Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals One Trade Away From Solving Impossible Question

What are the Cardinals going to do?
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had a much-needed day off on Monday.

St. Louis has been cold recently and has lost seven of its last eight games. The day couldn't have come at a better time and now the Cardinals have a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox beginning on Tuesday night on the road before beginning a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds and then another series against the Chicago Cubs.

Although the Cardinals haven't found success in the standings, that doesn't mean things have been all bad. There are some hot hitters on the roster right now. The only issue with that is that St. Louis is going to have an impossible time finding enough at-bats for everyone.

Since June 3rd, Nolan Gorman has appeared in 11 games and is slashing .355/.444/.710 with three homers and eight RBIs. Since May 14th, Jordan Walker has played in just 15 games and slashed .326/.356/.488 with one homer and 11 RBIs. Walker was injured for a bit but has since returned.

Since June 1st, Alex Burleson has appeared in 13 games and is slashing .362/.392/.489 with one homer and five RBIs.

How do you get all three of these guys enough at-bats? Lars Nootbaar has been struggling, but he's expected to get back in the lineup on Tuesday. Brendan Donovan has been the team's best overall hitter this season.

It doesn't hurt to have too much talent, but it's nearly impossible to get all of these guys in the mix consistently.

This was a topic of conversation last year as well. The 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline is coming up at the end of July. That should be when the Cardinals sort this out. Rather than having to worry about all of the mixing and matching, trading one away would likely give the others more consistent playing time while also adding another piece. It's easier said than done. But, there's a logjam that needs to be sorted.

More MLB: Should Cardinals Promote Red-Hot 23-Year-Old To Add Spark?

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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