As the front office looks to bring in talent in this coming off-season, one question looms over everything… Who won’t be on the team next year. And while some people would love to see the release of both Dexter Fowler and Brett Cecil, I’ll be tackling a different side to things. While I do think that either one of those players “could” be traded, there isn’t much evidence saying they will. Fowler and Cecil have been rather ineffective, plus Fowler has a no-trade clause which would make things difficult. With that being said, here are three Cardinal players who I believe are the most likely trade pieces this off-season.
1. José Martínez | .305 BA | .364 OBP | .457 SLG | .821 OPS | 17 HR | 83 RBI |
Martínez was one of the most productive hitters for the Cardinals in 2018, but his issues on defense are going to be the reason he moves elsewhere. The Cardinals tried him out at first base, which went about as bad as we expected, while injuries to Dexter Fowler gave him reps in Right Field. If it was only about the eye-test we would already be worried, but the numbers back up what our eyes saw. Martínez is a better fit in an American League lineup at DH. The Cardinals know this, and I think Martínez could be a valuable trade piece.
He is eligible for arbitration beginning next season and won’t be a free agent until 2023. It makes sense for the Cardinals to move him. He is a defensive liability at first base, and while he does seem more comfortable in the outfield, he will be competing against both Dexter Fowler and Tyler O’Neill for playing time. So as unfortunate as it might seem, it makes sense for both the Cardinals and Martínez to part ways.
2. Carson Kelly (AAA) | .269 BA | .378 OBP | .395 SLG | .773 OPS | 7 HR | 41 RBI |
The Cardinals are in a good place right now at Catcher. They have Yadier Molina who is destined for the Hall of Fame once his career is done. After that, the Cardinals can turn to Carson Kelly… or Andrew Knizner. Kelly has been sitting and waiting in AAA for a number of years now. It doesn’t help that whenever he does come up to the big league level, he struggles. It’s a very small sample size, but Kelly owns just a .154 BA with the Cardinals. The reason I think he will be traded is that he owns a lot of value for other teams in need of a catcher.
Also, the emergence of Knizner as a top catching prospect is a factor. Knizner owns a career .310 average and an .833 OPS in the minors compared to .255 average and a .704 OPS for Kelly. It’s starting to look like Knizner could be the better play moving forward, leaving Kelly as a good piece to move. Kelly would be able to bring in more talent given his age and time before he becomes a free agent.
3. Jedd Gyorko | .262 BA | .346 OBP | .416 SLG | .762 OPS | 11 HR | 47 RBI |
This one is just a gut feeling for me. Gyorko has been productive for the Cardinals during his three seasons with the club, posting OPS + of 111, 112, 108 in that time. The reason I see Gyorko being traded is simple. The Cardinals have made it clear that they want to upgrade at third base, and while Gyorko could be a solid backup, I think they could get a solid return for him. He is under contract until next season with a team option for 2020. Gyorko has seen his power production drop significantly over the last three seasons, going from 30 to 20 down to just 11 last season.
I just don’t see the Cardinals holding on to Greg Garcia, Yairo Munoz, and Jedd Gyorko for 2019. Garcia and Munoz are both cheaper options that I think the Cardinals would rather have, especially if they do shell out big money for top free agents. Garcia doesn’t have quite the offensive production as Gyorko, but is solid defensively, and Munoz nearly mirrored Gyorko’s production with a 109 OPS + this past season. I feel that the Cardinals will try and move Gyorko this off-season in an attempt to bring in relief help.
In Closing
There are a couple more names that come to mind as potential trade pieces, but to me these names made the most sense. Everybody on social media seems to be on the “Trade Luke Weaver” bandwagon because he “sucks.” My question to you is that if you think he is terrible, why would another team want him? Just a thought. I do think that Weaver has trade value, but I also genuinely believe he could be in the mix in the rotation this coming season. Many talented pitchers have struggled worse than Weaver did last season only to thrive later in their career. Give it some time.
My mother isn’t particularly excited that I think Gyorko is on the move, but I can’t please everybody. If the Cardinals went to my Mom for advice on what to do with the players, I’d be scared to see the end result. But anyway…
What are your thoughts?
Thanks for Reading
Aaron M.
Follow me on Twitter @AaronArchCity
