Cardinals: 3 players who definitely won’t be on the roster by August 1

The St. Louis Cardinals should expect a major shakeup within the organization this offseason, but first comes the MLB trade deadline.

While John Mozeliak insisted that a Cards rebuild was not on the horizon, the team does have several players in the final year of their contracts who could be useful to contenders. With that in mind, who will St. Louis sell?

Per MLB Trade Rumors and Cards beat reporter Jeff Jones, Mozeliak’s plans are somewhere in the middle:

"“I would hope the Cardinals are not allowed to rebuild,” Mozeliak told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat), in reference to the “pressure” St. Louis fans put on the team to remain perpetual contenders.  This is the only scenario that Mozeliak seems to have ruled out in regards to the trade deadline, since “as we sit here on the 23rd of June, we still don’t know exactly which path we’ll walk.  From a front office standpoint, we have to start preparing.”"

The Cards roster will look much, much different come August 1. They will likely be down a few veterans who they traded elsewhere, and an influx of youth will give this team a fresh feel that is desperately needed.

Mozeliak is right in one aspect — the Cardinals have talent on the big-league roster. Trading it all away defeats the purpose of building an MLB team in the first place. But it’s also important for a front office to understand when its product is underperforming. That is the case with the Cards right now, which is why the roster won’t be all that recognizable a month from now.

Cardinals who won’t be on the roster: Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery is on the final year of his contract, and while he’s arguably been the best pitcher in the St. Louis rotation, he’s also trade bait. The Cards traded for Montgomery themselves last July in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bander. As good as Montgomery has been at times, he is no ace.

The former Yankee farmhand can land a solid prospect in return, which is why the Cardinals should consider moving him now. Re-signing him this winter is no guarantee, and St. Louis has just as good of chance to do so if they move him at the deadline.