The Cardinals have shown some signs of life lately. They took series from the Reds and A’s and now sit just one game under .500 as the Giants come into town. They still aren’t going to make the playoffs, but the Giants have played their way back into contention, so the Cardinals can play a little spoiler on them, the Mariners, Brewers, Cubs, and the Reds again in the coming weeks.
We are now less than a month away from John Mozeliak’s tenure as president of baseball operations coming to an end. Chaim
Bloom will take over at the end of the regular season. I think I speak for the entire fanbase when I say, it’s about time.
But all jokes aside, this is going to be an important period of time for the Cardinals. Bloom will rebuild the front office and potentially even the coaching staff. We also do know that the roster is going to look a little bit differently next year. This means that as part of the Cardinals rebuild, certain players will be traded. In this piece, I’m going over three players I think need to be traded this offseason to restock the farm system with the talent it needs.
Brendan Donovan
I understand that this might piss some fans off, and quite honestly, it pains me to even include Donovan on this list. He was the Cardinals lone All-Star this year. But if the Cardinals aren’t planning on contending next year, what’s the point in holding onto Donovan when you already need to clear out the logjam of left-handed hitters?
Yes, Donovan is the best of the bunch, but the Cardinals need pitching at the minor league level that is close to Major League ready. They shouldn’t rush Liam Doyle or even Quinn Mathews to the big leagues, but it would be smart to load up on MLB ready pitching with the supply being so thin and the likelihood of adding anybody major in free agency so slim.
The best way to do that is to trade Donovan. He can get you a pretty good haul in return. Plenty of teams were interested in him at the trade deadline, and I’m sure at least some of those teams will be giving Bloom a call this coming offseason about Donnie’s availability.
Lars Nootbaar
This one hurts me too. We all love Noot. He’s a fan favorite, he’s been a solid player, and is a good clubhouse presence. But I think the Cardinals should avoid a scenario in which they trade both Donovan and Alec Burleson.
While Burly has the most value between him and Noot, he has been able to stay healthy, while Noot has struggled with that in recent years. Noot’s strong August showing should boost his value. He’s still an on-base machine and provides power from the left side of the plate.
He is also a strong defender that can play all three outfield positions, so it wouldn’t hurt to at least gauge how much interest there is in him. He’s another guy that teams were after at the trade deadline. There are also way too many left-handed bats on the roster, and this helps clear the logjam.
Jimmy Crooks
Another logjam the Cardinals are dealing with is the amount of catchers they have in their system. Chances are Ivan Herrera’s days as a catcher are over, so that alleviates it some. Having Willson Contreras at first base also helps. But Crooks is a guy that can bring back a good haul. He’s tasted the Majors already, and teams know he’s a solid catcher.
I would be hesitant to trade Leonardo Bernal and Rainel Rodriguez, because Bernal is a switch-hitter and Rodriguez provides power from the right side of the plate. Meanwhile, while you wait for those guys, you still have Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo, two solid catchers that are righty hitters. Crooks is yet another left-handed bat.
This would help the Cardinals kill two birds with one stone and bring back some solid pitching in exchange.
We don’t know how Bloom will approach this offseason, and I know Crooks is valuable. But you have to really think about the logjams the Cardinals are dealing with and what they’re lacking.
