Cardinals to consider trading Jose Martinez 'at some point'

Under interim manager Mike Shildt, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to revert to a glove-first lineup, and the most notable casualty could be first baseman and corner outfielder Jose Martinez.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak acknowledged that the club will not only relegate Martinez to more of a bench role but will explore trading the 29-year-old breakout slugger.

"Yeah, at some point," Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding potentially exploring a trade of Martinez. "Right now, that asset could be a great bat off the bench. Obviously, long term, that is something we need to think through."

With Matt Carpenter at first base and under contract through the 2020 season and the right-field spot given to Dexter Fowler, who has a deal through 2021, Martinez has been ruled the odd man out.

Under Matheny, Fowler lost a significant amount of starting time to Martinez based on offensive production. Through 75 games this season, Fowler has posted a putrid .172/.265/.291 slash line, hitting 44 percent worse than the league average by wRC+. By FanGraphs' WAR, Fowler has actually cost the Cardinals more than one full win (-1.3).

Martinez, on the other hand, has been one of the club's best sources of offense, trailing only Carpenter in wRC+. Over 89 games, Martinez owns a .299/.365/.478 slash line with 13 home runs. That being said, Martinez has been atrocious in the field, costing the Cardinals more than 11 runs by FanGraphs' defensive metrics.

For that reason, Goold speculates that an American League team - potentially looking for help at designated hitter - could pursue Martinez. The right-handed batter is under team control through the 2022 season, having yet to enter arbitration eligibility.

Whether the Cardinals become motivated to move Martinez this season remains to be seen. The non-waiver trade deadline is a week-and-a-half away, and St. Louis is not necessarily out of the postseason race, sitting 4 1/2 games back of the second wild-card spot.