5 trades that Cardinals could make today to improve their roster immediately

The Cardinals have dug themselves quite a hole to start the season, so one of these early-season trades may be needed

1. Getting rotation and bullpen help from the Yankees
2. The Guardians give the Cardinals a promising starter for promising bats
3. The Cardinals and Marlins finally swap offense for pitching
4. The Cardinals bring back a familiar face
5. The Padres and Cardinals make a bold trade

Let's be clear, trades do not normally happen this early in the season. But with the way the St. Louis Cardinals' season has gone so far, drastic times may call for drastic measures.

It's really easy for any of us to hop on the internet and just say "The Cardinals need to trade these players for an ace today", and I know our comments are typically full of those thoughts. While I understand the sentiment, that's just not how the baseball industry goes about its business, outside of some rare exceptions.

In 2021, the Milwaukee Brewers traded away right-handed relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen to the Tampa Bay Rays for shortstop Willy Adames and right-hander Trevor Richards. A lot of things came together to make that deal happen. The Rays were ready to call up the top prospect in baseball, Wander Franco, but didn't have a place to play him. The Brewers badly needed a bat and were willing to trade away some relievers.

One thing led to another, and a deal came to fruition.

It's possible for the Cardinals to replicate this kind of deal, but the front office will need to be okay with the following realities.

1. They may be selling low on one of their own assets
2. They will need to find a trade partner who has a very clear need that they can help fill
3. Trades like this do not happen for top-end talent.
4. If a team believes they can get a lot for that player, they'll likely wait until the trade deadline when there are more teams in the bidding.

Adames came in and made a huge impact for the Brewers, but at the time of the trade, he was hitting .197/.254/.371 through 142 plate appearances. Not exactly the looks of a middle-of-the-order bat in my opinion.

If the Cardinals want to make an immediate upgrade to their roster, they'll have to get creative and aggressive. Here are five trades they could pursue to improve this roster right now.