Trade Speculation: St. Louis Cardinals

Guest Blogged by J.P. Maxwell

This is my first post so I hope you all enjoy. Since I am a huge Cardinals fan, I thought it fit to write about the Redbirds. It is painfully obvious to everyone, not just Cardinals fans, but to all baseball fans that the Cardinals rotation has left something to be desired. Since losing ace Chris Carpenter on Opening Day against the Mets, the Cardinals have been in dire need of help. I know Carp is suppose to come back by the end of August and Mark Mulder should return a little bit after the All-Star break, but my curiosity has me wondering if they will reach out now in some way to acquire some more starting pitching. I like the Troy Percival signing but I wonder how this helps the rotation. The bullpen has been actually pretty solid, especially near the end with Ryan Franklin and Jason Isringhausen. Personally, I wonder if the Percival signing is a step for the Cardinals to either insert Ryan Franklin into the rotation somewhere or trade for a starter by using Izzy as bait. I guess only time will tell. All I know is I’m ready for the Cardinals to quit the “patchwork” rotation and acquire a solid arm from somewhere.

First, let’s talk about a few free agents that could tickle the Cardinals fancy. Almost a week ago, the Blue Jays designated Tomo Ohka for assignment. The Cardinals had interest during the winter to sign Ohka, but a deal was never completed. Another option is Wade Miller. The Cubs had a meeting with Miller last week to discuss his status with the team and it is believed he will be released at any time. Would the Cardinals be willing to take a risk on Miller to see if Dave Duncan can work his same magic as he has always done? If Dave Duncan can turn Jeff Weaver into a stud, then what could he do with a guy like Miller, who I believe still has some pitching potential? I say if the price is cheap, give him a shot.

Now, let’s discuss a few trade possibilities. The first would be the Tigers. The Tigers have made it clear that left-hander Mike Maroth could be had for the right price. I don’t know how much Maroth would help the Cardinals, but then again, I didn’t know how much Jeff Weaver could help us and he turned out ok.

The possibility still remains that the Cardinals could go after the Phillies John Lieber. Problem is that the Phillies rotation has not been healthy at all this year. Lieber has missed some time, along with Freddy Garcia who is currently on the DL. How much would the Phillies want for Lieber? I know Walt Jocketty will not want give much for Lieber, especially if the Cardinals have to “eat” most of his salary for this year.

Of course, my desire is for this last deal to happen: the Cardinals acquire Mark Buehrle from the White Sox. Buehrle is a St. Louis kid and I believe if the Cardinals acquired him, he would give them somewhat of a hometown discount to resign and extend his contract. He has said on multiple occasions that the he would like to play for the Cardinals before his career is over. Right now since he has a down year, the Cardinals could acquire Buehrle cheaper than ever. Rumor is that the White Sox may go on a fire sale of some sort if they are not in contention around the trading deadline. I believe at this point that a package that includes Anthony Reyes, John Rodriguez, and maybe a prospect or two could bring Buehrle over to STL.

The fantasy trade would be for the Cardinals to acquire Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins. If the Marlins decide to trade Willis this year, he will probably be the most coveted pitcher at the deadline. The only who may be more coveted is if the Twins decide to deal Johan Santana, if they decide they can’t resign him, or Carlos Zambrano if the Cubs make the same assumption about him. I think that the Cardinals would have to give up so much to acquire Willis that they would be back at square one. I’m not ready to give up Chris Duncan, Colby Rasmus, and co to acquire Willis.

My prediction is that the Cardinals will acquire Mark Buehrle at the trade deadline because the White Sox will be out of contention in a very tough AL Central division. No matter what happens, it should be an interesting rest of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals.