3 Cardinals players who won’t be on the roster by August 1 and who should replace them

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their first half with a 50-46 record and sit in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the NL. If you said this would happen to a Cardinals fan sometime in mid-May, you would've been laughed at.

The Cardinals are right in the thick of the postseason race, and barring a massive skid right after the All-Star break, they'll be trade deadline buyers. How aggressive John Mozeliak will be remains to be seen, but improving their team is the expectation.

Not only will the Cardinals improve their team on the trade market, but they will also do so by getting injured players back. This team has played well for a couple of months now, and should only be better down the stretch if Mozeliak makes the right moves.

With that in mind, these three players won't be on the roster by the time August comes around.

3) Chris Roycroft should be replaced on the Cardinals roster by a relief pitcher acquired via trade

Something that just about every contender attempts to do at the trade deadline is add at least one reliever. Simply put, bullpens can all be improved. The Cardinals have had a ton of success late in games with Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge, and can be even scarier if they add another late-game arm.

If the Cardinals do add a bullpen arm, someone is going to have to go down. This might be disappointing considering he has pitched pretty well when called upon, but he's the easiest one for the Cardinals to send down. Roycroft has a 3.80 ERA in 17 appearances and 21.1 innings of work, often appearing in low-leverage spots.

At the end of the day, other optionable guys like John King and Matthew Liberatore have pitched better and provide more value than Roycroft who is very replaceable. Adding another reliever is necessary, and Roycroft will certainly be the casualty if that happens.

2) Andre Pallante should be replaced on the Cardinals roster by a starting pitcher acquired via trade

While the Cardinals should add to their bullpen, that isn't their biggest need. The starting rotation, however, is arguably their biggest need, and one that Mozeliak really needs to address.

Sonny Gray is a solidified ace, but after him, who can they truly trust? Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have done better than expected, but they're mid-rotation guys at best at this stage of their career. Miles Mikolas has an ERA over 5.00. Adding a No. 2 behind Gray feels like a major need, and hopefully Mozeliak comes through.

If the Cardinals do add a No. 2 starter or really any starter in general, Andre Pallante will likely lose his spot. Pallante, like Roycroft, doesn't really deserve to lose a roster spot entirely as he has pitched really well since being inserted into the rotation with Steven Matz injured, but he's a pitcher with minor league options, so it wouldn't be shocking.

By sending Pallante down, the Cardinals can ensure that he's still stretched out and ready to fill in as a starter when necessary, which can come in handy down the stretch.

1) Dylan Carlson should be replaced on the Cardinals roster by Tommy Edman

Here's the big one. Is there any way Dylan Carlson is on this team past the trade deadline? Carlson was once a highly touted prospect but after an impressive rookie season, he just hasn't panned out at the MLB level.

The 25-year-old is slashing .211/.279/.254 and has not hit a single home run in 54 games and 129 plate appearances. He's a solid defender who can play all three outfield positions, but he's provided virtually nothing as a left-handed hitter for much of his career, and has even struggled as a right-handed hitter this season.

Adding a right-handed platoon bat will presumably be high up on Mozeliak's agenda to replace Carlson, and the impending return of Tommy Edman sometime in late July should only ensure that Carlson is wearing another uniform come the deadline.

Edman has missed all season due to injury but is finally on a rehab assignment and very close to returning. He provides value in all fascets of the game, and again, should make this Cardinals team even better down the stretch.