6 realistic trade chips the Cardinals may dangle at the trade deadline

The Cardinals are buying at this year's trade deadline and these six trade chips make the most sense to move.

Baltimore Orioles v St. Louis Cardinals
Baltimore Orioles v St. Louis Cardinals | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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Victor Scott II

I am a huge fan of Victor Scott II and the Cardinals seem to be as well. I do not see them wanting to deal Scott, but I think circumstances right now at least make his availability possible for the right player in return.

They are not going to move Scott for just anything. I would be shocked to see him moved for a reliever or back-end starter, but if the Cardinals shoot for a big arm or bat, I'm sure his name will come up in conversations.

For St. Louis, Scott has the potential to win Gold Gloves in center field while leading all of baseball in stolen bases, but he may be further away from being an everyday Major Leaguer than we thought. His offensive performance was among the worst in baseball this year for St. Louis, and things aren't exactly going great in Memphis either. Scott's talent and work ethic lead me to believe he will figure it out, but if St. Louis does not think that will happen by 2025, do they look to capitalize on his value?

If the Cardinals are holding onto Siani and Edman, they have a pretty darn good platoon in center field for the next season and a half, and Siani will be under team control beyond 2025 as well. He's shown the ability to be the best defensive center fielder in baseball already, and although he's not going to steal anywhere close to as many bases as Scott, he does provide value on the base paths.

St. Louis may see Siani as close enough to the value they'd hope from Scott, and be inclined to move the upside Scott has to acquire an impact starter. Scott could go on to be one of the most exciting players in baseball for another team in a few years, but it is a risk the Cardinals may be willing to take.

One reason I have been bullish on Scott is I think he's probably one of the safer prospects you can have in your system, as even if the bat does not develop, I'd imagine he's at least as good as Siani with the added bonus of his stolen bases at some point, and we've seen how valuable that can be this year. The risk is you give up a guy who could be an on-base machine as well, but even then, he is probably not a superstar that you are letting get away.

I personally would not move Scott, but I think he is worth watching at this deadline.

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