MLB Rumors: Marcell Ozuna’s future, Yankees offseason misfire, Cardinals trade idea

MLB Rumors: A St. Louis Cardinals trade idea

The Oli Marmol-Tyler O’Neill drama has been well-documented at this point. Marmol wasn’t thrilled with O’Neill’s base-running, which is why the outfielder was benched in an early-season game against the Atlanta Braves. O’Neill and Marmol spoke privately, with the former going to the media to further exploit the situation.

O’Neill didn’t take kindly to that, but it’s fair to assume the pair have moved on at this point. Still, when St. Louis has a more complete outfield (several players remain out due to injury), a trade of O’Neill could be in their best interest, and rid the clubhouse of a potential looming problem.

St. Louis desperately needs pitching. Even with a healthy Adam Wainwright, it is something they failed to address this offseason. Our friends over at Redbird Rants suggested a swap for Rays starter Tyler Glasnow, who would almost instantly become the Cardinals ace.

It’s unlikely that this sort of move would be as simple as a 1-for-1, but the concept is an intriguing one, as Josh Jacobs points out:

"“I know people are concerned about Glasnow’s injury history, but isn’t that what makes O’Neill the perfect swap candidate here? Both players, when healthy, can be two of the top players at their respective positions. Both have game-changing talent but continue to fall on the injured list…Both O’Neill and Glasnow are under contract for one more year following this season and would be excellent swap candidates if the clubs end up talking.”"

I would grade this proposal a B- for now, with room for improvement depending on how the season goes for both teams leading up to the trade deadline. If Tampa Bay continues to improve, then perhaps they won’t need to add to their outfield, and the Cards would need to look elsewhere for pitching help.