With the St. Louis Cardinals struggling in early May, could the team pivot to a seller at the MLB trade deadline and trade off a fan favorite in order to land some pitching?
In a podcast associated with MLB Trade Rumors, host Simon Hampton and Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors discussed the possibility of the St. Louis Cardinals using Tommy Edman as a trade chip in order to potentially land some additional talent on the mound.
At the 18:35 mark, you can hear the duo discuss the possibility of the soon-to-be 28-year-old Edman being on the move with Cardinals prospect Masyn Winn inching ever closer to making his MLB debut. Through his first 30 games at Triple-A, Winn is slashing .246/.331/.349 with a pair of homers, nine RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
Cardinals rumors: What might tempt the team to trade Tommy Edman?
“If somebody comes and makes them (the Cardinals) a strong offer with some kind of controllable pitcher they could have beyond this year, maybe (they) entertain it,” Adams said on the podcast. “But this isn’t somebody the Cardinals are going to start calling around and say, ‘Hey, what do you want to give us for Tommy Edman?’”
St. Louis pitchers have struggled mightily this season, with the rotation ranking 29th out of MLB’s 30 teams with minus-1.9 bWAR. The relievers haven’t fared much better, currently placing 25th with minus-0.6 bWAR.
With those numbers in mind, it’s easy to understand why help on the pitching front might be intriguing for St. Louis. However, would the Cardinals actually consider swapping Edman for that assistance? Edman entered Friday’s action slashing .265/.339/.480 and his 0.8 bWAR was second on the team behind Paul Goldschmidt’s 1.1, meaning he was one of the most reliable offensive weapons early in the season in St. Louis. Losing him would be another blow for a Cardinals team struggling for any kind of consistency in 2023.
While it’s unlikely St. Louis might actually deal Edman, just how desperate times get in the Gateway City this season could provide some surprises for fans as the trade deadline nears.