Here is the blueprint for the St. Louis Cardinals to win the MLB trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals should be the most active team at this year's trade deadline.

The club has three of the most desirable rentals available on the trade market this year in Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, and Jack Flaherty. Montgomery has a chance to be the best starting pitcher available on the entire market, while Hicks and Flaherty's play of late should make them valuable commodities.

Along with three impending free agents, we all expect them to trade, names like Tyler O'Neill, Chris Stratton, Juan Yepez, and Paul DeJong could all be let go of via trade for the right price. They could also end up being a part of larger packages the club puts together.

Speaking of, the Cardinals are also rumored to be in on controllable starting pitching at this deadline, which would be a more "buying" move in nature. This kind of deal would likely see the Cardinals part with some of their young bats like Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, or Tommy Edman. It would be a painful move, but one that could help the club significantly in 2024.

With all of these options, there are a ton of paths the Cardinals can go at this deadline. Each move will have a direct impact on other moves, so the Cardinals need to think long and hard about their end goal before they start wheeling and dealing. If they play their cards right, they can really win this deadline.

Here is the blueprint for the St. Louis Cardinals to win the MLB Trade Deadline this year