5 bold trade ideas to save the St. Louis Cardinals' season

Trade #5 - The Shohei Ohtani trade

The Cardinals acquire RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani from the Angels for OF Dylan Carlson, RHP Tink Hence, RHP Gordon Graceffo, and 1B/DH Juan Yepez.

I'm going to be honest, I think it's so hard to know what it would take to trade for Shohei Ohtani if he is moved at the deadline. On one hand, he's going to be a free agent in a few months and you'll likely lose him, but on the other hand, your club is getting a Cy Young-level starter and All-Star-level bat.

The closest thing I can compare this kind of deal to is the Dodgers trading forTrea Turner and Max Scherzer from the Nationals in 2021. Scherzer was a free agent after that season, while Turner had another year of club control. The Nationals got two top 50 MLB prospects in return as well as two other lower-rated prospects in the Dodgers system.

I think it'll end up taking more since there would surely be a bidding war, which is where I landed on Tink Hence, Dylan Carlson, Juan Yepez, and Gordon Graceffo. This would be a great haul for the Angels, and help them jump-start their rebuild around Mike Trout. Honestly, though, I could see them asking for even more.

The Cardinals getting Ohtani totally change the outlook of the club. They'd have the ace they desperately need, and they'd also add another elite bat to their lineup that would easily become the best in baseball by a long shot.

I give this kind of deal a very low chance of happening, but it's still interesting to think about for St. Louis.