MLB Rumors: Sleeper Braves trade, Cardinals biggest fear, Blue Jays target

MLB Rumors: Cardinals fear of repeating mistakes could stop Dylan Carlson trade

At this point, we’re all just waiting on the dominoes to fall for the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline.

It’s been a foregone conclusion for weeks now that the club is going to sell with an emphasis, as laid down by John Mozeliak himself, to retool the roster to try and compete and contend again in the 2024 season. That almost surely means looking for young, controllable pitching in return for the assets they’re going to sell.

And for the most part, we know the likely candidates that St. Louis is going to float in trades. Rental starting pitching options Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty basically already have their bags packed at this point. It also stands to reason that the Cards are going to flip at least one or two of their glut of outfielders.

Having said that, another name that had been floated is 24-year-old outfielder Dylan Carlson. The switch-hitter could net a substantial return — but the Cardinals also might be reluctant to deal him. Sure, they could net a big-time return, but their past errors in trades could color their approach, as reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

As Rosenthal noted, the Cardinals “would fear Carlson becoming the next Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia or Lane Thomas.” Those are all top outfield bats in MLB that were once in the St. Louis system but were traded away — and let’s also not forget that Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen were also in that same situation too.

But if you’re the Cardinals, worrying about the past is only going to hinder the future. If the goal is to retool for next season at the trade deadline, previous errors can’t dictate decision-making before Aug. 1. So even if the fears are there, it shouldn’t prevent St. Louis for making a trade for Carlson if it’s the right deal that fits their plan.