Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals-Dodgers Latest Talk ‘Has The Makings Of Blockbuster Trade’

St. Louis could make some massive changes

Scott Neville

Cardinals-Dodgers Latest Talk ‘Has The Makings Of Blockbuster Trade’
Cardinals-Dodgers Latest Talk ‘Has The Makings Of Blockbuster Trade’ /
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The St. Louis Cardinals are in a favorable position ahead of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.

The Cardinals have two starting pitchers to deal — Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty — and will leverage those arms to acquire as much young pitching as possible. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the largest pool of pitching prospects, most of whom already are in the upper levels of the minors or have made their big-league debuts.

Montgomery and Flaherty are the two prizes the Cardinals are willing to deal but the Dodgers reportedly want quite a bit more for some of their top arms.

“I’m hearing the conversations about (Nolan) Arenado started when the Dodgers expressed interest in either Jack Flaherty or Jordan Montgomery,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote Friday. “When the Cardinals started asking for Los Angeles’ top pitching prospects in return, the Dodgers responded that the only way they’d trade them is if it were in a package for the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner.”

The Cardinals' rentals have serious trade value but the addition of Arenado could covet a franchise-altering return. 

“The deal would have to be headlined by at least one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects -- Bobby Miller and/or Emmet Sheehan -- and would need to include some combination of pitchers Gavin Stone, Michael Grove and/or Ryan Pepiot,” Bowden continued. “The Cardinals would be looking for at least three young starters. To help balance out the finances, the Dodgers would ask the Cardinals to take Max Muncy back in the trade and also would insist on acquiring either Flaherty or Montgomery. In other words, this has the makings of a blockbuster trade. Not sure if anything will materialize, but it’s a fun potential trade to monitor.”

Miller would likely be the top player coming from Los Angeles, who has graduated from being a top prospect and is 6-2 with a 4.37 ERA, 59-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .241 batting average against and 1.19 WHIP in 59 2/3 innings this season.

If he were out of the question, Stone (No. 4 Dodgers' prospect according to MLB Pipeline) Sheehan (No. 6 prospect), Pepiot (No. 7 prospect) and Grove -- also elevated from prospect status -- would all be strong targets. 

The involvement of Arenado in the trade still remains highly unlikely. While it would make for a crazier deadline, the Cardinals likely will settle for a smaller package for Montgomery and/or Flaherty.

More MLB: Pair Of Ex-Cardinals Hurlers Shipped To Contender In Huge Trade Deadline Move

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu