St. Louis Cardinals Interested in Marlins' Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, July 20, 2017

Taking a wild-card spot away from the surging Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks is going to be a daunting task for teams in the National League. However, the St. Louis Cardinals seem unfazed and they looking to upgrade their outfield before the nonwaiver trade deadline later this month.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Cardinals are eyeing the Miami Marlins' Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. Feinsand added that the Marlins have sent one of their top executives to scout top prospect Dakota Hudson.

The two have been rumored to be on the trading block as the Marlins continue to find ways to shed payroll to make the club more attractive to potential buyers. Well, whoever buys the Marlins likely don't want to inherit their payroll issues.

Giving up Hudson may seem like a steep price for some, but the Cardinals can't pass up the opportunity to acquire Ozuna and Yelich.

"The potential in Hudson is clear. However, the Cardinals have a slew of minor league pitching talent, with names like Alex Reyes, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty, and Sandy Alcantara among the Cardinal controlled prospects. While Hudson is a great talent, giving him up would be a price worth paying for the needs Yelich and Ozuna can fill for this organization," Christian May-Suzuki wrote in his column for Redbird Rants.

Ozuna is under team control through the 2019 season. In 93 games this season, the two-time All-Star has posted a 0.315/0.373/0.555 slash line, and he has 23 home runs and 70 runs batted in.

Yelich is signed through the 2021 season with a club option for 2022. He has a 0.282/0.359/0.411 slash line in 90 games this season. He also has nine home runs, eight stolen bases and 45 runs batted in.

Both players are intriguing options for the Cardinals because they are under long-term control and solid performance so far. However, USA Today's Bob Nightengale has reported that the Marlins are not interested in trading away anyone from their starting outfield as of the moment. Apparently, they won't be entertaining trade proposals until the offseason.

Of course, that can still change in the days leading up to the trade deadline.