MLB Rumors: The case for Cardinals trading Paul Goldschmidt

The St. Louis Cardinals are increasingly looked at as sellers at this year's MLB trade deadline. While over a month away, the Cards are nearly ten games under .500, and the third-worst team in the National League by record. They are fifth in the NL Central, a solid eight games behind the first-place Brewers and seven games behind the Pirates, who hold the final Wild Card spot.

It will be a long, tough battle back to contention, and a stretch against the Reds and San Francisco Giants in the coming weeks could very well make John Mozeliak's decision for him. Assuming the Cards cannot surge back into Wild Card consideration by the end of June, a trade for Goldy could very well be on the table, and there's a couple of very good reasons why.

First, Goldschmidt is the defending NL MVP, and he's signed through the end of 2024. Even at age 35, Goldschmidt provides the sort of pop in the middle of the lineup for any contending team. Second, the return for Goldschmidt would be immense, with St. Louis able to choose from top prospects and MLB-ready talent around baseball. It's very rare that a front office can get that sort of opportunity.

Redbirds Way's Curt Bishop outlined why the Cards should consider trading Goldy on Sunday:

"Assuming the Cardinals are out of contention by the deadline, a little more youth on the roster could ignite some hope for 2024 as the team assesses its young talent and prepares for the future…This would also clear the way for some players such as Jordan Walker, Juan Yepez, Masyn Winn, and Luken Baker, or could even bring in a young power bat to build around in the years to come. This may not be the year for the Cardinals, and in that case, if a team is willing to give them some Major League-ready talent, they may want to pull the trigger on the deal, especially with Goldschmidt's contract set to expire next year, which will be his age-36 season."

With a strong farm system nearing MLB status, losing Goldschmidt a year early and gaining something for it in return isn't the worst idea. It's a tough idea for the fanbase to get behind though, and rightly so.

MLB Rumors: Braves should trade for Kyle Hendricks

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks significantly upgraded his trade value on Saturday night, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants. That no-no was broken up with two outs in the eighth, but it still showed something from Hendricks that Cubs fans have been waiting for — a flash from the past. Whether it's sustainable or not, the trade buzz around a player like Hendricks, who should be rather affordable and could be a rental barring a club option after this season, will only increase from here.

FanSided's Cody Williams outlined the argument to acquire Hendricks prior to his near-no hitter, and it's a good one:

"With his age and the fact that he's had an ERA over 4.75 in each of the past two seasons, though, Hendricks isn't going to be an ultra-coveted commodity at the deadline. At the same time, in a situation with more protection from the offense and in the heart of a better rotation, something the Braves could offer, he could improve on that. And again, his stuff has been promising since he came back.

All of the factors at play with Hendricks mean that the trade cost should be reasonable and, if all the Braves are looking to do is find a veteran to plug the hole in the rotation, then there isn't a better answer on the Cubs — and few elsewhere either — than Hendricks."

Atlanta is down two of its top starting pitchers in Max Fried and Kyle Wright, which makes the fact they have the best record in the National League all the more impressive. Trading for Hendricks as a stopgap while those two get healthy by August makes a lot of sense, if Alex Anthopoulos can afford him.

MLB Rumors: Could Marcus Stroman reunite with Mets or Blue Jays?

Marcus Stroman made it clear that he's tried to reach out to the Chicago Cubs front office about a contract extension, but to no avail. So with that in mind, could the Cubs trade him to his old stomping grounds?

Stroman had a tough exit with the New York Mets. Just a few weeks ago, when the two sides faced off, Stroman was seen pounding his chest in excitement after recording a strikeout. While Stroman is an emotional player, at least one Mets player took it the wrong way.

The right-handed pitchers received plenty of hate from Mets fans on social media, so much so that he said something he might regret, referring to supporters of his former team as a trash fanbase.

So, despite the Mets being his former team AND the fact that Stroman grew up in the area, a return to New York does not seem likely in the near future.

But what about the Blue Jays?

Toronto's former ace, Alek Manoah, has struggled this year. The Blue Jays sent Manoah down last week after he failed to make it out of the first inning against the Houston Astros. So, despite being just a few games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, the Jays could use some pitching.

As recently as 2021, Stroman tweeted that he was open to a reunion north of the border. Yes, it would be costly for Toronto, as Stroman has been one of the best pitchers in the National League so far this season. But as a likely rental given Stroman's opt out, if the Cubs get desperate, expect the Jays to place a call.