Five Cardinals the Giants could target at the trade deadline originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of baseball’s biggest disappointments this season.
Coming out of the All-Star break in the NL Central basement at 38-52, the Cardinals are on course to finish under .500 for the first time since 2007. St. Louis baseball operations president John Mozeliak has confirmed that he planned to be a seller at the next August 1 trading deadline.
“Right now I can tell you we’re going to be swapping people,” Mozeliak recently told FOX 2’s Marin Kilcoyne. not there next year.”
With those comments in mind, here are five players the Giants could target in a trade later this month:
The Giants rotation is really made up of ace Logan Webb, All-Star Alex Cobb and a bunch of long relievers.
Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling have struggled this season, and Anthony DeSclafani has a 6.02 ERA since May 8. Whether Keaton Winn is a long-term answer remains to be seen. Top pitcher Kyle Harrison doesn’t seem ready for his major league debut just yet.
Why not exchange for a rental?
Flaherty will become an unrestricted free agent this winter after spending seven years in St. Louis.
In 17 starts this season, Flaherty has a 4.27 ERA, 4.01 FIP and 8.6 K/9s. He’s been bombarded a few times in 2023, including for 10 runs against the Los Angeles Angels in May and six runs against the Giants in 4 1/3 innings last month. But he has six quality starts and is coming off back-to-back scoreless outings.
Those numbers don’t go off the page, but he could slip in as the Giants’ third starter in a playoff series.
Speaking of starting pitchers, Montgomery is another expiring contract the Cardinals might want to turn into future assets.
The 30-year-old southpaw has been fantastic since being traded from the New York Yankees to St. Louis last summer, recording a 3.19 ERA and 1.170 WHIP in 29 career starts as a Cardinal. . Montgomery has been on fire lately, allowing just seven earned runs in his last seven starts (1.48 ERA).
The Cardinals will likely demand more for Montgomery than Flaherty, but again, he would give the Giants a solid third starting option who’s left-handed — a role the organization hopes Harrison fills soon enough.
SI/DE Tommy Edman
The Giants prioritize versatility when building their roster. Versatility is also Edman’s best trait.
Edman has started at four different positions this season – shortstop (28 games), center field (24), second baseman (19) and right field (6). He plays solid defense everywhere he goes and even won a Golden Glove at second base in 2021.
The 28-year-old is in the midst of his worst offensive season, however, with just .237 with an 88 OPS+. He’s hit just .205/.285/.371 in the past four seasons since hitting a career-high 30 homers in 2019.
Offensive woes aside, any team could use Edman’s defense and speed, even the Giants despite rookies Casey Schmitt and Luis Matos providing the team with a needed dose of youth and athleticism this summer. .
Edman is under team control until 2025, which raises the price significantly, but that’s a call Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi might want to make.
Hicks will hit the open market this winter after one of the best seasons of his career.
The 26-year-old flamethrower has recorded an absurd 13.5 K/9s in 36 2/3 innings this season to go along with a 3.93 ERA and 3.12 FIP. Hicks struggled to start the year, but had a 1.90 ERA and .179 batting average in his last 22 outings.
Hicks consistently hits 100 mph on the radar gun, but control has always been his Achilles heel. He’s giving up nearly six walks per nine innings this season and averaging 1.5 hits or walks per frame, which would qualify him for an all-too-familiar Giants torture in San Francisco.
The Giants seem content with their late-game gauntlet of Taylor Rogers, Tyler Rogers and All-Star closest Camilo Doval out of the bullpen, but if Hicks can be acquired on the cheap — why not?
In case you haven’t heard, Goldschmidt loves to brew at Oracle Park.
Goldschmidt posted a 1.010 OPS and 15 homers in 82 career games as an opponent in San Francisco.
Goldschmidt turns 36 in September, but he’s got plenty of juice for the next few years. He’s not even a full year away from winning the 2022 NL MVP award and is batting .284/.369/.475 with 15 home runs this season. Goldschmidt wouldn’t be a hire either, as he owes $22 million for the final year of his contract in 2024.
Giants fans have been tormented by Goldschmidt throughout his career, which began with division rival Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. All would be forgiven, however, if he joined the roster wearing orange and black.
Download and follow the Giants Talk podcast