There was a time, not so long ago, that the Cardinals were the envy of General Managers everywhere for their pitching depth. You think your team has good pitching depth? We had 3 guys who can throw 95+ mph (Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal) vying for our 5th starter spot in 2013.
Now, with the expectation that Adam Wainwright will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury, per Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals pitching depth, or lack thereof, is going to come into question.
Gone are Joe Kelly (traded to Boston last year for John Lackey) and Shelby Miller (traded for Jason Heyward). Rosenthal is the Cardinals closer and the pipeline of power arms seems to have dried up.
Now the Cards pitching depth consists of a bunch of lefty control specialists (Marco Gonzales, Tim Cooney and Tyler Lyons), while the team's remaining minor league power arms are either being groomed for relief (Sam Tuivailala) or are too far away from the majors to offer much help this year (Alex Reyes).
What is even more concerning is that, while he should have been groomed as a starter and allowed to build up his innings each year, Carlos Martinez spent the last two years in the Cardinals bullpen and, as a result, he will likely face an innings limit this year (speculated to be around 150 innings).
Another concern is that Michael Wacha will likely be on a similar innings limit as well, after a stress fracture sidelined him for a few months last year.
Assuming that Wainwright is out for the year and Martinez and Wacha reach their innings limits in mid-to-late August, who is going to step in to fill those voids? Who will be in the Cardinals rotation in the playoffs? Will they even make the playoffs?
These are legitimate concerns for a team that use to pride itself on its pitching depth. What use to be a strength now appears to be a weakness and the team could suffer as a result.
Showing posts with label Marco Gonzales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marco Gonzales. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Adam Wainwright injured: Who might replace him in Cardinals' rotation?
In case you missed it, Adam Wainwright was injured tonight trying to get out of the batter's box on a popup of all things. He will undergo an MRI to see the extent of the injury, but its likely he's headed to the DL.
Its uncertain how long he will be out, with some speculating that, if he has a torn Achilles, he could miss the rest of the season. However, that is the worst case scenario.
At a minimum, he will probably miss at least one start, leading to the question of who will replace him in the starting rotation? Here are the Cardinals' options:
Marco Gonzales
The first and most logical choice is Marco Gonzales. He pitched well during the spring, losing out in the 5th starter race to Carlos Martinez, despite going 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA.
As an added bonus, he is already on the 40-man roster, so calling him up would not cause the Cards any roster management headaches.
The only problem with Gonzo is that he has not pitched too well in the early going at AAA, with a 4.50 ERA in 3 starts.
Tim Cooney
Cooney has fared the best of any of the AAA starters, with a 3.63 ERA in 3 starts. His stuff is reminiscent of Gonzales, relying on his changeup and control, instead of trying to overpower hitters. However, he is not as far along as Gonzales and the Cards may want to give him more time to develop.
Add in the fact that he is not on the 40-man roster and its unlikely that he gets the call.
Tyler Lyons
Yet another lefty, like Gonzales and Cooney, Lyons has made 12 starts for the Cardinals over the last two years, serving mostly as a stopgap until someone better was ready to take over.
He could serve the same function this year, if the Cards feel that the need to give Gonzales more time to get into a groove or if they think Wainwright will only miss a minimal amount of time.
He is also on the 40-man roster, which is an added bonus.
UPDATE:
It appears that the Wainwright is going to miss the rest of the year with an Achilles injury, so Gonzales is the likely choice to fill in. However, Gonzales is currently dealing with a shoulder/pectoral muscle injury, so Lyons will likely get the call in the short term.
Of course, they could always trade for Cole Hamels, but that is a story for another day....
Its uncertain how long he will be out, with some speculating that, if he has a torn Achilles, he could miss the rest of the season. However, that is the worst case scenario.
At a minimum, he will probably miss at least one start, leading to the question of who will replace him in the starting rotation? Here are the Cardinals' options:
Marco Gonzales
The first and most logical choice is Marco Gonzales. He pitched well during the spring, losing out in the 5th starter race to Carlos Martinez, despite going 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA.
As an added bonus, he is already on the 40-man roster, so calling him up would not cause the Cards any roster management headaches.
The only problem with Gonzo is that he has not pitched too well in the early going at AAA, with a 4.50 ERA in 3 starts.
Tim Cooney
Cooney has fared the best of any of the AAA starters, with a 3.63 ERA in 3 starts. His stuff is reminiscent of Gonzales, relying on his changeup and control, instead of trying to overpower hitters. However, he is not as far along as Gonzales and the Cards may want to give him more time to develop.
Add in the fact that he is not on the 40-man roster and its unlikely that he gets the call.
Tyler Lyons
Yet another lefty, like Gonzales and Cooney, Lyons has made 12 starts for the Cardinals over the last two years, serving mostly as a stopgap until someone better was ready to take over.
He could serve the same function this year, if the Cards feel that the need to give Gonzales more time to get into a groove or if they think Wainwright will only miss a minimal amount of time.
He is also on the 40-man roster, which is an added bonus.
UPDATE:
It appears that the Wainwright is going to miss the rest of the year with an Achilles injury, so Gonzales is the likely choice to fill in. However, Gonzales is currently dealing with a shoulder/pectoral muscle injury, so Lyons will likely get the call in the short term.
Of course, they could always trade for Cole Hamels, but that is a story for another day....
Sunday, August 24, 2014
How do the Cardinals' July trades affect their roster going forward?
The Cardinals current and future roster changed dramatically in July when John Mozeliak jettisoned Allen Craig, Joe Kelly and minor leaguer James Ramsey in exchange for pitchers Justin Masterson and John Lackey, along with minor leaguer pitcher Corey Littrell.
Kelly would have been under team control through the 2018 season and Craig was signed to a reasonable contract through the 2017 season, with a $13 million option for 2018.
In exchange, the Cardinals got Masterson, who is a free agent after this season, and Lackey, who has an incredibly low $500K option for 2015.
The move also cleared room for top prospect Oscar Taveras to play everyday as the starting right fielder.
Does it make the team better in the long run? That's hard to say, but at least one writer, Bob Nightengale thinks that the Cardinals will regret the Lackey trade.
However, it does change the Cardinals projected lineup and starting pitching for 2015 and beyond, here's a quick look at both:
Lineup
With Taveras replacing Craig, the lineup should be pretty much set through the 2016 season, after which, both Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos are set to become free agents.
Back in December, I predicted that James Ramsey was the heir apparent to the center field job, eventually replacing Bourjos after the 2016 season (I predicted Jay would be traded this year).
The Cards other top outfield prospects, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are both projected as corner outfielders, leaving the team without an obvious center fielder of the future.
Tommy Pham is probably the Cardinals best defensive center field prospect, but has a career .253 average in the minors. He has hit well this year, with a .332 average, albeit in the hitter-friendly PCL.
In any case, the Cards could always extend the contracts of Jay or Bourjos, if needed.
Starting Rotation
Here's where things get a little more interesting. The Cardinals obviously needed starting pitching this year to make up for the losses of Jaime Garcia and Michael Wacha. Its unlikely that Garcia will pitch for the Cards again, while Wacha hopes to return sometime in September and should be healthy going forward.
With Lacky signed through 2015 and Masterson a free agent after the season, here's what the 2015 rotation should look like:
For 2016, Lackey will roll off the books, with Martinez and Gonzales battling for the 5th spot. Giving us the following rotation:
Overall, I think the Ramsey loss could create a hole in center in the future, while the Cardinals overall pitching depth doesn't seem as strong as the past few years. But, if the team can keep drafting and developing players like they have in the past, these issues will resolve themselves.
Kelly would have been under team control through the 2018 season and Craig was signed to a reasonable contract through the 2017 season, with a $13 million option for 2018.
In exchange, the Cardinals got Masterson, who is a free agent after this season, and Lackey, who has an incredibly low $500K option for 2015.
The move also cleared room for top prospect Oscar Taveras to play everyday as the starting right fielder.
Does it make the team better in the long run? That's hard to say, but at least one writer, Bob Nightengale thinks that the Cardinals will regret the Lackey trade.
However, it does change the Cardinals projected lineup and starting pitching for 2015 and beyond, here's a quick look at both:
Lineup
With Taveras replacing Craig, the lineup should be pretty much set through the 2016 season, after which, both Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos are set to become free agents.
Back in December, I predicted that James Ramsey was the heir apparent to the center field job, eventually replacing Bourjos after the 2016 season (I predicted Jay would be traded this year).
The Cards other top outfield prospects, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are both projected as corner outfielders, leaving the team without an obvious center fielder of the future.
Tommy Pham is probably the Cardinals best defensive center field prospect, but has a career .253 average in the minors. He has hit well this year, with a .332 average, albeit in the hitter-friendly PCL.
In any case, the Cards could always extend the contracts of Jay or Bourjos, if needed.
Starting Rotation
Here's where things get a little more interesting. The Cardinals obviously needed starting pitching this year to make up for the losses of Jaime Garcia and Michael Wacha. Its unlikely that Garcia will pitch for the Cards again, while Wacha hopes to return sometime in September and should be healthy going forward.
With Lacky signed through 2015 and Masterson a free agent after the season, here's what the 2015 rotation should look like:
- Adam Wainwright
- Michael Wacha
- John Lackey
- Lance Lynn
- Shelby Miller
For 2016, Lackey will roll off the books, with Martinez and Gonzales battling for the 5th spot. Giving us the following rotation:
- Wainwright
- Wacha
- Lynn
- Miller
- Martinez/Gonzales
- Wainwright
- Wacha
- Miller
- Martinez
- Gonzales
Overall, I think the Ramsey loss could create a hole in center in the future, while the Cardinals overall pitching depth doesn't seem as strong as the past few years. But, if the team can keep drafting and developing players like they have in the past, these issues will resolve themselves.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Could Cole Hamels be an option for the Cardinals?
Yesterday I posted a list of possible starting pitching trade targets for the Cardinals. Well, now you can add one more name to the list of possibilities.
According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Phillies have made Cole Hamels available, however, the asking price is said to be very high.
Hamels can block a trade to 20 teams, however, the Cardinals are not one of those 20. Per Morosi, the Cardinals and Dodgers are the two most likely teams to pursue Hamels.
Hamels could make a lot of sense for the Cardinals, maybe even more so than David Price. For one thing, he is signed through the 2018 season, with an option for 2019. Granted, he is owed $22.5 million per season, which is not cheap, but Price would cost at least that much and is only signed through 2015.
Another reason that Hamels makes sense for the Redbirds is that he has spent his entire career in the NL, so there would not be any transition period for him. He has a career 3.33 ERA and, oh yeah, he's left handed, making him all the more appealing.
One drawback is that Hamels is already 30 years old and the Cardinals would be committed to him through his age 35 season. However, that may not be an issue for the Cards, as they recently signed Adam Wainwright through his age 37 season.
Another drawback is the cost to acquire him. It doesn't appear that the Phillies are going to be giving out any kind of discount for Hamels, in case you were thinking his high contract value would warrant such a thing. Jayson Stark is reporting that the Phillies are asking for every team's top 3 or 4 young players while they are only willing to eat $10 million of the $90 million remaining on his contract.
For the Cardinals, any offer would likely have to include 3 or 4 of the following players: Oscar Taveras, Carlos Martinez, Marco Gonzales, Stephen Piscotty, Alex Reyes, James Ramsey, Rob Kaminsky and/or Tim Cooney.
It will be interesting to see if the Cards make a play for Hamels before the deadline. Hamels is unlikely to clear waivers, so if the Phillies are serious about moving him, they have 4 days to do so. The question is whether any team will be willing to pony up the prospects to get him.
According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Phillies have made Cole Hamels available, however, the asking price is said to be very high.
Hamels can block a trade to 20 teams, however, the Cardinals are not one of those 20. Per Morosi, the Cardinals and Dodgers are the two most likely teams to pursue Hamels.
Hamels could make a lot of sense for the Cardinals, maybe even more so than David Price. For one thing, he is signed through the 2018 season, with an option for 2019. Granted, he is owed $22.5 million per season, which is not cheap, but Price would cost at least that much and is only signed through 2015.
Another reason that Hamels makes sense for the Redbirds is that he has spent his entire career in the NL, so there would not be any transition period for him. He has a career 3.33 ERA and, oh yeah, he's left handed, making him all the more appealing.
One drawback is that Hamels is already 30 years old and the Cardinals would be committed to him through his age 35 season. However, that may not be an issue for the Cards, as they recently signed Adam Wainwright through his age 37 season.
Another drawback is the cost to acquire him. It doesn't appear that the Phillies are going to be giving out any kind of discount for Hamels, in case you were thinking his high contract value would warrant such a thing. Jayson Stark is reporting that the Phillies are asking for every team's top 3 or 4 young players while they are only willing to eat $10 million of the $90 million remaining on his contract.
For the Cardinals, any offer would likely have to include 3 or 4 of the following players: Oscar Taveras, Carlos Martinez, Marco Gonzales, Stephen Piscotty, Alex Reyes, James Ramsey, Rob Kaminsky and/or Tim Cooney.
It will be interesting to see if the Cards make a play for Hamels before the deadline. Hamels is unlikely to clear waivers, so if the Phillies are serious about moving him, they have 4 days to do so. The question is whether any team will be willing to pony up the prospects to get him.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
The Cardinals offense needs a boost. What are their options?
After leading the NL in runs scored last year, the Cardinals offense has gone south this year, currently sitting in a 13th place tie with the Cubs for fewest runs scored. While their excellent starting pitching has buoyed them so far this year, recent injuries to their pitchers have put more pressure on the offense to perform.
What are the Cardinals options for boosting their sagging offense? Here are some thoughts.
Oscar Taveras
The first and foremost option was to promote Oscar Taveras and play him, which the Cardinals did yesterday. The only question now is where will he play?
Mike Matheny started him in right field yesterday, with Allen Craig moving to left and Matt Holliday spending a day on the bench and its likely that Matheny will work out some sort of 3-man platoon with Taveras, Craig and Holliday. I don't see the Cardinals working Matt Adams into that platoon, as he's been one of the team's most consistent hitters this season.
Taveras could also play center field, giving the Cardinals a bit more punch than the current duo of Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos, however that would come at the expense of the team's defense.
Acquire a Second or Third Baseman
The Cardinals second base duo of Kolten Wong and Mark Ellis have been pathetic offensively so far this season. As a team, the Cardinals' second basemen are hitting a combined .201, third worst in the NL, with a .534 OPS, second worst in the NL.
Rumors are already swirling that the Cardinals are looking for a second or third baseman (allowing Matt Carpenter to move back to second). I went into detail as to the Cards options in Monday's post, so I won't dwell on this too much. But let's just say that it doesn't appear that Wong is ready for prime time.
Give the bench a boost
On those days when Jon Jay starts, the Cardinals bench is downright laughable, with the likes of Peter Bourjos (.204/.270/.309), Daniel Descalso (.182/.232/.234), Mark Ellis (.194/.276/.239) and Tony Cruz (.229/.315/.271) waiting in the wings. None of those guys are going to strike fear in the heart of pitchers if they came up to pinch hit.
The addition of Taveras to the active roster helps in that it forces either Allen Craig or Matt Holliday to the bench, giving the team at least one potent bat to use in key situations. However, the bench could use more help.
The Cards have tried out Randal Grichuk and Joey Butler off the bench to no avail, so perhaps its time to dig a little deeper into the farm system for some help.
Stephen Piscotty is currently hitting .307/.368/.437 at AAA Memphis and doesn't seem to have anything left to prove there. However, he is primarily a corner outfielder and, with Taveras already up, the only one he could replace would be Bourjos, leaving the team with only Taveras as the backup center fielder.
Another option might be James Ramsey, who is hitting .307/.389/.550 at AA Springfield, including 12 homers, but the Cardinals would likely prefer to keep him in the minors to continue his development.
Aledmys Diaz is healthy and hitting .291/.311/.453 at Springfield and might be an upgrade over Descalso. However, he is hitting only .262/.295/.333 in June and may need some more time to get his stroke back.
Blockbuster Trade?
Around this time last year, Giancarlo Stanton was the subject of many trade rumors and this year Matt Kemp's name has come up. While their respective teams are still in contention, I tend to believe their GM's will not trade them, but you never know. The Cards have the kind of team depth to pull off such a move, if they so desired.
However, acquiring a guy like Stanton would likely require the Cards to give up a ton of prospects, starting with Oscar Taveras and adding a couple young pitchers to boot (Carlos Martinez and Marco Gonzales perhaps). In short, you would basically have to gut your farm system to land a stud hitter like him and, while adding a guy like Stanton would certainly give the Cardinals offense a boost, I just don't see John Mozeliak making such a move.
Overall, the best bets for the Cardinals to improve their offense would be to find ample playing time for Taveras and hope he hits, then go out and acquire a second or third baseman. Doing so would also improve the bench by default, by pushing Wong and either Holliday or Craig to the bench and lead to a better overall offensive team.
What are the Cardinals options for boosting their sagging offense? Here are some thoughts.
Oscar Taveras
The first and foremost option was to promote Oscar Taveras and play him, which the Cardinals did yesterday. The only question now is where will he play?
Mike Matheny started him in right field yesterday, with Allen Craig moving to left and Matt Holliday spending a day on the bench and its likely that Matheny will work out some sort of 3-man platoon with Taveras, Craig and Holliday. I don't see the Cardinals working Matt Adams into that platoon, as he's been one of the team's most consistent hitters this season.
Taveras could also play center field, giving the Cardinals a bit more punch than the current duo of Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos, however that would come at the expense of the team's defense.
Acquire a Second or Third Baseman
The Cardinals second base duo of Kolten Wong and Mark Ellis have been pathetic offensively so far this season. As a team, the Cardinals' second basemen are hitting a combined .201, third worst in the NL, with a .534 OPS, second worst in the NL.
Rumors are already swirling that the Cardinals are looking for a second or third baseman (allowing Matt Carpenter to move back to second). I went into detail as to the Cards options in Monday's post, so I won't dwell on this too much. But let's just say that it doesn't appear that Wong is ready for prime time.
Give the bench a boost
On those days when Jon Jay starts, the Cardinals bench is downright laughable, with the likes of Peter Bourjos (.204/.270/.309), Daniel Descalso (.182/.232/.234), Mark Ellis (.194/.276/.239) and Tony Cruz (.229/.315/.271) waiting in the wings. None of those guys are going to strike fear in the heart of pitchers if they came up to pinch hit.
The addition of Taveras to the active roster helps in that it forces either Allen Craig or Matt Holliday to the bench, giving the team at least one potent bat to use in key situations. However, the bench could use more help.
The Cards have tried out Randal Grichuk and Joey Butler off the bench to no avail, so perhaps its time to dig a little deeper into the farm system for some help.
Stephen Piscotty is currently hitting .307/.368/.437 at AAA Memphis and doesn't seem to have anything left to prove there. However, he is primarily a corner outfielder and, with Taveras already up, the only one he could replace would be Bourjos, leaving the team with only Taveras as the backup center fielder.
Another option might be James Ramsey, who is hitting .307/.389/.550 at AA Springfield, including 12 homers, but the Cardinals would likely prefer to keep him in the minors to continue his development.
Aledmys Diaz is healthy and hitting .291/.311/.453 at Springfield and might be an upgrade over Descalso. However, he is hitting only .262/.295/.333 in June and may need some more time to get his stroke back.
Blockbuster Trade?
Around this time last year, Giancarlo Stanton was the subject of many trade rumors and this year Matt Kemp's name has come up. While their respective teams are still in contention, I tend to believe their GM's will not trade them, but you never know. The Cards have the kind of team depth to pull off such a move, if they so desired.
However, acquiring a guy like Stanton would likely require the Cards to give up a ton of prospects, starting with Oscar Taveras and adding a couple young pitchers to boot (Carlos Martinez and Marco Gonzales perhaps). In short, you would basically have to gut your farm system to land a stud hitter like him and, while adding a guy like Stanton would certainly give the Cardinals offense a boost, I just don't see John Mozeliak making such a move.
Overall, the best bets for the Cardinals to improve their offense would be to find ample playing time for Taveras and hope he hits, then go out and acquire a second or third baseman. Doing so would also improve the bench by default, by pushing Wong and either Holliday or Craig to the bench and lead to a better overall offensive team.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Who are the Cardinals trade chips?
Buster Olney is reporting that the Rays are prepared to deal David Price "right now". The trade market is obviously heating up and thhe Cardinals appear to be looking to make a big splash this time around. But what do the Cards have to offer the sellers as the trade season heats up?
Here's a look at some of the players that the Cards might be willing to part with to land the pieces they need to contend for a title.
The Outfield Logjam
One area in which the Cardinals have a surplus is in the outfield, here are some players that could be moved to ease that logjam.
1. Matt Adams
It was reported a while back that Adams could be on the block as the Cardinals look to eliminate their outfield logjam, while at the same time getting a quality player in return. Adams is appealing to other teams in that he is cheap (he still has one more season before arbitration) and he is a career .295 hitter with power. He could be involved in a trade for a big fish, such as Price.
2. Allen Craig
Craig is also appealing due to his reasonable contract--he is earning just $2.75 million in 2014, and will make just $5.5 million in 2015, $9.0 in 2016 and $11 million in 2017. All affordable salaries for a career .297 hitter and rbi machine. He probably wouldn't be the centerpiece of a David Price deal, but could be used to acquire an upgrade at another position, such as second base.
3. Jon Jay/Peter Bourjos
Jay and Bourjos have been splitting time in center this season, with Mike Matheny riding the hot hand. However, one of them could be traded to land some bullpen help or as a piece to a larger deal. Both will be entering their second year of arbitration this offseason and trading one of them could help the Cardinals save money to use for other needs.
The Prospects
Although the Cardinals no longer have the top farm system, the team still has quality prospects and depth to make some moves.
1. Oscar Taveras
If the Cardinals are going to land a pitcher like Price, they are going to have to part with some of the best prospects and there is no one better than Taveras. He could be the centerpiece of a mega-deal while at the same time helping to eliminate the outfield logjam.
2. Carlos Martinez/Marco Gonzales
If there is one thing that selling teams crave, its young, controllable, major league ready pitching. Martinez is a young power arm that could be the key to a deal for a veteran arm, such as Price. Gonzales doesn't have the power arm, like Martinez, but his promotion to start on Wednesday could just be a means of showcasing him to other teams. In any case, don't be surprise if one of these guys names pops up in trade rumors.
3. Stephen Piscotty/Randal Grichuk/James Ramsey
The Cardinals have an abundance of good young outfield prospects and one of these guys could end up on the block. Any one of these guys could be traded to land a quality reliever or could be included in a larger deal.
These are just some of the guys who the Cards might consider expendable to get what they need. The team currently has the depth to do whatever it takes to make this team better, but will John Mozeliak be willing to pull the trigger?
Here's a look at some of the players that the Cards might be willing to part with to land the pieces they need to contend for a title.
The Outfield Logjam
One area in which the Cardinals have a surplus is in the outfield, here are some players that could be moved to ease that logjam.
1. Matt Adams
It was reported a while back that Adams could be on the block as the Cardinals look to eliminate their outfield logjam, while at the same time getting a quality player in return. Adams is appealing to other teams in that he is cheap (he still has one more season before arbitration) and he is a career .295 hitter with power. He could be involved in a trade for a big fish, such as Price.
2. Allen Craig
Craig is also appealing due to his reasonable contract--he is earning just $2.75 million in 2014, and will make just $5.5 million in 2015, $9.0 in 2016 and $11 million in 2017. All affordable salaries for a career .297 hitter and rbi machine. He probably wouldn't be the centerpiece of a David Price deal, but could be used to acquire an upgrade at another position, such as second base.
3. Jon Jay/Peter Bourjos
Jay and Bourjos have been splitting time in center this season, with Mike Matheny riding the hot hand. However, one of them could be traded to land some bullpen help or as a piece to a larger deal. Both will be entering their second year of arbitration this offseason and trading one of them could help the Cardinals save money to use for other needs.
The Prospects
Although the Cardinals no longer have the top farm system, the team still has quality prospects and depth to make some moves.
1. Oscar Taveras
If the Cardinals are going to land a pitcher like Price, they are going to have to part with some of the best prospects and there is no one better than Taveras. He could be the centerpiece of a mega-deal while at the same time helping to eliminate the outfield logjam.
2. Carlos Martinez/Marco Gonzales
If there is one thing that selling teams crave, its young, controllable, major league ready pitching. Martinez is a young power arm that could be the key to a deal for a veteran arm, such as Price. Gonzales doesn't have the power arm, like Martinez, but his promotion to start on Wednesday could just be a means of showcasing him to other teams. In any case, don't be surprise if one of these guys names pops up in trade rumors.
3. Stephen Piscotty/Randal Grichuk/James Ramsey
The Cardinals have an abundance of good young outfield prospects and one of these guys could end up on the block. Any one of these guys could be traded to land a quality reliever or could be included in a larger deal.
These are just some of the guys who the Cards might consider expendable to get what they need. The team currently has the depth to do whatever it takes to make this team better, but will John Mozeliak be willing to pull the trigger?
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