Re-tooling the St. Louis Cardinals Roster for 2020

We can all agree that the 2019 St. Louis Cardinals have failed expectations due to underperformance and poor roster construction. It is time for a re-tool, of sorts.

I am careful to use the word re-tool here instead of rebuild. Nobody wants to see a prolonged losing stretch like that of the Marlins come to the St. Louis Cardinals. Instead, I would like to take advantage of the current trade market while also keeping the team in a place to compete again as soon as next season.

The Yankees did a great job of doing this in the past, and now they find themselves built for the long haul. It is going to take a lot of roster churn, but should the Cardinals give up on 2019, there are a lot of options to turn current players into a talent for down the road.

To do this, I have come up with five separate trades to move on salary and a bit of roster gridlock. The concept is this: move veterans who still hold trade value to open spots for younger players.