3 Braves trade targets from bottoming-out Cardinals and 2 to avoid

Braves Rumors: Trade target No. 2 from Cardinals – Dylan Carlson, OF

For years, there has been palpable excitement about what Dylan Carlson could be in St. Louis. He was long considered one of the top prospects in the organization. But while the 24-year-old has indeed shown some improvement, the fact of the matter is that he just hasn’t realized the potential he was once believed to have for the Cardinals.

This season while dealing with some minor injuries, Carlson has played in 35 games, slashing .250/.322/.398 with three homers and nine extra-base hits to go with 14 RBI. However, he’s also not been in total favor with management as we’ve seen Marmol opt for the likes of starting Tommy Edman over him at times.

Because of the immense outfield depth in St. Louis, Carlson could very much be had for the right trade offer.

For a player who hast started making strides to becoming a more consistent hitter, offers the switch-hitting versatility, and still has three years of club control remaining on his contract, that could be an enticing situation for the Braves to explore. It also might be the right situation for both parties.

Not only could Carlson offer some reprieve and rest for Marcell Ozuna to deepen the situation in the Atlanta outfield, but the pressure would off of Carlson somewhat as well, giving him a change of scenery and not as high of expectations to be a superstar. That could maximize the investment of the Braves in him by making a trade and, ultimately, could set him up to realize his talent on the field in a tangible way.

Given how Anthopoulos has identified trade targets previously, Carlson would make a ton of sense.