hitting youngster capable of playing center field. The Blue Jays can acquire him and maybe someone like lefty Alec Burleson from the Cardinals. They suddenly have more outfield help. The Cardinals snag a young catcher.
As if this wasn’t enough of a blockbuster, what if the Blue Jays traded Bo Bichette to the Redbirds? St. Louis can wait on Masyn Winn. They can also speed up production at the position by signing a free agent like Xander Bogaerts or cutting a deal with the Blue Jays for their shortstop.
Bichette landing in St. Louis is far less likely than Kirk going there for some outfield help. Nonetheless, it does seem like the Cardinals and Blue Jays can help each other out.
In addition to these options, could we see the Blue Jays and Cardinals swap some bad contracts? Steven Matz doesn’t have much of a role with the Cardinals and they should be looking to upgrade the rotation. He was pretty good for the Blue Jays in 2021. Meanwhile, Yusei Kikuchi is in a similar situation up in Toronto. The contracts aren’t similar so we’d have to see money or players changing hands, too.
It’s not a perfect plan but two other considerations to toss into some sort of mega-deal between these two bird teams.
3) Cardinals are a match to make a trade with the Braves at the Winter Meetings
Finally, for one more outrageous trade, what if the Cardinals call up the Atlanta Braves and find a solution at catcher and/or shortstop?
The Braves have Travis d’Arnaud and William Contreras. The latter is a DH candidate but much younger and cheaper. Moving d’Arnaud is a possibility this offseason. It would allow the Braves to shove Marcell Ozuna into the DH role and hope he starts producing better numbers.
d’Arnaud solves the catching situation in St. Louis temporarily. At shortstop, could they have high hopes for Vaughn Grissom? Atlanta isn’t out of the race to re-sign Dansby Swanson. If he returns, Grissom or even second baseman Ozzie Albies become expendable.
The Cardinals can offer the Braves the same surplus of outfielders they have on their MLB roster and in the minors. Atlanta could use some left field help, especially if they’re able to move Ozuna to the DH role permanently. Along with Carlson and Burleson as candidates, Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O’Neill could be two targets of the Braves. They’ve had their share of ups and downs. In particular O’Neill is someone who took a big dip last year from his previous performance.
There’s also Juan Yepez who was previously traded from the Braves to the Cardinals for Matt Adams. Could Atlanta want him back?
Consider the Redbirds a popular team at this year’s MLB Winter Meetings. They have a lot they can spare. If anyone’s ready to make a blockbuster trade, it’s them.