Why Corey Patterson Should Be a Trade Target for the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Corey Patterson.

Maybe I'm a moron.

Maybe I'm a thinker.

Either way, sometimes crazy ideas work. 

I know I'll get fried for this. You're probably thinking, "If he's not good enough for Washington, he's really not good enough for St. Louis. What does this guy know?"

Well, take a look at the left field platoon in St. Louis. Neither Rick Ankiel nor Chris Duncan has produced at all this year. Washington's outfield consists of Adam Dunn, Nyjer Morgan, and Josh Willingham, all three of whom have played very well this year.

I've always liked Patterson, and I've stuck with him through thick and thin.nHe's a small, scrappy speed guy with a little bit of pop to his bat. 

He plays for Washington, so it wouldn't take much to get him. You could pretty much flip a reliever straight up for him, so he'd be a low-risk investment.

Forget last year's stats, and you have a guy who is hitting in the low .270s with double-digit power and 30-stolen base potential. The Cardinals could use somebody like that at the top of their order. 

Their platoon of Ankiel and Duncan hasn't worked out well at all, so Patterson would be just another shot in the dark at production in left field, but I think it'd be worth a try. 

When Mark DeRosa comes back, he can play third. Khalil Greene just hasn't been good this year, and I'm not sure Troy Glaus is coming back.

If Patterson was put at the top of the lineup as an experiment, he would allow the other starters to fall into their rightful place. Brendan Ryan isn't a leadoff hitter; he or Skip Schumaker could be placed in the No. 2 hole, and the whole lineup would have a better dynamic. 

Albert Pujols has 10 stolen bases, leading the club. Ryan is second with eight. I typically like leadoff men that steal a lot of bases, so Patterson could bring that.

Patterson is a low investment, but if he plays like he did in Baltimore, he could reap high rewards.

Fry me if you will—I just had an idea and wanted to write it down.

Another possibility for the Cardinals is Corey's brother.  Eric Patterson has hit .310 with 10 home runs and 31 stolen bases in triple A.  However, he is only 26, and Oakland might want to keep him for a little while longer.