3 needs for the St. Louis Cardinals during the Winter Meetings

It's beginning to look a lot like baseball.

Free agents are starting to sign, concrete rumors regarding Juan Soto, this winter's biggest fish, are beginning to surface, and trade whispers are growing ever stronger. What began as a dull offseason has slowly started to grow.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, the Winter Meetings will be imperative. The team isn't rebuilding; it's "resetting". John Mozeliak has been adamant that he intends on building a competitive team in 2024 -- albeit at a much lower price tag -- while keeping an eye on the future. Young players will be a focus, and some veterans will remain to provide leadership and consistent production.

The Winter Meetings is often a time of action in a largely inactive time in the baseball offseason. Team heads, player managers, reporters, bloggers, and prospective writers, analysts, and MLB fans will be in Dallas from December 9th through the 12th. This is the time where trades that were discussed at the general manager meetings nearly a month ago come to fruition. Big-name free agents could ink long-term deals, and other free agents will find a home for the foreseeable future.

The Cardinals must choose a path for 2025 for several players, most notably Nolan Arenado, Ryan Helsley, and Erick Fedde. The Cardinals must also look at the roster to find areas of improvement (the outfield and bullpen, probably).

With veterans like Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras having a strong desire to stay in St. Louis through at least 2025, the Cardinals have two leaders. Brendan Donovan, Masyn Winn, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker will be given every opportunity to show their worth in 2025. Role players like Ivan Herrera, Nolan Gorman, and Michael Siani will also be able to fight for starting spots.

Many eyes will be on the Cardinals in Dallas, as they have several potentially attractive players to be traded. They also happen to have several needs that can be filled at the annual Winter Meetings.

Need #1: Make at least one trade

Part of the club's stated reset is to restock the farm system. High-level prospects like Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and JJ Wetherholt are near-MLB ready. Behind them, talented youngsters like Chase Davis, Jimmy Crooks, and Tekoah Roby are inching their way up the prospect depth chart. However, it never hurts to have as many talented prospects as possible. They can be acquired via trade.

Players like Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, Erick Fedde, and most recently Steven Matz have all been rumored to be players of interest for other teams in the league. Any one of these players, particularly Helsley and Fedde, would net the Cardinals at least one valuable prospect. Even Nolan Arenado, given the right trade, could bring back a talented young player.

The free-agent starting pitching market has never been more expensive. The Cardinals have two cheap pitchers in Erick Fedde and Steven Matz who could be beneficial for other teams. John Mozeliak HAS to take advantage of this market.

Ryan Helsley, last year's best closer in the National League, is now apparently off the trade block, but he could bring back a potential top-100 prospect.

Nolan Arenado is coveted by many teams, and he could be moved during the Winter Meetings.

Regardless of who is traded, John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom need to trade one of these four veterans. It would provide salary relief, and any one of those players would bring a return that would help jumpstart this reset period for the organization.