Cardinals: 3 insider insights as St. Louis approach the Winter Meetings

Oct 4, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a single during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a single during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dylan Carlson #3, Tyler O’Neill #27 and Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 at Great American Ball Park on July 23, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Bacho/Getty Images)
Dylan Carlson #3, Tyler O’Neill #27 and Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 at Great American Ball Park on July 23, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Bacho/Getty Images) /

Shake-up coming in the St. Louis outfield

In the Cardinals pursuit of an every-day catcher, it appears that their abundance of outfield options may be one of the clearest paths toward pulling off one of those trades, meaning a shake-up is likely coming once again for the Cardinals starting trio.

Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson continue to be the two names most likely to be dealt, as their names are consistently mentioned by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi as candidates for trade this off-season. Derrick Goold just put out a piece on the Cardinals’ plans for Tyler O’Neill next season, indicating he will be a major part of their roster next season.

Even if Nootbaar or Carlson are not dealt, with the impending debut of Jordan Walker, as well as  MLB-ready Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez already making their debuts, the Cardinals will certainly use at least one, and possibly even more, of those names to acquire not only their new catcher, but other potential moves on the roster.

To put icing on the cake, it seems like the Cardinals are still considering external options in the outfield as well, further indicating they are content dealing from their current crop. Cody Bellinger is working out with Cardinals bench coach Matt Holliday, and Jeff Jones even speculated a name like Cedric Mullins could be a trade target for St. Louis.