Atlanta Braves rumors: Ron Washington departure, Sonny Gray dilemma, trade partner
By Mark Powell
Braves rumors: Does Dylan Carlson make sense for Alex Anthopoulos?
The St. Louis Cardinals need to hit the restart button. John Mozeliak wants to acquire pitching, and lots of it. Outfield happens to be a position of depth, so why not make a deal?
This starts with Dylan Carlson, a former top prospect turned scapegoat in St. Louis. Carlson's trade value is at an all-time low thanks to the worst season of his MLB career thus far. It's not completely his fault, of course, as Carlson dealt with a series of injuries which kept him out for nearly 100 games. This offseason, Carlson will undergo ankle surgery, though he should be back by the start of spring training.
As MLB Trade Rumors notes, there's still plenty to like about Carlson, despite his issues:
"As a young switch-hitter who was once a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport and is under team control through the 2026 campaign, Carlson could once again be a sought-after change of scenery candidate," Nick Deeds wrote.
The Cards received inquiries on Carlson around the trade deadline -- both the Yankees and Orioles were rumored to be interested -- and they did not pull the trigger. Mozeliak should and likely will opt to trade the 25-year-old this offseason, perhaps even at the winter meetings. While his stat line last year was far from impressive, he's solid defensively and can play center or either of the corner outfield spots.
Eddie Rosario is on a club option, and Kevin Pillar's future is up in the air. The Braves have plenty of young pitchers in their system blocked by better players. If the Cardinals were interested in, say, Dylan Dodd, Darius Vines or even Michael Soroka, Anthopoulos might listen. A.J. Smith-Shawver is expected to be off the table.