The St. Louis Cardinals have begun to tumble a bit in the standings. While they still hold the third National League wild card spot at 51-48, the race is tight and they have now lost three games in a row, two of which came in heartbreaking fashion.
The trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and Chaim Bloom has some decisions to make about how he wants to proceed in the future. The Cardinals now have a limited number of trade chips, but it’s still unclear what they are going to do in the next few weeks.
Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed St. Louis as a potential landing spot for Minnesota Twins‘ three-time All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton.
“The report on Buxton is still pretty similar to when he went No. 2 in the 2012 draft: elite runner and defender with loud bat speed. The difference is the bat speed in high school turned into regular in-game power by his mid-20s and now, in his early 30s, he is hitting some of the high-end projections for 30-plus homer potential more than a decade later. Basically, everything you dreamed of with Buxton has come true, with injuries/durability being the only negative.”
St. Louis Cardinals Named Trade Fit for Byron Buxton
After 2026, Buxton still has two years of club control left. He is not a free agent until 2029. The 32-year-old outfielder signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension back in 2022.
Buxton would significantly boost the Cardinals offense. He is a former Silver Slugger and has hit .275/.331/.576 with 25 home runs, 45 RBI and a .907 OPS. He also provides elite defense in center field, having won a Gold Glove, a Platinum Glove, and Defensive Player of the Year award.
This would be quite an upgrade over the light-hitting Nathan Church. Buxton is a right-handed hitter, which is something the Cardinals could benefit from, and he also brings a lot of power to the lineup.
This could be just the move the Cardinals need to become a true contender again, though given the way they are trending right now and the current state of the franchise, it might be better to wait until the offseason since they are technically rebuilding this year.
Still, Buxton would be a huge upgrade for the Cardinals if they decide to go that route at some point, so it will be interesting to see what Bloom is thinking over the next few weeks.
Byron Buxton to St. Louis Cardinals is Unlikely for Two Reasons
While in theory, it would be a good move for the Cardinals, there are two reasons that this is unlikely. Firstly, Buxton has a no-trade clause and has stated that he wants to remain in Minnesota. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll has also shut down the idea.
In addition, both the Cardinals and Twins are in postseason contention. Though they are 49-52, the Twins are only three games back of the Boston Red Sox for the final American League wild card spot, so unless they go on a slide and fall out of contention, it’s likely something they won’t even entertain.
Even then it’s unlikely, but it still would be an interesting trade idea to revisit sometime in the future since it’s unlikely to happen at the deadline.
Cardinals Named Possible Trade Spot for Twins $100 Million 3-Time All-Star