STL Cardinals rumors: Ohtani trade availability, Goldschmidt deal, more

Shohei Ohtani’s availability is in question yet again

Let me be clear: I fully expect that reports from earlier this week that Shohei Ohtani is exceedingly unlikely to be traded are probably how this trade deadline ends. The Angels, as much as I think they should cash in for Ohtani while they still can, need to keep their reputation intact. Trading him is exactly the kind of move you might kick yourself for centuries to come, even if the most likely outcome in free agency is him leaving for nothing.

Now, that said, Jon Heyman of the New York Post says the door is still cracked on Ohtani as a trade piece. Heyman reports the Angels are telling people to check back in two to three weeks, which, for what it’s worth, would be just days before the MLB Trade Deadline on August 1.

"The Angels are telling folks they will “know a lot more in the next two or three weeks” regarding their plans. Folks still have a hard time imagining owner Arte Moreno trading the game’s best current player, and maybe the best ever, even if he’s somehow convinced they have no chance to re-sign him. Even so, Angels people seem to be leaving open the slight possibility of an Ohtani blockbuster."

The Cardinals have been speculatively connected with Ohtani for a while now. As one of the most successful franchises in the league, their banners and ability to build consistent winners might be attractive to the two-way star.

Ohtani also gets along swimmingly with Lars Nootbaar, a youngster on the Cardinals roster under team control for years to come. Nootbaar and Ohtani both played on Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic before this season started.

For St. Louis, if Ohtani does become available, the question surely becomes whether or not they could simply get him in free agency this winter. If they think they can, they may not bite on him as bait.

But at the same time, trading for Ohtani shows the player just how badly they want him and gives them an opportunity to sell him on their culture and organization. That could serve as a massive leg-up in free agency when the time comes.

It also completely changes the game — not just for the Cardinals, but for every team in baseball — if the Angels open up the lines on Ohtani. For St. Louis, perhaps they make Goldschmidt available in such a scenario, though his inclusion in the deal would likely require a third team.

For now, most sources are reporting Ohtani won’t be available, but it’s clear that it’s far from a sure thing, at least so far.