The St. Louis Cardinals are in a bit of a tough spot this season. They’re built to rebuild and sell at the trade deadline, but the team is winning a lot of games. This puts the front office in a weird spot. If they opt to buy, but fall short again, it seems like a wasted year. But if they sell during a hot stretch, they could lose the faith and support of the fanbase.
However, if the Cardinals begin losing games, their decisions get much easier. They would be able to trade their expiring players and begin preparing for next year, just like many expected them to do coming into the season.
R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently listed Cardinals reliever Steven Matz as one of the top 25 trade chips of the offseason and even suggested
“practically every contender”
could be a potential landing spot for the lefty.
“It’s to be seen if the Cardinals buy, sell, or buyandsell. If selling enters the equation at all, Matz could be marketed as a nifty utility arm,” Anderson wrote. “His starting background has empowered him to record four or more outs in most of his appearances, and he’s issuing a walk roughly once every nine innings. That’s an appealing combination. Potential landing spots: Practically every contender.”
The Cardinals could look to trade Matz whether or not they’re contending if the price is right.
There are plenty of contending teams that need a lefty bullpen arm that could spot start down the stretch. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are two teams who could be willing to overpay a bit to land a reliable pitcher like Matz.
If the price is right, the Cardinals could swing a trade.
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Cardinals $44 Million Star Generating Shocking Trade Buzz
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