4 Brewers trade targets the Cardinals can steal to win NL Central

Thanks in large part to their doubleheader sweep on Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals enter play on the day before the All-Star Break just 3.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

It's been quite a turnaround for this Cardinals team that was nine games under .500 in mid-May. The Brewers have been in first place for virtually the entire season, but the Redbirds are within striking distance.

Not only should the Cardinals look to be active around the trade deadline, but they can look to compete with the Brewers for some of the best available players. That'd make the deadline fun to pay attention to and if the Cardinals were to acquire any of these four potential Brewers targets, they might just go ahead and steal the NL Central.

4) Yusei Kikuchi would give the Cardinals much-needed reliability

The Toronto Blue Jays are a team that will almost certainly be selling by the time the deadline rolls around. If they do sell, expiring contracts are a certainty to get dealt. Yusei Kikuchi is arguably the best one that the Jays have to offer.

Kikuchi is outshined by other starters in Toronto's rotation, but is a solid mid-rotation arm. The southpaw has a 4.00 ERA in 19 starts and 101.1 innings of work, but he's better than his ERA indicates.

The 33-year-old has allowed four earned runs or fewer in all but three of his starts. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 19 starts. He might not give you seven scoreless too often, but more often than not, he'll keep his team in the game. With the Cardinals' improved offense and their strong bullpen, he can prove to be a nice fit.

3) Tyler Anderson would be a nice fit for the Cardinals

Tyler Anderson's first season with the Los Angeles Angels went just about as poorly as he could've hoped, and his second year with the Halos has gone about as well as he could've hoped. The 34-year-old has a 2.97 ERA in 19 starts and 118 innings of work.

Yes, his 4.61 FIP indicates that regression is likely coming, but even if Anderson does take a bit of a step back in the second half, is he not an upgrade over Andre Pallante? This Cardinals team needs a No. 2 starter behind Sonny Gray and while the expected stats might not agree, Anderson has pitched like a legitimate No. 2 starter for much of this season.

The icing on the cake here is that Anderson would come with another year of club control at just $13 million. He isn't the best option out there, but if the Cardinals strike out on their top targets he'd certainly make them better.

2) Erick Fedde makes a lot of sense as a Cardinals trade target

All eyes when discussing Chicago White Sox trade targets are on Garrett Crochet, and for good reason. As fun as he'd be for the Cardinals, they probably don't have the assets to get him without completely dismantling their farm system. With that being said, the Cardinals have more than enough to get Chicago's No. 2 starter, Erick Fedde.

He doesn't have the overpowering stuff that Crochet does, but Fedde has had a tremendous year, posting a 2.99 ERA in 19 starts and 111.1 innings of work. That'll play!

What makes Fedde particularly appealing is his contract. He is making just $7.5 million this season and next, which is a bargain for a starting pitcher nowadays, let alone one pitching as well as Fedde has. He might not have the track record of being a No. 2, but he doesn't have to be to justify the contract and to make the Cardinals better.

1) The Cardinals should strongly consider a Jack Flaherty reunion

Jack Flaherty spent his first seven MLB seasons in a Cardinals uniform before being traded to the Orioles at last season's deadline. He didn't pitch well for the O's, but he has pitched like a star after signing a one-year deal to join the Detroit Tigers.

Through 16 starts, the right-hander has a 3.13 ERA in 95 innings of work. He has 119 strikeouts while issuing only 16 walks. When he's been able to take the mound, he has been lights out.

These two NL Central rivals should be just two of several interested suitors in Flaherty. He isn't making too much money, shouldn't cost a ton of prospect capital due to his expiring contract status, and in the case of the Cardinals, they know what they're getting. It makes too much sense for them to do what they can to ensure Flaherty does not end up pitching against them for the Brewers.