Cardinals chances of landing a former fan favorite just went way up

The St. Louis Cardinals could be surprising buyers at the MLB trade deadline after a hot finish to the month of May. While the deadline is still a few months away, St. Louis' impressive rotation has been a welcome development, and they still possess some of the more electric bats in baseball in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

Of course, neither player has performed up to their ability just yet, hence why this Cardinals lineup could use some help from an old friend.

The Cards have dealt with injuries to their outfield this season, specifically with Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman. One plausible solution could be to call up Jordan Walker, who is hitting well in Triple-A Memphis of late. However, if John Mozeliak prefers not to rush the team's top prospect and instead add an external option, there are plenty to choose from.

Former Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham, who has plenty of defensive versatility in the outfield, makes a lot of sense as a buyback candidate. USA Today's Bob Nightengale made it clear in his most recent column that the Chicago White Sox intend to trade Pham by the deadline.

"The Chicago White Sox definitely plan to trade outfielder Tommy Pham before the deadline, but they have not engaged in talks with Atlanta or any other contender yet, but they have not engaged in talks with Atlanta or any other contender yet." Nightengale wrote.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals could trade for Tommy Pham

Despite signing late in spring training, Pham has been one of the line bright spots for the White Sox this season. On the year, Pham is slashing .287/.333/.411 with a .744 OPS. On a contending team like the Cardinals -- if they're lucky enough to be considered as such by July -- Pham would play an important role and add some much-needed outfield depth.

The White Sox would likely pursue prospects in return, but given Pham is on an expiring contract, St. Louis could acquire him for relatively cheap. Some mid-level prospects should be enough to make a trade happen, wherever Pham ends up.

It should also be noted that Nightengale mentioned the Braves as a plausible suitor, though they haven't reached out yet. The Cardinals could get a jump on Atlanta and fellow NL contenders by placing a call to the south side sooner rather than later.

Chris Getz knows this season is over. The time is already right to make a trade with the White Sox.