MLB Rumors: 3 Cardinals trade targets to steal from the basement-dwelling Royals
By Mark Powell
The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals are headed in different directions. St. Louis, from most accounts, is rising in the NL Central standings. The Royals are of the opposite mindset.
The Cards split a two-game set against the Royals this week, with the cross-state rivals headed in two very different directions. KC is trying to jumpstart a rebuild, while St. Louis still views themselves as contenders in a wide open NL Central race. As of this writing, the Cards are just 4.5 games behind the Brewers atop the division, but sit behind four teams. All are within just a few games of one another.
St. Louis, which was deemed the favorite prior to the season and one of a few teams capable of winning the National League, got off to a horrible start. While they’d turned things around somewhat, St. Louis still has plenty to improve upon, and John Mozeliak seems determined to do so at the trade deadline.
“Where our division is headed, it’s going to remain very competitive. We’re going to be looking at ways that can really help this club,” Mozeliak said.
That’s an executive who gets it. With the Royals fresh in the minds of Cards fans, here’s who they should trade for:
MLB Rumors: Cardinals should trade for Zack Greinke
No, he is not the Zack Greinke of old, but this veteran ace still has what it takes to contribute to a postseason run. Greinke has yet to add a World Series to his resume, and in 12 starts this season, has a 4.19 ERA. No, he is not the top-of-the-rotation started St. Louis needs, but he’s not a bad consolation prize.
Greinke can be had for a relatively cheap price. He’s a rental, and may even retire at the end of the year. While the Royals would have rather competed with Greinke at the helm, that feel-good story never materialized. They’d be wrong not to give him a chance at some sort of baseball immortality, even if it’s right across the state.
The Cardinals saw how effective Greinke can still be up close and personal this week, as he threw five good innings in an eventual St. Louis win.
“I think I just threw pitches that weren’t being expected,” Greinke said. “I don’t usually throw with two strikes and locate them really [well]. Got a little lucky, little smart. And execution.”
Why not add Greinke as a weapon, rather than watching him from afar?