St. Louis Cardinals: Possible Randal Grichuk Trade Destinations
By Tim Boyle
If he’s for sale, where could the St. Louis Cardinals trade Randal Grichuk?
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk has fallen on hard times. After a very productive rookie campaign in 2015, things have gone downhill. Some believe the Cardinals will trade him this offseason. If he is added to the trade block, many teams would have interest.
When Grichuk debuted for the Cardinals in 2014 he put together a lackluster partial season. It wasn’t until the following year when he became a noted offensive weapon. Grichuk finished that season batting .276/.329/.548 with 17 home runs in 350 plate appearances. Things were looking up. And then the 2016 season happened.
Grichuk’s numbers took a noticeable dip. He finished the season hitting .240/.289/.480. His inability to draw walks hurt his overall totals. The same problems were present in 2017 with a slightly worse slash line.
After two straight unproductive seasons, Grichuk is a change of scenery candidate. Things aren’t working out in St. Louis. At 26-years-old, he still has plenty of time to turn things around.
Next year is Grichuk’s first season of arbitration eligibility. Because he has struggled, the cost to keep him on the roster won’t be a big hit to the payroll. Unlike someone who has logged a few more years, Grichuk isn’t a burden cost-wise. This should attract quite a few teams including those penny pinchers and the ones trying to avoid the luxury tax.
Grichuk’s future is certainly with a team other than the Cardinals. In the next few months, we should find out where. At this time, these are three of the teams I suspect have their eye on him.