In the present day’s 8-3 win over the Nationals improved the Cardinals’ document to 47-42, and continued the group’s spectacular run of play over the past two months.  After stumbling out of the gates to a 15-24 begin, the Playing cards have now received 32 of their final 50 video games, and have surged into the second NL wild card slot.

This has put St. Louis right into a purchaser place because the commerce deadline approaches, and as Ken Rosenthal commented in an look this week on the Foul Territory present (X hyperlink), the Playing cards maybe have an fascinating edge over another groups seeking to make strikes.  The Cardinals “have Main League items to commerce,” Rosenthal stated, because the group may need a little bit of a surplus of place gamers attributable to some upcoming returns from the injured checklist.  With many golf equipment nonetheless straddling the road between being clear-cut consumers or sellers, “groups will not be going to need to quit essentially prospects or make sure sorts of strikes.  But when they’ll fill a necessity with main leaguers out of your membership, and offer you maybe extra from their very own, that’s going to be useful.”

For the reason that Playing cards want beginning pitching, the obvious comp right here is the 2022 deadline commerce that noticed St. Louis receive Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees in a one-for-one swap for Harrison Bader.  Naturally, discovering a repeat of such a profitable deal isn’t simple, nor are any of the Cardinals’ present commerce chips essentially as useful as Bader was in 2022, coming off a Gold Glove award and above-average offensive seasons in 2020-21.

Rosenthal prompt that catcher Ivan Herrera or Dylan Carlson might doubtlessly be dangled in commerce talks at this deadline.  Former prime prospect Carlson may very well be seen as a change-of-scenery candidate after two seasons of struggles, and Herrera is perhaps superfluous because the Playing cards have Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages at catcher.  (Herrera is himself on the 10-day IL attributable to decrease again tightness, however is predicted again after the All-Star break.)

Getting these injured gamers again is step one in no matter plans the Cardinals would possibly take into account for July 30, and on that entrance, Lars Nootbaar ought to return this week.  An indirect pressure has sidelined Nootbaar because the finish of Might, however he has now banked seven rehab video games with Double-A Springfield.  Cardinals Oliver Marmol instructed reporters (together with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Publish-Dispatch) that Nootbaar “got here out feeling good” after this latest stretch of video games, and technically, Nootbaar may very well be activated from the 10-day IL as early as Monday.  Nevertheless, because the Cardinals are on the highway and wrapping up a collection in Washington on Monday, it’s in all probability extra probably that Nootbaar returns through the Playing cards’ five-game homestand previous to the All-Star break.

Nootbaar has hit .234/.337/.404 over 164 plate appearances this season, and is hopefully in for an prolonged stretch of excellent well being after already making two journeys to the IL in 2024.  The outfielder suffered a rib harm throughout Spring Coaching that delayed his season debut till April 12, however in between his IL visits took on a beginning function within the nook outfield positions.

Tommy Edman might very properly be taking Nootbaar’s spot in Springfield, as Edman is slated to start a minor league rehab project with the Double-A affiliate on Tuesday.  It will mark Edman’s first sport motion of any type in 2024, as Edman has been battling via a prolonged restoration course of since present process arthroscopic wrist surgical procedure final October.  Since Edman will want at the very least a couple of weeks of rehab video games contemplating his lengthy layoff, it’s doable he received’t be prepared for the large league roster by the July 30 deadline, however the Cardinals ought to have sufficient of a way of his standing by then to find out whether or not or not Edman’s return might maybe make another person on the roster expendable in a commerce.

Proper-hander Riley O’Brien threw to Edman throughout a dwell batting follow session on Saturday, with O’Brien throwing 20 pitches in whole.  O’Brien hasn’t pitched since Opening Day attributable to a proper flexor pressure, and as MLB.com’s John Denton particulars, O’Brien began throwing in mid-June earlier than some extra forearm discomfort throughout a dwell BP session led to consultations with Dr. Keith Meister.  Luckily, it seems as if O’Brien has been cleared of any extra severe arm points since he has returned to throwing, and a rehab project might doubtlessly be within the works if he continues to really feel pain-free.