5 Cardinals who could still be traded in the offseason

With the August 1st MLB trade deadline come and gone, the Cardinals accomplished what they set out to do at the deadline, move expiring contracts. That's about all they did though. Some argued that they could, and should, have done more. Their objective was to inject the roster with pitching with an eye on 2024 and getting themselves back to a position where they, and most of baseball, are used to seeing them, at the top. They did so by trading away the likes of LHP Jordan Montgomery, RHP Jack Flaherty, RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP Chris Stratton, and SS Paul DeJong. They turned that into a plethora of minor-league pitching prospects to see who would pan out (Check out that fantastic read here).

The problem is none of the acquisitions they brought in appear to be an immediate "impact-in-2024" type of talent. That doesn't mean Drew Rom or Tekoah Roby couldn't bust onto the scene and have an outstanding 2024 rookie campaign, but the front office stated "Compete in 2024". In fact, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak just confirmed his ambitions for the off-season,"Currently, there are three open spots for the 2024 starting rotation."

So, we know there is still a month and a half left of ball to play in St. Louis with many exciting things to watch. Things like the pending promotion of hotshot SS prospect Mason Winn. The conclusion of the highly anticipated rookie campaign of top prospect Jordan Walker. Can Nolan Gorman reach 30 home runs on the season? Can Nolan Arenado capture his 11th Gold Glove and move into second place all-time for third basemen? There's the battle for playing time and the enigma that is the St. Louis outfield. Also, who can show that they can step up and make a case for a starting job in the rotation for 2024?

Although the Cardinals may be out of contention for 2023, with all the previously stated things to watch in mind we know there is plenty of reason to still be following along the rest of the season. But what about the upcoming off-season? Who are some players that weren't dealt at the deadline that could still be moved in the off-season to bring in starting pitching, or other pieces for success? Let's take a look!