The St. Louis Cardinals had a specific intention in designating Giovanny Gallegos for assignment on Saturday, and it was done in hopes of saving salary they can use toward a player they acquire in a trade before Tuesday's 6 p.m. deadline, according to John Denton of MLB.com.
Gallegos was making $5.5 million for the Cardinals, and if he gets claimed by a team, that money will be able to be used on another trade. It will be interesting to see if Gallegos does get claimed by another team, as there are many bullpen-needy teams out there that are hoping to strengthen that group to make a run in the postseason.
Cardinals looking to be creative with trades ahead of deadline
The Cardinals are also receiving interest in infielder Tommy Edman, who has not played in MLB this year but is currently on a rehab assignment and could be a valuable super utility player for a contending team. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have inquired about Tommy Edman, according to Katie Woo of the Athletic. Edman is expected to play the field for the first time on Tuesday.
Trading Edman would offload further salary for the Cardinals, and they are interested in adding to the starting rotation, according to Woo. The Yankees and Cardinals have matched up in the past on deals, specifically the Jordan Montgomery-Harrison Bader trade. Woo speculated that St. Louis could be interested in starting pitcher Nestor Cortes in exchange for Edman, which would be an eerily similar trade for the two teams. The Yankees acquired a then-injured Bader in exchange for a left-handed starter in Montgomery that helped the Cardinals.
Cortes has pitched to the tune of a 4.13 ERA over 124 1/3 innings over 22 games, and interestingly, he has fared much worse on the road this season. Maybe Cortes could find success at Busch Stadium. It will be interesting to see if this type of swap does happen.
If not Cortes, a pitcher like Nathan Eovaldi could make sense for St. Louis. Jack Flaherty is on the market, but it is unclear if a reunion would make sense. Someone like Yusui Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays would make sense as well.
The Cardinals are at 54-51 overall and six games out of first in the National League Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The division will be tough to win at this point, but St. Louis is one game out of a wild card spot in the National League, so a good addition or two at the deadline could make a difference.
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