Cardinals monster lineup if they hadn’t traded Adolis Garcia and Randy Arozarena.
The Cardinals have fallen from grace in recent years thanks to some poorly executed trades. Here's what their lineup could have looked like if these trades hadn't been made.
By Curt Bishop
The decline of the St. Louis Cardinals has been quite shocking. Over the past 10 seasons, they have gone from being one of baseball's most respected organizations to a laughingstock and shining example of how not to run a baseball team.
While fans were hoping 2023 was an anomaly, that season is looking more like the new normal for the Cardinals, who are 10-14 after 24 games and appear to be headed for another rocky campaign.
There are a number of reasons why the team has declined, but two trades in particular stand out.
The team foolishly traded away Adolis Garcia and Randy Arozarena. While they finally appear to have at least gotten something out of the Arozarena trade thanks to Matthew Liberatore's emergence in the bullpen, the Garcia trade got them nothing but cash considerations.
Here is what their lineup might look like if they hadn't made these trades, or at the very least chosen other players to trade.
What Cardinals' lineup would look like with Garcia and Arozarena
It's obvious that the Cardinals would be a much different team had these trades not been made, and likely for the better. While it may not have stopped their pitching from declining in 2023, the lineup would be quite powerful.
The reason these deals were made was that they had a glut of outfielders and needed to clear some space. Unfortunately, they didn't get much out of these deals.
They still would have had to trade some outfielders regardless, but it would have made a million times more sense to trade away pieces like Dylan Carlson, Harrison Bader, and Tyler O'Neill before letting go of Garcia and Arozarena. Here is a look at what the lineup could look like
Player | Position |
|---|---|
1. Brendan Donovan | DH |
2. Randy Arozarena | LF |
3. Adolis Garcia | RF |
4. Nolan Arenado | 3B |
5. Paul Goldschmidt | 1B |
6. Willson Contreras | C |
7. Nolan Gorman | 2B |
8. Masyn Winn | SS |
9. Tommy Edman | CF |
As you can see, this would be a very powerful lineup. Of course, Jordan Walker could be included here, but he was recently sent down to Triple-A Memphis. Not making these trades would have forced the Cardinals to make some tough decisions, but they could have used pieces such as Walker to acquire top-level starters such as Dylan Cease.
The offense would be in a much better place, as would the pitching staff, and the Cardinals could truly be a World Series contender, much like the Houston Astros have been for the past decade.
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