5 Cardinals most at risk of being traded this offseason

The St. Louis Cardinals are in need of major shakeups from a leadership perspective, but it's also safe to say that roster turnover needs to be a part of that process as well.

For as much promise as I believed this young group of Cardinals bats had coming into the 2024 season, two straight seasons of performing like a bottom-ten unit is going to make bringing back the core for 2025 a hard sell for fans this offseason. You can make the argument that major changes to the coaching staff and front office could lead to a resurgence from this current group of bats, but it's hard to imagine a world where they do not shake things up with the roster as well.

That shake up should go beyond the position player group as well. While their offense is what failed them in 2024, we all know the rotation is not good enough to compete with the best in the game if they were to make a postseason push next year. That group has a variety of names they should look at cutting ties with.

Today I wanted to look at the names that I thought were most at risk of being traded this offseason. This doesn't mean they will be traded, but assuming some do, I would imagine that at least a few names from this list are involved in trades to improve the roster or the farm system.

Names to watch but did not make the list: Alec Burleson and Erick Fedde

Kind of odd names to include, right? Well, it all depends on the kinds of moves the Cardinals want to make.

If the Cardinals were to try and make a bigger move this offseason to improve their lineup or rotation, a name like Alec Burleson makes sense to consider in a deal. Why? Well, first of all, he should have actual trade value. You can't make a move for a big bat or front of the rotation starter by just packaging two or three guys you think aren't good. Burleson is someone I could see teams wanting to acquire this offseason.

Second, which actually speaks against his value a little bit, is that Burleson has regressed significantly during the second half of 2024. During the first half, Burleson slashed .288/.320/.494 with 17 home runs, good for a 125 wRC+ in 340 plate appearances. Since then, his numbers have fallen off to a .235/.295/.319 slash line with just four home runs and a 75 wRC+ in 234 plate appearances,

Burleson is now going to finish the season as a slightly above-league-average bat who struggles significantly against left-handed pitching. He is a valuable player and one who has room to grow still, but not quite the guy we thought he was becoming during the first half (at least not yet). Burleson is also a net negative as a defender, so that hurts his value as well. They don't need to force a move, but listening to offers is not a bad idea.

Erick Fedde has been disappointing since he came over at the trade deadline, posting a 4.07 ERA in 48.2 innings for the Cardinals. Prior to the trade, Fedde had made 21 starts for the White Sox, posting a 3.11 ERA and 3.77 FIP in the process. We weren't talking about some front-line starter here, but on a $7.5 million contract, that is awesome value for a middle or back-end of the rotation starter.

There's a lot of talk about the Cardinals moving some of their other more expensive veteran starters, but one route they could take is actually flipping Fedde for value this offseason, and keeping one of those other arms that could put together similar production. Instead of trading a Miles Mikolas or Steven Matz, eating a bunch of money, and getting nothing in return, they could save the entire $7.5 million on Fedde's deal and get some pieces in return. Or they could even pick up the option on one of Kyle Gibson or Lance Lynn and move Fedde.

Again, this is something the Cardinals should for sure consider, but what exactly they want to get out of their offseason (retool or rebuild) and how much salary flexibility they have will influence a lot of this.