3 players that could be waived if the Cardinals fall out of contention

1. Paul Goldschmidt

I think it's safe to say that in all likelihood, Paul Goldschmidt will not be back in 2025. He's on an expiring contract and he has not had a good season. Heading into the Brewers series, he had an average of .230 and an OPS of .681.

Still, there could be a team out there that needs an extra offensive piece. This would allow the Cardinals to finally give Luken Baker a look as they try to assess what they have in place for the future.

At this point, Goldschmidt is deadweight on the roster and is blocking other players within the system. It's clear that the Cardinals aren't going anywhere this season, and it doesn't make sense to hold onto an aging star that isn't adding any value. It's time to cut bait with Goldschmidt and turn the focus to 2025.

Perhaps the Mariners, who are struggling a bit could use a bat. They released Ty France earlier this season, so Goldschmidt could take over first base there.

2. Kyle Gibson

Early on, I was impressed with Kyle Gibson and his ability to eat innings and keep the Cardinals in games. However, it hasn't lasted. His stats aren't horrible, but they're not what you need when the rotation is falling apart.

The 36-year-old right-hander is 7-5 with a 4.26 ERA. There could be teams in need of some back-end rotation help before the waiver period passes. But at this point, the Cardinals need to see what they have in the system.

Why not give Michael McGreevy and Gordon Graceffo a chance to get some starts down the stretch? They clearly are Major League ready and it would make sense to see what they can do as far as earning some looks in 2025.

Gibson likely won't be back in 2025 anyway, so it would make sense to put him on the wire and see if any teams might be interested in adding a starter. The Reds might be after Hunter Greene went on the injured list.