The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be an interesting team to watch at the trade deadline. Their strategy is unclear, but they are in contention.
They could potentially add to their roster, sell, stand pat, or mix buying and selling together. But how they play in the month of July will ultimately be the deciding factor.
They attempted to trade Nolan Arenado last offseason, but he nixed a trade to the Houston Astros, and the Boston Red Sox signed Alex Bregman after showing prior interest in Arenado.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com proposed the idea of St. Louis sending Arenado to the Detroit Tigers.
"There are a number of teams in the market for a third baseman -- namely the Yankees and Tigers. Would the Cardinals move Arenado, and, more importantly, would the eight-time All-Star agree to a trade? Stay tuned," Feinsand wrote.
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The Tigers were not on Arenado's list of desired destinations last offseason, and his no-trade clause complicates matters.
However, Detroit now owns the best record in the American League and sits 12 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. They could also use another bat to bolster their lineup, as they failed to sign Bregman despite being in the mix for him.
Arenado is struggling at the plate this season, slashing .247/.306/.395 with 10 home runs, 41 RBI and a .701 OPS. However, his defense remains elite, and he's still enough of a threat at the plate to help improve the Tigers lineup.
Trading the eight-time All-Star would allow St. Louis to clear payroll space and also open up an everyday spot for either Nolan Gorman or Thomas Saggese.
It will be interesting to see what types of moves the Cardinals make in the coming weeks.
More MLB: Tigers urged to trade versatile infielder amid offensive struggles