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.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies would be another example of a contending team that would be trading for Carlson to backfill after injuries and underperformance. The Phillies demoted Johan Rojas in June but recalled him just last week. When Rojas hasn't been in Philly, Brandon Marsh has been filling in as a replacement center fielder. Marsh is a good center fielder, but his move to the middle has pushed David Dahl to a starting spot, and Dahl is a below-average outfielder on the defensive side of the game.

The Phillies also boast another former top prospect in Christian Pache in the outfield, but he has never been able to put it together at the biggest stage in baseball. Rojas's offensive profile is a near equivalent to Carlson's with a slash line of .234/.273/.298, so it's feasible that Carlson supplants Johan Rojas in the starting lineup.

Regardless of how the Phillies choose to use Carlson, he will provide depth for an outfield that could use some defensive help. The Phillies are also without key starters in Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto, so reinforcements of any kind are welcome in Philly. Carlson is a buy-low candidate for the Phillies.

The Cardinals could go a couple of routes when asking for players in return. They could swap two struggling players in Carlson and Pache, but the Cardinals may not be interested in that deal, especially considering Pache's crazy strikeout numbers and lack of power. The Cardinals could also dip into the Phillies' prospect pool and land someone like Griff McGarry (#10 according to MLB.com), or even Mick Abel (#5 according to MLB.com) if Carlson is packaged with a prospect. Abel has struggled this year, though, so a one-for-one deal could be had.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are always desperate for able-bodied players on their roster. They've been a team in rebuild mode for years now, and their future isn't overly bright due to poor spending and trades in recent years.

Young outfielder Nolan Jones was supposed to come into his own this year and help lead the Rockies' offense, but he is slashing just .189/.295/.315 this year for a 69 OPS+. Brenton Doyle has been providing strong defense in center with a plus bat, and Jake Cave has been a league-average player in right field. Carlson won't replace any of these players at the moment, but he could down the road.

By himself, Carlson won't command a starting pitcher, especially one who has pitched as well as Cal Quantrill has this year. Quantrill, 28, has pitched quite well after being designated for assignment and subsequently traded by the Cleveland Guardians last year. He has a 3.78 ERA, 4.55 FIP, and a 1.301 WHIP in 95.1 innings. Quantrill won't rack up many strikeouts (6.8 per nine innings), but he's been able to keep his walk and home run rates under control for his career. He has historically been a serviceable mid-rotation starter.

If the Cardinals have their sights set on Quantrill, who is signed for $6.5 million and has one more year of control, they may have to include a low-end prospect to sweeten the deal. It's possible given Quantrill's lack of team control that a swap is fair.

The Rockies have a fairly deep prospect system with 5 players in MLB.com's top-100 list; the Cardinals could ask for Sterlin Thompson, a corner outfield prospect with a plus hit tool and arm, or they could ask for a package of players including LHP Carson Palmquist among others. Regardless, Carlson would provide value to the Rockies who can afford to let him figure out his offensive struggles at the major league level.