4 moves the Cardinals need to make after the Winter Meetings

The 2023 MLB Winter Meetings came and went without a move by the St. Louis Cardinals. John Mozeliak stated that he didn't feel pressured to make a move and that the team's early action this offseason allowed them a cushion to get a feel for both the trade and reliever markets.

Having acted early with the signings of Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Sonny Gray, the Cardinals' front office could sit back during the Winter Meetings this year. While the team does need some clarity going forward before Spring Training starts, irrational, rushed decisions and moves wouldn't have helped the team in Nashville.

It would have been great as a Cardinals' fan to hear that the team traded for Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow, or Shane Bieber, but if the trade market was too high, or if teams were waiting on the big dominoes like Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, or Yoshinobu Yamamoto to fall, then it made no sense for John Mozeliak to make a move.

Pitchers and catchers don't report to Spring Training for another two months, and the first games of Spring Training don't start until February 24th for the Cardinals. That gives management plenty of time to fill out the roster and finalize their team as a whole. Within that time span, there are many things that John Mozeliak and Michael Girsch can do to make the Cardinals a true contender in 2024.

The bullpen still needs some fortification, the glut of outfielders and position players needs to be cleared up, the team could use another high-end starting pitcher, and the coaching staff needs some additions to become more modern.

Move #1: Trade Tyler O'Neill

This move has been apparent for quite some time now. Oliver Marmol's comments at the end of the year led fans to speculate that Tyler O'Neill was a player that needed to be "weeded out", and John Mozeliak said the quiet part out loud at the Winter Meetings when he ostensibly said that O'Neill will be traded this offseason.

O'Neill, a former MVP candidate with multiple Gold Gloves and a 30-home run season on his resume, still has value to lots of teams in baseball, and the Cardinals should get a decent return on him. The recent trade of Alex Verdugo, another player who has struggled in recent years, gives fans an outline for the potential return should Tyler O'Neill be traded.

The Boston Red Sox received a bullpen pitcher in Greg Weissert who had a 4.60 ERA in 29 appearances these past two years, and prospects Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice. Neither Fitts nor Judice were ranked in the Yankees' top 30 prospects. If the Cardinals find a trade partner for O'Neill, it is likely that he nets one prospect from the organization's #20-30 range or a bullpen arm with decent statistics and minimal team control.

Trading O'Neill will clear up an outfield logjam and will provide a window of opportunity for Masyn Winn to show his potential in the majors. O'Neill doesn't seem to have a spot on the team anymore. Mozeliak did quip that when O'Neill is traded, he wouldn't be surprised to see the 28-year-old righty get MVP votes next year. This trend started when the Cardinals traded Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia only to see them succeed on their new teams.

Yeah, (O'Neill) will probably get MVP votes. Do we wish we batted 1.000 (on trades)? Of course, but we are human, and we do make mistakes.

Move #2: Beef up the bullpen

The bullpen has been a major focus this offseason once the starting rotation was filled out. Players such as Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, JoJo Romero, and Andre Pallante figure to be the most prominent relievers next year, but John Mozeliak has stated on multiple occasions that he wants at least one more high-leverage arm to add to the bullpen before next season starts.

Recent reports have indicated that Mozeliak plans on finding these bullpen pieces via free agency, but he isn't completely closed off to the idea of using a trade to fill in the relief corp. There are a plethora of relievers that Mozeliak could find through free agency. Phil Maton has been rumored by Derrick Goold as a player of interest, but others such as Matt Moore, Matt Barnes, and Keynan Middleton all have high-leverage success.

As was previously stated, the Cardinals could also explore the trade route for relievers. Tyler O'Neill could net a decent reliever in return, but any one of Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, or a prospect the Cardinals have would be enticing for opposing teams. Justin Lawrence of the Colorado Rockies is an interesting reliever, and there are plenty of teams who don't intend on contending next year that could trade one of their relievers for a prospect or two.

Improving a bullpen that had the 23rd-worst ERA last year and the 24th-worst WHIP last year is imperative. Adding at least one bullpen arm, particularly one with high-leverage experience, would be ideal. Craig Kimbrel was signed for $13 million, so look for a deal similar to that if the Cardinals dip into free agency to fill this void.

Move #4: Get one more starting pitcher

Pitching, pitching, pitching was the mantra this offseason. Mozeliak said he would add three starters to the rotation, and he did so. The issue, however, is that it wasn't expected for two of the three additions to be bottom-of-the-rotation arms. Fans and reporters alike figured Mozeliak would sign a starter to solidify the back end of the rotation, then find two pitchers who were both better than Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz.

Instead, the St. Louis faithful were left puzzled when Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson were signed back-to-back. Sure, the innings totals are nice and the player personalities are strong, but the team was in need of a true ace and another high-end starting pitcher. There is a lot of pressure on a rotation with an average age of 35 next year.

Another high-end pitcher such as Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow, Shane Bieber, or any one of the Miami Marlins' starters would be the icing on the cake this offseason. Cease and the Marlins' pitchers would cost quite a bit of prospect capital, but they would alter this starting rotation immediately, thrusting it into a top-ten rotation in the league.

St. Louis figures to be out on the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes as the price continues to soar, and Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are also probably too expensive for a club looking to stay below the $237 million luxury tax, but the Cardinals' surplus of position players puts them in a good spot to continue exploring the trade market for another starting pitcher.

Adding four starting pitchers to a rotation in one offseason is a tall task, but it would turn last year's team's greatest weakness into next year's team's greatest strength.