Cardinals: 3 players St. Louis wouldn’t trade for Juan Soto, and what it means
By Tim Boyle
What it means for the St. Louis Cardinals to hold onto these players rather than trade them for Juan Soto.
The St. Louis Cardinals could be considered the runner-ups in the Juan Soto trade sweepstakes. Rather than landing the young star outfielder, they approached the trade deadline with more caution than the San Diego Padres.
The Cardinals did manage to make some moves all while protecting their farm system. Their reported offer for Soto to the Washington Nationals was a bit underwhelming compared to what many thought it would take to land him. As it turns out, that was likely one of the major reasons why Soto now calls San Diego home and not St. Louis.
Who were the three players the Cardinals were unwilling to offer in their proposed trade for Soto and what does it mean?
1) Cardinals were not willing to trade Dylan Carlson for Juan Soto
The weight of the Cardinals’ future is on the shoulders of young outfielder Dylan Carlson. Not quite literally. Just because the front office has enough faith in him to not give him up in a trade for Soto shouldn’t put all of the pressure on him to become a superstar. Tell that to some fans who will forever connect the two.
After a solid rookie year in 2021, Carlson has been quite underwhelming in 2022. Across the offensive board, his numbers are down.
Holding onto Carlson, the right fielder for the Cardinals, means the front office is putting their trust in him to become at least a reliable outfielder in the coming years. He doesn’t need to reach Soto-level for the Cardinals to look smart to hold onto him. Far more affordable now and in the immediate future likely through his arbitration years, the Cardinals may have kept him in part because of the payroll implications.
Having talented young players on your roster is valuable on the field and in the financial department. By not trading him in a package for Soto, it means the Cardinals committed to him—unless of course they are far more interested in an offseason deal for Shohei Ohtani.