FanPost

Trade Deadline: The Case For Tommy Milone

John Mozeliak and the Cardinals brass have prided themselves on the fact that not only do they compete with top players every year, but always have more coming. From the amazing 2009 amateur draft , (Which yielded Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly, Matt Carpenter and more), and draft-steals such as Michael Wacha, St. Louis' current roster is filled of young talent, who though good now, will become even greater.

Although they are here now, if Mozeliak would of overreacted in the face of previous injuries, many of those players might not be a Cardinal today. Him and the organization are conservative and consistent. When they needed a Shortstop, they chose a Free Agent, who wasn't tied to a draft pick, instead of trading young talent away. Yadier Molina goes down, so what does the organization do? Pick up a couple of catchers off Waivers/FA, who only cost dollars, opposed to tradeing away young talent. And now of course, starting pitching depth is needed. But there isn't a great FA option this time around, so trading might be the only course of action they can take.

David Price, Cole Hamels and Jon Lester. All players who not only come with huge cost, but also require a large prospect haul. And unless Mozeliak has suddenly become a different man, all three don't mesh with the front office style. So what does this mean? Either A). Cardinals do not do anything, or B). You trade for a lesser option, which can help with short-term relieve, but doesn't cripple the organization.

That lesser option is Tommy Milone.

So who is this Milone-character? He is a pitcher in the Oakland A's organization, who is actually quite underrated. With the recent trade that send Jeff Samardjiza and Jason Hammel to the A's, Milone has been the odd-man out. After he was sent to the minors, he reportedly asked the A's for a trade. And because of his ability, who could blame him?

In 96 IP this year, he has a 3.55 ERA, with 61 SO and 26 BB. In most MLB rotations, you would be considered a great fixture. Is he an ace? No. Will he always post an ERA around 3.50 or lower? Probably not. But what he does offer is precisely what the Cardinals need.

A left handed Starting Pitcher? ✓

A young, controllable player? ✓

A Track-record showing health and consistency? ✓

An affordable yet productive arm? ✓ ✓ ✓

As we come down to the wire, we will see so many panic moves being made. Just today the Giants traded two relatively nice prospects for an aging, expensive pitcher (Jake Peavy). But in Mozeliak-fashion, I expect Cardinals don't make a huge splash, unless a great deal presents itself. And though it might not be Tommy Milone, the Cardinals will get a lower-mid rotation starter, and that is the way it should be. With Wacha coming back, Wainwright, Lynn, Kelly, Miller, and Martinez will do fine, and adding a decent arm for depth would do the rotation wonders.

The sexy moves rarely work out, it's the footnote trades that make all the difference.