The trade rumors surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals have focused on their starting rotation ever since Adam Wainwright was lost for the season, but now they have perhaps shifted to their situation at first base.
Matt Adams tore his quad during yesterday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last night that the first baseman will undergo surgery to repair the tear. He's expected to miss 3-4 months of action, which puts the season in jeopardy for him.
While the club has immediate internal options such as Mark Reynolds, Matt Carpenter and prospect Xavier Scruggs, ESPN Insider Buster Olney believes general manager John Mozeliak will consider options outside of the organization for good measure before the trade deadline.
One of those candidates Olney mentioned was Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.
"Howard is from the St. Louis area, and given that the Phillies have indicated to the baseball world that they would be willing to eat a ton of money to move him, there could be a deal to be made here -- if the Cardinals are interested, that is," Olney writes. "Howard is making $25 million this year, will make $25 million next year and has a $10 million buyout on a 2017 option. It's hard to imagine St. Louis or any other team trading for Howard unless the Phillies assumed something in the range of 70-90 percent of that money owed to him."
Philadelphia has been looking to trade Howard for quite a while now as they're in the middle of a rebuilding period. Rumors previously suggested the Phillies were willing to cover $50 million of the remaining $60 million on Howard's deal, but now that he improved his stat line to .256/.298/.519 with 16 runs scored, 10 home runs and 24 RBIs, his trade value has increased. General manager Ruben Amaro will now likely want more in return for Howard or be less willing to cover an overwhelming majority of his contract.
Whatever the case, the Cardinals are bound to at least consider their options. Adams wasn't providing much for the team, as he batted just .243/.281/.375 with 12 runs scored, 4 home runs and 20 RBIs in 43 games, but the issue now becomes depth.
"Perhaps even more important: the loss of Adams impacts the Cards' bench strength," writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Reynolds won't be sitting in the dugout, primed to emerge and swing for the fences. And on days when Reynolds started at first, the Cardinals had Adams in reserve for late-inning matchups. Reynolds could also play third base or a corner outfield spot, so his full-time status at first base will reduce the club's roster flexibility."
St. Louis recalled catcher Ed Easley from Triple-A Memphis, who is hitting .340 this month. The 29-year-old has logged all of his games this season at catcher and DH, but he's been taking ground balls at first base recently to help make himself a more valuable asset.
Reynolds, who has already played 18 games at first base this season, will take Adams' place for the time being. The Cardinals may not need to make an external move to replace Adams, but if the offensive production at first base isn't as good as or better than it was, Mozeliak will undoubtedly take a look on the market.
Howard could be a top option considering he's a left-handed power bat and has much experience playing in the National League.
