The MLB trade deadline is still very far away, but like all things, it will be upon us very soon. So why not just start the trade speculation talk right now?
The St. Louis Cardinals have surprised many people with their incredibly hot start to the 2012 season. After losing key pieces from their World Series Championship squad in 2011, many people thought the Cardinals could not duplicate the same success in 2012.
Although the Cardinals are doing very well, they can always get better. Last year's blockbuster deal that sent St. Louis outfielder Colby Rasmus to Toronto and sent numerous players to St. Louis was one of the major reasons the Cardinals were able to rally from 10.5 games back and reach the playoffs.
Ultimately, like I mentioned before, they would end up winning the World Series.
So what moves could the Cardinals be looking at this year?
Here is a list of three areas in which the Cardinals could be looking to improve at the trade deadline this season.
Injured Position Players
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With the great amount of depth that the Cardinals have displayed so far this season, the loss of a key position player for a short period of time would not hurt them too badly.
Take the Lance Berkman injury, for example. St. Louis has simply filled in with Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter, and the offense has hardly missed a beat.
With the Cardinals' tremendous depth, they have players who could fill in nicely for almost every starter on the field.
But what if someone goes down with a long-term injury? Maybe not season-ending, but something where a player misses two or maybe even three months.
This would become the Cardinals' biggest issue to address at the trade deadline. With a team full of players who have proven to be very injury-prone in the past, it is certainly not out of the possibility for a major injury to occur.
Hopefully the Cardinals do not have to pull the trigger on a deal because of an injured player, but I can guarantee that the St. Louis front office will be ready to work one out just in case something happens.
Bullpen
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The Cardinals' bullpen has not exactly been what you would call spectacular this season.
Down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason, the Cardinals' revamped bullpen was one of the major factors in them winning the World Series.
It will once again take another great bullpen to repeat as World Champions.
Right now, the biggest concerns for me are Fernando Salas, Victor Marte and most especially J.C. Romero. The worst news, though, is that I just named nearly half the bullpen as a concern.
All of the pitchers have what it takes to be good, but they have not shown it consistently enough this year.
One good thing for St. Louis is that relief pitcher Scott Linebrink should be back sometime in the near future. Linebrink could provide another good arm in the bullpen for the Cardinals.
Right now, the Cardinals have a very young and talented bullpen, but I would certainly not mind seeing them add another arm who could shut batters down in the late innings, much like Octavio Dotel did last season.
Second Base
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Now we get to the most confusing position on the St. Louis Cardinals' roster.
The second base position has been hotly debated in St. Louis for a very long time.
The Cardinals seem to always be up in the air on whom to start at second, until Skip Schumaker comes out and does just enough to be the everyday starter.
The biggest problem I have at second base, though, is the depth. Sure, St. Louis has three guys who can play second base on their roster, but look at where else those three guys are playing.
We will start with Schumaker. Right now, Schumaker is the starting second baseman, but he is also a backup outfielder at every position in the outfield.
Next, Daniel Descalso is also a backup first baseman, third baseman and shortstop.
Finally, Tyler Greene is also a backup shortstop.
You can frequently find these three players filling in at other positions on the field, which is a great thing. The problem is that if injuries arise on the roster and these players are needed to fill in at different spots, the depth at second base will be gone.
If the Cardinals could find a really good second baseman, that would be awesome for them and would allow some of these other players to fill in more at other positions.
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