A Cardinals-White Sox trade to bring former fan favorite back to St. Louis

For a large part of 2024 thus far, the St. Louis Cardinals were believed to be headed in the direction of selling -- as in trading away their expiring contracts and star players to enter a full-scale rebuild.

But they've since changed that narrative, completely flipping this season on its head and turning themselves around in the NL Central. As of June 2, St. Louis has caught up to the Cubs and are seven games back of the first-place Brewers.

Nobody wants to stay stagnant at the MLB trade deadline. You either sell or buy. Staying in the middle gets you killed. So, the idea changes for the Cardinals. Gone are the days of trading away stars. Instead, they must make moves for pieces that push them up the ladder of the NL Central.

Perhaps they could trade for an old friend in Tommy Pham.

A Cardinals-White Sox trade to bring Tommy Pham home for a playoff push

Pham began his career in St. Louis, spending his first 4.5 big league seasons there. Since then, he's become a journeyman, playing for seven teams in six seasons. But St. Louis could bring him home this year, back where it all started, to play a role in their outfield.

The Cardinals outfield is young, but they've struggled. Lars Nootbar has been injured recently. Michael Siani and Dylan Carlson have both struggled. They need a veteran presence in the outfield.

A trade for Pham would certainly be relatively cheap. Pham is 36 and on an expiring deal, likely to take the most money he can get when he enters free agency in a few months. Sending a backend top 30 prospect like Zach Levenson and some cash to Chicago would get the deal done and it helps both sides.

Chicago doesn't need Pham. They could use some more prospect capital, especially by way of bat first outfielder like Levenson.

Levenson has shown true power potential in his limited time in professional baseball. He isn't the best defender in the outfield, but he tends to make up for it with his bat. There's no guarantee with a prospect like Levenson, but the bat potential is there.

As for the Cardinals, this would give them the veteran option they need in the outfield for a super cheap price. The risk is almost nothing, as if this doesn't work out, they keep all their top prospects and their outfield is filled with youth anyway. Worst-case scenario, Pham gets a homecoming that ends without a playoff push.