St. Louis Cardinals: Four darkhorse candidates to be traded this winter

Tommy Edman

I don’t think this happens, but don’t be shocked if it does. As much as the Cardinals value his versatility, speed, and defense, there is a surprising amount of middle-infield depth in the organization. Especially if the Cardinals re-sign Brad Miller and extend Kolten Wong, Edman’s value becomes a surplus.

After his fantastic rookie season, Edman had a bit of a sophomore slump. In fact, not a single stat of his increased over the shortened 60-game year. Batting average, on-base, slugging percentage– somehow Edman walked the same amount of times as in 2019 (16 walks) but he was a lot less effective at the plate in every other regard.

There might be some worry of selling low on Edman, but I think most teams will still jump at the chance to acquire a 25-year old who can play five positions and run like the wind. You take a risk giving up that talent, but the Cardinals could get quite a lot for him.

Rebuilding teams tend to follow the blueprint of whatever team won the year before. As we see with the Dodgers and Rays in the World Series, lineup depth and flexibility are huge parts of a championship team. The Cardinals are known for producing that sort of ultra-utility player, and as they look to improve in other areas, dealing Edman from a position of strength would be quite the move.

John Gant

If there is one thing the Cardinals have in spades this coming season, it is bullpen depth. John Brebbia and Jordan Hicks are coming back from injury, and every other key piece from last year’s team remains. There might be some questions about consistency, especially among the younger guys, but this is the one facet of the 2021 Cardinals that is the most locked-in.

John Gant would be a key part of the pen. However, he is also arbitration-eligible, 28 years old, and coming off a year where he dealt with a lot of minor injuries. For a team with an abundance of young arms, this is the kind of player that might be shuffled out.

Gant has more trade value than you might think because of his ability to start. With every team believing they will unlock the next Charlie Morton through spin rates and analytics, I can see someone overpaying for Gant this offseason. If he stays a Cardinal, he will provide great value. If he is traded, however, I think the other bullpen depth will be able to cover for him nicely.

Jake Woodford

Jake Woodford is a very interesting player. Just last season, Woodford was the 13th prospect in the Cardinal organization. He was the 39th overall pick by the team in 2015 and has advanced steadily through the minor leagues. He gave up 13 runs in 21 innings out of the bullpen last season, but he continued to show a lot of promise and potential.

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Why trade a player like this? It seems exactly like the pitching version of a fellow named Randy Arozarena (I maintain that it is too early to judge this deal. In Matthew Liberatore we trust). Well, the reason is that there is unfortunately no spot for Jake Woodford on this team.

He is blocked in the current rotation by Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, KK, Daniel Ponce de Leon, and Austin Gomber. Alex Reyes, Genesis Cabrera, and even Ryan Helsley would probably get shots before him, as well. And in the future rotation, you have Matthew Liberatore, Zack Thompson, and many, many more– not to mention Dakota Hudson who comes back in 2022.

Woodford’s spot on this Cardinal team would be as a long reliever, and simply put he looks better than that. If teams come calling about trading for one of the talented young Cardinal pitching prospects, Woodford would be the one sent first. He is a young player with potential, and hopefully that could be flipped for good value.

Delvin Perez

What a strange few years it has been for Delvin Perez. Falling in the 2016 draft due to questions about PEDs, it looked like the Cardinals had stolen a top-level talent. While Perez is still only 21-years old, that evaluation is looking less likely.

Perez has fallen out of practically all the top prospect rankings. He has remained in the lower-levels of the minor leagues, and has struggled to hit at each one. While the Cardinals would love to give him more time to develop, unfortunately Perez is now eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Top catching prospect Ivan Herrera, top pitching prospect Angel Rondon, and upper-level middle-infielders Evan Mendoza and Kramer Robertson are just a few of the players the Cardinals need to protect from the Rule 5 draft this season. Unless the Cardinals make a lot of moves very quickly, it doesn’t look like there will be room on the 40-man roster for a light-hitting 21-year old at single-A.

The Cardinals might do nothing and just hope that no one selects Delvin Perez. There is still a chance that they trade some of the infielders ahead of him. Most likely, they will be forced to sell-low on Delvin and hope to acquire some talent in return. Maybe the change of scenery will help the talented young player produce, but time has run out on Delvin Perez being a key contributor on the St. Louis Cardinals.

This picture of Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Lane Thomas will not be taken in 2021, because the Cardinals will trade at least one of these three outfielders. There is no chance that they are traded alone, however, and that is why I’ve presented these darkhorse candidates.

It would hurt to lose any of these four players. But for the St. Louis Cardinals to get better they will have to give up something in return. No team is just going to take all the guys the Cardinals don’t want without also taking others.

Despite this, it’s still much more likely that other players are traded before the four on this list. An outfielder has to be moved, and the Cardinals have pitching depth envied by practically every organization. At least one deal will be reached, and it’s very possible it is for that one player you are thinking of.

I purposely left off players like Edmundo Sosa, Max Schrock, and Rangel Ravelo. While I have no idea how they fit into the plans for this team, I don’t know how much they are worth for the impact trade the Cardinals need.

What we need to remember this offseason is that besides Flaherty, Goldschmidt, and Carlson, very few players are off the table. Yes, the Cardinal front office is conservative– however, I believe that even they recognize this is no time to sit back.

It’s an exciting time to be a Cardinal fan. The team has a mixture of solid veterans and exciting young players. Maybe the Cardinals are only one or two pieces away from being the best squad in the league. A surprising performance, a solid trade or two, and you never know what 2021 could bring.

Who else should be on the trading block? Who should be off-limits? Most importantly, who should the Cardinals go after? The hot stove is just starting to heat up.