3 Cardinals trade packages working together to overtake Brewers in NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in an interesting spot entering Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. They've rebounded nicely following an incredibly rough start, and currently hold the third Wild Card spot in the NL, but they're also 34-35 on the year and are 6.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.

It's encouraging to see the Cardinals in postseason positioning if the season ended today, but the fact that they're in that spot when they're under .500 simply says a lot about how bad the National League is more than how good the Cardinals are. They might be in second place in the division, but they're a clear tier below the Brewers right now.

For the Cardinals to make a legitimate run at dethroning Milwaukee at the top of the NL Central, John Mozeliak will have to have an impressive trade deadline. These three trade packages can help the Cardinals potentially win the division and overtake the Brewers.

3) A Cardinals-Angels trade to kill two birds with one stone

Mozeliak recently pointed at two types of players that the Cardinals can target at the trade deadline. He specifically cites the need for a No. 5 starter and a right-handed bat that could play center field.

This mock trade with the Los Angeles Angels addresses both needs.

Tyler Anderson is pitching better than a No. 5 starter, but his advanced statistics suggest that he isn't nearly as good as his 2.58 ERA would indicate. The veteran southpaw has a 4.56 xERA and 4.58 FIP, which suggests that major regression could be coming. Still, he'd be a player worth pursuing.

Anderson is making a reasonable $13 million this season, and will make that exact same sum in 2025. He'd be yet another older arm in their rotation, but essentially buying him at one-year for $13 million can wind up being a bargain with how expensive starting pitching is nowadays. He's not the ace he has pitched like early on this season, but he can be a strong back-end arm for a Cardinals team that needs help in that area.

Alongside Anderson, the Cardinals would fill another need Mozeliak highlights by acquiring right-handed hitting outfielder Kevin Pillar. The 35-year-old has rejuvenated his career since landing with the Angels, posting a .916 OPS in 142 plate appearances. Those numbers are bound to take a step back as well, but Pillar hit lefties at a decent clip last season, can still play center field when needed, and comes very cheap financially. He's certainly a better right-handed option at this point than Dylan Carlson.

The Cardinals would send the Angels, a team in dire need of pitching, three pitching prospects in this deal. McGreevy is almost MLB-ready as he's already in AAA, Showalter has a fairly high ceiling as a reliever, and Rom is a player who debuted last season. This wouldn't be a bad haul for 2 months of a player that the Angels got essentially for free in Pillar, and 1.5 years of Anderson who is bound to regress.

2) A Cardinals-White Sox trade to bring a familiar face back to St. Louis

Speaking of a right-handed hitting outfielder who can play center field on occasion, Chicago White Sox veteran Tommy Pham fits that to a tee. Pham is better suited for a corner outfield spot at this stage of his career, but can play center if needed. The fact that he spent parts of his first five seasons with St. Louis certainly helps.

Defensive star Michael Siani has been good enough against right-handed pitching, but should not be in the lineup against lefties. Dylan Carlson would be good in a platoon role hypothetically, but he has struggled mightily this season. A Pham trade can give the Cardinals added outfield depth at all three positions, and his .810 OPS against lefties should help.

Pham has cooled down and recently spent time on the IL after a hot start to his season, but he can be an important addition to a winning team. He was right in the middle of the Arizona Diamondbacks team that made a run to the World Series last season.

In this deal, the Cardinals would chip Carlson to the White Sox, as he'd have virtually no role if St. Louis acquired Pham. Carlson might thrive with an everyday role and lesser expectations, which are things that an opportunity in Chicago can give him.

The main prize for the White Sox would be Cesar Prieto, the Cardinals' No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Prieto, a player with experience at three different infield positions, is having a strong year in AAA. He's blocked by Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Nolan Arenado, but he can play on this White Sox team sooner than later.

1) A Cardinals-Marlins trade to get St. Louis some much-needed starting pitching help

Here's the big one. Not only could the Cardinals use another starter, but they could use a younger arm with years of club control. Luzardo would give the Cardinals just that.

The southpaw has had a bit of a rough start to his season for the Miami Marlins, posting a 5.11 ERA in 11 starts and 61.2 innings of work, but he's been a highly-touted trade asset for a while now, and there's a reason for that. He showed just how good he could be last season when he made 32 starts and had a 3.58 ERA.

The Cardinals would have to give a lot up to acquire the 26-year-old with two more years of club control, but again, it'd be worth their while.

This deal is headlined by their No. 2 prospect Thomas Saggese, who happens to be the No. 85 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. Saggese was acquired in last season's Jordan Montgomery trade and has seen his stock rise, but like Prieto, he's blocked by the infielders in front of him.

Rather than trade someone else, the Cardinals can sell high on Saggese and get a strong return, like a controllable starting pitcher who, when right, would be an excellent No. 2 starter behind Sonny Gray. The Marlins would covet a player like Saggese headlining a Luzardo return, because he's a position player and is close to making an impact at the MLB level.

In addition to Saggese, the Marlins would acquire younger prospects Leonardo Bernal and Zach Levenson. They're still a couple of years away at least from making an impact in the majors, but they're both position players.

The Marlins have a pitching staff even without Luzardo that can be among the National League's elite when Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara return from their injuries. What Miami really needs is bats. This trade gives them one of the best infield prospects in the game, and two other prospects that can make an impact down the line.