The Cardinals are looking to land a third baseman for the final stretch but are struggling to find what they are looking for. They currently have Felipe Lopez starting at third, but he is only hitting .249 in 86 games this season and is better suited in the middle infield.
The Cardnials have passed on Craig Counsell, Geoff Blum, and Edwin Encarnacion, who have all cleared waivers. ESPN.com's Buster Olney is reporting that some GMs around the league believe the Giants are claiming players simply to prevent rival clubs from claiming them. It's a common practice, and Giants have been accused of doing it before... along with half a dozen more teams in recent years. At the moment, the Giants have a better record than the Cardinals, meaning the Cardinals can claim players first.
It is unclear if players like Chone Figgins, Mark Reynolds, or even Aramis Ramirez will go through waivers, but Joe Strauss is reporting that the Tigers are expected to put Brandon Inge on waivers this week.