MLB trade rumors: New potential seller emerges for SF Giants to target

John Mozeliak made it clear that the St. Louis Cardinals are going to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, giving the SF Giants some enticing targets.

The SF Giants are expected to be aggressive buyers at the 2023 MLB trade deadline. To do that, though, they will need sellers. The problem is that few teams around the league are clearly out of playoff contention. It seems that the St. Louis Cardinals, however, have embraced a selling strategy. Cards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was on the latest episode of "The Kilcoyne Conversation" and discussed the team's strategy heading into the deadline.

Cardinals president John Mozeliak in the dugout prior to a game. (2022) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

"Well, I think right now I can tell you that we are going to trade people," Mozeliak said. "I just don't know if it's going to be like household names or more of guys that just aren't likely going to be here next year. It's easy to talk about what we may or may not do at the moment, but we're not just gonna give away players. We want to get some value in return. We want to get some return that's going to help us for 2024, and that's going to be really our focus as we enter the trading period."

Mozeliak clearly declared that the Cardinals are going to be shopping players that are not a piece of the organization's long-term plan. Obviously, that suggests that any players who are going to become free agents at the end of the season will be on the block.

Left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery will easily be the most sought-after rental on the Cardinals' roster. Acquired in a trade with the Yankees last summer, Montgomery has a 3.23 ERA (3.52 FIP) this season with 96 strikeouts and 27 walks in 103 innings pitched (18 starts). Montgomery will turn 31 in December and will likely be one of the best available free-agent starting pitchers this offseason.

Jack Flaherty is another member of the Cardinals' rotation slated to become a free agent following this season. However, the Burbank, California native has been less effective than Montgomery in recent seasons. Flaherty, who will turn 28 in October, has a 4.27 ERA (4.01 FIP) with 89 strikeouts and 48 walks in 92.2 innings pitched (17 games) this season.

Montgomery would immediately become the third-best starting pitcher in the Giants rotation and would also give manager Gabe Kapler a left-handed option at the top of the rotation between Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani. Flaherty would still be an upgrade over the team's current back-of-rotation options like Ross Stripling, Alex Wood, Sean Manaea, Jakob Junis, and Keaton Winn (Giants Top 9 Prospect), but may not be a significant enough improvement to push San Francisco to make a deal.

The Cardinals also have a trio of relievers whose contracts are set to expire (Jordan Hicks, Chris Stratton, and Drew VerHagen), but St. Louis' bullpen has been one of the worst in the league this season. Given the strength of the Giants' bullpen, it's hard to imagine them finding a role for any of those arms barring injuries.

Mozeliak was hesitant to say that any long-term pieces would be moved. "The fact is, we hope we can keep our core together and supplement it properly," he said. However, the Giants will be one of many teams hoping the Cardinals make controllable talent available. 

Superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado could obviously transform the pennant race this season if they get moved to a contender. Even younger less-impactful bats like Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan, Paul DeJong, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar could all address clear holes on the SF Giants roster.