Re-tooling the St. Louis Cardinals Roster for 2020

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 23: General manager John Mozeliak on the field before Game One of the 2013 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 23, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 23: General manager John Mozeliak on the field before Game One of the 2013 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on October 23, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next
St. Louis Cardinals
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – MAY 17: Pitching coach Mike Maddux of the St. Louis Cardinals at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 17, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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.