The St. Louis Cardinals were among the most overlooked teams in Major League Baseball at the start of the season. They appeared to be a team that would battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates to stay out of the National League Central cellar. The Cardinals did not have enough hitting. They certainly lacked pitching, and manager Oliver Marmol had his hands filled trying to build a respectable team in a very tough division.
But instead of falling behind the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals have played winning and efficient baseball. They are in second place with a surprising 40-32 record in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Maromol’s team plays tough and hard-nosed baseball that doesn’t make many mistakes.
They are the lead team in the NL Wild Card race and they have an excellent chance to stay there and possibly make a move on the Brewers. However, they cannot afford to stand pat. A slump seems likely at some point in the 162-game season, and they need to add to their team.
Bringing in Byron Buxton from the Minnesota Twins might be the move that helps assure them a spot in the postseason and possibly one that allows them to track down the Brewers.
Cardinals have gotten surprising production at this point
The Cardinals have gotten a huge season out of right fielder Jordan Walker, and he is likely to be one of the team’s All-Star representatives in Philadelphia next month. He has been a game-changing slugger with a slash line of .288/.341/.537 with 18 home runs and 56 runs batted in. Walker has shown he can hit tape measure home runs on a regular basis and he has also been very dangerous in late-game situations.
He has also gotten quite a bit of support from Alec Burleson, who is slashing .285/.347/.488 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. These two have combined to make the Cardinals a dangerous offensive team
However, adding one more slugger to the lineup could turn the Cardinals from a productive team to a scary team capable of overpowering nearly any opponent.
That’s where Buxton comes into play.
The 32-year-old Buxton has been one of the more celebrated players since he played his first game for the Twins in the 2015 season. He was a huge prospect for the Twins and he has been with them for 12 seasons. Buxton is an outstanding athlete with a remarkable combination of speed, fielding ability and power.
Early in his career, he seemingly could not stay on the field because of a series of injuries. He would regularly flash his power with tape-measure home runs, great catches in the outfield and stolen bases, but he had just one season where he was able to stay relatively healthy in his first nine years.
However, that appears to have changed the last 2-plus season. He played in 102 games in 2024 and had 18 homers and 56 RBI. Buxton followed that with 126 games played last season along with 35 long balls and 83 runs batted in last season. He has played in 63 games this year and his on pace for his best home run season as he has already hit 23 long balls.
If the Cardinals can put together a middle portion of their lineup that includes Walker, Burleson and Buxton, it will be incredibly difficult for opposing pitchers to control. Marmol’s lineup may be able to crack most pitching staffs at that point.
Cardinals may not have to pay an exorbitant price for Buxton’s big bat
After belting 35 home runs last season and putting 23 home runs on the board before the All-Star break, the Twins may try to exact a hefty exchange from any trade partner. However, as much as they may want a dynamic player, a pitcher and a prospect or a high draft pick, Buxton’s injury history will get in the way of those hopes.
The argument against that kind of earth-shattering return is just too strong. Even though Buxton is on pace for a huge home run year a season after blasting 35 homers, he has not completely shaken the injury bug.
The Cardinals would certainly have to come through with a fair package that includes Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbar and perhaps a pitcher or a prospect, but not anything more than that.
Nootbaar has played just 12 games this season and did not come off the injured list until June 5. He had surgery last October on heel deformities that irritated his Achilles tendon. Since returning to the lineup, Nootbaar is slashing .268/.367/.463 with 6 home runs and 19 RBI.
The Twins would be taking a chance on Nootbaar, but the 28-year-old outfielder gives everything he has on an every-game basis, and he could be the key player the Twins receive along with a solid bullpen piece.
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