Cardinals Fan-Favorite Slugger Could Be Traded According To Recent Speculation

Would the St. Louis Cardinals move one of their most reliable position players with Masyn Winn expected to be the long-term answer at shortstop?

The Cardinals' horrendous and unexpectedly bad start to the season has put pundits and fans into a frenzy, with trade rumors circulating on a daily basis as anyone attached to the club searches for solutions to the many problems arising one month into the season. 

With St. Louis in search of a controllable starting pitcher, they'd need to provide similar value in return. One player that fits the bill is Tommy Edman.

"If somebody comes and makes them a strong offer with some kind of controllable pitcher they could have beyond this year, maybe (they) entertain it," MLB Trade Rumors Steve Adams said on the MLBTR Podcast in response to a fan speculating Edman could be a trade chip. 

"But this isn't somebody the Cardinals are going to start calling around and say 'Hey what do you want to give us for Tommy Edman?' "

Adams had the correct take here, and gave a much more in-depth response on the podcast. 

While Winn is an enticing long-term option at shortstop, his bat is not big-league-ready at the moment. The 21-year-old is off to a .236 start with six extra-base hits including a pair of home runs, nine RBIs, a lackluster 30-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .639 OPS in his first 29 games at the Triple-A level.

Moving Winn to the big leagues to fill a role Edman has served at a high level would be premature, even if the Cardinals were able to get a frontline starter out of it. 

Would the move make more sense in a year? Sure, but Winn is not coming up anytime soon. 

Even so, Edman is the perfect Cardinal that produces at the plate and has the defensive ability and versatility to stick in the lineup regardless of a top prospect's arrival in the near future. St. Louis should look elsewhere to find a trade chip.

Paul DeJong would be a much more logical trade chip if a big league player is needed to swing a deal -- though St. Louis would have to attach a notable prospect or two as well depending on the caliber of starter.