The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most consistent teams in recent memory in the MLB and one reason is due to smart free agent and trade moves, which is why it is unlikely that the team will go after some of the bigger names like Cliff Lee at the deadline.
The team is currently one game up in the central division and while the trading deadline is still some time away, rumors have already started to circulate that they will go after names like Lee and Jonathan Papelbon in deals. The team could use more depth with both players, but as written on MLB.com, the fit for Papelbon and the Cardinals isn't quite there yet. Things could change as the month goes along, since Papelbon is due over $10 million.
The Cardinals will get Jason Motte back next year and adding someone as expensive as Papelbon in a situation like that isn't the way the Cards usually do business. That said, general manager John Mozeliak could go after names like Oliver Perez or Jesse Crain in deals instead to add more arms to the bullpen and that fits more than the Pap deal. The Tigers are more likely for that, as they desperately need a closer, as does his old team the Boston Red Sox.
The Cards have one of the best rotations in the majors with Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller and Jake Westbrook and dealing for Lee may end up hurting them instead of helping. Not because Lee won't play well, but more for the fact that they have the best ERA in baseball and don't need to mess with a good thing, not yet at least. The team has plenty of arms in the minors to bring up and while Lee is obviously more established than those players, a deal seems unlikely despite Lee's great 8-2 record, 2.55 ERA and 12 quality starts in 14 starts.
On top of that, the Cards like their prospects and Lee's five-year, $120 million contract is alarming to any team trading for him. He also has a 21-team no trade clause and if the Cards are on that, it could cause some issues as well. The team is playing very well and is ranked fifth in runs, second in batting and third in on base percentage and with the best ERA in the majors, they may stand pat.
