3 Cardinals who could get traded before the end of spring training

Spring training has officially kicked off for the St. Louis Cardinals following the pitchers and catchers report date of February 12th. Videos and pictures of players putting in work have already filled up the social media sphere, and excitement is beginning to slowly rise for fans of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The offseason hasn't gone as anticipated. Rather than picking a direction, John Mozeliak and the Cardinals have instead opted to float somewhere in the middle and neither trade any intriguing pieces nor acquire any meaningful players. Therefore, the roster remains largely unchanged from 2024.

This leaves several veterans with guaranteed spots on the roster heading into spring training. However, if the Cardinals want to lean into this supposed "reset", they may want to consider trading away these players for a decent prospect return.

Additionally, injuries pop up in spring training quite often. If the Cardinals can avoid this injury bug while other teams experience it, St. Louis could jump on a hot market and trade from their depth. Regardless, there's a high chance that the roster we see entering spring training won't be the same one we see on opening day.

Trades during spring training aren't common, but they aren't unheard of either. Players like Jason Hammel, Nyjer Morgan, A.J. Burnett, Mookie Betts, Alex Rodriguez, and even Roger Clemens have been traded in and around baseball's annual spring circuit. Seeing someone like Nolan Arenado moved in February isn't unheard of either.

These three St. Louis Cardinals have a chance of being traded before spring training is over.

3B Nolan Arenado

The Pope is Catholic, and bears poop in woods.

A trade of Nolan Arenado has felt as inevitable as Thanos was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, at least until the Alex Bregman signing last night. John Mozeliak has made it a point all offseason that trading Nado is his top priority, and that hasn't changed going into spring training. But Bregman to the Red Sox could make that a lot more difficult.

The primary domino that needed to fall for an Arenado deal wasn't an injury or an outstanding performance from a teammate, rather, it was Bregman. The former Astros third baseman ended up signing with the team who had the best odds of trading for Arenado, making the path toward a deal for St. Louis far more difficult.

Recent reports have linked Nolan Arenado to the aforementioned Red Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but there are two other teams on the list according to John Mozeliak. Any one of those teams would benefit from adding a 10-time Gold Glove winner to their roster. The Cardinals would have to include a decent chunk of change to expedite a deal.

It will be a shame to see a player of Nolan Arenado's caliber go. Despite a lack of postseason success during his four years in St. Louis, Arenado has been exciting to watch. His highlight-reel plays and his awesome power stroke have been sights to see since 2021, and being able to watch a future Hall of Famer have a career year with your team doesn't happen often.

Trading Nolan Arenado clears up payroll and opens up time for young players like Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and possibly even Thomas Saggese. Both of those freedoms have been stated goals of ownership and the front office this offseason.

Arenado's status as a Cardinal is still very much up in the air.

LHP Steven Matz

Heading into spring training, Steven Matz will find himself embroiled in a battle for the final rotation spot with young prospect Michael McGreevy. Coming out of spring, Matz may find himself either relegated to the bullpen or with another team altogether.

Trading anyone not named Nolan Arenado was placed on the backburner early this offseason for the Cardinals. Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras made it clear early on that they wanted to stay with the Cardinals. John Mozeliak made it adamantly clear that he wants to keep Ryan Helsley on the roster in 2025.

Steven Matz is another player who had some trade interest that has dissipated ever since.

Matz is owed $12.5 million in 2025 as he enters the final year of his four-year, $44 million deal that he signed in the 2021-2022 offseason. While that price tag may seem high, it's manageable when looking at free-agent contracts given to players like Matthew Boyd this offseason. Matz still has value, particularly as a swingman, to many contending teams.

He's struggled to be healthy during his time with the Cardinals, but his career 2.97 ERA as a reliever holds value. Matz walks batters at a lower rate as a reliever, and batters have significantly worse hitting stats across the board when facing him just once in a game. He can pitch multiple innings in relief, and he adds depth to contending teams' collection of pitchers.

If a team like the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, or Texas Rangers have pitchers go down with injuries during spring training, they may reach out to the Cardinals to strike a deal for the veteran southpaw.

Matz won't fetch much in return, perhaps a low-end prospect from a team's farm system. However, trading him opens up the fifth rotation spot for a guy like Michael McGreevy. Other Triple-A starters including Gordon Graceffo, Sem Robberse, Quinn Mathews, or Zack Thompson could also snag the final rotation spot.

Watch for Matz's name to pop up in rumor mills as spring training heats up. He won't be the best trade candidate on the market, and he, too, comes with injury concerns, but he holds value in a certain role for teams.

RHP Erick Fedde

When the Cardinals traded for Erick Fedde at last year's trade deadline, the goal was to get a pitcher the team could pair with Sonny Gray at the top of the rotation for a playoff push. Fedde seemed to fit the bill.

Up to that point in the 2024 season, Fedde had a 3.11 ERA in 121.2 innings with the Chicago White Sox. His return from the Korean Baseball Organization had gone swimmingly, and he established himself as a top-of-the-rotation arm in just a few short months.

Fedde's time with St. Louis wasn't as successful as it was with the White Sox. He finished with a 3.72 ERA in 55.2 innings, and his strikeout rate dropped slightly. Fedde's September featured him having a 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings with 17 strikeouts. A strong finish to 2024 could continue into 2025.

Fedde has been an intriguing starting pitching option this offseason in the trade market. He's owed only $7.5 million next year, and he far outpaces other free agents who have signed for significantly more money. It's not a guarantee that Erick Fedde will replicate his successes from 2024, but he still stands to be a solid mid-rotation starting pitcher in 2025.

Similar to Steven Matz, if pitchers on other teams experience injuries, Erick Fedde would be a more than suitable replacement for most clubs.

Trading Erick Fedde would actually net the Cardinals a decent return of prospects. After all, it took an injured Tommy Edman to land him in the first place. Expect a prospect or two around the organization's 8-12 spots, depending on the farm system.

If the Cardinals opt to keep Erick Fedde coming out of spring training, they'll boast a decent top-two in their rotation for next year. Last year, the Cardinals were one of just eight teams to have two pitchers finish in the top 25 of all pitchers in fWAR last year with both Sonny Gray and Fedde falling in that bunch. Keeping both and hoping for continued development from Andre Pallante will give the Cardinals a solid top-three in their rotation.

They could also explore trading him at the deadline once again if the Cardinals are out of contention. Pitchers are always at a premium at the deadline, and Fedde's price could go up at that point despite him being a free agent at the end of the year.