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The St. Louis Cardinals are loaded with talent yet are on the brink of falling out of the playoff picture. They have the last Wild Card spot but are only half a game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for it. Ahead of the MLB trade deadline, Nolan Arenado is sending the front office a clear message.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Arenado plainly said that the Cardinals need to get busy at the trade deadline and add more pieces.
“There’s some things we need,” Arenado said. “It feels good when you add. We’re not out of it. We’re in it. I think that’s what is most important. We’re still in this thing. There’s no reason why we can’ take a big step forward in the second half.
“A few pieces here or there definitely go a long way, you know?”
Although St. Louis is enjoying an MVP-caliber season from first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and strong seasons from Arenado and pitchers Miles Mikolas, Ryan Helsley and Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals are once again looking like a Wild Card team.
Arenado also made it clear that he wants to win the division, which is still within reach. The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers are only three games ahead and the other teams in the division — the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds — should all be very easy to beat for the Cardinals.
“I don’t want to win the wild card anymore. Obviously, you get to the playoffs it’s great. If we get in, great. But you want to win the division. It’s important to win the division. I’ve never won it. I would like to be a part of that.”
Barring a massive drop-off in production, the Cardinals should still be able to make the playoffs. It's only a matter of where they end up in the standings. Still, they should make some moves to ensure they can win in the playoffs.