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St. Louis Cardinals Trade Rumors: Deal May be Developing with Cleveland Indians

By Patrick Karraker

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According to late night reports from SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo on Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals may be close to a major trade with the Cleveland Indians:

If these rumors are indeed legitimate, it should be very interesting to see who ends up coming to St. Louis. While Kaminsky theoretically could be expendable because the Cardinals have so many other similarly-aged prime pitching prospects (i.e. Alex Reyes, Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver, Ronnie Williams, Austin Gomber), there aren’t too many players on Cleveland’s roster who could reasonably fetch a player of Kaminsky’s ilk. The 20-year-old lefthander has a 2.09 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and a .209 opponent batting average with 79 strikeouts and 28 walks in 17 starts (94.2 innings) for High-A Palm Beach this season.

The most obvious Indians trade candidates who would fit the Cardinals’ needs would be outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss (.217/.288/.407 with 15 HR and 50 RBI), a lefty hitter who could give the Cardinals some depth at first or fill in for the recently-injured Matt Holliday, starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (4.26 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .261 opponent batting average in 20 starts), a 28-year-old righthander who had a breakout 2014 and was promptly signed to a long-term contract worth up to $22 million, and Carlos Santana (.226/.358/.391 with 11 HR and 44 RBI), a versatile switch-hitting slugger who has seen action at catcher and third base over the course of his career but has been limited exclusively to first base this season.

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However, if the Cardinals were to make a deal with Cleveland that included Kaminsky, one would think that they’d be able to get a player better than Moss or Santana, whose numbers are virtually equivalent to incumbent Cards first baseman Mark Reynolds in most categories, or Carrasco, who has returned to the inconsistency he displayed for most of his career after having a spectacular 2014 season.

Considering the Indians’ general frugality and the likelihood that they’ll be a long-term cellar-dweller in a competitive AL Central, perhaps they’d be willing to part with 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber or star outfielder Michael Brantley. Kluber would seem to be the more logical fit for the Cardinals, considering that he would be a major front of the rotation presence and give the Cardinals an established ace for their playoff race. Kluber, who was a late bloomer by baseball standards, got off to a rough start in 2015 but has been better since May 1, throwing for a 3.22 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and a .229 opponent batting average during that period.

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Brantley, meanwhile, wouldn’t make huge sense for the Cardinals, as Matt Holliday still figures to be their starting left fielder for the foreseeable future despite his recent injuries, while the team would likely have strong interest in retaining right fielder Jason Heyward beyond this season considering that he’s performed well and the Cardinals gave up now-All-Star Shelby Miller to acquire him. Nevertheless, Brantley would be a spectacular asset for any club, as he’s now in his second year of sustained spectacular play. This season, he has a .301 batting average and .833 OPS with eight homers and 56 RBI. The 28-year-old is under club control until after the 2018 season, and at his current rate of production, he’s one of the best-valued players in the majors.

Both Brantley and Kluber would almost certainly require multiple prospects in addition to Kaminsky if they were to be moved, but with the long-term club control and upside that comes with both of them, that would still be a good value. It would be much more puzzling, however, if the Cardinals were to offer an elite  prospect such as Kaminsky for struggling player like Moss that has just one more year of arbitration remaining.

Next: Can Marco Gonzales be a Lefty Bullpen Option for the Cardinals?

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