5 front office missteps that defined the 2024 Cardinals

The dumping of Dylan Carlson for nothing

It was clear in 2024 that Dylan Carlson's time in St. Louis was drawing to a close. He was completely overmatched at the plate and had even regressed in the outfield. So when the Cardinals traded him at the trade deadline to the Tampa Bay Rays for relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong, nobody was surprised. The shocking part would come after Armstrong had made 11 appearances with the Cardinals, when they designated him for assignment after a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings.

In a vacuum, the choice to release Armstrong wouldn't be an issue. It might raise a few eyebrows given that he had pitched decently and was coming off of his seventh consecutive scoreless outing, but the fact that the Cardinals cut bait so quickly on the only return for a former top prospect was a terrible look for the front office.

Carlson was the Cardinals' top prospect as recently as 2021 and still had over two years of team control remaining on his contract. Fans couldn't say that the Cardinals didn't give him a chance; Carlson totaled 1,619 plate appearances with St. Louis from 2020 to 2024. But he regressed every year, bottoming out at a .198 average before the trade. The Rays clearly found something to adjust, and he has already hit three home runs after failing to hit one in more than twice as many at-bats with the Cardinals in 2024.

Perhaps Armstrong asked for his release, and even if he didn't, he was unlikely to be retained after 2024. But the optics on the move are confounding: The Cardinals sacrificed a player they expected to be in their future plans to receive a a few innings of a pitcher whom they then released in order to save a few bucks. It's the epitome of a franchise in disarray.