The MLB trade deadline rumors are heating up as two teams are looking to bolster their chances of making the playoffs. The Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals are looking at two potential upgrades for their outfield, but their interest in these particular players might be hard to strike a deal given where they stand.
Roadblocks for Rockies
Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted that the Colorado Rockies are interested in acquiring Detroit Tigers outfielder JD Martinez. His value stems from how well he hits left handed pitchers which makes up a high amount of rotations in the NL West Division.
Martinez is hitting .306 with 15 home runs in his last 226 plate appearances and the Tigers are likely to sell off many parts of their roster.
The Rockies already have All Star Charlie Blackmon, free agent pickup Ian Desmond, and Gold Glove winner Gerardo Parra. Not to mention, there's mainstay Carlos Gonzalez. Desmond is on the disabled list, but is set to return in the near future which makes the outfield already pretty crowded. Manager Bud Black would have to juggle egos in terms of playing time, but it's hard to believe that the Rockies would be able to keep five starting outfielders on the team.
That means that the Rockies would likely have to deal one of the four outfielders stated above.
Blackmon is likely off limits, and Gonzalez has slumped at the plate which means those two are unlikely to leave. Parra could be a potential piece moved. Martinez has been linked to the Arizona Diamondbacks as well.
Cardinals looking at Marlins outfield
Morosi also tweeted that the Cardinals are interested in acquiring another outfielder.
The Cardinals have been linked to All Star Marcell Ozuna in the past, but Morosi also tweeted that the Cardinals have not made a call to the Marlins yet. The Cardinals are 44-46 and 6.5 games out of the division race. The team is in an awkward spot of choosing between buying and selling.
The Cardinals have had inconsistency in outfield.
Stephen Piscotty and Randall Grichuk are on the disabled list. Grichuk has bounced up and down from the minor leagues. Dexter Fowler has not lived up to his contract. Tommy Pham has hit .311 in 212 at bats, but Ozuna is a much better upgrade. Plus, the team could move Pham to right field.
Ozuna is batting .315 and has driven in 70 runs. The problem is that the Marlins are unsure if they are going to deal Ozuna, Giancarlo Stanton, or Christian Yellich this month. The Marlins have been reported to dealing their closer, but their 26 year old outfielder could stay.
