6 possible trade destinations for Cardinals Tyler O'Neill

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees finished in fourth place in a tough American League East in 2023 with a record of 82-80. Their season ended up being as big of a disappointment as the Cardinals, Mets, and Padres due to the high expectations for the team after re-signing Aaron Judge and signing Carlos Rodon last offseason.

The Yankees have been rumored to be interested in Dylan Carlson since the Trade Deadline in August, but nothing came to fruition at that time. Those conversations and rumors have been sparked back up again this offseason. The Yankees are in need of a competent outfielder to be paired with Aaron Judge, especially after Jasson Dominguez's injury. While the Pinstripes would prefer a center fielder with a decent offensive ceiling, they would happily settle for a power-hitting, Gold-Glove-wielding left fielder. Tyler O'Neill fits that bill.

The Yankees had the lowest bWAR total among all teams in 2023 for left fielders at -3.4 bWAR. Tyler O'Neill, should he tap into his high exit velocities of past years and maintain his increased walk rate and decreased strikeout rate, would be a huge upgrade for a team desperate for some production out of their left field position.

In exchange, the Yankees have ample arms that would be enticing to the Cardinals. Clayton Beeter, Clarke Schmidt, Drew Thorpe, and Will Warren are all top prospects who would fit well into the Cardinals' rotation either in 2024 or the very near future. Additionally, the Yankees could sell low on a player like Nestor Cortes Jr. St. Louis could try and "fix" his career-high walk rate from last year. He had some health concerns last year, but those seem to have gone by the wayside.

The Yankees could beef up the weakest position they had last year while the Cardinals could improve their starting rotation with a trade of Tyler O'Neill this offseason.