4 blockbuster deals the Cardinals can make with the White Sox during their fire sale

Trade #1 - The search for the Cardinals' ace can now "Cease"

Cardinals receive: RHP Dylan Cease

White Sox receive: UTL Brendan Donovan, RHP Tink Hence, RHP Gordon Graceffo

Ugh. I love Brendan Donovan. Seriously, he's one of, if not my favorite, Cardinals on this roster. He plays the game the right way, is massively underrated, and was on an absolute tear for the Cardinals before his season-ending elbow surgery. But the Cardinals need a guy like Dylan Cease badly, so a package has to be considered.

I could see the White Sox not budging unless Nolan Gorman is involved, which if that were the case, I'd change this deal to look more like Gorman and Hence or Gorman, Graceffo, and a smaller piece or two for Cease, but in this scenario, the White Sox take Donovan as the headline Major League piece.

Donovan would make a lot of sense for the White Sox. They need a second baseman, but could also use him all over the field as they figure out what the future of their position player core will look like. Their top prospect, Colson Montgomery, is the 17th-ranked prospect in all of baseball and projects to be their future shortstop or third baseman. Together, the two of them give the White Sox great building blocks for the future offensively.

The other thing that I think would be appealing about Donovan to the White Sox is his leadership and character. It's clear that Donovan would set the tone for any team he was on for how to play the right way, something that the White Sox dugout desperately needs.

The Cardinals also part with right-handed pitching prospects Tink Hence and Gordon Graceffo in this deal. Hence is the 42nd-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, and has electric stuff as a starter. There are still concerns about whether or not he will stick in a rotation long-term, and what exactly his ceiling is as a starter. It's tough to trade away a pitching prospect like Hence, but if the Cardinals are getting Cease in return, I feel better about it.

Graceffo followed up his meteoric rise in 2022 with a disappointing 2023 season but still has the makings of a middle or back-of-the-rotation starter in the future. The trio of Donovan, Hence, and Graceffo gives the White Sox a ton of club control and three building blocks for their rebuild.

The Cardinals take a hit offensively but still have a core of Goldschmidt, Arenado, Contreras, Walker, Gorman, and Nootbaar to rely on. With Thomas Saggese making his way to St. Louis soon and looking like a similar player to Donovan, he could fill his role on the team over time.

This is a painful trade to make, but Cease gives the Cardinals a cost-controlled, front-line starter for two years. He had a down 2023 on a weird White Sox team but is just one year removed from a 2.20 ERA and second-place Cy Young finish and is a guy who eats a lot of innings. His stuff did not take a step back in 2023, leaving many to believe he'll be back to form in 2024.

Trade #2 - St. Louis transforms their lineup

Cardinals receive: OF Luis Robert Jr.

White Sox receive: 2B Nolan Gorman, RHP Tink Hence, OF Victor Scott II, RHP Gordon Graceffo, and RHP Sem Robberse

The Cardinals offense is strong, and I'm not in the camp of Cardinals' followers who believes they need to make changes here - unless it's for a talent like Luis Robert Jr.

Robert is just 26 years old and is already one of the best players in baseball. He plays a quality center field for the White Sox, but more importantly, he mashes the baseball. In 2023, Robert slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 HR and 80 RBI for Chicago while stealing 20 bases as well. He's a superstar talent and is really putting things together now.

Not only is Robert young, mashing the baseball, and playing good defense at a premium position, but he also has one of the team friendliest contracts in baseball. He's locked up for another four years, making just $12.5 million and $15 million in 2024 and 2025, and then has two club options in 2026 and 2027 at just $20 million a piece. If Robert was hitting the open market during those club option years, he'd be getting a long-term deal in the $30 million annual value range.

If you thought a package for Cease was pricing, Robert is going to be a whole other level. I'm not sure the White Sox would even entertain a deal that does not involve Jordan Walker or Lars Nootbaar, but I crafted a strong package around Nolan Gorman in this scenario.

Along with the power-hitting lefty, the White Sox would once again receive Hence and Graceffo, but this time they would also get one of the more exciting prospects in baseball in Victor Scott II as well.

With Robert, Walker, and Nootbaar patrolling the Cardinals outfield long-term, Scott becomes more expendable for St. Louis and offers the White Sox a third exciting player in this package to build around. Scott can slot into center field for the White Sox sometime before the end of 2024. Although he does not have the power or overall hitting potential that Robert has, he would play Gold Glove-caliber defense and lead the league in stolen bases. Quite the replacement if you ask me.

Since Robert only makes $12.5 million this year, he really doesn't cut into the Cardinals plans to upgrade their pitching, but oh boy, look at the lineup they are able to put out on the field with him.

LF Lars Nootbaar
1B Paul Goldschmidt
CF Luis Robert Jr.
3B Nolan Arenado
C Willson Contreras
RF Jordan Walker
2B Brendan Donovan
DH Alec Burleson
SS Masyn Winn

I don't think there is a better 1-7 in all of baseball offensively if the Cardinals pulled that off. Robert also helps stabilize the Cardinals'' outfield defense as well, and adds another speed threat to their mix. Again, I could see this package being heavier, but it's fun to dream about and something the Cardinals have to at least consider.

Trade #3 - The Cardinals add "volume" to their pitching staff

Cardinals receive: RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Michael Kopech, and LHP Garrett Crochet

White Sox receive: 2B Nolan Gorman, RHP Tink Hence, OF Dylan Carlson, and 2B Cesar Prieto

Let's go back to the Cease conversation. In the words of John Mozeliak, the Cardinals are seeking "volume" this offseason from their pitching acquisitions.

Cease alone would certainly qualify as this. Just under $9 million for a top-of-the-rotation starter who is going to give you 180+ innings as well? That checks the box for sure. But what if the Cardinals looked to add even more volume into this deal as well?

Garrett Crochet is set to make around $900k in his first year of arbitration while Michael Kopech is slated to make $3.6 million in his second year of arbitration. Both pitchers have really great stuff and have been successful at the Major League level and could be had for a combined $4.4 million.

Crochet is a left-handed reliever who was excellent in 2021 for the White Sox, throwing 54.1 innings to the tune of a 2.82 ERA while striking out 10.8 batters per nine innings. Crochet missed all of 2022 after having Tommy John surgery and appeared in 13 games in 2023, posting a 3.55 ERA in that stretch. Sure there's some risk, but he's still someone who has shown the ability to be a high-leverage reliever. Chicago is currently debating between using him as a multi-inning reliever or stretching him out as a starter, showing that he's a guy who could eat innings in a number of roles.

Kopech was once one of the top prospects in baseball and has had an up-and-down career thus far. He had an excellent year out of the bullpen in 2021 for the White Sox and followed that up with a 3.54 ERA in 25 starts for Chicago in 2022. He has incredible stuff, but couldn't get it under control in 2023. He struck out 9.3 batters per nine innings while also walking 6.3 batters as well. Kopech's 5.43 ERA and 6.46 FIP were not forgiving to him either, so he may be a solid candidate for a change of scenery.

Like Crochet, Kopech would be used as a starter, multi-inning reliever, or high-leverage arm, and both would come on very affordable salaries.

The price for that alongside Cease though raises the package a bit in my opinion. Donovan is upgraded to Gorman, and while they do take Graceffo out of this deal, Dylan Carlson and Cesar Prieto join with Hence to create a package here. Gorman gives the White Sox their new rising star offensively to join Montgomery in the infield, while Hence can be their new prized starter in their system.

Carlson and Prieto are interesting fits for the White Sox as well. Carlson was once a top prospect in baseball and could look to get his career back on track by playing next to Luis Robert Jr. in one of the corners. Prieto doesn't have a high ceiling as a prospect, but he could be a more than capable infield option for them in the very near future.

Trade #4 - The Cardinals become World Series contenders

Cardinals receive: OF Luis Robert Jr. and RHP Dylan Cease

White Sox receive: OF Jordan Walker, 2B Nolan Gorman, RHP Tink Hence, OF Victor Scott II, RHP Gordon Graceffo

Here's the true blockbuster deal - bringing both Robert and Cease to St. Louis to propel the Cardinals into true World Series contender status.

Sure, the Cardinals would have to make a few more moves to shore up the pitching, no doubt. But they'd add an All-Star bat and MVP contender in Robert to the middle of their order along with an ace for the top of their rotation in Cease. The two of them combined would make $20 million in 2024, leaving the Cardinals with an additional $45 million to spend this offseason, and that number could rise even more with trades of guys like Tyler O'Neill or Tommy Edman.

Bringing in Robert and Cease would come with a massive price tag though. I do not see how the Cardinals can pull this off without Walker or Nootbaar at the center of this deal. Walker seems to be the easier sell here, as he has the ceiling of a player the caliber of Robert but is still just 21 years old. Why would the Cardinals even entertain giving up Walker? Well, Robert is the tier of player you hope Walker can become. If Robert was on a short-term deal or getting paid a ton of money, this would be a harder sell. But Robert is locked up for another four years on a team-friendly deal and is a surefire star already. The Cardinals at the very least have to think about this for a while.

I don't think I'd be comfortable giving up Walker and Gorman in a deal, mainly because I'm just really high on both guys. Sure, Robert probably makes the Cardinals better in 2024, but I think Walker is on the path to being a perennial All-Star, and Gorman has already shown he can be one of the best power bats in the game when he's right.

But say the Cardinals go down this path, they instantly have the best top-6 hitters in baseball with Donovan/Goldschmidt/Robert/Arenado/Contreras/Nootbaar, and they have their top-of-the-rotation starter with money to spend. Even if I think I'd pull the trigger on that, I see the reason why some would.

As much as I love Scott II, Hence, and Graceffo, having Robert and Cease makes them more expendable. Now, I'd much rather go down the path of having all of those prospects and young bats and just spending to get the arms the Cardinals need. But I also am a fan of going after Cease if it looks more like the first package than this one. As fun as Robert would be to trade for, I just think the Cardinals are better off holding onto the extra pieces that it would take to acquire both. I'm content with just aiming for Cease.