The Winds of Change Are Starting to Blow Part 4

The Winds of Change Are Starting to Blow Part 4

 

Welcome back once again to the MLB trade deadline preview here at Changing Speeds. We’ve already taken a look at some of the teams in both the AL and NL and where they need to be looking in order to improve their chances come the postseason. Today we reach the halfway point as we look at two surprising teams, one being a good surprise, the other not so much. Those two teams are the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals. When the season began no one was expecting Seattle to have the 2^nd best run differential up to this point, nor were they expecting St. Louis to be 5 games back of 1^st place in the Central with only a .5 game lead from 3^rd place.  Let’s jump right into the preview.

 Seattle Mariners

Positives- The addition of Robinson Cano as a middle of the order, run producing threat. Pitching (both starting and relief), the best defense in baseball.

Negatives-  Lack of a right handed bat in the middle of the order to balance out the lineup.

Seattle made a big splash when it signed Robinson Cano to a 10 year deal worth almost a quarter of a billion dollars. They were banking on him to be the steady, consistent middle of the order power bat and run producer. Safeco Field may have zapped some of his power up to this point but he is driving in runs and getting on base and is an underrated candidate for MVP. Seattle was already heavily tilted to the left side before signing Cano, so they brought in Corey Hart to be the righty that balanced the lineup. Unfortunately for Seattle, Hart got hurt and is only just coming back to the lineup, but he is looking to be a shell of his former self. Seattle finds itself right smack in the middle of a pennant race thanks to their pitching and defense, but they absolutely need to make a move to fix their only glaring weakness. Matt Kemp would most likely be the team’s dream acquisition but I don’t think they have enough to be able to make that move so they are going to have to go after a right hander who is the next tier down from Kemp. My personal choice for them would be Texas Ranger Alex Rios. He is a fantastic hitter, he has a swing that fits well with Safeco, and he is a better defender than the other choices available to Seattle. If they were to pick up Rios they could then platoon Logan Morrison and Corey Hart at first base, helping to take one more lefty out of the lineup when facing a left handed pitcher. Texas may not be willing to part with Rios but if I’m Seattle that is my number one target and would exhaust all options in order to acquire him.

Other options to consider: Josh Willingham (MIN), Marlon Byrd (PHI), and Michael Cuddyer (COL).

St. Louis Cardinals

Positives- Considering where analysts and pundits saw this team at the beginning of the season, there really isn’t much besides Adam Wainwright. Also, still being in the Wild Card and Division hunt despite the disappointing first half.

Negatives- Severe lack of power. Pitching injuries. No production whatsoever from 2^nd base.

Coming into this season the Cardinals were basically a shoo-in to run through the National League and find themselves back in the World Series. They had quality and depth on the pitching side and had a lineup that could stand toe to toe with any in baseball. Once the year started though, all that began to change. They have had to deal with injuries to the staff, a power shortage comparable to the East Coast blackout of 2003, and dead bodies patrolling second base for the first half of the season. The number one priority for St. Louis is the acquisition of either a second baseman or a third baseman, moving Matt Carpenter back to second, where he had a fantastic season last year. In order to make this happen, the Arizona Diamondbacks would be the first team I reach out to if I’m the Cards. Aaron Hill could definitely be traded for and Martin Prado is also in the desert and could be a nice addition. Once that is taken care of I move on to a starter. The pieces are there in St. Louis for them to make a major move and go after David Price if they so choose. May seem like a very drastic move but the title window is closing for a lot of veterans and this type of all-in move is what can propel them back to the Fall Classic.

Other options to consider: Jon Lester (BOS), Ben Zobrist (TB).

Part 4 is in the books. Join us tomorrow as we take a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. Until then, enjoy the games.