A Cardinals-Dodgers trade that would torture the rest of baseball

Last year at the trade deadline, rumors began to swirl about a potential trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers with Nolan Arenado as the centerpiece.

Such rumors were shot down pretty quickly, and the Cardinals ultimately held onto the 10-time Gold Glover. However, despite their win on Sunday, it appears that the 2024 season is going off the rails for the Redbirds.

As such. they may end up being sellers again and trading away some big pieces such as Arenado. If they want Major League ready players in return, the Dodgers might be able to help them with that.

Potential Cardinals-Dodgers Arenado swap

If the Dodgers want Arenado, they're going to have to pay up, and that means parting ways with some top-level talent. Here is what a trade could look like

Arenado would instantly give the Dodgers' lineup a major boost. He would also provide them with some solid defense at third base. With Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernandez already in their lineup, Los Angeles would further supplement a World Series caliber roster.

Arenado is also a native of Southern California and would be enjoying a homecoming of sorts.

On The Cardinals' side, they would be receiving a solid young pitcher in Stone, one who has several years of team control left. He could bolster their rotation, especially if they part ways with Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson, both of whom are on one-year deals.

Outman would help add some outfield depth and give them the flexibility to move Jordan Walker or Tommy Edman to third base to replace Arenado. Even with Arenado gone, the Cardinals do have options at the third base position.

Muncy would also bolster their lineup, giving them a veteran presence and somebody who could split designated hitter duties with Alec Burleson and Matt Carpenter. He could also play some first base if Paul Goldschmidt continues to struggle and his trade value tanks.

This deal would set the Dodgers up to contend for a World Series title, while also position the Cardinals to have a quick rebuild and potentially even bounce back into contention by 2025.

Though there's still a lot of time left until the trade deadline, it would be smart for the Dodgers to try and pry Arenado away from St. Louis, while also giving him a chance to play for a winner. It would also be wise for the Cardinals to try and maximize their return for the slugger and set themselves up for the future, building around their young stars such as Walker, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan.

If the Cardinals want a major haul in return, the Dodgers are the perfect team that they could turn to in order to hit the reset button and begin work on the next great Cardinals team, which will certainly look much different than the current edition of the roster.

The Dodgers have a 5.5 game lead in the NL West over the second-place San Diego Padres. They own the second-best record in the National League behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are once again in the basement of the NL Central, owning a record of 16-24, which is the third-worst in the National League. The team is also already eight games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Even after snapping their seven-game losing skid with a win on Sunday, it doesn't look as though the 11-time World Series champions are going to be climbing back into contention in 2024.