At present’s 8-3 win over the Nationals improved the Cardinals’ document to 47-42, and continued the staff’s spectacular run of play over the past two months. After stumbling out of the gates to a 15-24 begin, the Playing cards have now gained 32 of their final 50 video games, and have surged into the second NL wild card slot.
This has put St. Louis right into a purchaser place because the commerce deadline approaches, and as Ken Rosenthal commented in an look this week on the Foul Territory present (X hyperlink), the Playing cards maybe have an fascinating edge over another groups trying to make strikes. The Cardinals “have Main League items to commerce,” Rosenthal mentioned, because the staff may need a little bit of a surplus of place gamers resulting from some upcoming returns from the injured listing. With many golf equipment nonetheless straddling the road between being clear-cut consumers or sellers, “groups are usually not going to need to quit essentially prospects or make sure sorts of strikes. But when they will fill a necessity with main leaguers out of your membership, and provide you with maybe extra from their very own, that’s going to be precious.”
Because the Playing cards want beginning pitching, the obvious comp right here is the 2022 deadline commerce that noticed St. Louis receive Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees in a one-for-one swap for Harrison Bader. Naturally, discovering a repeat of such a profitable deal isn’t straightforward, nor are any of the Cardinals’ present commerce chips essentially as precious as Bader was in 2022, coming off a Gold Glove award and above-average offensive seasons in 2020-21.
Rosenthal urged that catcher Ivan Herrera or Dylan Carlson might doubtlessly be dangled in commerce talks at this deadline. Former high prospect Carlson could possibly be seen as a change-of-scenery candidate after two seasons of struggles, and Herrera is perhaps superfluous because the Playing cards have Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages at catcher. (Herrera is himself on the 10-day IL resulting from decrease again tightness, however is predicted again after the All-Star break.)
Getting these injured gamers again is step one in no matter plans the Cardinals would possibly take into consideration for July 30, and on that entrance, Lars Nootbaar ought to return this week. An indirect pressure has sidelined Nootbaar because the finish of Might, however he has now banked seven rehab video games with Double-A Springfield. Cardinals Oliver Marmol advised reporters (together with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Put up-Dispatch) that Nootbaar “got here out feeling good” after this latest stretch of video games, and technically, Nootbaar could possibly be activated from the 10-day IL as early as Monday. Nonetheless, because the Cardinals are on the street and wrapping up a collection in Washington on Monday, it’s in all probability extra seemingly that Nootbaar returns in the course of the Playing cards’ five-game homestand previous to the All-Star break.
Nootbaar has hit .234/.337/.404 over 164 plate appearances this season, and is hopefully in for an prolonged stretch of excellent well being after already making two journeys to the IL in 2024. The outfielder suffered a rib harm throughout Spring Coaching that delayed his season debut till April 12, however in between his IL visits took on a beginning position within the nook outfield positions.
Tommy Edman might very effectively be taking Nootbaar’s spot in Springfield, as Edman is slated to start a minor league rehab project with the Double-A affiliate on Tuesday. This may mark Edman’s first sport motion of any type in 2024, as Edman has been battling by means of a prolonged restoration course of since present process arthroscopic wrist surgical procedure final October. Since Edman will want a minimum of just a few weeks of rehab video games contemplating his lengthy layoff, it’s attainable he gained’t be prepared for the massive league roster by the July 30 deadline, however the Cardinals ought to have sufficient of a way of his standing by then to find out whether or not or not Edman’s return might maybe make another person on the roster expendable in a commerce.
Proper-hander Riley O’Brien threw to Edman throughout a dwell batting apply session on Saturday, with O’Brien throwing 20 pitches in whole. O’Brien hasn’t pitched since Opening Day resulting from a proper flexor pressure, and as MLB.com’s John Denton particulars, O’Brien began throwing in mid-June earlier than some extra forearm discomfort throughout a dwell BP session led to consultations with Dr. Keith Meister. Happily, it seems as if O’Brien has been cleared of any extra severe arm points since he has returned to throwing, and a rehab project might doubtlessly be within the works if he continues to really feel pain-free.
