4 possible trade locations for Cardinals Dylan Carlson

Dylan Carlson has been rumored to be on the trade block this summer for the St. Louis Cardinals. Katie Woo of The Athletic mentioned him as a player who could draw interest in her latest mailbag (subscription required). It's not a guarantee that Carlson will be moved by July 30th, but as more players return from injuries, his time on the field is fading.

There are several teams who could be interested in Carlson. He's still only 25, he was once a top-15 prospect in baseball, he has been a very good hitter from the right side of the plate historically, and he provides above-average defense in the outfield.

Some playoff contenders might use Carlson as a 4th outfielder who can start against left-handed pitchers, while other non-contending teams would be interested to see if a change of scenery can unlock something in the switch-hitting outfielder.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves outfield has been decimated by injuries once again (Hello? Is this 2021 calling?). Ronald Acuna Jr. is out for the year, and Michael Harris II is out for at least a month. Therefore, the Braves are down to Forrest Wall, Jarred Kelenic, and Adam Duvall in the grass. That's not the most inspiring squad, and it isn't the collection of players that Braves fans expected in July.

Therefore, they'll need an outfielder this deadline. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos won't snag big-name players like Luis Robert Jr. or Jazz Chisholm; instead, he'll aim for replacement players like he did in 2021 with Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, and Jorge Soler. These placeholders helped lead the team to a World Series victory that year.

Carlson could pass up one of the incumbent outfielders on the depth chart, but his switch-hitting abilities would be welcome on a bench that features 4 right-handed batters. Wall and Kelenic are both lefties as well, so a platoon system could benefit all outfielders.

The Braves were able to unlock what was once in Jarred Kelenic, another former top prospect who struggled in Seattle. Perhaps they could do the same with Dylan Carlson. In return, the Cardinals could ask for a prospect in the higher levels of the Braves' pipeline -- a bottom-third farm system in baseball -- like RHP Drue Hackenberg.