Cardinals finally trade Tommy Edman for $129 million to Los Angeles Dodgers for three team deal involving the Chicago White Sox.
The St. Louis Cardinals continue to search for starting pitching, and their decision to designate long-time reliever Giovanny Gallegos for assignment on Sunday could allow for some financial flexibility as the trade deadline looms closer.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak will gladly take any sort of financial relief as he looks to bolster the rotation. The possibility might be increasing that Tommy Edman — a player who has yet to appear in a major-league game this season — could help them get it. Edman continues to garner interest, with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees inquiring about his availability.
Edman, who has missed the entire season recovering from right wrist surgery in the offseason, is in the middle of a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield. There is minimal concern regarding his surgically repaired wrist, but lingering soreness from a mild sprained ankle earlier in the month did keep him out of roughly a week’s worth of games. Edman has yet to play the field in games, serving only as the designated hitter, but is slated to begin playing defense on Tuesday. The Yankees sent a scout to watch Edman on Saturday, where he went 0-for-4.
Teams are high on Edman for the same value he brings to the Cardinals: His versatility as a super-utility switch hitter means he can fill multiple needs. Though the Yankees recently traded for Jazz Chisholm Jr., they will need infield depth heading into next season as well. Edman signed a two-year, $16 million deal in January to carry him through his remaining arbitration years and is under team control through 2025.
The Cardinals like Edman, but they have found ways to win without him. Michael Siani’s emergence as a potential Gold Glove center fielder, along with Brendan Donovan’s ability to also serve as a super-utility player, has made Edman expendable. The team’s recent slide (St. Louis had lost five of their past eight entering Sunday) will not deter Mozeliak from his intentions to buy at the deadline. The Cardinals are believed to be targeting cost-controlled major-league starting pitching in return for Edman.
