5 most untouchable players on the St. Louis Cardinals in trade talks

The St. Louis Cardinals have arguably some of the best assets in all of baseball. Who are the top five untouchable players in the organization?

July 4 often signifies the time of year what the hot stove cranks up a few notches for teams around Major League Baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals are arguably one of the best positioned teams in terms of assets in all of baseball, with a great mix of superstar level talent, elite young big leaguers, and top level prospects. This makes for a very interesting question…

Who are the most untouchable Cardinals in the organization?

There are two major reasons the Cardinals have been able to accumulate so many elite assets. First, their player development system continues to be one of the best in the game, churning out elite prospects as well as lower level prospects who become household names.

The other reason the club has held onto so much talent is they are patient when making moves, typically acquiring high level talent at a discounted price. The team rarely has come out losers in trades, especially the last few seasons.

St. Louis is in an interesting spot as teams approach the 2022 trade deadline. The team has clear needs in the starting rotation and bullpen if they want to compete for a World Series title, but the market does not appear to have a ton of elite level arms that would be available. This leaves the club in a tough spot. Do they overpay for a higher level arm that won’t quite be one of the best in the game? Or do they settle for a lower tier player and hold onto their own elite talent and prospects?

Sometimes lists like these can appear simple, but these rankings are not simply just the five best players on the Cardinals. Questions of team control, salary, and potential begin to play a major role in who can be seen as the most untouchable assets in any given organization.

While many could have gone on this list, honorable mentions for this list include Dylan Carlson, Brendan Donovan, Tyler O’Neill, Maysn Winn, and Ryan Helsley. Here are the five most untouchable Cardinals players as of today.

No. 4: Nolan Gorman

This may be a bit controversial considering the meteoric rise of Tommy Edman in 2022, but the ceiling that Nolan Gorman has in his game makes him a more untouchable asset for St. Louis.

After slugging 15 HR in just 34 games of action for the Memphis Redbirds, Gorman received his big league call up and continues to flash signs of plus power from the second base position. In 38 games for St. Louis, Gorman is hitting .248/.319/.456 with 7 HR and18 RBI while fighting to improve his strikeout rate.

While there are some games where Gorman still looks very inexperienced at the plate, every Cardinals fan already knows that it just takes one swing for Gorman to change a ballgame. His ability to do damage as a rookie is something that cannot be downplayed, even as he seeks to improve the holes in his game.

The appeal of Gorman has always been the power, and if he continues to adjust to Major League pitching, he can be a 30-40 HR a year guy from the second base position, which is a huge advantage to have in this league. A popular comparison for Nolan Gorman has been a better version of Dodgers slugger Max Muncy, and if he becomes that, he is easily one of the top hitters in baseball.

Being just a rookie, the Cardinals have at least six years of team control for the young slugger. It would take a superstar in return for the Cardinals to consider parting ways with their star rookie.

No. 3: Nolan Arenado

It’s hard to believe that someone who is currently an MVP candidate would be the third most untouchable player in the Cardinals organization, but Nolan Arenado’s impending contract decision will player a major role in his value for the ballclub.

Arenado is hitting .290/.352/.539 with 17 HR and 55 RBI while continuing his Gold Glove level defense in 2022. After winning NL Player of the Month in April, Arenado slowed down a bit, but has begun to go on another hot streak as of late for St. Louis.

The 31 year old’s MVP like season has caused many around the league to speculate if he will opt out of the 6 years, $179 million remaining on his contract to grab a higher number on the open market. While it would still be likely that the Cardinals would be the team to sign him at the higher number, the club could be looking at a deal in the 7 year, $245 million dollar range. That is a large price tag to pay for a player on the wrong side of 30.

No one should expect regression from Arenado any time soon, the slugger already has gotten back to his elite performances that fans were used to seeing when he played in Colorado. The issue, when talking about untouchable assets, is what version of Arenado the Cardinals will have in 2025 and beyond. Will Arenado perform at the level to justify making $30-35 million a year in his mid-late 30s?

If it wasn’t for being on the same team as the current MVP favorite in the NL and perhaps one of the most exciting prospects in all of baseball, Arenado would easily be the most untouchable player on St. Louis. His ranking at #3 has much more to say about the level of assets the Cardinals currently have than it does anything negative about Arenado.

No. 2: Jordan Walker

The No. 23 ranked prospect in baseball and quickly rising up the rankings, Jordan Walker is among the most untouchable assets in all of baseball.

After being drafted in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the 20 year old third baseman has done nothing but mash in his professional career to this point. Walker had the frame and raw talent of a number one pick, but concerns about his bat translating to the pros were too large and he fell to St. Louis at pick 21.

Walker has already made it to AA at such a young age and is eating up the pitching in Springfield. He is currently slashing .309/.403/.500 with 7 HR and 15 SB and looks like he could big big league ready in the next year or two.

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Assuming Walker keeps up his play this season, he will likely find himself in the top 10 prospects in all of baseball and pushing for the #1 spot. Few players in the league have a 6’5 frame that boasts both elite power and great athleticism that can translate to the corner infield or corner outfield spots in the majors.

It is rare to find a 20 year old with the tools and production that Walker has put forward so far. The only way Walker is not a cornerstone for the Cardinals for years to come is if he is traded in a package for an MVP level player, and even then, the Cardinals would strongly need to weigh whether that makes sense for their long term plans.

No. 1: Paul Goldschmidt

The clear-cut National League MVP so far, Paul Goldschmidt has to be the most untouchable player for St. Louis.

Tied for the WAR lead in all of baseball at 4.4, Goldschmidt is setting the league on fire, hitting .341/.423/.625 with 19 HR and 65 RBI. Goldschmidt leads all of baseball in OBP and OPS+, and the National League in runs, hits, average, slugging, and total bases. Goldschmidt is arguably the most feared hitter in all of baseball at this moment.

Goldschmidt is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career and has proven that his age cannot deter him from mashing baseballs. Goldschmidt remains one of the best defensive first baseman at age 34, and with the addition of the DH in the National League, he will be able to be an extremely valuable player, even if his range begins to give way.

On top of his MVP run in 2022, Goldschmidt is still under contract at a bargain price the next two seasons, making $22 million per year. Ken Rosenthal recently detailed how deep his impact goes for the Cardinal organization for The Athletic.

If teams were to call St. Louis about Goldschmidt’s availability, the only question to wonder is how many seconds it would take for the phone to be hung up. Goldschmidt is the best player the Cardinals have had since prime Albert Pujols, and the club will look to hold onto him as long as they can.