St. Louis Cardinals executive John Mozeliak made it clear the team will trade a few players prior to the trade deadline. Here’s who they should deal.
The Cardinals are 11 games out of their easiest path to the postseason, and 14 games below .500. Despite preaching patience all season long, John Mozeliak and the Cards front office are finally embracing their reality.
Mozeliak, for his part, has done everything he can to assure St. Louis of their dystopian season, letting aces like Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara leave the organization, and giving up on Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia. Whether it be his regime or those before him, the Cards mistakes are finally catching up with them.
John Mozeliak: “We’re going to trade people.”
— Braxton Wheeler (@Braxxx26) July 12, 2023
Buckle up. #STLCards
Even Nolan Arenado, of all people, doesn’t believe he is safe from the looming St. Louis fire sale.
“Yeah, I mean, it is a business, right?” Arenado said. “I’ve been traded once and I think that shocked a lot of people at the time. So, I guess, no, it doesn’t surprise me anymore what happens in this game. But it would still be surprising seeing certain things happen, but I understand that there’s certain things that probably should.”
Arenado will likely not be traded, nor will Paul Goldschmidt. The core remains the core. However, the Cardinals do have several pieces they can trade elsewhere, should they choose. And by that Mozeliak comment, it appears they have chosen wisely.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals should trade one of their outfielders
This one is a no-brainer.
St. Louis has long stashed their young outfielders and kept them out of trade negotiations, but both Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson are expected to be made available at the deadline. O’Neill has struggled this season, both on the field and with injuries. Any team acquiring him would be doing so on a discount.
For all of O’Neill’s struggles, he is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder when healthy. He also offers some pop in his bat, if that can be rediscovered via another set of hitting instructors.
Carlson, meanwhile, was floated in previous trade talks for Juan Soto at last year’s deadline. He is a former top prospect and viewed more highly in the Cardinals organization than out of it.
O’Neill is slashing just .228/.283/.337, while Carlson features a slightly improved .241/.342/.373 line. Neither will fetch all that much but perhaps some mid-level prospects in return. It’s better than nothing.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals should trade a pair of starting pitchers
More likely to land St. Louis a respectable return are the likes of Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, if made available. Flaherty is a former ace who has fallen out of favor in the Cards organization. He’s a former Opening Day starter and, should he rediscover his breaking pitches, could be a decent mid-level starter for a contending team.
Montgomery, meanwhile, has had far more success this season and could be one of the better starting pitchers on the market. The former Yankees hurler has a 3.23 ERA on the season and has been the Cardinals most consistent starting pitcher. While it would be tough to trade Montgomery just a season after acquiring him from the New York Yankees for Harrison Bader, he will be a free agent after this season. St. Louis would risk losing him for nothing, and he’s far too valuable of an asset to hang onto.
The starting pitching market is barren as of this writing, with Eduardo Rodriguez of the Detroit Tigers viewed as the best, most likely starter traded. Adding Montgomery and Flaherty to that mix could allow the Cards to land some decent prospect capital in return, especially should they package both to a pitching-needy contender.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals should trade Jordan Hicks
Give the Cardinals some credit, the one thing they’ve done right this season is to stick with Jordan Hicks when the entire fanbase was calling for his head. Hicks has a fastball that can reach up to 104 MPH at its best, and if he can ever locate consistently could be one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball.
Bullpen help, like the starting pitching market, could be tough to come by on deadline day. The longer St. Louis holds onto Hicks — allowing him to put up respectable numbers leading up to late July — the better, as he’ll fetch a decent haul by then.
After the Cardinals dropped the London Series to the Chicago Cubs, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic floated Hicks as a trade possibility.
“As things currently stand, the obvious choice for the Cardinals at the deadline, the safest choice, would be to trade their top potential free agents — starters Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, and closer Jordan Hicks,” Rosenthal said. “(John Mozeliak), meeting with reporters in London on Friday said, ‘The message to our fan base is that we’re not looking to blow up this team but we are looking to find ways to improve this team.'”
Hicks is in his final season under contract, and will be a free agent this winter. For the right team, he could even be retained on an affordable asking price.