The St. Louis Cardinals have won eight of their last eleven games, moving them back above.500 on the season. They’ve also emerged as more obvious buyers, with the trade deadline just over a month away.
Despite their hot streak, St. Louis still has to fill some gaps, and a trade with the Chicago White Sox may solve two of them at once.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote a story on Sunday, June 23, predicting whether teams will purchase or sell at the deadline. He sees the Cardinals being “relatively aggressive buyers,” citing the outfield and starting rotation as two areas to improve.
Chicago lefty Garrett Crochet will be one of the most sought-after starters on the market next month, and if the Cards can make a deal for him, Miller says they should also look at outfielder Tommy Pham.
“If they are in on Crochet,” wrote Miller, “maybe a little ‘two birds, one stone’ action in which they get the White Sox to include outfielder-on-an-expiring-deal Tommy Pham in the trade.”
It could be the ideal combination for the Cardinals.
A Garrett Crochet Trade Would Especially Benefit the Cardinals
Any competing club would welcome a lefty starter with a 3.25 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 88.2 innings this season, but Garrett Crochet would be especially beneficial to St. Louis.
The Cardinals’ rotation is both thin and ancient, with 34-year-old Sonny Gray being the “kid” of the bunch. He’s also been their best pitcher, finishing 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts and carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Giants on Sunday. But, other from him and Kyle Gibson, other teams have little reason to be concerned.
Crochet would benefit the Cardinals both this year and in the future, since he has two more years of club control. Gibson and Lance Lynn have team options for next year, while Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz are already under contract.
Crochet would be an excellent place to start as the rotation becomes more youthful. If not him, Miller proposed Jesus Luzardo of the Miami Marlins, though Miami placed him on the injured list on Saturday. The Marlins expect him to miss 4-6 weeks.
St. Louis Could Reunite with Tommy Pham
Pham signed with the Cardinals in 2014 and can return to town for a low cost. Last offseason, he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the White Sox. For the price, he has done well.
In 161 at-bats, Pham is hitting.273 with a.740 OPS and 110 OPS+. He isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, but he is at least on level with the rest of the Cardinals’ outfield. Even better, he has a career.313 playoff batting average and just returned from a World Series participation with the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he hit.421 with a 1.165 OPS.
That is not to mean that Pham is pleased with his recent performance. He told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times that he expects to be dealt, but he needs to step it up if that happens.
“But you know you have to play a little better to get traded,” remarked the coach. “You won’t be traded if you’re underperforming. I’m not playing to the best of my ability. But I’m near. I’m getting close to turning things around.”
For whatever it’s worth, Pham went 0-3 on Sunday.
