Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is July 31st, and the rumors are starting to pile on where certain guys will land, which teams will be buyers/sellers, and what it will take to acquire certain players. One thing is for sure: this year will be mayhem due to how many MLB clubs are seemingly in the playoff race. One of those teams is the St. Louis Cardinals, who were not expected to be as competitive as they are after making no offseason moves. But after being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates, it’s apparent that if the Cardinals want to get into the big dance in October, they will need to acquire another quality arm.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are also one of the most fascinating teams to look out for. They are slipping a little bit in the standings, have dealt with a handful of injuries, but have all the tradeable assets clubs will come calling for. This included both of their ace starters in Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen.
Cardinals Trade Idea Lands Kelly From Diamondbacks
ESPN.com recently ran a trade piece where writer David Schoenfield lists one player every team should trade for, or trade away. For the St. Louis Cardinals, it was a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks starter Kelly.
Kelly is a quality arm, something the Cardinals desperately need. St. Louis has an ace in Sonny Gray, but after that, their rotation thins out tremendously. As the Cardinals continue to exceed expectations, Kelly’s $7 million cap hit is affordable for anyone looking to acquire him. Kelly has made 18 starts this season, most in the National League, and has a 3.55 ERA in 104 innings.
For what it’s worth, any team would be glad to have Kelly, who has picked up the slack mightily in the Diamondbacks rotation with both Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt struggling. Arizona is 43-43, so they probably aren’t sure whether or not they will sell or buy just yet, but it makes for good speculation.
What Would the Cardinals Give Up?
Acquiring an arm like Kelly from a team that is also in the thick of the National League Wild Card race would come at a cost. Kelly is set to be a free agent after this season, so his rental status would cause the cost to come down just a little bit, but the St. Louis Cardinals would likely have to give up either a pair of mid-tier prospects, or maybe an arm like lefty Steven Matz, who has transitioned into a bullpen role this season, but still can start.
There’s still about a month left until the deadline, and that includes the All-Star break, but a deal like this hinges on how both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cardinals perform for the rest of the month. Again, with the All-Star break being in a couple of weeks, both teams will play around 20 more games before the deadline. And for the Diamondbacks, their front office will have to decide what they have, and if it’s worth making a playoff push with the way the season has gone so far.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post St. Louis Cardinals Linked to Diamondbacks 3.55 ERA Starter in Trade Proposal appeared first on Heavy Sports.