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

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.