3 Cardinals rumors we hope are true, 1 we hope doesn't happen

There are a lot of rumors flying about the Cardinals before the trade deadline, some are good, others are not
Jul 29, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) looks on
Jul 29, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) looks on / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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We hope that the Cardinals are going to improve their 2024 rotation by trading away young bats

It's been a rumor on the table for quite some time now and for good reason. John Mozeliak himself has said the club clearly has not fixed their 2024 rotation yet, and that more trades are on the way.

Selling on players like Jack Flaherty or Paul DeJong will not fix their 2024 rotation. Packing players like Alec Burleson, Juan Yepez, and Tyler O'Neill likely won't cut it either. It's going to take at least one of the following names to pull off such a deal...

Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, Nolan Gorman, or Lars Nootbaar.

Yeah, it would be really painful. No, I don't want to see the Cardinals' young talent get dealt, but it needs to happen. Preferably, they'd find a way to package Edman with other valuable pieces to get that quality number two or three starter with control for 2024, but it'll likely take at least one of Donovan, Gorman, or Nootbaar as well.

No, they likely cannot acquire an ace at this deadline, but getting a number two or three with control would go a long way toward transforming this rotation. The Cardinals can go out and sign that ace, or possibly trade for one, in the offseason, but they need cost-controlled arms to make it happen.