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

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 14: Harrison Bader #48, Harrison Bader #47, and Tommy Edman #19 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in game two of a doubleheader at Miller Park on September 14, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 14: Harrison Bader #48, Harrison Bader #47, and Tommy Edman #19 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in game two of a doubleheader at Miller Park on September 14, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
ST. LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 31: John Gant #53 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on August 31, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals defeated the Reds 3-2. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) /

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.