5 wild trades the St. Louis Cardinals should consider to accelerate their reset

The St. Louis Cardinals have no excuse not to explore every avenue to improve their ball club this offseason, even in what they are calling a "reset" year ahead of them.

No, they don't need to make any "all-in" moves or sacrifice their future for some win-now acquisitions, but they should leave no stone unturned when it comes to turning some of the value they have on their roster into pieces that could help them contend moving forward.

Craig Breslow, the Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer, hit the nail on the head when accessing his own roster this offseason, saying their club needs to figure out if their young position players have more value with Boston or in a trade somewhere else. The Cardinals have a lot of pieces right now that could be a part of their future, but could also be used to go out and get other pieces for the ball club.

I wanted to look at five different deals that I could see the Cardinals considering that may actually make the roster better, even while parting with valuable talent. None of the players I've placed in these deals need to be traded by St. Louis, but they also should not be opposed to moving them if the right deal presents itself. I'm not necessarily advocating for each of these ideas, but I did want to present how they could make sense for St. Louis and their new timeline of a reset in 2025 and getting back to business in 2026 and beyond.

Here are five deals the St. Louis Cardinals could consider in order to accelerate their retool this offseason

It feels like the last three offseasons, the Cardinals and Marlins have been rumored trade partners with the needs they both had. The Marlins have been searching for middle-of-the-order bats for years now, especially ones with power. They were able to bring in Luiz Arraez for Pablo Lopez two offseasons ago, and while that was a strong addition, they haven't been able to acquire a thumper for their lineup.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have been lacking top-of-the-rotation starters for some time as well. They finally spent some money on Sonny Gray to fill one of those voids, but they have failed to pair him with a second dynamic arm to headline their rotation.

In this scenario, both the Marlins and the Cardinals take risks by giving up two players with high ceilings, but both are coming off really dissapointing seasons and could see their value tank if they cannot rebound in 2025.

Jesus Luzardo was one of the breakout starting pitchers of the 2023 season, posting a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for Miami. Luzardo struck out 28.1% of the batters he faced, which was among the best in baseball. His chase% and whiff% were exceptional as well, and he did a really good job of limiting walks as well. His mid to upper 90s fastball and really nasty slider and changeup allowed the lefty to keep hitters off balance consistently. 2024 did not go as planned for Luzardo as he made just 12 starts and really struggled on the mound as he battled injuries.

Nolan Gorman slugged 27 home runs for the Cardinals in 119 games in 2023, posting a 118 wRC+ in the process. In 2024, he struck out at a 37.6% clip, which was a historically bad rate and he saw his average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage all tank because of it.

The Marlins have plenty of other arms they can lean on, and the Cardinals have a logjam of infielders. While Gorman has two more years of control, pitching seems to be hard to trade for, so a one-for-one swap here seems to make sense for both sides. It would be a tough pill to swallow for both, but may be a gamble worth taking.

The Cardinals get a true middle-of-the-order bat

The last time the Cardinals were in a retool situation, they acquired one of the best sluggers in the game from Oakland, Mark McGwire.

I've found it really interesting that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold (subscription required) was checking in to see what a Brent Rooker trade would look like for the Cardinals prior to their public declaration of a reset. Even so, Goold alluded to Gorman being a piece that would make sense for Oakland.

Rooker, despite turning 30 a few weeks ago, does not hit free agency until 2028 and is coming off back-to-back seasons elite seasons at the plate. In 2023, Rooker slashed .246/.329/.488 with 30 home runs and a 126 wRC+. He then followed that up with a .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs and 112 RBI with a 164 wRC+. Rooker's bat is game-changing and even without playing in the outfield, he was a 5.1 fWAR player.

Rooker being a primary designated hitter makes him an odd trade candidate. With the situation Oakland is in, Rooker is unlikely to be a part of their next contending team, and being able to flip him into multiple intriguing pieces would be beneficial for their long-term future.

I put Gorman in this deal and paired him with Alec Burleson, giving the Athletics two intriguing young bats with different profiles from the left side. Burleson is the high-contact hitter who brings above-average power while Gorman is the elite power and on-base guy. If the Cardinals bring in a guy like Rooker, fitting Gorman and Burleson into their lineup becomes much more difficult, but Oakland would have plenty of opportunities for them.

Tekoah Roby comes in as the third piece of this puzzle, giving Oakland a high-upside arm that also comes with a lot of risk due to the arm injuries he's had so far in his career. The Cardinals possessing Quinn Matthews, Tink Hence, Andre Pallante, Cooper Hjerpe, Michael McGreevy, and other intriguing young arms making parting with Roby less daunting.

A lineup featuring Rooker, Contreras, Nootbaar, Donovan, Winn, Herrera, and Walker has the potential to be a really dynamic group and would be under control for a long time. Losing Gorman and Burleson would hurt, but consolidating them into a truly elite bat who excels with runners in scoring position could vault their lineup from bottom third in baseball up to the middle of the pack or better immediately. That's a risk that may be worth taking.

With Thomas Saggese in St. Louis now and the likes of JJ Wetherholt and Chase Davis on the way, it makes sense to combine some of these young bats and flip them into a bigger fish.

The Yankees reload for another World Series run, and the Cardinals' revamp their pitching

I'm going to be honest, I am very much against the idea of trading Brendan Donovan or Lars Nootbaar this offseason. Even so, neither should be seen as "untouchable", and while any deal would be painful to move them in, like the Mariners deal above, the opportunity for St. Louis to get young pitching here could be worth pulling the trigger.

It is obvious that the New York Yankees are going to need to be aggressive this offseason in going after a World Series in 2025. After falling four games to one in the Fall Classic to the Los Angeles Dodgers this past year, it's clear that the Yankees not only have to find a way to bring back Juan Soto, but they also need to improve the roster further if they want to get over the hump.

Not only is Soto a free agent, but the Yankees have to find a way to bring back or replace 2B Glebyer Torres, RP Clay Holmes, 1B Anthony Rizzo, OF Alex Verdugo, RP Tommy Kahnle, RP Lou Trivino, RP Tim Hill, and RP Jonathan Loaisiga. They won't be able to do all of that through free agency and handing out big contracts, so replenishing their bullpen and adding reinforcements to the lineup will take creative trades as well.

The Yankees have long been interested in Donovan, whose on-base skills and versatility would be a major asset to their lineup. Third base would be the clear spot for Donovan to slot in, but he'd also provide the Yankees with flexibility all over the field as needed. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is top 15 in all of baseball in on-base percentage since debuting in 2022, and Donovan's 115 wRC+ would have been fourth on the Yankees' last year. Getting that kind of production from a player with three years of team control remaining would be huge for their books.

While Luke Weaver emerged as an important bullpen piece for the Yankees last year, losing Holmes, Hill, Kahnle, Trivino, and Loaisiga all at once will have a major impact on their relief core. While they still have Weaver, Mark Leiter Jr., Jake Cousins, and others, it would make a lot of sense for the Yankees' to bring in an arm like Helsley to shut down ballgames, especially since his salary would be smaller than going after a lesser arm on the open market.

While I played with the idea of the Cardinals getting a return centered around Jasson Dominguez (and that would be an awesome haul to prioritize), I could see the Yankees parting ways with one of Luis Gil or Clarke Schmidt to make a deal like this happen, along with throwing in some intriguing prospects to secure the services of both Donovan and Helsley.

In this scenario, I have the Cardinals snagging Gil, who is coming off a 29-start season where he posted a 3.50 ERA over 151.2 innings, striking out 26.8% of the batters he faced. He's just 26 years old and won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season, giving the Cardinals a mid-rotation arm with control that may end up being even more than that as he continues to develop.

Gil is not enough to get both Donovan and Helsley, though. To swoon the Cardinals into making such a deal, the Yankees would also be throwing in two intriguing prospects. Chase Hampton is the Yankees' number six prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and though he missed a large chunk of the 2024 season, he still has the upside of a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Between High-A and Double-A in 2023, Hampton struck out 147 batters in just 106 innings. The elbow issues are concerning for sure, but he has the kind of upside that is worth betting on.

Same with Brando Mayea, a 19-year-old in rookie ball with eye-popping tools that could vault him up prospect lists as he develops. He has plus defense and plus-plus speed in center field to go with an average hit took and the potential to develop average or better power as well. The combination of Gil, Hampton, and Mayea may be enough to convince the Cardinals to let go of their two highly prized assets.

The Cardinals take a chance on someone they should have signed years ago

Back in 2017, the Cardinals were in hot pursuit of a top international prospect named Luis Robert Jr. They made a strong offer and were in on his market till the very end, but ended up losing out to the White Sox. While Robert would have been a huge asset to the club in recent years, the Cardinals could take a gamble and bring him to St. Louis this offseason.

Robert has had an up-and-down career for the White Sox thus far. In 2021, he posted a 155 wRC+ in 68 games, showing just how valuable of a player he could be when healthy. He struggled to stay healthy again in 2022 but posted a 111 wRC+, but really put together his best all-around season in 2023 when he played in 145 games with a 128 wRC+. He's an above-average defender in center field, and when the bat plays, he is one of the most exciting players in baseball.

2024 was a disaster for Robert though, much like the whole White Sox experience. He played in just 100 games and posted an 84 wRC+ at the plate with negative defensive metrics. I'd imagine that he'll be motivated by a move to a different club, but the injury concerns are something that makes him a risk for any club acquiring Robert.

That, paired with a $15 million price tag in 2025, means if he cannot rebound, he'll be a pretty major negative for the club acquiring him. Robert does have two club options for 2026 and 2027, both at $20 million. Again, that is a bargain for the kind of production he can provide in center field, but it's really bad money on the books if he looks more like his 2024 self or is constantly hurt.

Center field is easily the position the Cardinals could stand the most to upgrade at, especially adding a right-handed bat. Robert could be worth the risk for the club, but it will cost them something to make it happen.

I wonder if that package could look like Alec Burleson and Gordon Graceffo. The White Sox could swap out Robert for a young bat with a ton of team control as they embark on this long rebuild, and Burleson could be a part of their next contending core. While his second half in 2024 was quite disappointing, he did put up a 125 wRC+ in the first half, and if he can figure out how to do that over the course of a season, that's an extremely valuable piece to have.

With the Cardinals moving Contreras to first base and having plenty of corner outfield and DH options, Burleson may be someone they can part with in order to upgrade a weaker position on their roster like center field.

Graceffo is still an intriguing prospect but is likely a back-of-the-rotation starter at best, with a future as a bullpen arm very much in the cards. Sending him to Chicago alongside Burleson would be painful, but I think the potential reward here could be worth the risk.

Giving up this much control for Robert's expensive contract could come back to bite them. If St. Louis can see a future where Robert locks down center field for them though, I think it's worth exploring.