St. Louis Cardinals: Cards who could be traded in the off-season.

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 7: First base coach Oliver Marmol #37 of the St. Louis Cardinals playfully tugs on the beard of Jose Martinez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 7: First base coach Oliver Marmol #37 of the St. Louis Cardinals playfully tugs on the beard of Jose Martinez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 7, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 6: Dexter Fowler #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals returns to the dugout after a rain delay was called in the third inning during the game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium on May 6, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Several St. Louis Cardinals on the current roster could be traded during this offseason.  Some may surprise you, others may not, and some may be your favorite Cardinal.

Dexter Fowler

First, let’s get this one over with… Dexter Fowler is not going anywhere.  Fowler has three years left on 5-year, $82.5 million contract.  No one is bailing the St. Louis Cardinals out of this deal this off-season and the Cards are not going to eat the rest of this contract.

The best hope for the Cardinals, in my opinion, is to let Fowler rehab over the winter and bring him back for Spring Training.  Hopefully, winter work with the St. Louis Cardinals’ hitting coaches will help Fowler rediscover his bat.  If he does, then maybe the Cards can trade him during the 2019 season and at least get some return for him.

Another reason to keep Fowler would be insurance in case of ‘sophomore slumps’ by Harrison Bader and Tyler O’Neil.  This is a real possibility considering what happened to Tommy Pham and Aledmys Diaz in the past.

It’s hard to believe that the 32-year-old Dexter Fowler will continue to hit below .200 instead of his career average of .262 next year.  Fowler may just need a strong spring training in order to turn around his career next year.  A strong start to 2019 could make Fowler more valuable in the trade market.

I had to get that one off my chest.  Let’s move on.