With offense tanking and trade deadline past, St. Louis Cardinals have done ... nothing
A second-place National League team which plays in a city named in a foreign language for a figure venerated by the city’s Catholic founders was the busiest by far at Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, which passed at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
The San Diego Padres reshaped a quarter of their active roster, adding pitchers Mike Clevinger and Trevor Rosenthal, catcher Austin Nola, and first baseman Mitch Moreland, among others.
The St. Louis Cardinals allowed the deadline to pass without incident, caught for another year in a lurch of indecision rather than choosing to either supplement a flagging offense or deal away pending free agents in an attempt to shore up organizational depth.
In 2020’s expanded postseason, the top two teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs. The Cardinals lead the Milwaukee Brewers by one game for that position in the NL Central, though Milwaukee has played eight more games than St. Louis.
The second place Cardinals have eight fewer wins than the first place Cubs and hit the deadline at one game under .500 with a 12-13 record.
The Cardinals scored only 13 runs in the final five games of a 12-game homestand, seven of which came in the final game of that stretch. Seeking a revitalization of the offense, Tommy Edman received only the second start of his Major League career in left field on Sunday, and manager Mike Shildt suggested that he would maintain that lineup in an attempt to develop consistency.
That lineup also includes Brad Miller, signed during spring training as a low cost option to back up in the infield, batting cleanup as the designated hitter. Miller’s .978 on base plus slugging percentage is tops on the team, though he hit only 9-for-37 (.243) with no home runs and two runs batted in on the homestand.
The bullpen, too, has undergone some recent internal reshaping. Andrew Miller is on the injured list with soreness in his left, throwing shoulder, though he’s expected to miss approximately the minimum required ten days. Tyler Webb was asked to pitch in a 14-2 blowout loss to Cleveland on Friday night, demonstrating his slide down the team’s depth chart.
Génesis Cabrera and Austin Gomber are now the team’s featured lefties, and Giovanny Gallegos appears to be the closer of the moment. Andrew Miller, though, still leads the team in saves; he has two.
The Cardinals have not made a significant trade at the deadline since 2018, when outfielder Tommy Pham was sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Cabrera, pitcher Roel Ramirez and outfielder Justin Williams. First baseman Luke Voit was also sent away that year, in exchange for Gallegos and reliever Chasen Shreve.
In 2016, the Cardinals acquired lefty reliever Zach Duke from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for outfielder Charlie Tilson. That was St. Louis’s last significant mid-season trade in which the team could be classified a “buyer.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 3:02 PM.
