3 nightmare scenarios for Cardinals at this year's MLB Trade Deadline

Nightmare #2 - The Cardinals go after a starter who is not an upgrade over any of their current arms

The Cardinals rotation is currently filled with one front-line starter (Sonny Gray), one middle-of-the-rotation starter (Kyle Gibson), and three back-of-the-rotation starters (Andre Pallante, Miles Mikolas, and Lance Lynn). If the Cardinals acquire another back-end of the rotation type of guy as the only starter they acquire, it would be an awful move in my opinion.

First, the Cardinals need another front end of the rotation name, not another innings eater or quality starts guru. They need a guy who can go toe-to-toe with some of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch and in the postseason. I'm looking at names like Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Flaherty, Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Erick Fedde, and Chris Bassit for that range.

Second, Andre Pallante would be the name that most likely booted from the rotation, and he has been their best starter since joining the rotation. Adding a name like Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Tyler Anderson, or whatever back-end arm they could acquire would be a lateral move at best.

I don't hate the idea of grabbing a front-end guy and another back-end arm as insurance, but if they are just going to acquire a back-end starter, I'd rather them not acquire one at all. If they are going to play cheap with starting pitching, then just focus on upgrading the bullpen and grabbing a right-handed bat instead. A back-end of the rotation arm does not move the needle for this club, but strengthening the bullpen further and adding a bat would.

The Cardinals have been consistently linked to names in both categories, so it will be interesting to see what they pull off. But if they plan on going after the low-hanging fruit, just save us the nightmare and don't.

Nightmare #3 - The Cardinals sell low on Jordan Walker

Jordan Walker should not be untouchable.

But the Cardinals also should not move him for anything less than a blockbuster return. And even then, they better be sure they are making the right call.

Walker has lost a lot of his shine as an asset, but I still believe in the talent he has and the potential to be a game-changer for this club. But at the same time, if they are able to bring in the combo of Mason Miller and Brent Rooker, swing big for an ace like Tarik Skubal, or some unforeseen blockbuster move, then he has to be in play.

Things could not have gone worse for Walker so far in 2024, and it has been wildly disappointing, to say the least. Just a year after being one of the youngest players in all of Major League Baseball and producing at a high level, Walker looks lost in Memphis, and I doubt we see him back in St. Louis until 2025.

Even so, Walker is still just 22 years old, younger than most players he is facing at the Triple-A level, and still has all of the tools to become a major threat for a long time. His struggles cannot be ignored, but it is also probably an overreaction to sell all of your Walker stock. Just look at guys like Corbin Carroll and Julio Rodriguez who are struggling right now as well. Player development is not as linear as we would like it to be.

Thankfully, I don't foresee a deal being on the table for St. Louis that they would actually consider selling low on Walker. There is no way they trade Walker for a low-ceiling starter or rental player, so I feel pretty confident they won't be making this mistake.

Still, it's a nightmare scenario that is at least in the realm of possibilities.