SB Nation St. Louis - MLB Rumors: Cardinals Refocus Trade Strategy As Pitching Stabilizes

Cardinals Rumors: GM Says St. Louis Isn't Close On Any Potential Trades

2012-07-31T15:55:28Z

The St. Louis Cardinals have been busy bargain hunting as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches, but general manager John Mozeliak recently reiterated that the team is not close to completing any deal. Although the Arizona Diamondbacks dispatched a scout to follow the Cardinals earlier in the week, Mozeliak has told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's "not finding the right fit out there right now." Here is a bit of what he had to say, as reported by Goold:

"We've kicked the tires," Mozeliak said. "It's just we're not finding the right fit out there right now."

The cost of several available starters, like Tampa Bay righty James Shields, has proved to be unappealing for the Cardinals.

Mozeliak called the market "fluid." He added that the team had nothing "going."

Things could certainly change before the trade deadline passes at 3 p.m. CT, but it looks like there won't be any blockbuster moves for the Cardinals.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage, check out Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found at Baseball Nation and MLB Daily Dish.

Brandon League Joins Los Angeles Dodgers At MLB Trade Deadline

2012-07-31T13:41:06Z

The Los Angeles Dodgers grabbed one of the available closers at the MLB Trade Deadline, taking Brandon League from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for prospects Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom. Leon Landry, a third-rounder back in the 2010 MLB Draft, has put up big numbers in the hitter-friendly California League, hitting .328/.358/.559 with 26 doubles and 15 triples after a disappointing 2011 season. He'll need to work on his plate discipline to reach the major leagues, but his speed-based game will be a good fit at hitter-throttling Safeco Field; Bawcom, a 17th-rounder in the same draft, is a AA reliever with impresssive strikeout rates.

It's a good haul for the Mariners, and a lot to give up for a relief pitcher with low strikeout rates in his three seasons in Seattle. The St. Louis Cardinals were reportedly interested in League, but if Landry and Bawcom were the price they can be forgiven for passing on him. League, who has 54 career saves across an MLB career that began in 2004, will be a free agent after the season.

The Mariners, who've already traded Ichiro Suzuki, are likely to shop Jason Vargas and some additional relievers as the trade deadline nears. For more coverage all day, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis's MLB Trade Deadline storystream.

St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Jake Westbrook Will Exercise Half Of Mutual 2013 Option, According To Report

2012-07-30T15:28:25Z

Jake Westbrook is signed with the St. Louis Cardinals through the 2012 season, but there is a mutual option on his contract for 2013, and according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Westbrook plans to exercise his half of the option.

Westbrook fully intends on exercising his half of mutual option for '13. Has no idea what Cardinals intend to do. #stlcards
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) July 30, 2012

Westbrook's salary for next season would be a rather reasonable $8.5 million, and the Cardinals would owe him a $1 million buyout if they declined their half of the option. Westbrook has been fantastic this year, putting up a 3.61 ERA and 1.28 WHIP that are both nearly career highs.

Oscar Taveras Rumors: Cardinals Internally Discussing Calling Taveras Up

2012-07-30T15:07:43Z

The St. Louis Cardinals may stay quiet at the trade deadline this year, and one of the reasons why could be the proximity to the majors of top hitting prospect Oscar Taveras. Taveras has been tearing through Double-A this year, hitting .324/.385/.578 with 19 homers and 75 runs batted in and is considered by the industry to be one of the absolute best hitting prospects in the minor leagues.

The Cardinals have had issues in centerfield this season, and are reportedly discussing bringing Taveras up to the majors.

Strauss: I do think bringing Oscar Taveras up is on the table. I know it's being talked about internally.
— Tim McKernan (@tmckernan) July 30, 2012

Jon Jay started off the year on fire, but sat out over a month due to injury and has struggled mightily since returning. His replacements have been inadequate, and though the team can slide Carlos Beltran over to center, that's not his ideal position. If the Cardinals do call Taveras up, it's highly unlikely that he would assume a starting role, but he could be a needed shot in the arm in center.

MLB Trade Rumors: Josh Beckett Fits St. Louis Cardinals' Veteran Bill

2012-07-30T13:02:00Z

Bear with me, here, because what I might say in the course of connecting these two MLB trade rumors could shock and confuse you: The St. Louis Cardinals like to acquire veteran pitchers in the midst of off years. The Boston Red Sox are shopping veteran pitcher Josh Beckett, who is in the midst of an off year. So—yeah, you're tracking. The Cardinals, who have been connected to pitching help since June, should be considered as dark horse contenders for the service of Josh Beckett, who is pitching help.

Beckett's ERA—4.57—is a little scary, as is his declining strikeout rate, which is currently at a career-low 6.8 after hovering one-and-a-half higher for most of his Boston career. But he's still got a strikeout-to-walk ratio around three, and the Cardinals have never let a few bad starts get in the way of their affection for a pitcher, unless he's under 30. Beckett's 32, so no problem!

So far the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers have been the only named teams in the Beckett derby, but if the Cardinals make a move, at this point, I'm expecting to be surprised by it. If John Mozeliak is anything, it's frustratingly discreet.

Cardinals Rumors 2012: Mariners Interested In Allen Craig

2012-07-29T18:55:29Z

The Seattle Mariners would like to trade for a controllable bat this summer, and they've targeted the St. Louis Cardinals' Allen Craig as one possible option, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West, but they're looking for a hitter that can improve their lineup over the next few seasons.

Craig would presumably qualify, as the 27-year-old has hit .295/.361/.573 with 15 homers in 255 plate appearances with St. Louis this season. It's not a big fluke, either, as he's now compiled a .304/.362/.564 line with 33 doubles and 26 homers over 474 PA's in the big leagues since the beginning of last season.

Craig is the kind of long-term asset that Seattle appears to be seeking, too, as he'll be under team control until 2016. The Mariners are trying to build a new lineup around Jesus Montero, Dustin Ackley, Kyle Seager and company, but they still have the worst run-scoring offense in the AL so far this season.

Cardinals Rumors: GM Says Trade Needs Have Diminished With Pitchers Performing Well

2012-07-28T13:23:01Z

The St. Louis Cardinals have been able to count on their offense for the entire 2012 season -- they've consistently held rankings in the top-5 overall for runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage -- but pitching has been a different story. Injuries and uneven performances in the pitching rotation and bullpen have caused some concerns over the course of the year, but the month of July has been a good one for St. Louis pitchers. For that reason, don't expect Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to trade for big name pitchers before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

The ERA of the starting staff is just 2.35 for the month of July and Jaime Garcia is set to return soon, so Mozeliak recently told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com that the team isn't likely to grab a big pitching name on the trade market:

"Our starters have been great," Mozeliak said last week. "I think clearly it takes a little pressure off, in terms of feeling like we have to do something. If you were to go after a starter, who are you really bouncing out? And how are you improving? That's why I don't think the urgency is quite there for rotational help as maybe it was, say, three or four weeks ago."

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage, check out Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found at Baseball Nation.

St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Stephen Drew, Yunel Escobar Would Improve Cardinals Infield

2012-07-28T12:30:06Z

The St. Louis Cardinals appear less likely than before to seek out pitching help, thanks to strong performances recently from all five starters and a suddenly hot bullpen, but that's not pulled them out of the trade rumors picture entirely—they still have enough prospects around to throw a haymaker ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, if a way of improving this team emerges. One vector for improvement: Second base in particular and the middle infield in general, which is currently ill-prepared for an injury to the notably injury-prone Rafael Furcal. Stephen Drew and Yunel Escobar are two shortstops who could solve that problem fast, and each is on the trading block.

Each also has his own problems to deal with. Drew has struggled with injuries himself, missing half of 2011 and much of 2012 so far with a broken ankle. J.D. Drew's younger brother has never quite turned into the star many expected him to be, but he's a solidly average shortstop with a bat that falls somewhere between average and above-average, which makes him a very valuable player if he can stay on both feet for the rest of the year. 29 years old, he's got a $10 million mutual option with a $1.35 million buyout for 2013 before becoming a free agent.

Yunel Escobar, meanwhile, has his reputation as a clubhouse pariah to deal with—it followed him from Atlanta, where he was a highly touted young shortstop, to the Toronto Blue Jays, where his bat has collapsed in 2012 after a solid 2011. He's also 29, and at his best he's probably a step better than Drew, with the same bat and better defense. But he's rarely been at his best, lately, and now two teams have been willing to deal him on the cheap to get rid of him.

Neither of these players is a star, but either of them would make an interesting bargain acquisition; if the Cardinals grabbed one he would likely have to move to second base, but he could also count on being the backup shortstop and Furcal's likely replacement in 2014.