A Cardinals-Blue Jays trade to give the St. Louis rotation much-needed help
By Curt Bishop
Despite a win last night over the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays are firmly cemented in last place in the AL East. At 36-43, they are very likely to be sellers at the trade deadline.
They could sell off some expiring assets, but could also look at bigger trades that would bring back a bigger haul. One piece that could be on the move is veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman.
The 33-year-old right-hander isn't having his best season. He's 6-6 with a 4.26 ERA, but he has been one of Toronto's most dependable starters over the past several years.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($) predicts that Gausman could be traded at the deadline. Could the St. Louis Cardinals be in the mix for him as they search for rotation help?
A Cardinals-Blue Jays trade for Kevin Gausman
In truth, the Cardinals' farm system isn't terribly deep at the moment, but they do have some prospects that might be of interest to the Blue Jays. Gausman would also give them a second frontline starter to go next to Sonny Gray and give them a better chance of winning in the postseason should they reach that point.
Kevin Gausman
As for Toronto, they would be reuniting with a former prospect of theirs in Sam Robberse. The Blue Jays sent him to the Cardinals last summer in the trade that landed them reliever Jordan Hicks. Currently, Robberse is the Cardinals' No. 12 ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Robberse doesn't exactly miss bats, but he has a fastball that ranges from 91-93 mph and a breaking ball in the upper 80s with a ton of movement.
Thomas Saggese can play multiple infield positions and also has a ton of power from the right side of the plate. He even earned Texas League MVP honors last year after hitting .318 in Double-A Springfield and posting a .936 OPS. He was acquired last year from the Texas Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery deal. Currently, Saggese is St. Louis' second-overall prospect.
The Cardinals will need to see improvements out of Gausman if they want to win in the postseason, but he shouldn't come at too steep of a price. While the Cardinals' farm system isn't particularly strong, they do have prospects that could help them get a deal done.
St. Louis has climbed all the way back from 15-24 in May and transformed into a club that should be buying at the deadline after looking like clear sellers early on in the season. Gausman might just be the missing piece in their rotation.
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