3 St. Louis Cardinals trade rumors to shoot down

Last year's MVP will be next year's Cardinals first baseman

The best player in the NL last year was Paul Goldschmidt. He also happens to have been one of the best players in the sport over his 13-year career. And while his numbers certainly are down from last year's hardware-capturing campaign, Goldy remains one of the best players on the team, even at age 35.

So why would anyone talk about trading him? Well, he is 35 years old, and most players see their performance fall off in their late 30s. Also, Goldschmidt will be a free agent at the end of next season, so there's a temptation to use the team's down year to do a hard reset. Trading the reigning MVP certainly would bring back a nice haul of prospects.

But you know what the Cardinals have a boatload of? Prospects! Sure, given how often prospects don't pan out, having more opportunities to find the next Paul Goldschmidt is beneficial. But St. Louis has the actual Paul Goldschmidt right now. Why would they send him elsewhere on the off chance a lottery ticket hits the jackpot?

There could be one more reason to deal away Goldy. He's making $26M this season and next, and if we were to believe Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt, baseball "isn't very profitable, to be honest." Of course, most of us have learned the last person we can trust about a team's profits is that team's owner.

Could St. Louis trade Goldschmidt? Certainly. Should they do so? Certainly not. Will they? No, not even DeWitt is that oblivious to the path to profitability, to be honest.

Everyday, everywhere, everyman Edman isn't going anywhere

Need a second baseman with a solid bat and a Gold Glove? The Cardinals have one. How about a shortstop who can pick it and also steal some bases? St. Louis has one of those, too. What about an outfielder - you can choose from a center fielder or a right fielder - who will give it everything he's got day in and day out? Yes, there's a Redbird who fits that description, too.

And guess what, they're all the same guy! Tommy Edman may not be a superstar. He may *only* be a solid all-around player a team can plug in at the top or bottom of the lineup, in at least half the defensive positions on the field, and rest comfortably knowing his combination of a solid bat, strong glovework, and aggressiveness on the basepaths will benefit his team in multiple ways.

Who wouldn't want a player like that? Are you kidding? Every team would be thrilled to have an Edman on its roster - including the St. Louis Cardinals. Sure, Paul DeJong plays a terrific shortstop, but his bat can turn ice-cold and stay that way for weeks, months, and years. Yes, Nolan Gorman is a thumper at the dish, but his glove...well, he's a bulky third baseman faking it at second because the Cards' other Nolan, Mr. Arenado, is simply one of the best third basemen ever.

So Edman provides both assurance and insurance. He's a known quantity, a good-not-great player in just his first season of arbitration eligibility making an affordable $4.3M. He's a guy you can rely upon when other players falter or come up lame. DeJong is sent to the minors? Put Edman at shortstop. Gorman is going to DH today? Put Edman at second base. Your entire Opening Day outfield is on the injured list? Put Edman anywhere on the grass he's needed.

The Cardinals are trying to figure out where all of their players fit in the lineup and on the field. And Edman's versatility helps them as they work out those plans. His acumen all over is valued more than ever throughout the game. He's the kind of player teams work hard to develop and hang onto, not the kind a team trades away.

The Cardinals need to acquire more starting pitchers, not send them packing

Cardinals starting pitching has been a problem this season. Three hurlers have ERAs around 4.00, which is rather indicative of mediocrity. The other four have ERAs well over 5.00, which is rather indicative of awfulness.

Two of those three solid starters are Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, and each is a free agent at season's end. A contract extension with Monty is still a possibility, but if you think Flaherty is likely to be a Cardinal in 2024, you don't know Jack.

And then there's Miles Mikolas. Is he exciting? No. He doesn't get boatloads of strikeouts, but he balances that out by being very stingy with walks. He generally keeps the team in the game, rarely dazzling but infrequently imploding.

There's value in such a pitcher, plenty of it. In fact, the Cardinals appreciated Mikolas' contributions enough to sign him to an extension that added $40M to his salary guarantees while tacking on two more seasons to his pact. With Steven Matz - who falls into the earlier "awful" category - the only other starting pitcher signed beyond this year, St. Louis is - and will be - looking for pitchers to take the ball every fifth game. They can't afford to deal one of their good contributors away.

Plus, there's the matter of that extension and what trading Mikolas just months after the ink dried would look like to other players, both current Cardinals and potential free-agent signees. Who wants to sign a long-term deal with a team that may send you elsewhere a short time later?

St. Louis' short-term needs and long-term reputation together dictate Miles Mikolas will be pitching in a Cardinals uniform this year and the start of the next, at the very least. And he'll have Goldschmidt and Edman to keep him company on those warm Midwest nights along the Mississippi River.