3 Cardinals not named Nolan Arenado that John Mozeliak should have traded by now

Spring Training is about to begin, and the St. Louis Cardinals have done... nothing. They have not signed a single free agent to an MLB contract. The only trade they've made saw them acquire Michael Helman, a utility man with 10 MLB plate appearances under his belt. He will likely begin the 2025 campaign in the minor leagues.

A big reason for St. Louis' inactivity is because the team, for reasons somewhat out of its control, has yet to trade Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals were close to trading Arenado to the Houston Astros earlier this offseason, but the third baseman exercised his no-trade clause to veto that deal. Other than that failed Astros trade, nothing has come close involving Arenado publicly. Some of that has to do with Alex Bregman taking longer than anyone could've expected to sign, but also part of that has to do with the Cardinals clearly trying to dump more of Arenado's money than anyone is willing to take on.

While Arenado absolutely should have been traded by now, the Cardinals' offseason shouldn't have just hit a snag because they've been unable to send him away. Instead, John Mozeliak should have continued the team's retool by shipping away other players who don't have a future in St. Louis.

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3. The Cardinals should have really tried to trade Sonny Gray

I know, I know, he doesn't want to be traded and has a no-trade clause. If Gray is really unwilling to play anywhere else, he would have and should have exercised that clause to block any deal, much like Arenado. Still, it's hard to believe he would've been unwilling to join a contender, and the Cardinals might regret not even trying to trade him.

Gray was signed last offseason to be the team's ace, and for the first part of the 2024 campaign, he was just that, as evidenced by his 2.81 ERA in his first 14 starts of the season. Gray's next 14 starts, however, left a lot to be desired, as he posted a 4.88 ERA, bringing his season ERA to 3.84. Gray wasn't bad, and his 3.12 full-season FIP suggests he got unlucky to an extent, but for whatever reason, it's hard to believe that a 35-year-old who struggled for half of the year will come close to living up to the two years and $65 million still guaranteed on his deal.

While the contract isn't great, starting pitching is as valuable as it has ever been. Someone with Gray's track record and how he started the year would have a good amount of value, especially if the Cardinals were willing to eat part of his salary.

Trading him would have opened up a rotation spot for a younger arm (four of their five projected starters are 32 years old or older), would have added more talent to St. Louis' farm system, and would have cleared at least some money off the books. If Gray turned down trades, so be it, but nothing suggests that's the case. The Cardinals should have tested those waters.

2. Erick Fedde could have landed the Cardinals a substantial return in a trade

It isn't hard to see why the Cardinals were willing to part with a player as good as Tommy Edman in order to get Erick Fedde. Edman, while a great player, was expendable on this Cardinals roster, while Fedde, in the midst of a career year, added to the Cardinals rotation - a position of weakness - and did so at an incredibly cheap $7.5 million price tag for not only 2024, but also 2025.

The deal obviously backfired with Edman winning NLCS MVP en route to the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series and Fedde taking a small step back during his time in St. Louis, but Fedde, especially thanks to his ridiculously cheap price tag, still has a ton of value if he were to be placed on the trade block.

The right-hander posted a 3.30 ERA in 31 starts and 177 innings of work in 2024. That kind of production at only $7.5 million is an utter steal. For reference, the Cardinals gave Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson one-year deals worth eight figures each. Lynn was coming off a season which saw him give up the most home runs in the majors (44), and Gibson was coming off a season which saw him give up the most hits in the American League (198). Those guys, at older ages, made more money than Fedde is going to in 2025.

Fedde is entering the final year of his deal on a team that has been vocal about not intending on competing in 2025. If the plan is to retool, why not trade Fedde while his value is high, and the value around cheap starting pitching is astronomically high, instead of holding onto him? The longer they hold onto him, the more likely it is that his value will decrease with his contract up after the year. This one is a head-scratcher.

1. It's hard to believe Ryan Helsley's value will be any higher than it is right now

Again, the Cardinals have made it clear that they are not intending on competing this season. If that's the case, why in the world is Ryan Helsley still in a Cardinals uniform?

Helsley is awesome. He posted a 2.04 ERA while leading the league in games finished (62) and saves (49), en route to earning the National League's Reliever of the Year award. If he isn't the best closer in the National League, he's certainly among the three best. While that's a great asset to have, what use is it having a dominant closer on a team not trying to win, especially when he's entering the final year of his deal?

There's a good chance that Helsley's value will never be higher than it is right now, and holding onto him risks either that he has a down year or, knock on wood, suffers an injury. Either of those things occurring tanks his trade value completely. Is that worthwhile on a team trying to compete?

If the Cardinals couldn't get a good deal for Helsley, I can understand holding out for a better offer, especially after seeing what relievers went for at the 2024 trade deadline. Still, it's hard to believe that the Cardinals can get much more at the deadline than they would be able to get right now. Holding onto him coming off his best season in the final year of his deal on a team not trying to win is really hard to justify.