Today, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak gave us a feel for what his club might be doing at the trade deadline.
The club has been in need of pitching reinforcements for some time, and they’ve gotten some in the form of Justin Miller and Wade LeBlanc. But according to Mozeliak, they don’t plan on that being all they do.
“Ideally, if we could land someone that could help us in the rotation, that would be critical,” Mozeliak said in an interview with KMOX. “But there are a lot of teams looking for starting pitching right now, so it’s easier said than done. I think teams are going to be patient and maximize what those returns look like. Over time, we’ll see what plays out.”
Some Cardinal fans may take this as if he’s making an excuse not to do something. Many fans, including myself, have been frustrated by the Cardinals lack of activity at trade deadlines. But to those frustrated by his comments here, I would advise you to take this with a grain of salt.
John Mozeliak is at least telling us what the plan is, and showing us that he’s not just going to sit around and do nothing. He is correct that a lot of teams are after starting pitching, so it’s definitely easier said than done like he said.
The asking price will also be extremely high for pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Jose Berrios, or even Kyle Gibson, so by being “patient,” this could allow the Cards to drive the price down a little, if they’re going to make a move for one of those pitchers.
The Cardinals could also target some cheaper options, such as Tyler Anderson, Michael Pineda, Merrill Kelly, or even Jon Gray. Each of them, while not technically aces, could provide the Cardinals with just what they need; a serviceable rotation arm to plug a hole until other members of the rotation get healthy again.
At the very least, Mozeliak’s words should provide fans with a little solace, knowing that he’s at least looking for starting pitching help, and that he wants to try and improve the team.
For more Cardinals coverage, click here.
