Cardinals Linked To Mets All-Star Slugger As Solution For Struggling Offense

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching has been better this season but their offense surprisingly has struggled.

St. Louis hasn't lived up to expectations so far this season -- like the 2023 campaign -- but the team's pitching hasn't been the issue. The Cardinals made a big effort this past offseason to improve their rotation and bullpen and both are in a better spot than they were in.

The Cardinals' offense was solid last season despite a down year overall so there weren't as many question marks to address. While this is the case, St. Louis' offense has been one of the worst in the league and could use a boost.

FanSided's Curt Bishop compiled a list of four possible moves the Cardinals could make around the trade deadline to fix the club and surprisingly mentioned a trade for New York Mets All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez as a possibility.

"The pitching has been the main issue for the Cardinals for the past several years, but that isn't the case this year," Bishop said. "The pitching has been solid while the offense has let them down. Getting Tommy Edman, Matt Carpenter, and Dylan Carlson back from the injured list should help them put up some better offensive numbers if they are back at full strength, and the return of Jordan Walker should help too.

"The New York Mets have outperformed expectations so far, but are likely to fall out of contention by the trade deadline. If they sell, look no further than J.D. Martinez as a potential trade candidate. Martinez would give the Cardinals a much-needed power bat and turn their lineup into a nightmare for opposing pitchers. It might also give them everything they need to drop the hammer on the NL Central and run away with it, becoming a true contender in the National League along with teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies."

Martinez signed with the Mets this past offseason to a one-year deal and will be a free agent at the end of the season. It would be surprising to see the Mets trade him but if they aren't in contention for a postseason spot around the deadline maybe things could change.

A Cardinals trade for Martinez should be considered extremely unlikely but we'll have to wait until the deadline to find out.