It’s time for the St. Louis Cardinals to trade Carlos Martinez
Carlos Martinez might be the ticket to improving the St. Louis Cardinals offense in 2020.
No, not by transforming the pitcher into an outfielder a la Rick Ankiel. But by trading him to directly acquire offensive talent — or to create payroll space to pick up a hitter in another deal.
Cot’s Baseball Contracts predicts the Cardinals are only $1.5 million short of their 2019 payroll right now, and that’s subtracting last year’s cleanup hitter, Marcell Ozuna, from the financial ledger as we wait to see how his free agency plays out. Team owner Bill DeWitt is on record as saying he wants to keep the payroll about the same next season, so the Cardinals are going to have to find some cash to add to an offense that was inadequate last season while facing the loss of one of its best run producers.
Assuming that turning back the hands of time to save the $18.5 million per year extension that was given to Matt Carpenter or the $16.5 million given to Dexter Fowler isn’t an option — nor is trading either of those players to a team that didn’t pay too much attention to their performance over the past two years — Martinez might be the easiest player to remove from the pay ledger.
The right-handed hurler is under contract for each of the next two seasons at a pretty friendly cost of $11.7 million per year and has team options for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. That might be attractive for a team that is looking for a high ceiling starter at a reasonable price.
Could the Cardinals use Martinez’s contributions? Sure, if he remains healthy. But pitching is where St. Louis has the most depth, and you have to give up something good to get to where you need to be.
Martinez was used as a late-inning reliever in 2019 because he got a late start to spring training after he reported to camp with what was called a weak shoulder. He put up pretty good numbers, although I was alarmed by the fact that he still doesn’t seem to trust his stuff and nibbles around the strike zone instead of attacking batters.
That’s a concern because Martinez complained after coming back from shoulder injuries in 2018 that he was afraid to throw at full force for fear of re-injuring himself. When Martinez is at his best, he goes right after hitters and forces them to get themselves out. I don’t think he’s convinced he’s as good as he used to be. That makes me worry about his future.
Who would replace Martinez in the bullpen?
What would the Cardinals do without Martinez, especially with closer Jordan Hicks expected to be out until at least mid-season because of Tommy John surgery? Well, they were going to have a closer problem anyway because Martinez is projected to go back into the rotation. So keeping him temporarily as the closer isn’t a good strategy. The Cardinals have other options for both late inning relievers and starting pitchers.
Ryan Helsley has the stuff of a closer, pitching 36 innings in the big leagues last year and striking out 32 batters. He has a chance to be a starter in the big leagues in time. But he seems like a good choice for a high-leverage reliever in the short run.
Another guy who would be a starter in a perfect world but who might end up in the bullpen in 2020 is perennial top pitching prospect Alex Reyes who had another star-crossed season last year, pitching briefly and ineffectively before losing another season to injury.
Reyes is always going to be a guy to consider as a future star until his arm actually falls off. He’s working out for what is described as his first regular off-season in years. Hopefully, he can finally come through on his promise next season.
If either of the two prospects don’t come through, the other guy who could be the closer next year is the guy who was a valuable set-up man last year, Giovanny Gallegos. He threw 74 innings and allowed only 44 hits, striking out 93 and walking 16. He’s not a flashy guy, but those are certainly numbers that would get the job done.
So what happens in the rotation without Martinez? Four of the spots are locked in with Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright signed for next year. The fifth starter could be one of the several fill-ins who bounced about last year when Micheal Wacha was hurt. Maybe Reyes uses the winter to finally claim his spot in the starting five. Genesis Cabrera could make the leap into the rotation, too.
Can the Cardinals trade Kolten Wong or Matt Carpenter?
The only other guy the Cardinals could likely trade to create $10 million or more in payroll would be Kolten Wong, who had a breakout season in 2019. But, while Tommy Edman could start at second base, that would limit a versatile player from being able to play other positions.
What if Carpenter stinks again and Edman can’t play third because he’s needed at second?
As exciting a player as Martinez can be, he is the most easily replaceable high-dollar Cardinals player who is actually possible to trade. The home run move would be if the St. Louis front office could convince the Texas Rangers to accept Carpenter as a condition of a trade for Martinez, clearing $30 million in payroll in one move.
Carpenter might accept a deal to a team near his Texas home where he can play in the designated hitter league and the Rangers always need pitching.
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 9:07 AM.
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Scott Wuerz is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. The Cheap Seats blog is written from his perspective as a fan and is designed to spark discussion among fans of the Cardinals and other MLB teams. Sources supporting his views and opinions are linked. If you’re looking for Cardinals news and features, check out the BND’s Cardinals section.
