Goodness knows that DiPoto plays well with the St. Louis suits; witness the Tank for Marco trade.  Oh, Mike Leake, too.

So let's go back to that well once again, in a trade that makes good sense and helps both squads.

The Cards already have a set of frontline young arms in Flaherty, Martinez and Mikolas.  A Paxton addition would certainly put them in place to challenge Chicago and Milwaukee again.  Rumors are that they are looking for bullpen help, as well.  We happen to have one of those Colomes laying around.  Dangle both those guys in front of the Cardinals' FO types and you would get some lick-smacking interest in a hurry.

Rumor also has it that the Cards are willing to part with 1B Jose Martinez and just install masher Matt Carpenter at 1B. They also have Matt Adams, again.  Jose Martinez is a hitting machine who somehow didn't get to the majors for real until he was 28.  He still has 4 years of control left, will be only 30 next season and has a career .309-.372-.478 line.  Really.  Here you go.  https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martijo08.shtml

They also have a young arm in Luke Weaver who has already had some big league success.  https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/weavelu01.shtml?utm_campaig...

And finally, they have two young catching prospects in Carson Kelly (No. 78, has hit in AAA but not in three cups of coffee in the bigs. Tough defensively) and Andrew Knizner (who has a .310-.373-.460 line in 3 MiLB seasons.  Just hit that well at AA).

So here's my offer to St. Louis:  Paxton and Colome for Martinez, Weaver and Knizner/Kelly.  OK, we may have to throw in a young arm, but I have no problem with that.

Such a trade isn't a tear-down/rebuild but sort of a renovation.  Martinez is a gem.  The guy is Edgar-esque.  His presence allows you to iniclude Healy in some package....or Vogs. When White is big-league ready, then Martinez goes to DH. If he's really available, I'm all in.  And if he's there to be had, a Paxton gets it done.

Let the ink dry on that swap and then I'm making a call down the California coast to San Diego.  The Padres have a glut of OF'ers and no place to play them all.

I'm sending Kyle Lewis (age 23) to the Friars for Hunter Renfroe (age 26, arb eligible in '20, FA in '24).  Renfroe's bat is sort of what you hope Lewis' will become.  He brought his K rate down last year and his Avg. and BB rate went up.  He's not terrible on defense, either.  I like Ben Gamel, but Hunter Renfroe is way better, and no more expensive.  He hit 26 HR's in each of the past two seasons, in just 449 and 441 PA's.  I would send them Dee Gordon, but that doesn't get it done.  So I'm still stuck with him.  To tell you the truth, I'm not that high on Lewis.  I will probably be wrong, but there you go.  From the Padre point of view, they get a young guy, at least two years away...a guy very highly regarded by many, to add to their terrific farm system.  There could be a part to add on either side here.  No problem.  Edit:  As I think about this trade, we will have to add to it, I think. 

Smith-Segura-Cano-Martinez-Haniger-Renfroe-Seager-Healy/Vogs- and some sort of catcher isn't a bad lineup at all.  There's some run scoring potential there.

Ah.....in my dreams, I suppose.  But I think we could get something like this done.

If we were to go sign Wlad, then you hope he's Renfroe without the Lewis loss. Or you get them both and use the DH slot as a day of rest for guys like Haniger, Wlad, Renfroe.  

Edit:   As I peruse the Net looking for rumored availabilities, it appears the Tigers could trade C James McCann.  He’s pretty good defensively but coming off a terrible year with the bat.  Sodomojo suggests a Vogs trade for him.  Ah.....I kind of like keeping Vogelbach, but am resigned to us dumping him.  He is not well liked by the braintrust, I think. We have one C on the 40-Man, David Freitas, right now.  We have to add a couple more.  Andrew Susac may be released by Baltimore, it seems.  He was once a prospect darling in SF, before injuries sort of derailed him.  I have no problems with a very cheap roll of the dice with the former Beaver.  Besides, his granddad is a good friend of mine.

And the arm bargain in the FA market may be Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi.  He’s had a bit of shoulder struggles, but that comes with the position, doesn’t it.  He’s still well shy of 30, so even if you lose a season with him down the line, he still can bring value.

Take a look:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4ULzhL8NVY