As the second half of the season prepares to swing into action tonight, so to have the rumors and speculation of potential trades for teams looking to gear up for a deep playoff run or franchises looking to unload contracts or rebuild.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
St. Louis Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak was the debut guest on “The Brian Stull Show” on CBS Sports 920am (6-8p, M-F) a couple of weeks ago and discussed how teams generally open the dialogue for a potential deal.
“Most clubs when they’re calling, they usually have a need,” said Mozeliak on if a team usually reaches out about a specific player or generalities. “Sometimes, they’re trying to explore–something might make sense for them to pursue. It may sound a little vague, but it’s usually a fairly open-ended type question that starts the dialogue. But there are times when we feel like we may have some depth and hear from some clubs looking specifically for it.”
And while every team has at least some kind of need to be addressed, there might not be as much initial activity as some may hope.
If the Wild Card is included, only 10 of the 30 Major League teams are currently 6.0 or more games out of a playoff spot. Only one team, Philadelphia (20), is more than 10.5 games out.
“You see so many teams that are mathematically very much alive, it’s going to be tough because it’s really going to limit the amount of sellers when you have that many buyers,” said Mozeliak. “I would suspect that this may be one of those trading deadlines that it’s that final week before you see a lot of activity.”
The Cardinals are looking for some of their own clarity before making a deal.
Matt Holliday is expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight against the New York Mets. Pitchers Jaime Garcia and Jordan Walden should also be returning from the disabled list in the very near future and Marco Gonzales has already thrown a couple of rehab starts at Palm Beach. To what level and in what role each of them will perform will help dictate what the Cardinals may seek in terms of a trade.
EARLY START TIME
–The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals will make up the rainout from June 14th next week on Thursday, July 23rd. First pitch is set for 6:15pm CT. Tickets from the original date of June 14th will be honored for the game with a limited amount of tickets remaining for sale.
photo credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports; St. Louis Baseball Weekly
